"There is a certain richness and earthiness to embossed leather that makes you want to reach out and touch it, but this type of decorative textile is often very cost prohibitive. Now you can easily and inexpensively recreate this stylish look with your favorite intricate die-cuts and the mere addition of tissue paper! You aren't going to believe how simple this is, and I can't wait for you to see how amazing the results are in person. You're definitely going to want to try this for yourself!"
- Die-cut two of the floral frames from the Garden Gild mini using brown tissue paper. Adhere them together and attach them to a piece of A2 cardstock.
- In a small bowl, mix together about 1/4 cup of water and a little over a tablespoon of Elmer's School Glue or other water soluble glue.
- Lay a piece of tissue paper over the die-cut frames and lightly brush the glue water over it, making sure to get even coverage. Go back over the floral areas and lightly tap with the brush to help get the tissue paper down into the grooves. Repeat the same process with three additional layers of tissue paper.
- Lightly press a paper towel over the surface of the tissue paper layers to help remove some of the moisture and press the tissue paper deeper into the grooves of the design. Allow to air dry for about 1-2 hours.
- Trim edges of tissue paper, leaving about a 3/4" overhang, mitre the corners. Fold the edges onto the back of the cardstock and tape down with washi tape or something similar.
- Using an ink blending sponge tool, generously apply Cocoa Bean ink to the pattern, getting a bit heavier with your application around the edges of the designs.
- To embellish the card, die-cut the smallest frame from Delicate Details twice from Saffron Spice cardstock and adhere the two layers together. Cut it one more time from white cardstock and reserve the center portion of the frame to add to the Saffron Spice frame. Stamp the sentiment from Infinity Frames Sentiments in Dark Chocolate ink.
- Using the Bitty Button Stacks dies, cut flowers from Canyon Clay, Ocean Tides and Autumn Rose cardstocks. Layer together and attach the centers using embroidery floss, tying it off in the back where it won't show. Adhere around the frame using Scor-tape.
- Cut a few small leaves by hand from Olive Twist cardstock and adhere around the flowers. To help offset the bold white of the sentiment frame, add some white dot accents to the leaves using a white gel pen.
- STAMPS: Infinity Frames Sentiments
- INK: Cocoa Bean, Dark Chocolate
- PAPER: Cocoa Bean, Canyon Clay, Autumn Rose, Ocean Tides, Olive Twist, Saffron Spice, Stamper's Select White
- DIES: Make It Market Mini Kit: Garden Gild die, Bitty Button Stacks die, Delicate Details die,
- OTHER: Elmer's School Glue, Tissue Paper, Wide Flat Paintbrush, Paper Towels, Ink Blending Tool, Embroidery Floss, 2-Way Glue Pen, White Gel Pen
- Now it's your turn! Create a project featuring faux embossed leather. You can choose to re-create the exact project from Nichole above or design your own using the same concepts. Your project must also incorporate at least one Papertrey product.
- Post your project on your blog, in your gallery, Instagram or on any other photo-hosting site (such as photobucket or flickr).
- Add your project to the InLinkz list below.
- You will have until 7am ET, Thursday, August 31st, to add your link to the list to be eligible to win. One project per person please.
- As a reminder, you will have until 7am ET, Thursday, August 31st, to add your link to the list to be eligible to win.
- One randomly selected winners will be chosen from all of the InLinkz entries on this post on Thursday, August 31st. The winner will be posted on our Thursday night Stamp-a-faire winners page after 9pm ET. The randomly selected winner will get a $20 PTI gift certificate to spend however they like!
- One randomly selected winner will be chosen from the comments of this post on Thursday as well. You will have until 7am ET, Thursday, August 31st to add your comment and be eligible to win. The randomly selected winner will get a $10 PTI gift certificate.
So, what do you think about this technique? Pretty fun, right! And to think you just need a little tissue paper and glue to make it happen! I think this would be gorgeous on the cover of a journal or the top of a gift box as well! What dies do you think you might use with this technique? There are so many pretty detailed designs that would look pretty transformed into an embossed leather look. We look forward to seeing your projects!
Karen says
Ok, well I’m not sure about my last leather attempt – I went way overboard on the leather look, lol! It still looks cool, though, and I think it would be a fun challenge to try to make it look feminine. This technique seems like it might be easier to make girly! We shall see. Having fun!
Karen
Kirsty Vittetoe says
Oh wow, wonderful work, the leather effect is awesome!
Debs says
This is a simple technique…great for kids and I appreciate the long tutorial.
Lisa S. says
Can’t wait to try this leather tutorial!
Karen B. says
What a cool idea. Can’t wait to try it.
Terri Trotter Earley says
This is a fun one. I am off to hunt down some tan tissue paper.
Betty Sue says
Love this technique!! Your card is beautiful!!!
jan metcalf says
This recreates a fashionable look, maybe in pretty color leathers? Like the embroidery on jeans? Lets see what happens….
Susan W. says
Fantastic leather-look, Nichole (and very different from Ashley’s)! I love it! Wonderful Stamp Affair thus far tho I did not get all my goodies ahead of time for each designer. Oh well, have to think out of the box. Thanks so much!
Cynthia says
I love this, it’s next up! Love all the creative techniques!!
Kris says
I remember using this technique some years ago on another project…thanks for the refresher course and memory jog!
Sharri R says
Love this project. Wonderful to have another way to make leather look paper. And, turn it into a girly project.
CathyL says
Looks like a fun technique!
Jen Carter says
That is such a cool look!
Tracy L. says
Thanks for another great technique, I love the look of carved wood.
Pat Whitley says
This is a stunning technique!
Deniseinindy says
That really looks like embossed leather!
Melanie Ann MacKenzie says
Fantastic technique…just love it. Beautiful card. Cheers.
Rebecca Ednie says
Wow, this is such a cool technique! I wonder what dies I have that will work…
Sandye Curry says
Must check out my tissue paper. May have to do red leather. Example is just stunning. Hope mine is to!!!
Terri Trotter Earley says
Starting this one now. So excited!
Colleen says
I was very intrigued to try this technique, it is in the drying stage right now, but I love what you made Nichole!
LR says
Love your card and video, Nichole! Great technique that I would like to try. Great for masculine cards and feminine, as well. Thanks for the inspiration! This Stamp-a-Faire is amazing so far! Very fun! Thank you!
Dennisonka says
Very crafty! Super fun way to add texture to a card … great for masculine cards! Thanks for inspiring!!!
Catherine Milne says
Gosh this technique is so pretty. Love the texture and variation in color.
Cindy O says
Wow, another great leather-style technique! Love this one, too! The tooled leather effect is perfect!
Deborah Rosenow says
The leather technique is great!
Aunt Min says
I think Leaf Prints dies would look awesome with this leather techniquel.
lainey says
I can’t wait to try this technique too! So many things to do, so little time.
Ang says
What a great idea. Thanks for the how to video!
Lori Lehanne says
Oh wow!!! What an incredible technique!
Jamie Greene says
This is a beautifully done technique, can’t wait to try it.
Sandy S says
Waiting for mine to dry, but I might not have a good result. I thought the County Fair cover plate would be good, because it already looks a bit like tooled leather, but I used a slightly thick kraft tissue paper and I don’t think the detail is going to show up. I’ll need to try again.
Kathy Mc says
Great texture, Nichole, and very realistic-looking leather! Might have to buy some supplies to try this one after all. You really are drawing us out of our comfort zones with this SAF! ?
Laraine Randall says
Fabulous! Thanks for the inspiration!
AllysonA says
So, so pretty! I love the leather look with the Garden Gild cover plate. Wishing I had some time right now to try this technique. Beautiful!
Janet Ingraham says
Good heavens! Who knew such an awesome effect could be that simple
Becky Green says
This is SO LOVELY! I see that I am “needing” more than I have with all of these SUPER TECHNIQUES! Will have to figure this one out & see if I can do this with another type of die! Necessity creates Creativity! 😉 Off to CREATE! 😀
Sandy Dayhoff says
Love this “earthly” look with a feminine twist!
Bevwilkinson31@comcast.net says
I tried this using the tissue paper that PTIuses to wrap their sets when they mail them. Must not be the right kind of tissue since it came out all white?
LindaM says
Wow – love the leather look of this card. Great look for making a masculine card. What a super great technique!
Pat Ackley says
Such a pretty card. I love this technique!
Susan P says
What a great technique! I don’t think I will be able to make a card because I don’t have my die cutting machine. But I will remember it when we finish our move! Thanks Nicole!
Teddra says
Looking forward to trying this technique!
Lisascreativeniche says
Ok this is awesome! I’ve never thought to try this, but love the effect and totally must give it a go!
Nancy Penir says
Wow! The front of my card looks like an old journal. Love this! Thanks Nichole!
Linda Craig says
Very cool. Where did you get the light brown tissue paper?
Donna Gourley says
Nichole, this technique was interesting and I appreciated the easily accessible supplies.
Lori B says
Fun technique. Wasn’t sure it would work with the die I used but it did. Great idea for those hard to make guy cards.
Noelle says
Wow, what a neat way to get a pretty, detailed leather look. Thanks for the inspiration Nichole!
Pat from sd says
Wow, love this super technique. The kids can even do it.
Ann says
thanks for sharing such a neat technique for creating the look of leather. Looks fun.
Krissie says
Very pretty card. This technique would be great for creating some masculine cards too!
Patty says
Oh so fun! Thanks for the inspiration.
Carmela says
Can’t wait to give this a try! So pretty and I love the look.
Cynthia Johnson says
This is a super cool technique. Your card looks like an old leather journal, I love it!
Manda says
What an amazing look! I would never have guessed out it was achieved! Thanks for the detailed steps.
Imke Ludwig says
I totally like the leather look but for me, this technique is too time consuming…..
Mimi R says
WOW awesome card!
Erin S says
This is another great leather look. Will have to try it out too!
Becca Yahrling says
What a fabulous and beautiful project and technique. I’d really love to try this.
Helen F. says
This faux leather look is very cool! I wasn’t sure I did it right or if I was using the right tissue paper~it’s white :o) When it dried, I really liked how it came out with the leather-like wrinkles 🙂 Thanks, Nichole!
Kate says
This was fun to experiment with. Had to try it at couple of times but loved the results.
Tracy A says
Very pretty. I love the texture and sort of vintage feeling.
Jen shears says
What a cool technique! Thanks for the details- hoping to get to try it!!
Keri says
Very cool technique. Beautiful card, Nichole! Now to get it to work for me. Been having a bit of trouble, but I will prevail! 🙂
Mary W says
My head is swimming with ideas. I’m thinking an old worn family bible look to the many PTI cover plate dies using gold around the edges and to stamp an embossed sentiment. This is going to be fun. I used to do this with water and toilet paper which after many years, still stays together. But I did pounce deeply into the 5 layers of TP to really work it in – then let dry overnight. I used old buttons and jewelry but now I have wonderful dies to use. Thanks!
Leslie L. says
I planned out a great background and since I didn’t have brown tissue paper I decided to add Dark Chocolate re-inker to my clear water and glue mixture (worked great). However, I am having a heck of a time turning my faux leather piece into a completed card. Maybe something will spark soon and I will be able to post my project.
Patt H. says
Love this awesome leather look! How perfect for all my “men” cards. I’ve done a faux leather look using fun foam but had not seen this technique before. Thanks for sharing.
Linda S. says
Awesome technique. Pretty card with oneach of my favorite cover plates.
Virginia P says
Never tried this technique. It’s so pretty!
Jeni says
Will have to give this a try again. Maybe with a lighter tissue paper. I got it to work alright but my tissue paper didn’t want to stick to my cardstock. I see others had this issue as well so I’m going to try some of the tips given. I’m still happy with my end result though.
Angela Person says
Amazing tutorial! It looks so much like leather.
Dana Kirby says
Absolutely gorgeous!! I love everything about this project!!
LaFaunB says
Very pretty card. Fun embossed leather technique.
PT says
This is so interesting… The texture on the card looks amazing!
Marianne says
Wow, this looks amazing!
Annette Snyder says
I love this technique!! Absolutely fabulous!!
Jennifer Thompson says
What a cool technique! I can’t wait to try this.
Conniecrafter says
Awesome!
Becky M says
Looks like a great technique – I think it would be a lot of fun in brighter colors too!
Bev Wilkinson says
Tried this technique twice and just couldn’t get it to work. I think I needed to add a layer of glue/water under the first layer of tissue paper. I tried to make a girlie pink and brown looking leather using the Butterflies Coverplate but failed miserably. Lol fun technique to try again though. Love all the other examples!
Olga V. says
Thank you for the cool technique, Nichole! I will surely give it a try!
merryf says
wow, this is gorgeous. It totally looks like leather! Thanks so much for the inspiration!
MelissaF says
LOVE the rich, worn leather look on your beautiful card – and it gives such a different look to the Garden Gild cover die, WOW! I will be trying this technique for bookmarks to give my fellow book club members.
Betty D Wright says
The embossed faux leathering looks amazing!
Betty N says
Beautiful card! What a unique way to use the cover plate!
Victoria Nelson says
This was such a unique technique! Thanks for the inspiration!
Nancy M says
This is a great technique to use for those always challenging masculine cards.
Luanne Ford says
This looks easier than I though it would. I hope to give it a try!
Jen says
I love the look of this. One of my favorites for sure!!
Ruth C says
This will be my next project – I love the look of the faux leather, and I even have that cover plate!
angie b says
We used pieces of our leather….diff look!
AOK says
I loved this really crafty technique and super tutorial. Really happy I gave this one a go.
Sue in Grapevine says
I LOVE THIS LOOK! i EVEN HAVE THE COVERPLATE.
D.Ann C says
That was pretty cool! I never would’ve thought to use tissue paper to get that embossed leather look. Love this idea of using the traditional anniversaries for PTI’s 10th!
Cynthia says
So creative and fun to do!
Marilyn in Michigan says
What a pretty technique!
Dawn @Petals.Paper.SimpleThymes says
Beautiful faux embossed leather, Nichole! I really enjoyed trying this technique and tried two different projects. First, I used the Best Dad Ever die. It turned out well. Next, I created a design using layers from the Twig Wreath die set. Although I loved the design, it was difficult to see all of the details after everything was dry. I want to try another design to create faux embossed leather The third time’s a charm! Thanks for a wonderful video! ?
Carrie Crafts says
2017 SAF was THE event of all crafting events! I loved that there were 3 days of fun crafty activity! I managed to complete 14 of the 21 challenges. SO MUCH FUN!! Thank you PTI for putting on such an amazing event!!
Greta H says
Very impressive results!
Angela W says
This technique is so gorgeous! It truly looks like real leather!
erin says
Loved channeling my inner pre-school persona with the elmer’s.
Sharon D says
This is stunning, Nichole! Very creative!
josiane says
This technique is versatile – for both masculine and feminine cards. Love Nichole’s card which combines the masculine feel of the leather technique with the feminine style of the cover plate.
Kristie H says
Fun technique…so a pretty card!