Using Die-Cuts to Emboss

Note: I have to preface today's post by saying that if you already knew the following information...please humor me and say "wow, how fascinating!" I'm sure there's a LOT of tricks and ideas out there in 'card making land' that I haven't even begun to learn. And, maybe someday I'll be lucky enough to discover something new.

I've been using die-cuts to cut out shapes for quite some time. And, I often emboss the shape with the die-cut once the piece is cut out. However, I thought the other day...I wonder if I can skip a step and just cut and emboss at the same time.

Yup, shortcuts are good...a step saved gives me more time to make another card ;)  So, I used my Cuttlebug machine and here's the order of the plates--from bottom up:

• A Plate
• B Plate
• Spellbinders Die-Cut Medallion One (cut side facing up)
• Cardstock (champagne metallic)
• Embossing Rubber Mat
• Piece of cardboard (from a cereal box)
• B Plate

Imagine my surprise when I didn't get a cut image, but instead a beautifully embossed image of the die cut. This may not work well for all die-cuts, but it's worth a try. Below is the embossed, non-cut image on the left and the cut shape on the right.

    

And here is the completed card using the non-cut, embossed image.

 

I repeated the process using Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Rectangles on metallic Blueberry cardstock for the inside of the card.

 

Catered Crop is having a "Make an Impression" challenge (add embossing to your project). And, 365 Cards is also having a challenge "Emboss It" (create a clean and simple card that includes embossing). I'm entering the above card in both challenges.