Vellum paper is one of my favourite types of craft paper to use. There is so much you can do with it to create stunning effects and designs.

It is a translucent type of paper made from calfskin that has been soaked and then dried at a normal temperature under tension.

It is a parchment paper that gets its name from the French word ‘velin’ which stands for calfskin. It has a smooth and durable texture and can be used in so many ways for your craft projects and scrapbooking layouts.

Vellum paper can come in a variety of colours and prints and can vary in weight and thickness.

Using it for your card ideas is a fun way to embellish and add definition to your greeting cards. It does not always have to be a sheet of plain colour as it can come in many diverse prints including flowers, swirls and even pictures.

Vellum and Adhesives

You can use vellum to mat and layer and even to cover the whole front of a card. Because it is slightly see through you will need to be careful when attaching it to your projects as many adhesives will show through.

There are some specialist adhesives available, although these can sometimes be expensive and I find that even though they are supposed to be invisible you can still see it.

Therefore, and If possible, try to attach the paper to your greeting cards by other methods, I use brads wherever possible so the paper is secure but no glue is needed. You can also print on it which is a really effective way of having a message or a poem on your cards.

As vellum is so smooth you will need to be very careful when printing as it can easily smudge. I would wait at least a few hours before attaching the printed  paper to one of you cards.

If you are pushed for time you can also try to carefully dry the ink with a heat gun but use the lowest setting and be very cautious as this can burn.

Vellum can also be used to punch out ghost like shapes. I find punching out flower shapes and building them up as an embellishment on the front of a greeting card gives it a stunning look.

If using vellum quotes you can simply cut the wording out.  I find if you rip around the  words it looks a lot nicer.

Whether you are using quotes, patterned, or plain vellum paper you will find that there is so much you can do and create with this particular paper.