Metal Embossed Backgrounds

My friend Cathy Varner showed me this easy metal embossing technique and overnight I became totally addicted to it!  Just ask Cathy, I think I texted her a photo of each and every one I made! There is something about  the depth of  texture and shiny surface that just makes me need to make more, and more, and more.

To start, Cathy cuts up cereal box cardboard and then brushes glue on each piece and wraps it with aluminum foil.   Any glue will do, even Elmer's.  Glue the front of the board and glue the foil flaps that wrap around the back to anchor the foil in place so it won’t slip when embossed. The cardboard can be cut to any desired size.  For a card front I cut my cardboard to 5.25” by 4” to layer onto the front of a standard 5.5” by 4.25"" card.  Cut first, then glue the foil on. Once the glue is dry the foiled piece can be put into an embossing folder and run through whatever your squishing machine happens to be.  Mine is a Vagabond.

For my machine I use the Sizzix-Big Shot Pro Accessory  - Solo Platform, Shim and Wafer Thin Die Adapter.  I flip the #2 tab over and through the machine.  Only Tab #1, my two clear cutting mats and the embossing folder go through at one timeHere they are all sandwiched and motoring through.

Each squishing is like magic and I never tire of the process.   I think I have borrowed every embossing folder from friends within a 50 mile radius to do this technique!

In fact when I ran out of cereal boxes, I discovered that there are many other kinds of the same weight of cardboard that could be gathered from all over the house and used! 

Once they’ve been embossed, these metallic pieces have so much potential.

 

They can be left shiny or distressed.  I love alcohol inks so that is my go-to for adding color to the pieces. 

 

 

This is the card that Cathy gave  to me for inspiration.  Alcohol inks in browns were used with Graphic 45 paper for the focal image.

This is my “bubble fish” card using bottle, lettuce and stream alcohol inks for coloring the background.  It has added layers of teal and brown papers.  The image is from a sheet of Graphic 45 paper.  I placed PWA Bubble Beads on the swirls but they really don’t show well in the picture.

 

The raven card above was a collaborative effort with my friend Sarah Payne.  She chose green tones of alcohol ink mixed with butterscotch for the background of the raven.  (An unmounted stamp that might be from Invoke Arts)

The raven piece was layered onto black paper to make it pop out a little bit.  The edges were textured using 1/4” O’So Sticky Tape and Lettuce colored micro beads.  This was then layered onto the embossed background also colored with the green inks.

Whenever in doubt, layer, layer, layer!  This card has a total of six layers.  In my opinion layers always take a card up a notch.

I hope you’ll give this technique a try – if it brings you half the joy and contentment it has me it’s so worth it!

Hugs, Suzanne

Something Fishy Here

Funny thing about this post is that it’s not formatting like it normally does….. something is definitely fishy and it’s not just this spotlight card from Yvonne Grimes! 

 

Here’s how she did it:

Alcohol Inked Spotlight Card By Yvonne Grimes

(stamp by Peddler’s Pack)

1. Use Stazon Jet Black ink to stamp your image once on clear acetate, and once on white cardstock.

2. Use alcohol inks to color the back side of the stamped acetate. (Alcohol ink will lift the Stazon ink right off the acetate if you apply over the inked side)

a. Attach a felt pad to the wood handle and apply 5-6 drops of each color next to each other in the center of the felt pad.

b. Use handle to repeatedly “pounce” the alcohol ink onto the acetate. Turn and overlap while pouncing until the entire piece is covered as desired.

c. Apply 1-2 drops of blending solution onto same felt pad and “pounce” all over to lighten color and add spots.

d. Set aside to dry for couple minutes.

3. Cut a piece of O’So Sticky tape sheet to the size of the white cardstock and apply tape to white cardstock over the stamped image. Use the “tape trick” to line up tape before sticking it down.

a. “Tape Trick” – peel and fold back just one corner of the paper backing from the tape. Lay entire piece of tape down letting the turned back corner keep exposed tape off the surface. Get your edges all lined up and then stick down the exposed corner.

b. Remove rest of the paper backing and use your fingers to burnish the tape down good over the entire surface so there are no air bubbles.

4. Take your colored piece of acetate and trim to edge of image. Then cut several sections of whatever size and shape you desire from the colored piece.

5. Use the “tape trick” again to place your acetate over the matching areas on the cardstock.

a. Lift just a corner of the red liner and fold back to make a flap. Lay the acetate over the matching area with the flap holding it off of the exposed tape. Get it lined up and then stick down onto the exposed tape. Pull the red liner off far enough to stick the rest of the acetate piece down.

b. Repeat as desired for each acetate section.

c. Use the red liner to burnish the acetate sections onto the tape.

6. When done applying acetate pieces, remove red liner, dunk entire piece into the Mini Micro Beads to cover the exposed tape, and burnish with the brayer.

7. Use double-stick tape to apply image to mat, and mat to card.

Embellish card as desired and you’re done!

 

At Pennywise Arts we’ve become world famous for our shoebox parties!  Last month we had a mini shoebox party in North Bend and Yvonne shared this fishy project there.  Artist Vicki Chow put her own spin on the technique by cutting out the fish!  Pretty cool!

Here is the same technique used on another card by Yvonne: