Techniques - Page 2

• Stamp an image using clear embossing ink or any pigment ink
• Hold card over a magazine or container and sprinkle on embossing powder (cover the entire image - the powder won't be wasted)
• Pour off excess embossing powder - the powder that remains on your card should be stuck to the image you stamped
• If there is any powder elsewhere on the card, carefully brush it off with a soft paint brush
• Turn on the heat gun and holding the gun about 6" away from card, move it around slowly to heat entire image.
• Move heat gun closer to card but don't keep it too long in one spot. You will see when powder starts to melt.
• Pour any excess powder back into the bottle.
• For the gloves at left, I drew around the edges with an embossing pen, then sprinkled with powder and heated. Don't try to outline the entire image at once; the embossing ink will dry up on part of the image, and you may smear the unembossed powder while trying to draw the next line.
  • Clear embossing powder will let the color of the ink show through, or if you used clear embossing ink, it will show the color of the paper
  • Other powders (unless marked transparent) will completely cover the color ink and only the color of the powder will show
  • I put my card into a medium size box to emboss so the powder doesn't fly everywhere. I leave a sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom as I read that helps the powder heat faster
  • Vellum and acetate are difficult to emboss as they warp easily. Hold the heat gun further away and keep it moving.

• Make Your Own Background
  • Crumble a piece of paper
  • Dab paper on an clear embossing ink pad, then dab on card stock
  • Repeat until you get the coverage you want
  • Pour embossing powder on and heat
    You could try this with any kind of paper, silver foil, bubble wrap, etc.

For a great faux postage tutorial, click here to go to France Chevalier's site. She has postage grids to download, and explains how to make an acetate mask so that you can paint the background and stamp images inside each "stamp" without going over the edges.

• Squirt some brown Liquid Applique onto wax paper
• Roll brayer over applique until covered
• Roll on any kind of paper, completely and evenly covering the paper. Use more Liquid Applique if needed
• Use heat gun to heat paper and applique will "puff" up, and will lighten in color

I tried this on a brown paper bag, and several pieces of card stock and it worked well on everything. I was able to put this paper through my laser printer to print an image on the "suede." The printer did make some marks on the suede, but it just looked more "real."

This comes in thin sheets or in various shapes and is found in most craft stores, and has several uses:

• Texture Stamps
  
  • Cut piece of fun foam to size and heat with heat gun.
  • It will shrink a little and darken a little in color
  • Press into an item such as a woven place mat and the texture will transfer to the fun foam.
  • Ink the fun foam and use as a stamp (it will be easier to use if you mount it to a wooden block. See Making Stamps below.
• Card Embellishments
  • Have an inked stamp ready
  • Heat fun foam til it shrinks a little and darkens in color
  • Immediately press the stamp into the foam and hold about 10 seconds
  • Cut out your embellishment and attach to card
• Make your own Foam Stamps, or use foam to cushion home made rubber stamps. For how to's, click here

• Stamp image with embossable ink
• Sprinkle with Heat & Stick Powder and emboss. As soon as the image becomes shiny, remove the heat gun. If you heat too long, it will not be sticky
• Pour Fashion Flakes Gold Leaf into a container. Put the embossed image in container and press gold leaf onto surface with fingers or medium stiff-bristled paint brush. Kind of "mash" the flakes onto the image
• With stiff brush, brush excess flakes off. You may have to "push" the bristles hard against the image to remove the excess.
• Buff with soft cloth (old sock works great)
• Put all left over flakes back into container

I got both the Heat & Stick Powder, and the Gold Leaf flakes from Biblical Impressions

The image at left doesn't show the beautiful colors or brightness of the gold leaf

• Basic grid is 9 squares, although you can make as many or few as you want
• Tag looks better if lines are not perfectly straight across and down
• Put a piece of scrap paper along one line and sponge ink all the way down the line
• Cover the section you just sponged, and sponge a lighter color on the other side
• Repeat for other line down, and both lines across
• Sponge color within each section, just so the card stock is covered-don't make it too dark
• Stamp images in sections, masking so you don't stamp outside the section

I drew the grid I wanted in my graphics program, then inserted the images. I then removed the lines and printed the image. I then lined up my scrap paper and sponged the color as described above.

Hand Made Paper

• Mix dry paper mache with enough water to make a thin paste-like substance
• Put a piece of wax paper in a cookie sheet and put the pulp on top
• Place another piece of wax paper on top and using your hands through the top piece of wax paper, smooth out the pulp as thinly as you can (you may be able to use a rolling pin)
• Let dry - at least overnight. (If it's a sunny warm day, you can let it dry outside)
• Peel the wax paper off and use to layer on cards
• There are a lot of curls and bends in the paper which I think adds to the effect.