Faux Textured Handmade Paper
Hello! Today’s video shows how to create faux handmade textured paper. This is SUPER easy and you likely have have what you need for it! And of course… I have lots of examples.
[All supplies are linked to multiple sources in the thumbnails at the end of this post. Compensated affiliate links used at no cost to you. To watch the video in HD on YouTube, click HERE.]
This is a technique I used to do many years ago in my scrapbooking days. I like that it’s quick and easy to do and you don’t need many supplies… just cardstock and water!
For each of my examples, I started by spraying a piece of cardstock heavily with water on both sides. Any heavyweight cardstock would work for this. (Check your scrap drawer!) I crumbled the cardstock into a ball, opened it up, and crumbled it again. I repeated the process several times, spraying a little more water in between. I used shimmer spray on a few examples for some shine. After drying it, I flattened it a bit by placing the paper between a piece of typing paper and running through my Big Shot machine.
I created many pieces of this textured paper using my scraps, so I have several examples to share on how to incorporate this faux handmade paper on to cards…
#1: ADDING MORE TEXTURE WITH DIES
The first technique is to add more texture to the “handmade paper” by making an impression with dies.
For this card, I die cut the faux handmade textured cardstock using the Avery Elle Wave Die. Since the faux handmade paper is very thick and the die pattern is so intricate, it didn’t cut all the way through. However, it gives a beautiful impression that I used as a background for the images.
I stamped the jellyfish images and sentiment from the Avery Elle Bubble stamp set and colored them with my Copic Markers. I used the coordinating dies to cut them out and adhere them to the background along with some clear sparkling confetti from Pretty Pink Posh.
#2: USE TEXTURED PAPER AS A BACKGROUND
This faux handmade paper also makes a wonderful simply background!
After die cutting the same Avery Elle Wave Die from regular pool cardstock, I used strips of Be Creative Tape along the sides to adhere it to a piece of the textured paper. Perfect for a water background! I finished off the card with a turtle image and sentiment from the same Avery Elle Bubble Stamp Set… along with more sparkling confetti from Pretty Pink Posh.
I really like how the waves over the textured paper makes everything look like it is floating…
#3: DIE-CUTTING TEXTURED PAPER
You can also die cut thick, textured paper… as long as you use a shim and a not-so-intricate die. The results can be gorgeous!
For my example, I die cut a simple circle from my faux textured paper. I then put it in the center of a white Avery Elle Horizontal Stripes die cut. From another piece of darker textured paper, I cut a heart from the new Avery Elle Heart Frame Die Set. The sentiment is a combination of the Avery Elle Sentimental Too Stamp Set and Sentimental Too Die Set… and works great for the envelope, too!
#4: USE TEXTURED PAPER AS A FOCAL POINT BACKDROP
Instead of covering a large background with textured paper, you can also just create a focal point background, such as a circle. The texture adds a lot of interest to the card!
I again used the Avery Elle Horizontal Stripes Die and added a textured paper circle to the center… creating a focal point backdrop. I stamped, colored, and cut out flower images from the Avery Elle Floral Bouquet Stamp and Die Sets. I adhered them to the textured paper circle along with a “thanks so much” cut/layered from the Avery Elle Diagonal Stripes Die Set.
BONUS CARD: IMPRESS WITH BACKGROUND DIE
I didn’t use the textured paper on this card, but I did use many of the same supplies as the previous cards. That Avery Elle Waves Die is great for making an impression on a piece of white cardstock using a Spellbinders Tan Embossing Mat. Using a variety of Gina K Inks, I stamped and die cut images from the Avery Elle Tropics Stamp Set. The “hello” sentiment is from the Avery Elle Diagonal Stripes Die Set and I decorated the envelopes with the Avery Elle Sentimental Too Stamp Set.
I hope you give this technique a try. It’s a great way to add texture to your cards.
SUPPLIES
Want to find the products I used? To make them easy for you to find, I have listed them below. (Compensated affiliate links used at no cost to you. Thank you! Affiliate and product disclosure can be found here. All products were personally purchased except those with an asterisk or from Avery Elle. As always, this post was NOT asked for, paid, or sponsored.) Click on the letters below each picture to go to a favorite store: Simon Says Stamp (SSS), Ellen Hutson (EH), etc.