Welcome back to the craft room and today’s Crinkle Embossed Backgrounds to Card Fronts post. I had so much fun discovering how beautifully the WausauPaper Crinkles cardstock took to embossing—I couldn’t wait to turn those textured backgrounds into cards!
Even though the backgrounds were freshly made, I took the opportunity to dig into my stash of embellishments to finish off the designs. After pairing them with stamped sentiments, I ended up with several more amazing cards to add to my collection. Let me show you what I created.
Before we jump into the card examples, if you missed the video where I tested various embossing folders with the Crinkles cardstock, you can find it here: Can You Emboss Crinkle Cardstock. All of the finished cards are built on Recollections 110lb heavyweight cardstock in either white or cream. With just one exception, all sentiments were stamped using Gina K. Amalgam Ink in Obsidian Black.
Card #1 – Thinking of You
I just had to start with the embossed background created using the Cuttlebug Divine Swirls embossing folder. As soon as I saw the beautiful light blue cardstock, I knew exactly what I wanted to add. In my embellishment tin, I found two pieces from the Tim Holtz Wildflower Stems #1 die set, already colored with a mix of Distress Watercolor Pencils. I added a touch of Scorched Timber Distress Ink around the edges of the leaves for extra depth.
To bring it all together, I paired the die cuts with a vellum oval. It’s a subtle detail that may not show well in the photo below, but the vellum has cloudy white elements running through it, giving it a soft, dreamy look. A simple “Thinking of You” sentiment—stamped from a set I’ve had since the very beginning of my card making journey—was the perfect finishing touch.
Card #2 – Happy Birthday
My second card features the small wild card panel from the original video. After getting such amazing results with the other embossing folders, I couldn’t resist trying a heavily textured one to see what would happen. I chose a folder from the Cuttlebug Oriental set for this experiment. As you can see below, none of the paper’s original texture came through with this particular embossing folder. It is a beautiful panel.
I layered it over an ink-smooshed background created using Antique Linen and Tea Dye Distress Inks. The panel itself was cut with the Lawn Fawn Small Stitched Rectangle die set. Before adhering it to the card, I lightly inked the edges of both the background and the sentiment strip with Vintage Photo Distress Ink for a more finished look.
The sentiment comes from the Kaiser Craft Occasions stamp set. For a touch of dimension, I added a leaf element die cut from the Brass & Bliss Foliage Trio Die set. The Canson XL watercolor paper is colored with a blend of Distress Oxide Sprays. There is also a bit of Tim Holtz Mica Spray for some subtle shimmer.
Card #3 – Hugs and Happy Thoughts
This beautiful panel only needed a hint of color to bring out its full potential—a touch of Lumberjack Plaid Distress Ink did the trick. I brought back the Altenew Garden Rose 3D embossing folder and ran the panel through my Sizzix Big Shot. Before doing that, I gently applied the ink to the flat side of the embossing folder. When I placed the panel inside and ran it through the machine, the ink transferred beautifully into the debossed areas of the design. To deepen the effect, I added a second light layer of ink and then set the panel aside to dry.
The sentiment is from the Altenew Beautiful Day stamp set. I didn’t want to use a plain rectangle for this one, so I pulled out my We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper and used the Deco corner for a softer look. To anchor the sentiment on the card front, I added a strip of Offray white ribbon. While the texture was perfect, the color was just too white. To tone it down, I smooshed some Lumberjack Plaid ink onto a Teflon sheet, added a bit of water, and dragged the ribbon through it. I kept adjusting the water and ink until I reached just the right shade.
The photo below really doesn’t do this card justice. The colors and textures are something you have to see in person to fully appreciate.
Card #4 – Happy Father’s Day
This simple Father’s Day card starts with the Virginia embossing folder from Cuttlebug and a beautiful green Crinkles paper.
The butterflies are from the Tim Holtz Detailed Butterflies, Mini die set. Years ago, I created the colorful background using photo paper and Color Burst powders. I saved the paper at the time, and much later came back to it to cut out these butterflies—proof that it really does pay to hang onto those interesting scraps!
The sentiment is from the Gina K. Designs By the Sea stamp set, designed by Theresa Momber. It’s a calm, thoughtful touch that pairs nicely with the rich texture and color of this card.
Card #5 – You’re a Classic
This fun background was created with the Cuttlebug Diamond Plait embossing folder, and it’s the only card in this set that doesn’t use pre-made embellishments.
The classic car is an SVG file I found on Creative Fabrica. I cut it from Siser EasyWeed HTV using my Cricut Explore Air 2, then used my Cricut Mini EasyPress to apply the black detail layer on top of the white base. To give the car some extra dimension and stability, I cut the white layer two more times from 110lb Recollections cardstock and layered them together.
The sentiment is also made with my Cricut, using a 1mm black Cricut marker. I considered filling in the centers of the letters, but I really like the subtle “shine” effect the outline creates—it gives the sentiment a bit of personality without overpowering the design.
Wrapping Up: Crinkle Embossed Backgrounds to Card Fronts in Action
Thank you so much for joining me for today’s Crinkle Embossed Backgrounds to Card Fronts post. It was such a joy to see how these Crinkles cardstock panels came to life with different embossing folders and creative finishes. From classic florals and textured swirls to a crisp Father’s Day design and a custom-cut vintage car, each card had its own personality—and it all started with a stack of embossed backgrounds.
I hope this post inspires you to revisit your own stash, try some new combinations, or even give your saved scraps a second chance to shine. Do you have a favorite from this set? Or maybe a go-to embossing folder you always reach for? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
And if you haven’t seen the original embossing test video yet, don’t forget to check it out here for a closer look at how these backgrounds began.
Until next time—happy crafting!
Shop for Supplies Here
PIN THIS POST FOR LATER!
