Printing Your Own Designer Papers (with antique handwriting)

You can use your computer to print off a sheet of antique text to stamp on. There are all kinds of lovely images of handwriting online (See the link list at the bottom of this post for some examples.) The flower on this card is embossed on a printed sheet of cardstock. It's a card that my stamp club made a couple of weeks ago. Here are the directions in case you'd like to make one like it:

Card Supplies:

Cardstock & Measurements:

• Close to Cocoa standard card: (4 2/8" w x 5 4/8" h)
• Sahara sand piece for flower : (1 7/8” x 4 6/8”)
• With Chocolate Chip mat (2” x 4 7/8”)
• Notebook designer series (dots): (1 5/8” x 3 7/8”)
• With Chocolate Chip mat ( 1 6/8” x 4” )
• Naturals white (piece with French Script): (3” x 4”)

Inks: Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip,

Accessories: Computer printed paper, silver brads, Zigpainty silver pen, Chocolate Chip poly twill (Stampin' Up! Occasions mini)

Stamp Sets:

• Wonderful You flower & stem
• Sanded background
• French Script background (discontinued but very close to the new En Français one)

Card Instructions:

To make the fower:

• Print out any antiquey looking script photo (this is the US declaration of independence—I love the tiny script) Naturals White/Ivory Cardstock is nice & sturdy
• Let the ink from the printer dry & Emboss the Wonderful You flower (with Chocolate Chip ink & Clear e.p.) onto the script & Trim it
• Add silver details in center & on edges with a Zigpainty marker & add a brad

To make piece #1 (with flower):

• Cut a piece of cardstock 1 7/8” x 4 6/8” (This is Sahara Sand cardstock) & Cut a Chocolate Chip mat 2” x 4 7/8”
• Stamp it with Sanded background in Sahara Sand ink
• Colour stem with Chocolate Chip marker & stamp it
• Colour Chocolate Chip mat (largest) with the Chocolate Chip marker (to make it darker)
• Adhere it behind the main image

Add the ribbon:

• Put a plain strip of the poly grosgrain ribbon across the center (only adhering at the back)
• Tie a bow onto it
• Anchor it with a glue dot-- if needed-- to make it straight

To make piece #2 (with brads):

• Cut designer series paper (dotted paper from “Notebook”) 1 5/8” x 3 7/8”
• Cut mat Chocolate Chip 1 6/8” x 4”
• Edge both with a Chocolate Chip marker to distress
• Adhere to each other & add brads

To make piece #3 & finish the card:

• Cut Naturals White cardstock 3” x 4”
• Stamp French Script with Sahara Sand ink
• Edge with a Chocolate Chip marker
• Stamp main card with Sanded in Chocolate Chip ink & Edge with Chocolate Chip marker
• Adhere it all

I love what you can do with printing text.

Here are some Handwriting Links:

• The USA Declaration of Independence
  

I used this for the card above--again, it feels so odd to cut it up,
but I hope you'll please think of it as a form of tribute :0)

• Another USA Declaration (Beautiful!) from here
• History Gallery
• Sullivan press
• Draw your world
• typical-north-american-cursive
• Elias Handwriting
• Spencerian
• Mattock handwriting
• Country house
  

If you have old books that are falling apart (or want to recycle some) here's a great use for them:

Gina K's brilliant homemade old book patterned paper

Cindi's stunning Woven Paper


Happy Making schtuff! :0)