Foil Christmas Cards, Embossed with Help from Stencils

From time to time, I like to remind myself of past projects that I've done in the Christmas spirit.  Today's post features one of those ...

Above is one of the Christmas cards I've made using Inkssentials self-adhesive foil from Ranger Industries.  Foil is very difficult to photograph, but I love working with this surface because embossing it is so easy and quick.  The results are subtle, not flashy (unless alcohol inks are introduced.  Something for me to try, one of these days!) 

My first step was to measure the foil needed to cover the front of a blank greeting card--

Then, I placed my 4"x 4" stencil Fern Fronds Silhouette Stencil Mini atop the foil, holding it in place as I traced the openings with a stylus, as shown below.  (A no-longer-working ballpoint pen will handle this job as well as a stylus.)

Note: this stencil is stained green as result of a previous project.  Click on the image to enlarge it and better see the embossed lines made with the stylus.)

My 4"x4" Fern Fronds Silhouette Stencil Mini is what I chose to use this time, but the greeting card blank was large enough for me to've used  any 6"x6" stencil.  I buy these sturdy, square greeting card blanks from JamPaper.com.


After I lifted the stencil, its embossed outlines were revealed, as shown below.

After this, I introduced Titanium White acrylic paint -- 

 -- which I brushed across the surface.  While the paint was still tacky, I removed most of it with a paper towel.  This method was called "antiquing" back when I first learned it.  The goal is to leave a hit-and-miss look, with foil showing thru in most areas, but with most of the paint remaining in the embossed areas:

Click on the above image to better see the remaining white paint.

Next, I got out the glitter glue.  Below are two photos showing the border I created this way:

Now I wanted to add some color, so I used red glitter glue to apply dots--

Above:  These dots are easier to see in the finished greeting card, shown at the start of this post.

Once the glitter dried, I peeled off the foil's white backing paper and applied the foil to the front of the Christmas card -- as shown in the top photo in this post.

Check with the Postal Service before mailing 6" x 6" greeting cards -- there is a non-machinable surcharge for sending mail of these dimensions.  I use two Forever stamps, for convenience.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

I'm happy to say that I've designed 70 stencils for StencilGirl.  The multiple pages of my stencils start here.