Hello there!
I’m a little – ok, a lot – late to the Simon Says Stamp Holly Jolly new release party, but I promise that this is not due to lack of trying! As many of you are probably aware, snail mail has been more snail-like than usual these days. The new product that I was graciously sent arrived after the Holly Jolly release went live, but it’s here and I’ve got 2 cards to share!
Geometric designs are some of my favourites, both when it comes to cards as well as other forms of art. This particular Simon Says Stamp release included new embossing folders, including a Tumbling Hexagon design that works so well for year-round for card making. Though I often forget about them, I love embossing folders for creating subtle textured backgrounds.
Through some experimentation, I’ve found that the folders from various brands require different settings on my die cutting machine to create a good, even impression. In this case, the new Simon Says Stamp embossing folders are made of much thicker plastic than the others in my collection, and when using a Sizzix Big Shot die cutting machine (which is what I have), it’s recommended that they be sandwiched with base plate number 1 and 1 cutting plate. This is exactly what I did, and it worked perfectly for the 2 white card panels I made.
Most of the other elements – the holiday bulbs and sentiments – came from an older Simon Says Stamp stamp set that doesn’t appear to be available any more, but I rediscovered it in my stash recently and figured it would be perfect for these cards. I stamped the bulbs in various colours of ink, then heat embossed the outlines with fine gold embossing powder. I did the same with the sentiments – one on vellum, and the other on white cardstock.
After cutting out and arranging the bulbs and sentiments, I adhered them to the white hexagon-embossed panels. I chose purple and turquoise cardstock that coordinated with my ink colours as the background piece, mounted the hexagon panels with foam tape, and then centered these on each of my white A2 card bases. I love the hexagon design in the background, and can’t wait to use this embossing folder on more cards! You can check out the others, as well as the full Simon Says Stamp Holly Jolly release here.
Tell me… do you use embossing folders often? What sorts of designs/prints do you reach for most?