Gilded Paper tutorial on Splitcoaststampers :)

So... there's this little tutorial I did over at Splitcoaststampers this week: 

it's for a really easy foil leafing technique that I'm calling Gilded Paper. :)

Have you ever gilded anything with silver or gold leaf? 

I've done a few things for around the house, like a recipe box & a knife block. But when it comes to card making I was reluctant to use that liquid sizing adhesive that comes with leafing kits. I didn't want the paper to warp. So... to get some shimmer without any goopiness I thought 'why not use some sticker paper instead?'

Turns out that the Silhouette printable sticker paper is perfect for silver leafing with much less mess, and it leaves you with a nice papery backing on your silver piece that is really easy to adhere to your cards & other projects. They also have a clear sticker paper; I've never tried it but it sounds interesting (Of course, you could use any sticker paper, label paper, or any sticker at all, instead.)

For this box, I made a gold foil tag with an Impression Obsession snowflake die (cut out of thin white paper and stuck onto the sticky tag before adding foil) just to make it that much easier.

I added some snowflake flowers (so easy!) just punch a snowflake shape (these are Martha Stewart snowflake punches.) Then, pierce a hole in the center & then add a floral wire & something to embellish the center (I used a rolled up metallic pipecleaner bit glued on). Then add some leaves.

Edited to add: oops wrong graph paper! Here's the one the lid was actually wrapped in.
That's what I get for having too many graph papers on flickr. lol

The lid is wrapped in this free printable Graph paper:

 
(It's also here on flickr)

I left this one anyhow...
it's lighter with more bold white grid superimposed on it: 

(The letter size is also here on Flickr
 & 12.5" square here as well.)

This box got a super simple embossed tag using this Cuttlebug Provocraft Snowflakes folder 

And a metallic pipe cleaner snowflake embellishment that was easy to shape by twisting & bending the pipe cleaners into shape. Then I layered on a punched vellum snowflake & mother of pearl button.

The box top is wrapped in this free printable Quatrefoil paper:

(The letter size is also here on Flickr)

For this box, I added a die cut tag that says 'Ho Ho Ho' It was cut on the Silhouette Cameo. 

And the clear beaded snowflake embellishment is one that I made by cutting a circle from clear plastic packaging, piercing hole with a paper piercer (using a pencil sketch as a guide) then stitching on white seed beads using white thread and a fine needle.

The box top is wrapped in this free printable Snow Crystals paper:

(The letter size is also here on Flickr
 & 12.5" square here as well.)

How to save these single papers directly from my blog:

PC users in Firefox/Chrome: Click on the paper you want & it will open a new window, 
then right click on the image & choose "save link as" 

PC users in Explorer: Click on the paper you want & it will open a new window, 
then right click on the image & choose "save target as"
 .

Mac users: Please visit the flickr links for each paper, then right click select 'all sizes'
& click on "download the original size of this photo"

 

You can also find the full set of Christmas papers, here
(there are three sets that I shared last year)...
 

This digital work is offered up for free, but mainly for personal use or handmade sale items only.

Please do not use these to make digital papers or kits for sale, nor mass produced items.
If you have any questions, please be sure to read my terms of use here. Thanks!

Here's to shimmery happy craftiness! ox

a Happy Secret: a Tutorial on SCS! :-)

So, there's this happy secret I can finally share with You!


(Butterflies: K & Co. "Hello Friend" sentiment: Hero Arts "Just for You" digi kit.
"happy birthday" sentiment SRM Stickers "Happy" set)

First things first, Thank You! There are no words for how much your kindness means to me. I am always astounded anew by how incredibly supportive You lovely Crafty Kindred spirits are. How lucky for me that you take the time to share your wise thoughts and beautiful way of thinking. A thousand happy thank yous & I'll keep you posted on my journey to healthiness. OXO

And that secret?
It's an ultra special first:


A while back, the queen of tutorials, Beate from Splitcoaststampers

offered me the chance to do a tutorial on SCS. Of course, I jumped at
the opportunity & today is finally the day it goes live!
giggle giggle giggle

The technique is called Distress Watercolour Embossing
and you can find the tutorial here on Splitcoaststampers.

Here's a version of the technique that uses another image style of folder, a tree
pattern in a Spellbinders M-Bossabilities embossing folder called Flora:


(Butterflies: Hero Arts "Flutterbies" digi kit. Sentiment: Hero Arts "Just for You" digi kit)


This background is really quick and easy to do. I tried to get an ombre effect with the shades of green. Distress Ink colours used: old paper mixed with crushed olive & shabby shutters.
All the details are on SCS here, for this card.

If you like the graph paper,
it's a freebie that you can find here:

(I lightened the plum colour in photoshop by selecting the
following: image - adjustments - hue/saturation - lightness +)

To save this file:
In Firefox/Chrome: right click on the image & choose "save link as"
In Explorer: right click on the image & choose "save target as"
(or you can see the whole set here on Flickr)





And here's a version that's my attempt at that modern casual style:


("happy birthday" sentiment from SRM Stickers "Happy" set.)


It uses just a piece of watercoloured embossing &
a Tim Holtz Texture Fades embossing folder called Regal Flourishes.
Distress Ink colours used: tumbled glass; broken china; crushed olive
and all the other details are here on SCS.

If you like the papers, they are digital paper freebies
that you can find...

... here:


To save this file:
In Firefox/Chrome: right click on the image & choose "save link as"
In Explorer: right click on the image & choose "save target as"
(or you can see the whole set here on Flickr)

...and here:


To save this file:
In Firefox/Chrome: right click on the image & choose "save link as"
In Explorer: right click on the image & choose "save target as"
(or you can see the whole set here on Flickr)

This last example is a soft version that uses a more abstract watercolour

style and an embossing folder from Sizzix called Tropical Paisley:


(Baby T-shirts and Sentiment: Hero Arts "Special Delivery" digi kit.)


By the by, it's actually easier to do this type of folder than the rose outline one,
since there is less chance of getting embossing powder where you don't want it.
Distress Ink colours used here watered down to make pastel shades:
broken china; wild honey; crushed olive; spun sugar
And you can find all of the other supplies & details on SCS here.

If you like the papers, they are digital paper freebies
that you can find...

... here:

To save this file:
In Firefox/Chrome: right click on the image & choose "save link as"
In Explorer: right click on the image & choose "save target as"
(or you can see the whole set here on Flickr)

...and here:

(I lightened the plum colour in photoshop by selecting the
following: image - adjustments - hue/saturation - lightness +)

To save this file:
In Firefox/Chrome: right click on the image & choose "save link as"
In Explorer: right click on the image & choose "save target as"
(or you can see the whole set here on Flickr)

Thanks ever ever so much
for being You!

"One, Two, Three... Get Loose, Now!"

Do you like that loose relaxed style that seems to be all the rage, now?

I love it! But I find it totally im-possum-ible, so I'm trying
to get a little more chilled out in my card layouts...



Not sure if this little card qualifies as relaxed, but it felt that way
when I was making it. ;-) (It's a 4-1/4 inch square card).

Step 1) Print subtle graph paper & add some splatters. This is some Distress Ink spray that I made: tumbled glass & distilled water, but instead of spraying, I flicked the inky water on using the mechanism-thingy from the inside of the spray bottle.



Step 2) Stick an SRM sticker on the paper and sand off some of the black ink.

It will take away some of the sticker ink leaving a funky distressed texture and softer look:



You could sand the sticker before you add it to your project to reduce the chance of smudges but I just stuck a piece of low tack painters tape on...



... and when you lift the tape, the black dust from sanding lifts right off:



It gives you a nice clean look and the black dust won't smudge onto your paper.

Another trick with tape that surprised me:



If you put picket fence Distress Stain on washi tape it will stay put
and it gives you a lovely texture:



Step 3) Stick the tape onto cardstock & make a little tag shape.

Step 4) Stamp the Bakery hometown stamp. (I heat embossed it with black pigment ink & clear embossing powder. One of the nicest things about the hometown building stamps is that they are not too small. (This little Bakery is just under 2.5" tall.) Makes it easy to colour!

I stamped it 2 times.

Once to cut the window out of to add a bit of acetate & layer it up:

I also stamped the Bakery image a second time to cut the awning out:

(The handy thing is that I could use the same image I cut the awning from to also cut out the yummy contents of the window to pop in behind). The layers in behind the whole thing are all grey cardstock. I like that better than foam dots since it's sturdier and looks like a shadow.

To layer it, I did this schtuff:

A) Stamped the image & cut the window out with a hobby blade.
B) Glued 3 pieces of white cardstock together (a bit smaller than the size as the image to fit in behind it).
C) Temporarily adhered the 3 layers of cardstock in behind the stamped image with the window cut out of it.
D) Cut the window out of the layers that are in behind -- using the first window cutting as a guide.
E) Cut a little piece of acetate & glue it in behind the stamped image. Permanently adhere the layers for dimension.
F) Add the awning (coloured & cut) with layers of grey cardstock in behind.
G) Add the bakery window contents in behind the little acetate window.

Step 5) Stick it all together:



Step 6) Add a little paper to the inside of the card
and line an envelope to match:



It's just simple printed digi paper, with faux stitches drawn in pen.
(I'll add the three digi papers I used for this card in the next day or two).

The tutorial for lining an envelope in a big old hurry, is here.

As soon as I saw this hometown collection,
I knew I just had to have it:



It's from Purple Onion Designs,
and it's drawn by Stephanie Ackerman.

• Bakery stamp from Purple Onion Designs hometown collection.
• White cardstock (80lb) white copy paper (thin to line envelope).
• Ranger Archival jet black ink, clear embossing powder, heat gun
  
• Dark grey cardstock, A2 sized white envelope, double-sided tape.
  
• Piano monochrome Sweet Bella tape & picket fence Distress Stain.
• SRM Sticker set: "SWEET" We've Got Your Sticker.
• Copic markers: RV-02, V000, c-7,c-3, c-1, BG-10, B-00, YG-00.
  

Hope your day is a sweet one!

P.S. On an extra personal note: Sorry the posts around here continue to be random. I've been working on managing my energy levels and diet (anemia and the no gluten or dairy or egg etc...) It's has been a bit of a struggle. I'm a regular zombie, I tell ya (and oh man my house is a big old MESS!) :-) But Charles is more patient than a saint, and we've been enjoying days here and there spent in the community garden and spent with our amazing family. I am starting to have some non-zombie days and my migraines are fewer! Yay!!! I hope you and yours are feeling oh so well, and are as lucky as we are.

P.P.S. "One, Two, Three... Get loose now!" Got that song stuck in your head? Here's "It Takes Two make a Think go Right" (for my fellow the Rob Base & D.J. Easy Rock fans). :-D And of course, "Joy & Pain" too!