This is a Parchment Craft card created with our stamps 7025 Rose Scroll Frame and 7044 Dresden Rose Circle

What Is "Parchment Crafting"?

Parchment Crafting is the art of etching (dry embossing) and piercing parchment paper or vellum. The paper is translucent and looks pale gray until it is etched, then it becomes an opaque white. In addition to etching, there are various painting and perforating techniques that can be applied to make a very elegant looking piece of artwork. With these techniques you can make cards, bookmarks, boxes, lamp shades, and other beautiful projects. Many people refer to Parchment Craft as Pergamano®, however Pergamano® is the registered trade name of a manufacturer of parchment craft supplies.

How is this different from traditional  Parchment Crafting?

The biggest difference between Parchment Crafting with Stamps vs. traditional Parchment Crafting is that you use a rubber stamp to get your pattern (instead of tracing), and you use detail embossing powder (instead of re-tracing your pattern) to achieve raised lines.

What Supplies Are Needed?

  ~  36# Parchment Craft Vellum

  ~  White Dye Inka thin ink that stays wet enough to emboss on vellum

  ~ Rubber Stamp fine line images without shading work best....check out our selection of stamps for this technique

  ~ Fine Detail Embossing Powder a detail powder will keep fine lines nice and thin 

  ~ Heat Gun

  ~  Dryer Sheet - helps your stylus tips glide over the vellum

  ~  Embossing Stylus Tools - you'll need several size tips

  ~  Etching/ Embossing Mat- a soft topped, hard bottom blue mat with just the right give

  ~ Single Needle Piercing Tool - for use with any style grid 

  ~ 4-Split Needle Tool - for cutting out designs

  ~ Piercing/ Perforating Mat - a flexible, cushy black mat that self-heals needle piercings

  ~ Straight or Staggered Grid - used to create embossed dots or pierced holes

  ~ Fade Resistant Dye Ink Pads - (like Shades™ available in 60 colors) use with Dove® Blender Pen to color 

  ~ Dove® Blender Pen - use with ink pads to achieve a soft, watercolor effect

Stamp Parch Craft Step-by-Step 

1.  Stamp your image onto 36# vellum using White dye ink. 
   
   
2.  Heat emboss with a fine detail embossing powder. {My favorites are Medieval Metals, Fantasy Silver, Queen's Gold and White.}  
   
   
3.  Flip the image over and rub with a dryer sheet or wax paper. {This helps the stylus tool glide over the vellum.}
   
   
4.  Etch (dry emboss) with a stylus tool on the blue Etching/ Embossing Mat (working on the side you just rubbed).
     
5.  Emboss dots with a Grid under your vellum (secure the vellum to the grid with removable tape or magnet strips), by using a stylus tool with the smallest ball that does not go through the holes on the grid. Apply pressure and rub where you want the dots to appear. This is done on the back side also.
   
   
6. Color with Dove® blender pen and Shades™ dye inks. Pull the color out to create shading, and color front and/or back.  
   
   
7. Place a Grid on top of the black Piercing/ Perforating Mat and your vellum RIGHT SIDE UP. Secure your project to the grid with removable tape or magnetic strips. Pierce holes with a single needle tool, poking through the holes on the grid.  
   
   
8. Perforate out your design by placing it on the black Piercing/ Perforating Mat RIGHT SIDE UP, and using the 4-split Needle Tool to go around the outside edges of your design. Make sure you pierce the 4-split tool fully into the mat, and place the first needle of the next piercing into the last hole pierced so you have a consecutively spaced perforation.