Designer Tutorials: Embossing On Chipboard Alphas & Creating Chevron Zig Zags

For the next few days, we are going to be sharing some simple tutorials from some of our design team members. I love when I see some of our designers re-creating a fun technique or design on several projects, yet each time it still looks fresh and new. So I asked a few designers to put together tutorials, to show us just how easy it is to get similiar looks for our own projects!

"Cookie Monster Voice", by Melissa Stinson.

Using a combination of border stamps and heat embossing has become one of my favorite ways to dress up my chipboard letters. Especially on this layout, where the title is such a huge part of the journaling and page design, I wanted the letters to have a little extra special something to help them stand out. And, not only did I embellish my chipboard alphas, but I also took extra photos to share my process with you!

Step 1: Punch out the letters for your title from their backing sheets. My letters popped out with the wax paper backig still attached, so I didn't have to worry about them sticking to the sheet of paper I placed underneath them to catch the extra embossing powder. Line up the letters as they'll be placed in the title so that the embossing will be in a continuous line across your title.

Step 2: Ink up a stamp (I like to use a border stamp since they're longer and can stamp more letters at one time) with Versamark or any sticky watermark type ink.

Step 3: Stamp on your letters, keeping them lined up as you go. If your title is longer than your stamp, just ink it up again and line up another impression next to it, just as if you were stamping on a long strip of paper.

Step 4: Sprinkle embossing powder (I find that it's best to use a contrasting color to give it the most "pop") over your letters, then tap off the excess and lay your letters out on a craft sheet (alternately you can hold each letter with a pair of tweezers as you heat it). 

Step 5: Use a heat tool to set the embossing powder on your letters, wait for them to cool, and then arrange on your page as desired!

Supplies:
Baby Girl: Daddy's Girl, Snuggly Safari, Pretty in Pink, Baby Cakes, Cute Cuts, Miniatures, Ciao Chip Icons; Baby Boy: Ciao Chip Icons; Ciao Chip Elements: Borders; Simply Simona Chipboard Alphabet: Brownie; Button Market: Fruit Punch, Feminine Mix

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"Lollipop Kid" by Becky Williams.

Hi! Becky Williams here with a quick tutorial for today. One of the biggest trends in scrapbooking right now is chevron stripes. You can find them everywhere and many people have created them in different ways. Today I will show you a very quick and easy way to make these cute zigzags like I've done on a few of my Bella Blvd assignments. 

Step 1: Gather some of your favorite Bella Blvd patterned papers and the pictures you would like to include on your page.

Step 2: Cut patterned paper to 1/4 inch x 12 inch strips and cut those strips into 4-inch long segments. You can vary the appearance of your chevron stripes by changing up the length and width of your strips. Experiment with different things to find a style that you like best. 

Step 3: Take two of the 4-inch strips of paper and join them squarely at the corner and adhere at the corner. Take another strip and add to the end going the opposite direction to make the peaks and valleys of the stripes. Once you've finished one stripe, adhere it to the base of your layout. 

Step 4: Add more stripes to your page by creating more strips as you did with the first one, lining the paper pieces up with your first stripe. You can keep each stripe one color or mix and match pieces as I did. 

Step 5: Once you've finished all of the stripes, add your pictures and embellish as desired. 

Supplies:
Family Dynamix: Quadrants; Birthday Boy: Eat Cake, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Birthday Girl: Borders, Celebrate, Miles of Smiles, Alpha+Bits Stickers; Thankful: Perfect Day, Borders; Designer Tape: Pickle Juice Chevron; Simply Simona Chipboard Alphas: Orange; Ciao Chip Elements: Stars and Hearts; High Five Alphabets: Black-White; Button Market: Hot Pink Flowers, Gulf Squares, Orange Stars

Comments

[Julie Tucker-Wolek]

Thanks Becky and Melissa for such AWESOME tips!!!! Very beautiful lo's from both of you!!! Loveeeeeeeeee them!!!!!

[varshitha]

woow.. nice layout... got to try the embossing technique.... love bella blvd :)

[Janet]

super great tips- so going to try the embossing one by Melissa. Thanks for sharing ladies and thanks to Laura for being such great inspiration week after week.

[Lisa C.]

Becky - thanks for the tutorial! I LOVE your layout so much and I think I'll be giving this a try!! Melissa - your layout is so sweet! Thanks for the tips ladies!

[Dorina D]

What fun and creative layouts and I loved both tutorials. SO cute. Can't wait to try this.

[Mendi Yoshikawa]

Awesome ideas! Adding the heat embossed hearts totally sells those letters as cookies and Becky's way of making chevrons look so much quicker than the way I have been doing them. Thanks! ;)

[Diana Waite]

I LOVE these mini tutorials--FANTASTIC job ladies!

[Kris Berc]

Awesome tips! Thanks!

[Brenda]

Love these tips - thank you! I never would have thought to emboss the letters and they look great.

[Ruth G]

This is such a simple solution for creating chevrons and it's super fun that they can use different papers, widths, etc!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!

[Ruth G]

I love Melissa's tutorial on doing embossing on the chipboard letters, too! Very fun and useful!!!

[Flex Circuits]

Such a colourful designs,I appreciate the effort you have put to make these awesome designs..Great job done keep it up!!