Pineapple Embossed Stationery
If your heart races when you pass the "Back to School " section at Target and you haven't been a student since the 1990's, this post is for you. I drool over the Paper Source catalog each month. I linger in the Papyrus store touching delicately-crafted note cards like fine china. I am a stationary freak. This post is for those who want to be in touch with their inner Martha Stewart. This project requires little prep work, and you can easily make one card or one hundred (if you are so inclined).
My hope is you will find how simple it is to make quality stationery to use for your friends, clients, and everyone in between. Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how to make embossed pineapple (because, what else) note cards that won't break the bank.
What you will need:
-quality card stock paper
-1 bone fold
-pineapple stamp
-black stamp ink
-gold embossing powder
-craft heating tool
Note About Stamps: When it comes to stamps, you get what you pay for. High quality rubber stamps leave plenty of space between the rubber design and the wooden block. (This allows you to apply even pressure and avoid making mistakes, like having the border show or part of the stamp not even showing up)
Meet your new best friend: the bone fold. When making quality stationery, a bone fold is essential. Wrinkles, smudges, and other mistakes are dead giveaways for "hand mades." If you're trying to pass your handmade cards off as professional ones, you must avoid wrinkled creases at all costs.
Start with a clean piece of white card stock. Cut the piece of paper in half. This piece will be used as a guide when using the bone fold. Grab a new piece of card stock and either using the half sheet of card stock or a ruler, slice the bone fold down the center of the card stock. This creates a nice clean fold. Gently pick up the paper and fold downward, pinching the center and then sliding your thumb and pointer finger across to make a clean crease.
Next, wet your stamp with black ink.
(Side Note--when using gold embossing powder, any color of ink will do, because the ink will turn gold. When using a clear embossing powder, the color of the ink will show through)
Literally one of my biggest pet peeves is when I waste a perfect piece of card stock because the stamp didn't transfer correctly. Avoid this by doing a few things. First, make sure the stamp has an even distribution of ink and all rubber sections are covered. Second, have a practice card set aside and try the stamp out a few times before using it for the real deal. This is a great way to test the stamp for pressure and ink coverage. Practice makes perfect so have patience!
Press the stamp down 3 times into the ink pad to ensure you have even coverage.
Level the stamp on your card stock. I put the card on my measuring board to make sure it's level.
Place a piece of card stock folded in half that's bigger than your card underneath the card. Lightly tap the embossing powder evenly across the wet ink.
Tap the excess off onto the folded card stock beneath. You can then pour the unused powder back into the container for the next card or future use.
This is when the magic happens!
Plug in the heating tool and open the card flat. Turn on the heating tool and move slowly and evenly across the powdered design, holding the heating tool about 2 inches above. In less than a minute, the black ink will transform into a gold foil masterpiece!
And voila!
You have custom, professional quality greeting cards.
You can embellish the cards with 3D stickers and washi tape if you so choose.
I hope this tutorial inspires you to revive the lost arts of practicing calligraphy and sending snail mail. I know I enjoy sending and receiving hand written cards in the mail in a world that primarily texts and emails.
Happy Crafting!