Hooray, crafty friends! If you wonder why I am so excited – today I get to share with you a new crafty tool I have been eyeing for quite some time and I finally took the plunge at a local trade show because the We R Memory Keepers Letterpress was reduced in price.
I got the starter set that comes with everything you need to get started with the Letterpress technique (you need something like a Big Shot, Cuttlebug etc. but I assume you all have a machine like that). The set comes with the platform, colors, a brayer, printing plates, adhesive sheets for the printing plates, cleaning wipes and paper to press into. Literally everything you need is included in the set (check out my haul video here to see what’s included).
Using the Letterpress is really easy. I watched two videos by the manufacturer and then was good to go. I am glad I listened and really only used a small drop of the color; I am usually a “lets-use-more-for-good-measure” person, but you really don’t need a lot. To my delight, I also found out that my cheap baby wipes from the German “Kaufland” work beautifully when cleaning all surfaces. YAY for that!
Image may be NSFW.
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Since this card is for my crafty friend Laura Sterckx who wanted to see how the Letterpress effect and my new Gilding Flakes look up close, I used both on the card. You’ve seen me use flakes before, usually with some sort of sticky embossing powder, to which the flakes would stick. The downside of this method: the sticky embossing powder is rather coarse, which makes it hard to use images with very fine lines. For that reason, I took the plunge and got the special Flitter Glu by IndigoBlu. So worth it’s money! It’s super easy to use, and it also works on fine details. YAY!
Image may be NSFW.
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If you look closely at the image, you will not only see some Pretty Pink Posh sequins, but also a stitched border around my front panel. I created that border with one of the dies from a PPP die set. It can cut and stitch, but I just used it for stitching here. Love how I can add this detail to any paper size now.
Last but not least a word of caution about stamping on the special cotton paper that comes with the Letterpress. The cotton paper is awesome for the letterpressed effect. But you have to be careful about which ink you use on it. Versafine and any other pigment ink will stay on top of the paper and give you a clean and crisp impression. Archival ink will also give you a great impression. But dye inks like Hero Arts and all that use the same formula (seeping into the paper and smooth out during the drying process) will bleed immensely and not be useable. At least not if you want crisp edges.
Image may be NSFW.
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Alright. I think I’ve kept you long enough for now. Let me know if you want to see more on the Letterpress and/or Gilding Flakes. I’m sending this card off to the following challenges: Simon Says Stamp “Anything Goes”; Curtain Call Challenge with the theme of “Travel On”; and The Paper Players “Transportation”.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment, you make my day!
