Wax Paper Embossing Folder Resist

Here is a quick tutorial for the Wax Paper Embossing Folder Resist technique that my Stamp Club practiced last weekend. At each meeting, we make several projects, including a 6" x 6" page with technique directions and an example.

The sample above uses Melon Mambo and Pretty in Pink. I chose Concord Crush and Wisteria Wonder for the tutorial example.

1. Place a piece of wax paper inside your Embossing Folder. (For both my projects, I used the very popular Vintage Wallpaper folder.) Make the Big Shot sandwich (platform tab 1 + cutting plate + folder (with wax paper) + cutting plate), and run through the BS.

2. Place the wax paper between two pieces of Glossy White cs (glossy side facing the wax paper). Using plain paper to protect your iron, heat the cs and embossed wax paper. This will transfer wax in the pattern of the embossed design to the Glossy cs. (Experiment to find the right heat setting and time. Too little will not transfer the design; too much will transfer all of the wax.)

3. Use Stampin' Sponges to add Classic ink to the Glossy cs. If using more than one color, work from light to dark. (For the sample above, I used both light and dark inks on the lighter squares, and only the darker ink on the darker squares. In this example, I used either light or dark, but did not mix.)

4. Trim your Glossy cs to the size and shape you want and finish your project.

The images and sentiments on this card are from the Love & Sympathy stamp set.

I hope you'll give this technique a whirl. I love the way the colors pop out when I'm adding the ink to the embossed image. The effect is especially dramatic with deep, rich colors. Enjoy your stamping time!

A Silhouette Trio

Part Two of my six-card set was this group of cards made using the Plaid Silhouette technique.

Similar in versatility to the Rock and Roll technique I posted last week, Plaid Silhouette extends the range of your bold-image stamps. I love the combination of this technique with the elephant stamp from Animal Stories.

Here is a close-up of the card with a Rose Red base.

Again, I kept both the layout and stamping simple.

The Plaid Silhouette technique uses three ink colors. Here I selected So Saffron (light) and Rose Red and Old Olive (darker). After inking the stamp with the light ink, turn the stamp over and press the edge of one of the darker ink pads on the stamp to make a series of lines. Turn the stamp 90 degrees to make crossing lines. Repeat with another dark ink pad.

If you haven't tried this one, you should. You'll love the look you get.

Faux Leather (Masking Tape) Technique

I was inspired by the video tutorial on Splitcoaststampers.com by Beate Johns for the Faux Leather technique using masking tape. This past weekend was another SCS Virtual Stamp Night (VSN) set of challenges. The theme was Rodeo.

I didn't think I would get a chance to play at all, since I had to work on Saturday at the Great Minnesota Get Together. This afternoon, though, I pulled out some of my toys and managed to complete 5 of the challenges! It helps that there is a 45 minute time limit, but I was way under that for almost all of my cards. I think I used the full 45 minutes for this Dragon Skin card, though.



I used my newest stamp set, Dinoroar, which I got for my youngest. I think it is pretty cute! (Even if this image is of a flying reptile, not technically a dinosaur.)
I also took advantage of the current (until Wednesday 8/31) offer from SU! of buy 3, get 1 free on Designer Series Paper. I used the Well Worn dsp on this card and also on several others I made today.

Here's a quick tutorial for this method of Faux Leather.

1) Cover a piece of card stock (doesn't matter what color) with small pieces of masking tape. Try to cover any straight edges with a ripped piece.



2) Add a dark brown (here Early Espresso) ink to the torn edges of tape by rubbing a sponge across the surface.



3) Sponge a lighter shade (here Soft Suede) over the top (don't rub) to add color to the centers of the tape pieces.



4) Cover the sheet with clear embossing powder and heat set. (I noticed that some of my tape pieces curled up during the heating process, but I could easily push them back down when the piece had cooled.)





5) Finish the project! I ran my faux leather piece throught the Big Shot with the Top Note die to make the background for the pteranodon. He's stamped with Cajun Craze ink on Very Vanilla card stock. I used my Paper Snips to cut him out, and sponged the edge with Soft Suede ink.

There is more sponging around the edge of the dsp background (from Well Worn), and the card base is Cajun Craze. On the inside, I stamped the T. rex and a bit of the grass.



I'm planning on featuring this technique at the September meeting of my Techniques Club. Contact me if you are interested in joining. We have room for you!