Christmas All Year 2015 - March

[Iring]

Hi all! 

Ok, this is the month that I get some cards made, right?  I sure hope so! 

This month I am hoping to try some letterpress.  Since letterpress is debossed, any type of debossing is your challenge for this month.  Of course, I'd love to see any and all Christmas cards linked up here, debossed, letterpressed, or not.  Please put them in the gallery album titled "Christmas Cards All Year 2015".

Oh, and happy pi day!  3.14.15   Can you tell I was a math/stat major?

[howdyheidi]

I have been wanting to try the letterpress with pigment ink or pigment ink refills (Saw it somewhere, don't remember where).   I hope to do at least a couple cards this month.

[stampwilly]

Love this technique and can't wait to make my cards!

Stampwily

[yellowcherrios]

oo!  I know I keep missing these challenges!  and I'll try again this month!

and I never put together pi with march of this year (and next if you round!)----and this is coming from a fellow math major!     Thanks for pointing it out Cindi!

[lovepug2]

I keep missing these too, Melissa!

This will be my month. I will get a least 1 Christmas card made. I'm setting the bar low for myself

[djc]

Cindi, I love this technique.  I hope I can do this one.  It seems that I'm never at home anymore, and when I do get there, I'm too tired to start a project.  (I'm so happy that my son bought me this little ultrabook.  I'd be lost without it.)  I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone makes, letterpress or not.

Daria

[stampwilly]

I had fun making my cards this month. Thanks for the prompt!  http://www.duhnproductions.com/Pics/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=0&pid=1336#top_display_medias 

Stampwilly

[howdyheidi]

I really like your cards, April!

I am not sure if I am going to get any cards made this month!  March isn't over yet...

[djc]

I just posted the one and only card I've made this month.  I been doing this card in stolen moments, and finally it's done.  I even used the suggested letterpress technique.
Here's my card.

Now I'm off to see what else has been posted this month.

Daria

[howdyheidi]

My letterpress is turning out really badly!  I have tried dye and pigment inks, and added shims in my cuttlebug, but i am still getting either blotchy or incomplete transfer of ink.  I have to say that the Darice folders simply may not work. They don't seem flat enough, but I am having trouble with the other folders too.

I thought I had done this before but maybe not.  Any tips?  Maybe my cuttlebug is just too old?

[stampwilly]

Pigment inks did work better for me. Like you said, the Darcy embossing folders might be the problem. Hope you can get it to work!

Stampwilly

[yellowcherrios]

Heidi how are you applying the ink to the folders?  Does the way you apply it (for example, using the pad directly or with a brayer) affect the outcome?

[Iring]

Sorry this is giving you fits Heidi!  This technique kind of does that to me too!  You might try brayering ... and if the ink is not sticking well to the folder, maybe a layer of versamark or other embossing ink first, then your colored ink? 

[howdyheidi]

Melissa, I have been doingn the ink pad directly to the folder.  The dye inks I tried were Hero Arts shadow inks, so I thought they would smooth out over time, but they are far to splotchy to use.

I then used the Avery Elle pigment inks and most of those failed too, but I did get one to work. I think part of it may be that my cuttlebug is a little loose. 

I did get one project. 

http://www.duhnproductions.com/Pics/displayimage.php?album=76&pid=1368#top_display_media

[yellowcherrios]

I made my first Christmas card of 2015!!  yeah!! 

rocking horse card

I would like to practice more letterpressing....I still got pigment ink on the center of my EF despite I used a brayer.      But it's probably b/c of the center being blank.....

I also might want the ink to be dark/more filled in with other cards----does anyone have any tips to get more ink in the letterpress portions?  I am thinking maybe spritzing the inked EF with water before pressing and also to maybe add a piece of copier paper behind the CS before pressing....Hope to try those ideas soon.