February Technique Class: Adding Texture

This month, the technique group was interested in a few techniques that added texture or dimension to a project. So the techniques that we used were Faux Silk, Fabric Softener, and Dry Embossing.

The first card uses the Faux Silk technique which is a recent tutorial on Splitcoast Stampers, by Beate Johns. I actually CASEd the card in the tutorial, changing the colors and stamps a little bit. The general approach is to stamp and color images on tissue paper, crumple the tissue paper, and then glue it down to a white piece of cardstock.

Stamps: Embrace Life, Warm Words
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral
Papers: Ginger Blossoms Designer Series Paper, Groovy Guava, Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral White, White Tissue Paper
Accessories: Brass Brads, Photo Corner Punch, Scallop Punch, Circle Punches, Chocolate Chip Ribbon, Paper Piercer & Template

Notes: For this sample I applied glue stick to the stamped tissue paper before applying it to the white cardstock, leaving a subtle textured finish. We discovered during the class that if you apply the glue stick to the white cardstock and then lay the tissue paper down on top, the surface finish can be much more textured.

The next techniqe that we played with was the fabric softener technique which I wrote a tutorial about previously on this blog. There is also a similar technique on Splitcoast Stampers by Charmaine Ikach that incorporates glitter. Since I have yet to buy a Xyron machine, I omit the glitter in my approach. The basic idea here is to add a soft texture by wrapping a trimmed dryer sheet over the front of a stamped image and and adhering the edges to the back of the accent piece.

Stamps: Close as a Memory, Short & Sweet
Inks: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie
Papers: Pumpkin Pie Prints Paper, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, White
Accessories: Used dryer sheet, Felt flowers, Brass Brad

Our next card focused on Dry Embossing. We used the heart image from the Priceless Classy Brass Template. Beate Johns has a tutorial on Dry Embossing on Splitcoast Stampers. The basic approach here is to use the template on a light table (or glass window during daytime) to create a raised image. To do this you lay your paper on top of the template and trace the image that you see through the paper with a stylus. You'll be able to feel the paper pushing into the template thereby creating a raised image. Rubbing the cardstock with wax paper before using the stylus can help the stylus glide along the paper.
Stamps: Short & Sweet, Priceless (swirls)
Inks: Black , Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink
Papers: Regal Rose, Black, Pretty in Pink, White
Accessories: Pink eyelets, Priceless Template, sponge
Note: The white image is stamped with Pretty in Pink swirls and the edges are sponged with Regal Rose ink.