Four Ways to Add Vellum to a Card

“How do you attach vellum to a card?”

I am a member of several Facebook groups and chats that involve card making. Is there anything else I’d want to talk about on social media?! There are lots of questions about card making techniques from “newbies” and “old-timers” alike, but one of the most common questions from all paper crafters is “How do you attach vellum to a card?”

Today’s post is dedicated to answering that question.


Four Ways to Adhere Vellum

There are several ways to accomplish this seemingly unaccomplishable goal. There are products on the market (like vellum tape) that, in my experience, still show behind the vellum. Staples can also work. Here are four ways to adhere vellum to a card using Stampin’ Up! products:

  • Attach vellum behind an element on the card. The easiest way to incorporate vellum into your projects is to let it peak out from behind a focal image on a card. Attach elements to the vellum with glue or Stampin’ Dimensionals and attach the vellum to the base with the same. Easy peasy! Here are some examples (you can click on the photos below to see the original posts for the showcased cards):All That You Are, Stampin' Up!, Brian King, GDP301Piece of Cake Bundle, Itty Bitty Birthdays, Stampin' Up!, Brian King, birthday card
  • Hide the Glue. Sometimes, though, you want the vellum to take center stage (and not just peak out from behind a large element). It’s easy to add little dots of glue to the back of your vellum if you plan to hide it with another element – like pearls, rhinestones, sequins or enamel dots. One in each corner or scattered over the paper can hide the fact that there are little glue does below.
  • Just Glue It.  You may want to just glue it down and avoid hiding the glue. You really like a challenge. I’ve seen several projects where a light coat of Tombow is brushed evenly onto the back of vellum to glue it down. I’ve not tried this (don’t think I’d have the steady hand to lightly add the glue), but I’ve seen several examples of where it works. So there’s that.
  • Frame It. A peekaboo of vellum can be really wonderful, too! In the card I shared with you yesterday (and a card I shared three years ago, I created a frame for the vellum to shine (you can click on either of these pictures to see the original post for each): Simply Wonderful, Nature's Perfection, Sheer Perfection Designer Vellum Stack, Stampin' Up!, Brian KingTea Together, Tea Time Framelits Dies, Rectangle Stitched Framelits, Stampin' Up!, Brian KingI’m going to walk you through this method step-by-step, showing you a sneak peek at a project I’ll share tomorrow. What fun!

How to Frame It

There are so many easy ways to build a frame that can hold your vellum – punch a circle, layer dies or carefully use your trimmer to cut out the inside of a piece of cardstock. My favorite way to build a frame is to layer my Rectangle Stitched Framelits Dies.

Tips for Adding Vellum to a Card front, Stampin' Up!, Brian KingTo begin building the frame for my card, I picked a rectangle die from the 13 dies in the set. I paired it with a die that’s two sizes smaller and ran them through the Big Shot together to crop out a Mossy Meadow frame. I cropped a piece of vellum from the Floral Romance Specialty Designer Series Paper with the die that is sized between the two that created my frame.

Tips for Adding Vellum to a Card front, Stampin' Up!, Brian KingOn the back of the frame, I added layers of Tear and Tape. I could have used Tombow Multipurpose Glue, but there’s always a chance the vellum will slide and show the glue. The Tear and Tape served me well here. Tips for Adding Vellum to a Card front, Stampin' Up!, Brian KingOnce the vellum was attached to the frame, I added Stampin’ Dimensionals around the frame to pop it up on my card. Although I could have just glued it down, I like the idea of lifting the vellum off the page a bit. I used the edges of my Stampin’ Dimensionals (because they were sitting right there while I was building this card), but the Foam Adhesive Strips would have worked, too!

As you can see through the vellum, I’ve attached an element to the front of the vellum with Stampin’ Dimensionals. Before attaching this full panel to the card front, I made sure the element was securely attached by rubbing the backside of the panel here. Once the panel is attached to the card, it’s risky to add the element that might dent or rip your vellum panel.

I’ll show you the rest of this card tomorrow. For now, I just wanted to show you the technique.


Vellum & Vellum-Friendly Products

Here are some of the vellum products in our current catalogs, along with some of the vellum-friendly products I’ve mentioned in today’s post:

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you’ll come back tomorrow to see that finished project I teased during today’s step-by-step tutorial.

Brian

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New Sale-a-Bration and Sale-a-Bration Coordination

On March 1, Stampin’ Up! released new Sale-a-Bration Coordination products (that coordinate with your Sale-a-Bration favorites) and added new Sale-a-Bration options so that you have more reasons to earn Sale-a-Bration rewards. What fun! To learn everything you need to know, click here.


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21 Comments

  1. Thanks for these great tips, Brian. I love using vellum and need lots of tools in my tool box to keep it in its place. Enjoy your day!

  2. Thanks Brian for the details for mating vellum, it can be tricky not letting the adhesive show through. The vellum that’s included in the Flora Romance DSP is very beautiful.

  3. Thanks for sharing your expertise Brian!

  4. Wow, that was extremely informative-thanks!!!

  5. Well my friend…..You are just full of amazing tricks on vellum. Have to admit…..my favorite is hiding it behind behind pearls, rhinestones, sequins or enamel dots. (But ……. I’m kind of a lazy papercrafter and this is the easiest way for me.)

  6. All good ideas. You can also use brads or eyelits to tack down the corners.

  7. I have tons of vellum Brian and never use it unless I am putting an image over it to hide the glue. Now you have enabled me to use it more often and hide it more wisely. I absolutely love your method of creating a frame for it. Fantastic. Thank you so much for all the help!

  8. Amazing tips and visuals on how to add vellum. Vellum has become my favorite way to add a little something to a card.

  9. Great tips, Brian. I always forget about vellum and it’s not because I don’t have any. 🙂 Thanks for making it easier to use it.

  10. Been afraid to try vellum – now I am ready!!!!

  11. Thanks for the great tips, Brian! Vellum is such a beautiful, soft and classy element for cards. I’ll be using your tips for sure!

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