Tutorial: Embossing Templates, Paste and Glitter (Oh My!)

So, I'm on a bit of a glitter roll right now. At our shoebox swap on Saturday we were discussing the many ways that you can use microfine glitter and one of the ideas we bantered about was using glitter and embossing paste. This is a technique I've done in the past but I thought it might make a nice little tutorial.

You probably bought a few brass embossing templates back in the day and maybe you haven't taken them out and dusted them off for a while. If so, this is a nice technique to try. If you don't own any metal embossing templates I would encourage you to check out the vast selection of them available. There are several manufacturers but the two big one's that come to mind our Lasting Impressions and Dreamweavers. A lot of LSS are carrying the embossing pastes now which come in a variety of colours and can be mixed with other colour mediums to make custom shades. In this technique I'm just using the white paste since its covered with the glitter anyway.

For this project you will need: Cardstock and patterned paper of your choice, thick cardstock for the embossing, microfine glitter, plastic drinking straws, removeable tape, embossing tape, brass or metal embossing template, embellishments and tools as desired for your finished card.

Step 1. Tape your embossing plate down on your heavy cardstock using removeable tape. Make sure to tape down all four sides starting at the top (the top will act as a hinge).

Step 2. Using a palette knife (or a metal spatula), get a thick dollop of embossing paste from the jar and spread over the template, as though you were icing a cake.

Step 3. Scrape off the excess paste using the edge of the palette and return it to the jar. Its not necessary to have a completely smooth surface for this technique so don't worry if you have some peaks and valleys.

Step 4. Remove the tape from each edge one piece at a time. When just the top piece of tape remains, lift up the template (using the tape as a hinge) and check to make sure your image is complete. If everything is okay, remove the template from the paper. This is the paste embossed image you will be left with.

Step 5. For this image I'm using multiple colours of glitter and I want to start at either the top or the bottom of the image and work my way to the other side. Cut your plastic straws at an angle and use them to pick up a small amount of glitter. The angled straw will allow you to have more precise control over where your glitter lands.

Step 6. You will want to "waterfall" your glitter over the image by tilting up the card and sprinkling the glitter over the area you are colouring. It will not stick to areas that are already glittered which is why you work from one end to the other. The straw will allow you to have pretty good control over where your glitter ends up but it won't be perfect and you will probably get a little bit of overlap. Since we're creating cards and not building bridges, I figure that's okay. Tap off the extra glitter onto a scrap piece of paper and pour back into the jar. Be careful not to touch the embossing paste as it is still wet and will be damaged.

Step 7. With the excess tapped off it will look something like this. Don't worry about the stray bits - they can be brushed off once the paste is dry. Here I have already done three colours. I started with the orange for the flame, then the yellow for the candle and finally the pink for the icing.

Step 8. When you have completed all your colours your image will look something like this. Allow about 1 hour to dry depending on how thick you laid down the paste. Once dry you can brush away all the stray glitter with a makeup brush and burnish the glitter with your finger to make it shine.

Another way to do this technique is create a graduated colour effect over a single image or word. Here I've used gold, red and green to on the word Joy. Between each colour be sure and tap of the excess and put back in the jar. If you end up with a halo effect around your image like I did here - do not panic. It it easily fixed. The glitter has just adhered itself to the temporary adhesive on the tape used to hold down the template.

Simple take an adhesive remove tool (looks like a nubbly eraser) and rub to get the adhesive and glitter off. It will come off easily and leave you with a clean image.

Here's a little tip when using your Nestabilities with an already stamped or embossed image like I have here. Simple centre your image with the die face down onto the cardstock and tape in place with a removeable adhesive. Then run through your die cutting machine as usual. Your image will be nicely centred when it comes out.

Here's the finished card using this technique. The layout is from Taylored Expressions latest Cupcake challenge (which I was too late to enter).

Thanks for looking - I hope you found this technique useful.

Supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill, PTI), Embossing Template (Dreamweaver Templates), Glitter (Glitter Ritz), Patterned Paper (Crate Paper), Dew Drops (Robin's Nest), Stamp (My Favorite Things - sentiment), Nestabilities (Spellbinder), Ink (Palette), chalk, ribbon

P.S. - this is what happens when good craft desks go bad. I've been too busy creating and not busy enough "cleaning up" so I think I've got some work ahead of me tonight because I can no longer find the stuff buried under the mess...