Embossing your own Greeting Cards

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before on here, but about 2 years ago I vowed to not buy any more greeting cards until I had used up the hoard I already had.  And I had (have) a lot.  But I also send quite a lot of post, so I was hopeful.  It turns out, a lot of the cards I did have were not always suitable for the occasion I needed a card for.  So I've been making the ones I don't already have.

At a workshop at Homemade London last year, the lovely Nancy Straughan taught us how to emboss your own cards.  Such a simple, elegant way to add a bit more to your designs at home.  Purely for one-offs though, you wouldn't be able to do it for 100's!

You need:

Thick card - this needs to be thicker than the card of your greeting card.

Blank greeting card

Bonefolder

Scissors or Stanley knife
Pencil

Step one:

Draw and cut out the shape you want to emboss from the thick card, and discard the actual shape so you're left with a frame like piece. 

Step two:

Open up your card flat and place the frame where you want to emboss your shape on the front of the greeting card.  You'll be working on the inside of the card so that your design stands out on the front.

Step three:

Hold the frame firmly in place, turn the card over and flatten out onto the surface you're working on.  Making sure you don't move the frame of your shape, use the bone folder to find where the shape is and press into it.  Focus on the edges for a more pronounced shape, and the middle to even it all out.  

Step four:

Once you think you're done, take a look at your handy work!  

Step five:

Repeat as necessary if you're after a pattern, or a word as I have done on my 'YES' card.

Do you make your own cards?  I'm still working my way through my collected ones as well as creating my own bespoke ones.  Looking forward to the day when I can buy cards again!