Giving Smooth Cardstock a Texture

I am SO excited about this post.  It may be nothing new because I came up with this on my own but never Googled it, so who knows.
I have lately discovered that when using my cutter that the Recollections smooth cardstock from Michael's is the BEST for cutting tiny and very detailed pieces.  I have also been using Bazzil Basics also but like the Recollections better.  I purchased a TON of it when the packs went on sale 4 for $10.  I began making paper piecings and discovered that although the cuts were wonderful, I missed the texture found in other cardstocks and began to worry that I had a LOT of paper I wasn't going to use.  Well, that wasn't OK with me so I began to think how I could make that smooth cardstock textured. Let me clarify - textured, NOT embossed.
My hubby and I had just finished a building project and we bought some course sandpaper and I woke in the middle of the night with the idea that it would be cool if I could use that sandpaper to texturize my smooth cardstock.
Flash forward 4 very busy weeks.  I tried it this morning and I really like the results.  So here is a picture description of how I did it.

Here is the sandpaper I used.  I really like the no slip grip because it doesn't move around in my Cuttlebug.  The 60 course works really well, I think any number higher wouldn't give you any texture.

Here is what it looks like on the rough side.

This is the crazy sandwich used, from the bottom up:

1. A plate (the thick white one)

2. a rubber embossing pad (the squishy one used with Spellbinders dies and such)

3. the paper you want to texturize.

4.  Sandpaper

5. B plate

6. Shim - I used 3 pieces of cardstock (more or less determines the depth of the texture)

7. B plate

Then you just run the whole sandwich through your Cuttlebug (or which ever machine you have) and here is what the paper looks like when it comes out!  If you use another machine you will need to experiment with your sandwich making.

The left side is the textured side and the right side is the smooth side.  The back side offers even a bit different texture.

This is a title shadow that I had already cut and really wanted it to have texture so I sent it through the Cuttlebug and now it looks GREAT!  I am thinking that I will texturize the pieces AFTER cutting them, so it does not compromise the machine's ability to get really clean cuts.

Now my brain wouldn't stop thinking of other things I could use to get texture.  I am a mixed media artist so I have a drawer FULL of things I use to create texture on canvases.  Here are a few other items I found to send through the Cuttlebug.

From left to right - some kind of metal mesh, it is super thin, I got it at the hardware store years ago (don't remember why??), then the next piece is the stuff you use when taping seams on drywall (it is sticky on one side, make sure that side isn't next to your paper).  The blue piece is called "Magic Mesh" I got it at scrapbook convention - Google it, and lastly the gold piece is punchonella (sp), it is the waste left from making sequins.  You will notice most of the pieces have paint on them, that did affect the texture, so if I wanted a clean look I would want to use a clean piece.  Here is the result on the paper.

I know it is a bit difficult to see but the idea is that it looks textured, not embossed.  This isn't as deep as embossing.  I also realized that I switched the seem tape with the magic mesh in the photos.

Take a look around the house, you might find something cool to give your paper texture!

I hope this will be useful to you.  I love the fact that the Recollections papers are nice and crispy for cutting, come in MANY wonderful shades and it goes on sale often!  It comes in many sizes also.  Let me know your thoughts on the process and if you have something you think will work better.  As I said before, this was born from my own brain so there may be something better and easier.  I know, just purchasing textured paper solves the problem BUT it just doesn't cut as clean :)
Have a blessed day!

EDITING TO ADD!!!
I just kept digging around my house for more texture ideas and found a package of Shade-Tex texture plates and tried them.  They are GREAT!  I purchased these online from an art supply source.  Can't remember which but it was probably either United Arts, Dick Blick or Sax.  Anyway here is what they look like:

And here is what a couple of the papers looked like after using the texture plates.  LOVE IT!!!!!

OK I'll quit tearing my house apart for textures but what do you think about window screening ????? ;)

New Release from Jen

Sugar N Snap!  That's what the new digi stamps are called from Jen's Digi Stamps.  They are just the cutest critters and VERY wintery.  I was excited to see these because I have a new awesome set of clear stamps from K. Andrew Designs that I was dying to use!  It is a mix and match set so the possibilities are endless when creating sentiments from this set.  Oh and by the way, the set is called Winter Wishes and the Coffee and Tea set will be featured in a Getting Cricky Blog Hop this Friday!  So stop back by Friday night at 8pm central time to hop with us!

 So here is my card I made with the digi.  He is darling!  I used my snowflake embossing folder in my Cuttlebug for the background then gently wiped over it with a white ink pad.  I tore the bottom off the blue paper to make it look like snow and added some crystal Stickles to the snow.

 The tree is made up of 24 one inch Christmas trees cut from the built in shapes on the Cricut Imagine and filled with a pattern from the Mr. Frosty cartridge.  I just turned them upside down and layered them, used a little bling from my stash and voila!

I used one of my new nestabilities to cut and emboss the tag for the sentiment and then used three different stamps from the Winter Wishes set for the sentiment.  A little bakers twine and a cute little sparkly pom pom and there you have it!

So head on over to Jen's Digi Stamps to buy this cutie pie and then to Jen's blog to see what the other designers have created!
Blessings,
Jana

Chef Thank You Card

Hi everyone!  We are about to leave on vacation...I am so excited...off to the beautiful Rocky Mountains on a much needed get away with my family.  But I just could not leave town without making another project inspired yet again by the Peachy Keen Challenge Blog.  It is another Let's Face it Friday challenge and this time it is a shaped card.  Here are the challenge details:

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THE CHALLENGE

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Create a shaped card using PKS faces. No die cutting machine? No problem! Use a corner rounder to create a subtle shape or half of a large die to create your shape.

THE RULES:

• Project must be new
• Must incorporate Peachy Keen Faces
• Please link directly to your blog post (not blog address)
• Link by 8/18 - 11:59 pm CDT

Here is my entry:

 This is a thank you card for the great chefs from Texas State Technical College Culinary Institute for teaching the summer kids cooking camp for the museum where I work.  They did an outstanding job and the kids just loved them!

 I used several "thank you" stamps that I had and embossed the front using the jade embossing powder from Stampendous.

 And of course, the cutest faces around...Peachy Keen Everyday Character Faces.  They take the card to another level that no other stamps can get close too!

In order to make it a shape card for the challenge, I cut the paper dolls out two times each and the bowl out 3 times.  After I assembled the front pieces of the card and got them all glued together, I then turned the card over and I laid the second body cuts on the backs of the front ones and made sure they were lined up on the back.  I used a ruler to mark a horizontal line for folding and then  scored the line that I drew and folded the tops of the paper doll heads. 

Here is what the heads looked like once I scored and folded them.  Then I put just a touch of glue on the part that is folded up and then lined them up again on the back of the card and glued the tops down.
Once the bodies were glued to the top of the card, I refolded the card to make sure it would move correctly and then I glued the next bowl onto the legs of the bodies, glued their hands together and any other part that needed to be glued so that it became one piece.

The third bowl I mentioned was glued to the back of the card front so when you open the card, it looks a little neater.  As I look at the back, I think I am going to cut the bowl one more time and cover their legs in the back so that it looks like they are inside the bowl from every angle.  Here is the recipe:

• 4 bowls - Create a critter - pg. 58 cut at 5.0" - 1 bowl was filled with a pattern from Imagine Hopscotch - the rest are left white
• 4 chefs and accessories - Everyday Paperdolls - pg. 72/73 cut at 4.0 - 2 were colored with Imagine Hopscotch color palette and the other two left white
• PK 490 Everyday Character Faces from Peachy Keen Stamps
• White enamel accent for buttons

I hope you like this card, I had fun making it and it went together really fast.  now I realize some of you that are real whizzes with your Gypsy could create a great file for this so that the back of the card is cut in one piece.  I kind of winged it and made it as I went along.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a blessed Sonday!

Later!

Jana