Inking Embossing Folders | Celebrating STAMPtember® With Simon Says Stamp – Home

Hello crafty friends! Today I’m sharing one of my favorite card-making techniques that’s perfect for creating intricate, eye-catching backgrounds with minimal effort. Using your embossing folders in a slightly different way can completely elevate your handmade cards. And with STAMPtember in full swing, it’s the perfect time to try out this technique with some of the new releases. Whether you’re a seasoned card maker or just starting, this method will add a fresh twist to your projects.

I love using this technique on embossing folders that have rich, detailed designs. Instead of swiping ink across your cardstock, you apply ink directly to the embossing folder—either on the raised embossed side or the flat debossed side—to create two completely different effects. For my first card, I used a light green cardstock with darker green ink on the raised portion of the folder. This gave a beautiful tone-on-tone effect that highlighted all the intricate details.

For the second card, I tried inking the debossed side of the folder. The result was a deeper, more dramatic background that contrasted beautifully with the first card. I love how versatile this technique is—you can experiment with different colors, combinations, and even metallic inks to achieve completely unique looks.

Once the panels were inked and embossed, I added sentiments to each card. For the lighter panel, I used a black “Happy Birthday” stamp for contrast, while the darker panel received a white embossed sentiment strip to make it pop. A few scattered pastel-toned gemstones added a final touch of sparkle.

Even small details, like metallic gold watercolor splatters or carefully placed gems, can elevate a card from beautiful to truly show-stopping. And tools like the Cat Crap funnel tray make working with tiny embellishments so much easier—keeping everything organized and spill-free while you work.

These two cards are perfect examples of how a single embossing folder can create multiple, unique designs. Whether you’re using tone-on-tone shades, bold contrasts, or metallic accents, this inking technique opens up endless possibilities. And don’t forget, STAMPtember is a month-long celebration filled with new releases and inspiration—you definitely want to check out the latest products to expand your crafting toolkit.

Give this technique a try and let me know in the comments what color combinations or embossing folder designs you’d love to experiment with next. Happy stamping, and enjoy creating!

Check out the video tutorial where I share the process of how I created this card –