Quick and Easy Parchment Craft

Well, for my first try without the proper tools for making lovely parchment card fronts, I am pleased with the way this turned out. That is not to say that it is anywhere close to what I would like for it to look, it is just to say, “For the first try, not bad.”

Perhaps some of you expect perfection the first time you try something. Not this old girl! I have taken enough classes, and taught enough classes, to know that those really beautiful creations require patience and experience.

Here is the completed card front.

True parchment craft, or Pergamano as it is sometimes called (erroneously), can incorporate embossing, piercing, snipping, and/or coloring. It may only use one of these techniques, any combination of these or all of them.

For my card I chose to color and emboss. I began with the Garden Trellis TIEF and a piece of vellum. I only wanted the edges embossed with this design, so I cut a rather large oval out of a 5-1/2″ x 4-1/4″ piece of ceral box cardboard. After inserting the vellum in the embossing folder I taped the cardboard (not the oval. The piece with the oval cut out) to the OUTSIDE of the folder and ran it through the Big Shot. This left my center oval clear with some embossing around it.The next step involved stamping the image in that blank center. I used Basic Black Classic Stampin’ Pad and the large rose from the Graceful Garden clear stamp set, stamping on the FRONT of the vellum.

Next is the fun part of making it look like Parchment Craft by embossing the image. I turned the vellum over, and, using the stylus from my Simply Scored tool, I began embossing. Using short and long strokes and overlapping them somewhat, I continued around the flower. You have to be very careful not to press too hard or the stylus will break through the vellum. I used a pretty light touch then repeated the process.

In researching the technique, I learned that a heavier parchment is used in true parchment craft, and tools very much like my stylus do the embossing. The only issue I could see with the vellum is that it is easier to break through it if you are not very careful. My embossing is not very good, but I did learn a lot by doing this. And, it is acceptable if not perfect. The embossing turns the vellum white.

Next is the coloring, which I did on the back side also using my Stampin’ Write markers in Rose Red and Wild Wasabi. I think perhaps next time a lighter shade of pink would look better.

The sentiment is from Banners for you, stamped in Wild Wasabi on Whisper White and cut with a die from the Bunch of Banners framelits. It is mounted on the vellum with stampin’ dimensionals right under the ribbon.

Now the Parchment craft part of this card is finished. The flower is nicely raised and has a pretty trellis border. I already have ideas for what I would do differently, but that is another post!

You all know by now how to finish this, but I will give you a few details.

I used Rose Red, Wild Wasabi and Whisper White card stock. The Vellum is Fast Fused, at the top only, to the Whisper White paper. This is layered to the Wild Wasabi and a piece of 1/2″ ribbon wrapped around and taped to the back. I thought I had used finely woven Wild Wasabi, but I don’t find it in the catalog. Either I have had it awhile or it was Old Olive instead. Whatever. It goes with the rest of the card. I then took a shorter piece of the same ribbon and tied a knot around the ribbon on the card, making a faux bow.

This was then liquid glued onto the Rose Red card base.

The inside was stamped with two images from the Graceful Garden in Wild Wasabi on Whisper White card stock, after stamping off once.

The small rose was ink to stamp with my Wild Wasabi and Rose Red Stampin’ Write markers and stamped off once. I did not put a sentiment in this card as I plan to hand write a message.

The envelope received a small rose on the front, done the same as the inside rose, as well as a leaf. The flap got the embossing treatment using the Garden Trellis TIEF.

I hope you like this technique and try it yourself. I enjoyed it enough that I am very tempted to try the more time consuming parchment craft. The term Pergamano is really the name of the company that makes the tools, but is used frequently as the term to describe this process. Tune in again at a later date for perhaps another version of this beautiful technique.

I am not giving card cuts this time. If you are a practiced stamper/card maker, you probably know what they are. If you are new to this creative endeavor and need more information, please contact me or leave a comment and I will be happy to give those to you.

 

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