Hello there and happy Easter! I had grand plans for a fan-tabulous Easter project but it hasn't quite happened yet. You may see it yet later in the month though. Better late than never! I have had time to play around with embossing powder and make some really fun ATCs. Ever since Wendy Vecchi shared her faux
graniteware technique I've been itching to try it. She is right when she says it's addictive – I think I will be "enameling" all sorts of things! Follow the link above to see her excellent tutorial on how to do it. It works really well, I think these ATC bases look just like real graniteware:
I added some retro graphics downloaded from
The Graphics Fairy website and thought of funny quotes for them.
Remnant Rubs work really well to add some background graphics.
I was having so much fun making these that I started thinking about what other "enameled" looking surfaces I could create. I've gotten good results with Distress Paints and Glossy Accents (see
THIS post) but I wanted to incorporate imagery. After pondering and playing, here is what I came up with:
First I stared off with a sturdy base of white matboard. I put two layers of white embossing powder on it so it would be thick and smooth. Thoroughly rub the cooled surface with an
antistatic bag. This is important. (Trust the voice of experience!)
Next I stamped my image with a light color of Archival Ink. You can use embossing ink but it's really hard to see the image when the ink is clear!
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| Stamp with a light colored Archival Ink. |
Have all your embossing powders lined up and open before you stamp so you are ready to go. I made little scoopers out of drinking straw sections cut at an angle. Scoop up the desired color and carefully tap the straw to sprinkle the powder in the area of the image you want it. Continue with the other colors until the entire image is covered.
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| The cut straw scoopers really help with precision application. |
Carefully tap off the excess powder into the trash. You can gently brush off stray powder with a small dry paintbrush. Now comes the fun part. Heat your card to melt the colored embossing powder. It will magically meld with your base layer! Watch it carefully and as soon as it melts, move on to the next part of the image. If you overwork it the design will loose crispness and the colored embossing powder will sink too much into the white base layer. A light touch is best!
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| Don't overheat it while embossing! |
After embossing it, I carefully blended some
Potting Soil Archival Ink around the edges to age it a bit. I also ran a Black Soot Paint dabber around the edges to finish it off and mimic the look that so many vintage enamel objects have. I'm looking forward to experimenting more with this technique. I think it has lots of possibilities!
Note: The rooster stamp is from a Basic Grey set from 2007, labeled Different Strokes. You may be able to find it on eBay or other such place.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope I've inspired you to go get creative. Most of the supplies I used
for these cards can be found at
Inspiration Emporium. Follow the links below and use my code JUICE there to save 10% if you go shopping. I will also point out that US shipping
is always $5 and international shipping is just $10. ;-)
