Letterpress success

I've recently become interested in old letterpress printing blocks as I've seen some lovely vintage images used on letterpress printed cards and stationery recently. I wondered whether I would be able to get them to print without a letterpress printing machine and as there are lots of blocks for sale on ebay for not much money, I decided to risk buying one to try it out.  So I bought this lovely old fashioned Christmas greeting and set about experimenting.

I first tried just hand printing with an ink pad and a mouse mat underneath my cardstock to make a surface with some "give".  It worked but not very well and there was no impressed effect. So I was very brave and carefully prised the metal print plate from its wooden block and set about experimenting with my Cuttlebug until I found a sandwich that worked. I also remembered reading somewhere that using Versamark on a stamp underneath the ink might give a better impression - and it did!

It doesn't show up in my photo, but the greeting is impressed into the card. I cut the print out with a tag die and added holly stamps. Then I used Old Paper Distress Ink on the edges, matted onto some red card, and cut it out.

I couldn't resist making some more cereal packet chipboard accents yesterday and added one to my tag before attaching to a Favor-It Box which had had the Papertrey impression plate treatment. As you can see I tried printing in red too and I'm not sure that I don't like that version even more than the green. I just need to work out how to get the greeting onto the inside of a Christmas card now.

This little project will be entered into the current A Passion for Papertrey challenge and its also a SECOND (good grief!!) entry for the Make-It-Monday challenge over on {Capture the Moment}.

I can't wait to find a few more suitable printing blocks to try but don't worry Hannah, if you are reading this I don't think I'll be going into the letterpress business! The process is a bit fiddly and rather hit and miss. So I'll still be looking for my letterpress goodies at Little Red Press!

Stamps: Papertrey's: Holy Jolly; Love Lives Here
Dies (all Papertrey): Favor-It Box 3; Tag Sale 1; Mat Stack 1; Love Lives Here collection
Other: Papertrey Linen & Canvas Impression Plate