For Savvy Saturday, I thought I would cut apart my Impressability. It’s OK - LOL!! It’s one of the reasons why I purchased two of the same kind. The results are stunning.

Since the weather is getting cooler and the days seem to be getting shorter, my mind is in fall mode. Wandering around the Chicago Scrapbook Expo a few weeks ago, I grabbed Crafty Secret Fall Homespun Cotton Scraps. Perfect for just this occasion! Here are some other items I gathered for today’s project: I2-1009 Impressabilities™ Flourish, S7-017 On The Vine Border Grand, S4-228 Nested Maple Leaf die #1 ( the smallest size), S4-132 Classic Rectangles Large die #5 and S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities® die #2.

I picked the I2-1009 Impressabilities™ Flourish because of the swirl designs, it went well with the fall theme. While cutting the Flourish to use as a border, I discovered that it really wasn’t connected to each other, just an individual flowery swirl. But that was fine, I placed each flourish next to each other to look like a border. Using the Core’dination cardstock, I misted the area where I would emboss.

The embossing sandwich I used was (from the bottom):
White Master Mat
Tan Embossing Pad
Cardstock
I2-1009 Impressabilities™ Flourish
White Master Mat

After feeding the sandwich through the Wizard, I left the Impressability pieces embedded in the cardstock. I flipped the cardstock over and proceeded to sand over the embossed area. I do this so that my embossing stands out even more. Then I took out the pieces of the Impressability and set the card base aside. 

S7-017 On The Vine Border Grand, I only cut and emboss a small part as I only needed one of its leaf to add onto the pumpkin…don’t forget to ink the leaf before adding (hint: I inked the edges first and then gently pressed the entire leaf face down onto the ink pad)! I cut and embossed three (3) S4-228 Nested Maple Leaf die #1. With the rest of the die templates, I cut and embossed one of each using My Mind’s Eye pattern papers. Inked the edges of all including the card base and Crafty Secret Cotton Scraps image. Adhere all as shown below…note that the S4-227 Pumpkins Nestabilities® and the orange S4-228 Nested Maple Leaf are raised using foam tape by Scrapbook Adhesive By 3L. Also, if you look closely, you will see I added touches of Flower Soft onto the image where the leaves are…wonderful accent!

Design Team Member Karen Hunsaker also created a card by cutting apart the I2-1001 Impressabilities™ Paisley. Going further with the Paisley theme, she also cut and embossed the S4-135 Classic Scalloped Paisley with the Core’dinations Chocolate Box cardstock. Stamped “thanks” from Hero Arts using Clearsnap ink, this card is ready to go!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great Saturday!
MargieH

For most, we are in full swing of “Back to School” mode - the early mornings, the bag lunches and the routine. Here in an empty (and quiet!) house, I was cleaning my closet and found a box of pictures of my boys in their younger years…they were so cute! What happened? They grew up…a little! LOL!

As the theme is ”back to school” today, I am learning something new. I thought I’d try my hand at Karen Taylor’s technique of using the Impressabilities to make a “Back to School” layout of my oldest when he hit first grade. Then add into the mix, my favorite technique of letterpressing.

First I gathered what I needed from my Spellbinders’ stash: I2-1010 Impressabilities™ Pebbles, S4-230 Labels Six die #5 & #6 (#1 being the smallest size) and a retired tag die template.

I had some foam shapes and letters in my sticker binder for awhile so it was a great excuse to use them! After reading how Eli and Beth heated the Impressabilities™ to emboss, I thought what about heating the foam instead?

Before I started my experiment, I had everything for my Wizard™ all set up so I can make that mad dash to the sandwich of (from bottom):

White Master Mat
Favorite Impressability
Foam Shape or Letters
Tan Embossing Mat
White Master Mat

Using my tweezer, I heated the black foam arrow with its white backing intact (I cut the shape from its sticker sheet) and the surface turned into a shiny coat. Quickly I put the heated foam face down, placed the Tan Embossing Mat and White Master Mat on top. Passed the sandwich through the Wizard™. Repeat the process for the foam letters that spelled out “Back To School.”

After heating all that foam, I used the letterpress technique that I had posted last month by using Clearsnap Queue ink (notice the frame behind the journaling box?). The journaling was written on S4-230 Labels Six die #5 and the letterpressed frame, I used S4-230 Labels Six die #6. For more details on how to letterpress, please refer HERE.

With Cosmo Cricket “Boyfriend” collection (papers, ribbon and rub-ons) and chalking the edges with Clearsnap Fluid Chalk Ink - Chestnut Roan, I was able to complete a real fun layout for my first grader of long ago! LOL!

After seeing Design Team Member Karen Taylor’s technique on Savvy Saturday I was a little perplexed, I have not worked with foam very much, just a few room parent projects when my boys were younger.  

I started out making a leaf project with foam. I cut the S4-228 Nested Maple Leaf die template with 3 colors of foam, several die cuts of each size maple leaf.  Then I used my heat tool to warm up the I2-1009 Impressbilities™ Flourish.  I embossed with the foam in the die, attempting to preserve the embossed edge from the die, like this.  Because foam has some give to it and it stretches, the results were less than spectacular.  Also, the flourish pattern wasn’t as noticable as I wanted it to be.  EUREKA!  What if I used the iron? 

I turned the iron onto the highest heat setting without steam.  I built the sandwich upside down (White Master Mat, Tan Embossing Mat, die cut maple leaves).  I placed the Impressabilties™ template on the ironing board and put the hot iron onto the Impressabilities™ for about 15 seconds.  My iron just about covered the entire template, evenly heating it.  I used a pair of kitchen tongs to pick up the very hot Impressabilites™ and placed it onto the die cut foam maple leaves, covered it with the other White Master Mat and fed it into my Wizard™.  I did this so that I could quickly feed the sandwich before I lost the heat.  By the time the sandwich was out of the Wizard™, the Impressabilities™ was cool enough to touch.

I achieved the shiny, evenly embossed area that Eli did by using the iron.  Remember that once heated, the Impressabilities™ template is HOT!  I embossed all the leaves using this technique.

To assemble my little wreath, I cut a circle from chipboard and glued the leaves around it. I added some light green foam S4-198 Flourish Accents and dark brown foam S7-017 On The Vine Border Grand, cut into several pieces.  Just add ribbon to the back and its ready to hang!

Supplies used: I2-1009 Impressabilities™ Flourish; S4-228 Nested Maple Leaves; S7-017 On The Vine Border Grand; S4-198 Flourish Accents;  Foam Sheets; Craft Foam Glue, chipboard, Iron.

Beth

We’re excited to share a new technique created by our Design Team member, Karen Taylor. She shared it first on her blog, Creative Yearnings, and we thought it was so great that we had to share it here too.

I am excited to share a new Spellbinders™ Impressabilities™ technique with you. It is a heat embossing technique.

To do the technique you will need fun foam or foam letters, an Impressabilities™, a hot pad and a heat tool.

Using your hot pad, heat the Impressabilities™ with a heat gun. Heat for at least 30 seconds and lay it on your foam. Gently press with hot pad. Let cool and lift the Impressabilities™

This is a very versatile technique. Since fun foam can be cut in the Wizard™, the possibilities are endless.

This is sure to be come a favorite technique….I know it is mine! Karen Taylor

WOW, Karen, that looked so fun that I had to try it on my layout featuring my daughter’s fall picnic at school.

I found the fun foam to be a little more challenging to “take” the embossing than I did the foam letters. So I modified the technique just a bit. First. I like to work on a 12×12″ ceramic tile. You know, the kind you get at the home store for a couple bucks. It is heat resistent and gives me plenty of room to work. I cut my three ovals (S4-140 Petite Ovals Small) from Burgundy fun foam. I placed the Impressabilities™ template on the tile and heated it with my heat tool. I was so tempted to check to see how hot it was before I laid my foam oval on but decided that was not a good idea.

As soon as I removed the heat, I placed the foam oval on top of the Impressabilities™ template and then pressed down on the foam using an acrylic block. I could see through the block and it pushed the foam down into the template in an even manner. I noticed that the places on the template that were the hottest, actually gave the foam a shiny look…so cool. Here is a close up of the embossing!

I created three of these ovals, changing the placement on the template for variety. I wanted to echo the template again on the page, so I embossed 2 sections of a cardstock strip, added metallic rub-ons for emphasis and adhered it with  the title. Next went the photos and journaling blocks on top of my embossed ovals. Voila! Not too difficult and definitely worth it. Thanks, again, Karen for the fabulous new technique and great inspiration.

Eli

Borderabilities Grand, what a wonderful product from Spellbinders, especially for scrapbookers. Where else can you get 12-inch border die templates with incredible detailing featuring three functions: cutting, embossing and stenciling? (If that weren’t rhetorical, I’d say, “Nowhere!”)

Today, I’m going to share a layout with you. But first, you might want to watch our very own Stacey Caron demonstrate the Borderabilities Grand in the Wizard. Check out this video below. She cuts/embosses the Grand Borderabilities with the accessory Grand Cut Mat Kit for efficient cut/emboss functions, and she shows the Extended White Master Mats that are included with a Wizard.

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Today’s Savvy Saturday is all about  Letterpress.  This technique dates back to the year 1450, with thanks going to Johannes Gutenberg, as the main method of printing until the invention of offset printing. That is today’s history lesson.

You can do this technique with Spellbinders’™ Impressabilities™!  I started by playing with ink.  I rolled my brayer across an ink pad, then onto the I2-1004 Impressabilties™ Flowers.  I built my sandwich this way:

• White Master Mat
• Inked Impressabilties™ (ink side up)
• Paper
• Embossing Mat
• White Master Mat

Feed the sandwich into the Wizard™.  One pass in the Wizard™ will emboss the paper and transfer the ink into the debossed areas. This is the result with Clearsnap ColorBox White Pigment Ink and black cardstock:

Then I tried acrylic paint. This is the result with Ranger’s paint.  This is a fast drying acrylic paint, and despite working quickly, I am not 100% happy with the coverage in this example. We’ll come back to paint another time.

So then I got to thinking, if ink works, what about ink and embossing powder? I used the brayer to apply Clearsnap Top Boss Watermark Ink to the Impressabilities™, fed the sandwich through the Wizard™ and then applied Sparkle and Sprinkle’s Outerspace Embossing Powder. I heated the paper to melt the powder. Oh my! Its beautiful! Check this out:

Then I did the reverse stencil technique with Clearsnap Black Pigment Ink and S4-234 Ribbon Tags Trio  2, the oval shape. I stamped “thank you” from Hero Arts onto the label with the same ink, and added ribbon from my stash.  It needed just one more thing, so I cut an oval using S4-112 Classic Ovals, Small #4, from the same patterned paper, which is Fancy Pants Caroling.  I mounted that onto black cardstock.

I love the texture and sheen from the embossing powder, don’t you?

Spellbinders™ Die Templates used: S5-019 Labels Eight, S4-112 Classic Ovals, Small #4, S4-234 Ribbon Tags Trio 2, I2-1004 Impressabilities™ Flowers.

Here are a few examples from our Design Team Members:

 Janine Blackwelder also used Impressabilities™ Flowers for this bookmark.  She cut the Impressabilties™ apart and letterpressed a small section.  Clearsnap ink, Hero Arts stamps, and the S4-112 Classic Ovals, Small as well as S4-113 Scalloped Classic Ovals, Small were used on this project.

Julie Overby embossed her chipboard letters with Impressabilities™ Flowers. On the card she used S5-019 Labels Eight; 12-1004 Impressabilities™ Flowers;  Cardstock; Patterned paper; Cosmo Cricket and Maya Road chipboard; ClearSnap Colorbox Ink.

Have a wonderful Saturday!
Beth

PS. Don’t forget to go over to “When Creativity Knocks!” - and vote for Impressabilities™ in the Great Crafter’s Tool Hunt…you could win something cool and we would win ultimate fame and glory (maybe even a trophy? who knows). Click HERE for more info.  Voting closes September 8 at midnight PST.

Its back to school time, and this month we’re learning the many uses of Spellbinders’™ Impressabilities™!  Margie kicked us off with her Savvy Saturday.  We hope you decide to go back to school with us,  we have so many things to show you!  Are you subscribed?  Just enter your email in the box where it says “Keep up with this Blog” and you’ll get each post emailed to you.

OK, back to Impressabilities™ School!  While Margie did a straight emboss of a piece of paper on her Savvy Saturday, I wanted to die cut the paper and emboss the I2-1001 Impressabilities™ Paisley, but I wanted to preserve the embossed edge of square die template too. 

First I cut the S4-128 Classic Square, Small #6 die template, using Core’dinations Color Core Cardstock.  Then I placed the I2-1001 Impressabiities™ Paisley on the bottom Master Mat.  Next I placed the die template with the die cut paper still in it on top of the Impressabilities™.  I made sure the die template has the cut side facing up, because I didn’t want to damage the Impressabilities™.  I put the Embossing Pad on top of the die template, then the other Master Mat and fed the sandwich into my Wizard™.

See the beautiful result!  I embossed the clean lines of the die template as well as the pattern of the Impressabilities™ Paisley.  A little sanding and the paper is georgeous!

For my layout I repeated this 4 times.  I also cut and embossed 5 red squares with S4-126 Classic Squares, Large #6.  I cut/embossed my photos using S4-126 Classic Square, Small #6. Additionally, 2 sets of S4-161 Labels One # 2 & 5 were cut to make frames, then sliced diagonally to make 4 corners.  The book in the center is made from S4-231 Labels Seven # 4 for the pages and # 5 for the cover.

I arranged them rather simply on a piece of school themed pattern paper.  And the charming little faces, those are my boys, on the first day of first and second grade, oh so long ago, or at least it seems that way!

Supplies used: Spellbinders™ S4-128 Classic Square, Small # 6; S4-126 Classic Square, Large #6; S4-161 Labels One # 2, 5; S4-231 Labels Seven #3, 4; I2-1001 Impressabilities® Paisley, Coredinations Color Core Cardstock, Black, Blue, Red; Copic, Atyou Spica, Pitch Black; The Paper Company, Homeroom Book Cover paper; Notebook paper; Sandpaper.

Your homework for this lesson is to go to When Creativity Knocks, register (and do the math!), go to the Creativity Forum.  Select Categories, scroll down to the Great Crafter’s Tool Hunt section, select Spellbinders™ Impressabilities™, and leave a brief message in the forum.  You could win all the tools! And we could win some feature time on their site.  Now go on, do your homework, I’ll be right here if you have any questions!

Beth

For Savvy Saturday, I thought I go over my first technique that I did when receiving my order of Impressabilities™…a straight emboss.

A friend of mine just started her teaching career and I wanted to send her a card to congratulate her for surviving her first few days! LOL!! Of course, I will have to tuck in a gift card to her favorite coffee house for those cold fall mornings.

I will be using the following Spellbinders™ products: I2-1004 Impressabilties™ Flowers and S4-114 Standard Circles LG #6 die (#1 being the smallest size) and of course, the Wizard™.

First, I will emboss a piece of 5 1/2″W x 4 1/4″H Core’dinations cardstock. Note: I mist the paper to get a more enhanced embossed design - this will help when using a thicker cardstock too.

Then I used the following sandwich (from the bottom):
White Master Mat
I2-1004 Impressabilities™ Flowers
Cardstock
Tan Embossing Pad
White Master Mat

Once I walked the sandwich through the Wizard™, (another note) I left the Impressability in the cardstock and sanded over the design. I find that the design stands out even more when you have it underneath. After taking the embossed cardstock off the I2-1004 Impressabilities™ Flowers, I sanded the edges.

Setting it aside, I went to stamp my image from JustRite Stampers’ Friendship set on Core’dinations cardstock and cut/embossed with the S4-114 Standard Circles LG #6. I edged the circle with Clearsnap Queue ink and adhered it with Scrapbook Adhesive by 3L’s 3D Foam Squares (stacked three squares to life the circle above the flower) onto a 6″x4 7/8″ Core’dinations white card base which was edged with ink. Then I colored the stamp image with Copics, added Flower Soft and glittered the accents.

Another fun “Back To School” project - a card with a gift card tucked inside for that favorite teacher! Hope everyone made it back to school safely.

And for those of you who are a visual type, I am including a video of our lovely Miss Stacey demonstrating some fun things to do with the Impressabilities™…

Oh! Don’t forget to vote for us on “When Creativity Knocks!” - Great Crafter’s Tool Hunt…there’s a good chance you might win something real nice. Look HERE for details!

Have a great Saturday!
MargieH

It is so much fun to have new and innovative products like Spellbinders’™ Impressabilities™.  It’s even more fun to see what our talented Design Team Members do with them!  Today’s Savvy Saturday is a new technique from our own Kimberly Crawford. She posted it earlier this week on her personal blog.  We want to make sure everyone sees it, so we’re running an encore here. Take it away, Kimberly!

I am SO thrilled to be sharing with you a brand new Spellbinders™ Impressabilities™ technique!!! I came up with this idea while playing around with my tools several months ago. I love using my Clearsnap Colorbox Stylus tool to ink the edges of my paper. But as I was staring at it, I thought, what can I do with the foam end? Then I remembered that Colorbox used to sell molding plates for the foam tips. Not having those, I looked at the I2-1004 Impressabilities™ Flowers laying on my desk and thought, a-ha!

Start by heating the black foam tip of your stylus tool. I use my crafting light. It does not take much heat to make it pliable.

Push the heated foam tip onto the Impressabilities™. I chose the flower that would fit my tip before I did this.

Here is what the tip looks like. The image will not go away until you re-heat the tip.

Ink the foam tip, just like any stamp.

Here is the image stamped onto a S4-140 Petite Ovals, Small die cut.

And here is the completed project. Isn’t that fun?

Thank you Kimberly!
I just had to try it myself. You know how you get started with one idea, you start working on it, and it becomes something entirely different?  Welcome to my world! LOL.

I decided to use the small accent piece from the S4-205 Eyelets Pendant to press into the large, square, black, moldable stylus tip from Clearsnap.

Using Clearsnap’s Orchid Pigment ink, I stamped that image across a strip of My Minds Eye’s Tiny Dancer Collection paper. I cut/embossed the S4-205 Eyelets Pendant,  Accent, and Center, inked throught the die templates like a stencil, then used the foam tip of the Stylus with Chestnut Roan Chalk Ink to edge all the papers.  I assembled as shown.  I think I’ve just made my Mom’s birthday card!  

Thank you again Kimberly Crawford!  And Happy Birthday Mom!

Beth

Today, I thought I’d bring together what we covered so far (extending Borderabilities® and functional Pendants) and add Letterpress into the mix with a one page layout.

The die templates that I used for the layout are: S5-019 Labels Eight #6 & #5 (#1 being the smallest size), S4-125 Classic Scalloped Circles Small #1, S4-124 Classic Scalloped Circles Large #2, S4-116 Standard Circles Small #3 and S4-218 Lattice Borderabilities® border die.

For those who haven’t read up on these ideas, I have linked the Borderabilities® and the Pendant posts so please click on the highlighted words. What I would like to show is how to letterpress with your Impressabilities.

I am using the I2-1001 Impressabilities™ Paisley. But first with the S5-019 Labels Eight #6, I have cut/embossed a piece of Core’dinations cardstock and for ink, I reached for my Clearsnap Queue ink.

Start with inking the entire Impressabilities™, I put a piece of printer paper underneath so that I don’t ink up my White Master Mat. Then the S5-019 Labels Eight die cut is placed on top. Again to avoid any mess, I place another piece of printer paper. Then the Tan Embossing Pad goes on top and the White Master Mat to finish the sandwich.

This is what you come up with! Easy peasy as a good friend of mine would put it. This piece will serve as a frame for a picture of my niece, Jessica.

To recap, the Letterpress Sandwich (from bottom) is:
White Master Mat
(printer paper)
I2-1001 Impressabilities™ Paisley (ink side up)
S5-019 Labels Eight die cut
(printer paper)
Tan Embossing Pad
White Master Mat

Using Fancy Pants paper, I placed Jessica’s framed picture on top of the S4-218 Lattice Borderabilities® which anchors both framed pictures. I used the functional Pendant (in this case, the S4-205 Eyelets Pendant) idea as a frame. Then I had to use the JustRite Stampers 1 3/16″ round “Tiny Words Set” stamps, they make such great accent pieces. I used the S4-125 Classic Scalloped Circles Small #1 which cuts perfectly and added some embellishments in my scrap stash.

It is easy to do and you really don’t need anything extra - no new equipment, no special tools…just your favorite Impressabilities™ and you’re good to go! I hope you will enjoy this technique as much as I have. I think this is my new favorite technique…well, at least for now!