Today I wanted to share with you an easy way to use gold foil at home on your crafty projects. I figured out a way to use foil without too many extra purchases. I have seen people use the Minc machine or even a home laminator, but I was hoping to avoid that. After a little Googling and trial/error using adhesive I already use and love.
I am seriously in love with all the gold foil accents on stationary I have seen around lately. My favorites are from Rifle Paper Co. and Kate Spade. Swoon. And now I know how to do it myself! My head is swimming with ideas. Let's get started!
What I used:
- Thermoweb Deco Foil. There are several brands of transfer foil out there. I choose Thermoweb because a) I read on their website that you could use it without a heat laminator and b) I found a couple of rolls on the clearance rack a month ago.
- Silhouette machine (or any dies you have with your die cut machine.
I finished a couple of the cards with extra stamping and I used:
- I used this stamp set from Avery Elle and one from Studio Calico
I adhere the foil I cut a variety of shapes on my Silhouette machine. I wanted to try a couple of phrases, a shape with a lot of surface and a couple with skinny lines.
As my card bases I used Eco White paper (from Paper Source) and did some random watercolor 'smooshes' with my Distress Inks ( I used Coral, Pistachio, Turquoise and Raspberry)
really, those are so pretty on their own, aren't they?
To assemble:
- pull the backing off one side of the die cut and lay onto the card base. Use bone folder to rub over the die cut and make sure it is good and adhered (is that a word?)
TIP: I usually start with the yellow backing first, the white paper baking is thicker so easier to place on the paper.
- cut a piece of foil slightly larger than the adhesive shape. Pull off second layer of paper backing and lay the foil (color side up) over the exposed adhesive.
- to transfer the foil you have to rub it onto the adhesive. You have to make sure and really get it on there, so I used my bone folder with light pressure, and that worked great!
- Pull up a corner to check the foil adhesery (again, a new word I just made up). If there are gaos in the foil, you can lay it back down and rub it again.
- Pull up the foil sheet and admire!
In my experience the less surface area to cover the smoother it was. I saw more bumps and scratches on the fleur de lis than I did on the 'happy birthday'. I wondered if heat would cause the foil to warp or melt, so I added a couple of stamped sentiments with heat embossing. I tried to go light near the foil, but I didn't notice any changes when I ran my heat gun. Woot!
Pink + Coral + Gold is always my favorite.
This last pretty lady was inspired by the Avery Elle Challenge blog. Have you read their blog? It's really fun and you can get lots of inspiration from their design team! Originally, this was a blank notecard, but I added one of my favorite Avery Elle stamps and I like it a 100 times better! Click the little linky below to find them:
I'm obsessed with adding foil now and I hope I have inspired you to try this at home! Or maybe you have tried it already? If so, let me know how you did it in the comments. I hope I made the process clear, but if you have any questions- leave them below.
Have a fantastic weekend- I am most looking forward to seeing Taming Of \The Shrew at my local park-summer outdoor theatre is the best!
Michelle
Products Used (affiliate links)
- Thermoweb Deco Foil (link to a good price I found on Amazon =) )
- Stamps: Avery Elle and Studio Calico (from a long ago card kit)