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Showing posts from July, 2016

Embossing Foil Tape

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Earlier this month I embossed aluminum foil with my Cuttlebug , so now I want to try to emboss aluminum tape (like the kind you buy at a hardware store) to see if it's as easy and has results that are as good as the regular aluminum foil. Because of the paper backing on the tape, the foil holds its emboss very well. All you have to do is cut a piece to fit inside your embossing folder. I ran it through using the traditional plate order for embossing: A spacer plate, B plate, embossing folder with your tape inside, and another B plate on top. It gave a nice clean emboss with a single run through on the machine. After I had successfully proved that the foil tape ran through the machine perfectly, I thought I'd try to cut out a shape using a Cuttlebug die . It didn't cut as neatly as the foil did. The edges weren't quite as neatly cut, but the shape came out without any problems. Now that I know the foil tape runs through the machine so well, I

Cuttlebug Embossed Napkins

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I had some 4th of July napkins leftover and decided it might be fun to try embossing them with my Cuttlebug . This particular napkin is "dinner sized" but has a wide embossed border. So I lined my embossing folder right up along the embossed edge of the napkin. It was wider than the machine's opening, so I folded the edge over. I was worried there would be a pronounced crease after running through the machine, but I was pleasantly surprised. I stacked the plates up in the regular embossing order: A spacer plate, B plate, Embossing folder with napkin inside, and another B plate on top. It ran through the machine perfectly. The napkin came out great. I have tried a couple other larger napkins with less luck, but the wide border on this one made for a perfect emboss. I expect that solid color napkins that are narrow or smaller in size (like cocktail napkins) would work even better.

Splatter Resist Alcohol Ink Tile

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I still have some ceramic tiles left from my last run to the hardware store, so when I remembered I had saved the contact paper heart from my Valentine's Day Glass Etching project, I knew exactly what I wanted to try. I grabbed some bright alcohol inks , canned air , a 6 inch ceramic tile , and my contact paper heart. I originally cut it out free hand by folding the contact paper, so it doesn't have to be perfect, but I'm sure if you have a cutting machine you could use that to make whatever shape you'd like in contact paper or vinyl. I peeled back the paper backing and applied the heart to the middle of the tile (as best as I could eyeball it). Then I rubbed down the edges of the contact paper. I squeezed out a drop of alcohol ink near the edge of the heart and used canned air to blow the drop out from the center of the tile. I usually hold the can with my right hand and a plastic lid with my left (I use the lid from the small plastic box I keep

Alcohol Inking Embossed Aluminum Foil

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In last week's post , I used my Cuttlebug to emboss layered aluminum foil. I loved the way it turned, but I thought I could make the foil even better. So I grabbed my alcohol inks and craft mat and tried out a few different techniques. I always thought this embossing folder looked a bit like a sun, so I picked out my yellow, orange and red inks and started stamping in layers. The section was the sun, stamped in, appropriately enough, Sunshine Yellow . Next was, Sunset Orange , then Terra Cotta and Watermelon Red  at the top. I added the colors to the felt applicator and stamped each layer until I got good coverage. After I pulled the felt off of the applicator, I noticed it still had a fair bit of ink on it, so I rubbed it with my thumb over this next piece of foil. Of course rubbing the felt onto the foil with your fingers will mean that your fingers get full of ink (so wear gloves or be prepared to have some vaguely red fingers for a day or two--most of

Embossing Aluminum Foil

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I got my Cuttlebug about a year ago (update: Cricut has discontinued the Cuttlebug, the closest alternative is the Sixxis Big Shot ), and I'm just beginning to scratch the surface of everything that you can do with an embossing and die cutting machine. Today I thought I'd share a tutorial for embossing aluminum foil. If you're looking for a tutorial to emboss paper with the Cuttlebug, click on this link: Cuttlebug Embossing Tutorial . I used Reynolds Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil , but since it works best when folded into several layers, you could probably use a thinner/cheaper foil if you have one on hand. In the photo above, I cut out a single layer of heavy duty foil and ran it through the machine. It has a nice deep emboss, however, if you rub your finger over the relief, it flattens out. To keep it from flattening out, you'll need to layer the foil. I was using one of the wide rolls of foil and I ripped a section off the roll that was about 16 inche