13/9/26 Creative ways to use embossing folders pt 2

Alison Culliver

Sep 13

10 min read

More fun ways to create with embossing folders.

Hello & welcome to my blog. I hope you are all well.

My name is Alison & I live in beautiful Melbourne, Australia & I am an independent Stampin' Up!® demonstrator.

I love to create beautiful things to share with people that I love but I also sell my creations. I have been creating things in one way or another for most of my life - knitting, sewing, cooking, card making, gardening, scrap booking & hand made gifts & in 2020 after joining Stampin' Up® I decided to share my passion in a blog (craftedbyalison@blogspot.com).

In 2025 I retired & decided to spread my creative wings a little more by combining my blog, products that I had been selling on FaceBook & launching a newsletter. Some of these things I had already been doing but this time they are all in the one place. (All previous posts can be found at my blogspot address above if you would like to read any of them.)

Last week I looked at how to create with embossing folders, sharing 2 projects. If you'd like a recap click here to see the post. This week I continue with embossing folders & I have two different ways to use the folders that you may not have used before. I hope you enjoy learning these new techniques.

These two cards started off as just embossed cardstock...

The card front on the left is Old Olive Two Tone embossed with the Floral Spray embossing folder & the card front on the right is Basic White embossed with the Swirls of Magic embossing folder.

I'll start with the simpler of the two cards.

After embossing the two tone cardstock I used a nail buffer to buff away some of the colour from the paper. Traditionally, Stampin' Up!® cardstock is dyed all the way through & there is no white core but the two tone cardstock has a white core as the cardstock has two shades of the one colour & can't be dyed all the way through. This fact allows you to create a shadow effect when you buff off the top layer. It's such an easy but effective way to make an interesting finish.

I adhered the front to a Basic Black matte then a Basic White card base.

The sentiment is heat embossed in black & comes from Words & Wishes stamp set.

The finishing touch are a few (retired) Adhesive Backed Sparkle gems as I wanted black to tie in with the rest of the card & there are no black embellishments available at the moment.

Such an easy card to create but a lovely, unique finish.

The second card is also quite simple but took a little more effort to create.

This time I decided that I would use a rainbow of blue inks to enhance the embossing. I chose Balmy Blue, Azure Afternoon, Blueberry Bushel, Misty Moonlight & Night of Navy inks & starting in the bottom left corner, blended a little of each colour diagonally til the entire front was covered.

Next, I used some Wink of Stella & a Shimmer Brush to colour in the stars in the background. I used basic Wink of Stella & Golden Glow Shimmer Brush from Stampin' Up!® & silver & gold Wink of Stella from a craft store. Stampin' Up!® only stock the basic Wink of Stella.

As the embossing is the hero of this card I decided to just add a silver embossed sentiment from Stitched Stocking to the front on Night of Navy cardstock that was diecut with the Festive Framed Photos dies. This ties in with the base & the matte behind the embossed layer is a pretty piece of Shimmering Stripes to tie in all of the sparkly elements of this card.

There was no need for any further embellishments.

Two very simple cards that allow the embossing to be front & centre.

That's it for this post. I loved experimenting over the last two weeks with the embossing folders to create something new & unique.

I hope you enjoyed seeing possibilities for embossing folders.

Now, let's check in with what else is happening in the Stampin' Up® crafting world.

Stampin' Up® have many ways of shopping with a physical catalogue, online shopping & in person events. When items are about to be retired or are running low they are put on the 'Last Chance' list which means that there is limited stock & when it runs out, it's gone.

Stampin' Up® 's Catalogues have a 3 step format - sectioned to have Beginners, which is a step by step collection of materials in kits, then there is Quick & Easy where you select base materials & packs of pre-printed or diecut materials plus some stamp sets then there is Create your way where you choose all the materials, stamps etc yourself & Create Your Way! In the Quick & Easy section Stampin' Up® have also provided some inspiration with information on various ways to use colour combinations plus free card sketch & scrapbook layout ideas for you. This is great for any times that you need a little inspiration.

If you'd like to browse the catalogue online then click here. If you'd like a copy to hold in your hands, leaf through & put little notes all over it of what's on your wish list then shoot me an email at craftedbyalison@gmail.com or message me on my facebook page at craftedbyalison.

Remember, the current catalogue is only live until Tuesday when the new catalogue is launched. Some products will continue on but there will be loads of new goodies to browse through & lots of Christmas things to get excited about.

Stampin' Up® have a great range of Kits including crafting, card making & gift giving. There are brand new kits added to the collection every month. Click here to check them all out in my online shop. As Stampin' Up® have so many beautiful kits available I feature a different kit in each Sunday blog so that you can see the range.

This week the feature kit is for those who like to celebrate & decorate for Halloween. It is a display piece witch's hat with lots of decorative pieces & all of the supplies needed to assemble & decorate a hat for your home or office.

Here's how Stampin' Up® describe it...

Create a playful Halloween display with the Witchy Whimsy Hat Kit, designed to make a decorative witch’s hat that adds festive flair to your home. This kit combines classic spooky elements—spiders, spider webs, black cats, and eyeballs in Halloween colours—with delightful accents like rosettes, flowers, ribbons, and lace. It’s everything you need to craft a standout Halloween decor piece.

If you feel that you need to add this to your list then click here to purchase one from my online store.

There are some great ways to craft on offer at the moment which I will go through one at a time.

Ready for the latest news?

1.Stampin' Up® has a range of Online Craft Classes that allow you to craft along with some of the staff from the head office in Utah, or create at your own pace by watching the recorded videos from classes that have already been held.

The current classes that are available are Lovely Blossoms, Paper Mixer, Scenic Coast & Pretty Poinsettia with a new Christmas class released on September 1st with the release of the new catalogue. It's called Advent-ures in Christmas & creates a cute Advent Calendar (of boxes).

The other exciting new craft class, Metallic Magic, is designed to use with their brand new Hot Foil system. More info on that further on in this section.

All of the classes are available in my shop by clicking here or on the links above. They are a great way for you to learn from the professionals & a load of fun.

Once you purchase any of the Craft Classes you will receive an email with a link to an exclusive Facebook group when the event is hosted.

2. Stampin' Up® held their first ever Virtual Card Making Retreat over two days earlier this year. It was designed for experienced or advanced crafters in mind but also had a heap of tips & ideas for those wanting to explore more detailed card designing. You can still be a part of this event! But be quick as it is on the 'Last Chance' list. To participate you just need to purchase the Retreat kit ($288AU) & this provides you with all of the materials you need & access to an exclusive FaceBook group where the videos from the event are stored. It sounds like a bit of expense but from past experience, what you take away from these type of events is well worth it. You can also download & print the pre event cutting instructions as well as having a cutting video & recordings of all of the cards that were made.

Here's some more info on how to join this retreat.

To craft along with the Stampin' Up® presenters and make 15 beautiful, all-occasion cards, you’ll want to purchase the 2026 Virtual Card Making Retreat kit. Everyone who purchases a kit will receive a link to the exclusive Facebook group where the live event will stream. We only have a limited number of kits, so make sure to order yours ASAP!

3. Starting last December, Stampin' Up® introduced a special 'Product of the Month' item that is only available with eligible purchases. There is a new item every month with details released before the new item will be released so you can plan your shopping. Each month it's a surprise what it could be - stamps, dies, papers - a complete surprise every month. You will be able to receive each month's product for just $9 when you spend $125 in one order. I have been able to order all of the products so far which have DSPs, stamp sets, a gorgeous background die with a pretty eyelet pattern, stunning printed Vellum DSP, a whimsical animal themed stamp set, a floral stamp set & the August product is some more lovely DSP, this time with a Autumnal or harvest theme. This month's product is also DSP - stunning foiled design in bold colours & is now available with an eligible order.

If you would like to add any of these products (that are still available) to your collection, get your shopping list out & place a qualifying order & you will be prompted before checkout to add it to your shopping trolley. Each product requires a minimum spend to be able to purchase them & it is only while there is stock available.

The Sept - Dec '26 catalogue is full of lots of gorgeous new product along with some carry over items. One of the major changes that will be rolled in is that the stamp pads are being changed from fabric pads with a fold out opening to a felt pad & magnetic case. The new pads have been introduced in the new In Colours & more colours will be changed over gradually.
Paper Pumpkin is now available to order in the South Pacific after only be available in the North American market. Paper Pumpkin kits are similar to the crafting kits available in the shop but are a surprise each month & come with everything you need to complete the kit. There are also add ons that can be used to stretch the supplies in the kit. Many people also make the suggested projects with half of the supplies then use the remaining products with some extra supplies to create alternative projects.
You can purchase the kits as an individual order or subscribe for 3, 6 or 12 months. Subscriptions are dispatched from the 11th day of each month & you can change or cancel your subscription at any time as long as it is done before the cut off date - the 10th of the month.

The latest Scrapbook Virtual Retreat has wrapped up. It is called Happiness is Here & has supplies to create 10 double page spreads (20 pages in total) including inks, stamps, papers, gel & shimmer pens, embellishments, flip flaps & page protectors. There are also detailed instructions & recorded videos that you can access for at least a year. To access the videos there is a private FaceBook group that you can access via a QR code when your kit arrives.
If you are interested you can purchase your own kit by clicking on this link but be quick because it's on the last chance list.
As last years was so successful, Stampin' Up!® are having a second Advent Calendar this year. It is like your regular advent calendar with windows you open to see what surprises & treats are inside, but this one is exclusively for crafters. Last year it sold out in record time so you'll need to be quick to purchase one. Once they're sold out that's it. No second batch. The calendars will be available from 1st September also. Hopefully there will be more calendars available this year as I missed out last year!
Metallic Magic Hot Foil system!! Stampin' Up!® have now released their brand new Hot Foil system that is used in conjunction with the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine. There are specific dies to use with the system as well as 3 foil rolls - Gold, Silver & Hot Pink & new ones set for release in the Sept - Dec catalogue. If you purchase the system you will also receive the Metallic Magic craft class for FREE! To find out more, head over to my store to check it all out. I have the system and now the foils & have had a little play but intend to experiement with more of the dies & colours & will share what I make in upcoming posts.

Stampin' Up!® has a 'Rewards' program that gives all customers who place an order with a qualifying amount a credit of 10% of their order to use on future orders. This will be displayed during the checkout process or your order.
October 3rd is World Card Making day & to celebrate, Stampin' Up!® are dedicating 2 days of card making with their latest Virtual Card Retreat. Over the 2 days you will be able to make 15 cards with supplies from the Retreat Kit with stamp sets, dies, cardstock, precut images, embellishments & cutting instructions. A similar retreat was held in April which I attended & it was a great opportunity to learn from experienced crafters & learn new techniques & lots of tips.

Lastly, there have been lots of great items added to the clearance rack which is now called Last Chance items so make sure you check them out using this link to my online store as there are some great discounts.

If you would like to purchase any of my creations that I feature in my blogs they can be found in my shop along with lots of different designs including feminine, masculine, special occasions, everyday events, something for the juniors or you can order something unique.

My next post will be on Wednesday & features a new product that Stampin' Up!® introduced this year that allows you to create a subtle 3D effect with a die & the Impressions plate.

Next Sunday's post will be the September Paper Pumpkin kit.

I hope you can join me for both of them & come back for more.

Til next time, take care & keep creating.

XX Alison

Here are some links to the products that I used today & some craft room essentials.

Shop with me

Stamps, Dies, Embossing folders & punches