Foiled Acetate Noel

It's a new week of cardmaking - so let's jump right in!

The non-traditional colors in this card are due mainly to the coloring of the foils used. All images are by I Brake For Stamps (see sidebar for link).

Card measures 5 1/2" x 4 1/4"

This is a pretty straightforward technique, but it's a little putzy with drying time, etc. Here's how I put it together:

I started with a piece of acetate, and stamped the Noel block on it using black Staz-On ink. It needs to dry thouroughly because you have to flip it over and do the foil work on the reverse.

I'm no expert at foiling, just happened to have a tub of it hanging around from who knows how long ago! The foil is saran wrap thin and is loose pieces, some very large, some just flecks. Keep all the scraps - they work equally well.

*tip*

This foil gets very static-y and is best kept in cardboard, like a cigar box, rather than metal or plastic.

I applied Diamond Glaze glue to the open area of the lettering (on the reverse) in a thin even layer. It's best to work as quickly as possible, or work in stages. You want to be able to apply the foil when the glue is totally wet. I dropped the foil over the glued areas, and then put a piece of acetate over the foil before pressing down slightly. It would have been a lot easier to just foil the whole panel but I had a vision LOL

*tip*

If you have a Rockler's or other woodworking store nearby, check to see if they have a little Needle Point glue applicating bottle. It will have a little red rubber stopper on one end and a point about an inch and a half long, and a refillable soft plastic bottle with a silvertone screw-off collar. My Nephew pointed it out to me and it is the perfect applicator for Diamond Glaze - it hasn't even clogged yet! Oh, and they're not expensive LOL

When the glue had totally dried, I used one of those soft half circle wood handled sponges to rub away any foil not glued down. I ended up having to use a toothpick to clean up the border lines by scraping gently. This could maybe also be avoided by using whatever one is technically supposed to use to glue loose foil down! ;o)

After I had cleaned up the lines and touched up any bare spots with the same technique (and I'm using that term loosely!), I spread a thin layer of glue over the back of the foil to make sure none would flake off with handling.

I trimmed the panel to the edges and glued it to a black-speckled pale green panel that I had edged in gold. (If you've had trouble with certain expensive gold pens clogging up, consider buying a Prismacolor Broad Point Metallic Gold marker, item PM-119 by Sanford. Not quite as shiny, but works well every time.) I glued the clear panel down by running yet another layer of Diamond Glaze around the back side of the lettering.

The orangish panel is embossed in gold using the Poinsetta stamp. This is wrapped with a black satin ribbon and an antique goldtone metal buckle, and then layered on black cs, and then a dark green cs.

*tip*

If you need a buckle but don't have the right size just cut one from shrink plastic, color and shrink with your heat gun. If you throw some embossing powder on it, heat it, and stamp in it while it's hot you'll get nice texture.

Thanks for looking!