Pierced Paper Patterns (with faux enamel)

This handmade artsy paper gives kind of a funky look because of the piercing & the sparkle of glitter covered in the glossy Crystal Lacquer. (Click the pic for a HUGE close-up look.) Piercing & faux enamel works great with embroidery patterns, but is a really flexible technique. You could use any clip art, any stamp, or any line image (You could even pierce the images on designer/patterned papers & "enamel" them.)

I'm dyin' to try piercing Gesso cardstock (or any paper that you paint Gesso on --which makes it very strong) You could also pierce fabric papers (I love Linen StickStock from Close To My Heart.)

Supplies:

• Paper piercer & mat
• 3 straight pins
  
• Cardstock/paper. This lined paper is from Close To My Heart
  
• Marker (waterproof if you like)
• Gems
  
• Sakura Glitter pen
• Crystal Lacquer
  
• Template I got this from Martha's Dot-Painted China project but you could use any stamp image, any embroidery pattern (or any image at all.)

Pierced Paper & Faux Enamel:

Pierce Images into Cardstock:

1. Lay your cardstock or patterned paper on a piercing mat (if it is thin paper you can reinforce it with another piece of paper under it.)
   
2. Lay the template/pattern over top of it.
   
3. You can anchor your pattern with three pins poked into holes of the pattern (this will let you move around and pierce it without messing up the pattern)
4. Pierce the holes to create the pattern (being careful not pierce to closely together or it may tear.) You can use your pierced pattern as is or you can continue and embellish it...
   

I just love the deep sparkle & shine that you can get if you colour with a Sakura Glitter pen & go over it with Crystal Lacquer:

Colour areas with Glitter

Colour some areas with marker for interest

Add a layer of Crystal Lacquer over it all & let it dry well.

It may buckle a little from the moisture in the adhesive (bit it should dry flat.) Stuff that will help prevent permanent buckling:

• Glue thin paper down to a heavier cardstock with an allover adhesive (even good glue stick.)
• Use watercolour paper
• Experiment with types of Crystal Lacquer
  

You can see that the SU stamp'n'write marker bleeds to give a sort of vintage water-stain look to it (the marker runs from the lacquer.) If you don't like that distressed look, you can just use waterproof permanent marker (if you're stamping before piercing use Stazon or a waterproof equivalent)

Some ideas...

• You can use a little or a lot of colour. (Some markers/other mediums may bleed.)

• You can embellish with beads or gems...
  

• Different papers will work differently. Thin paper can tear, but you can prevent tearing by supporting thin papers with a sheet of cardstock under them.

• You can pierce more than one image at once (for multiple projects)

• You can leave the holes plain, circle them with a glitter pen, or draw stitches between them (you can draw stitches with a Sakura quickie glue pen & sprinkle on embossing powder for heat embossed stitches. Of course you can also hand stitch after piercing if you like :O)

• You can turn your finished pierced pieces into luminaries, window hangings, or add them to lampshades because the light shines through the holes prettily. I think the technique might make nice Christmas ornaments with Christmas lights shining through them...

(This finished project is going to be a notebook. I'm workin' on a tutorial for a really speedy way to make cards into notebooks... I'll be posting it this week in case you'd like to give it a go. And I'm workin' on a tutorial for trying this with stamping too.) :O)


Thanks for taking time from your busy day! :O)

P.S. Patterns that might be fun for this:

This paper piercing pattern

Any of these flower templates

• 5-petal Flowers
• Dahlias or Mums and cornflowers
• Lotus/Mirkwood Flower
• Resized 8-petal Mirkwood flower
• Rounded flower in three sizes
• Daisy
• Hot Crafty Flowers (58+ tutorial/template links)

• Free flower patterns from this about.com article
• Flower templates from Wondertime

Patterns from these posts:

• Embroidery pattern links
• Textile Patterns
• Great Clip art site