A "Faux Faux Patina" Tutorial!

Here goes nothing - this week I've made 2 tutorials, one of which you won't see until the end of  the month. Breaking a process down into steps is not my forte, so if I've left out a step or just generally mucked things up, feel free to mock me & ask for clarification :)

The other tutorials I've seen for Faux Patina are different, so I'm sharing my way. I would absolutely LOVE to see what you make if you try it! What you'll need:

*dye ink (I've used Distress inks, but any dye-based ink will do)

*white cardstock

*dry-embossing folder

*sponges/blending tool

*glimmer mists 

*Hairspray or craft sealant

*used dryer sheet/embossing buddy

*Versamark

*embossing powder in one or more colours

1. Begin by cutting your card stock to the size of the folder. Whatever you do, don't clean off your desk first. 

2. Ink one side of your embossing folder by swiping your ink pad across it.

3. Emboss your card stock - if you want to do several pieces at once, re-ink the folder in between impressions. WASH YOUR FOLDER as soon as you're done - I just run mine under the tap.

4. Select 2-3-4 ink colours to go with (or not, lol) the first colour.

5. Using your sponge/blending tool, begin with the darkest colour of ink, and work towards the lightest. I've done my two panels slightly differently with the same colours. 

 

6. At this point, your panels may look hideous. I really, really don't like the way the purple & red blended. HAVE NO FEAR! (Well, ok, I was afraid, but it works out!). Lay down some newsprint (more than you think you need) in a place where you will REMEMBER YOU PUT WET STUFF. Like, not right behind your f&^&^%^#$g chair where you will keep rolling backwards into it, the cats will come sniff, the dog will walk, etc & so on. I have a brown carpet that's very glittery.

Choose your glimmer mists (if you have too many like I do). I wanted to dull down the hideous not-working-for-me colours, so I picked some white mist to help. (The other colours are Turquoise Blue & Yellow Daisy - I usually choose colours that go with the inks I've used, or a neutral one like Pearl). 

7.  Spray those suckers. SOAK them. You can try to coat them evenly with the colours if you like, or try to concentrate the different colours in different areas. Let your freak flag fly. But whichever you choose, there should be pools of mist on top of your paper. You want it WET. This helps blend the inks even further.

8. Let them dry. It's going to take hours - make sure you keep poking them every 15 minutes or so 'just to see.'  When they are all the way dry, spray them with a light coat of hairspray or craft sealant. Hairspray works fine & smells lovely :) And look at them now - the violent nasty shades of bruise are now pastelly! (And again, don't clean your desk or move your phone. That would be ridiculous.) The purpose of the hairspray is to contain the glimmer, since you aren't yet done working with the papers. They'll stay shimmery without it, but so will your hands, your stamps, your Versamark, your dog...you get the idea. Hairspray it is.

What number are we at? Oh, 

9. Rub the papers with your used dryer sheet (I have kids, there is an unending supply of these at my house) or embossing buddy to reduce static.

10. Versamark time! As you can see, I have an icky dirty looking pad. I keep two - one is clean, for when I want to do clear embossing. This one is the workhorse - the stains on the pad really don't effect it at all. Since there's glitter & ink & mist, you don't want to wreck your pad. If you only have one pad, just use one edge for this step. Apply the Versamark randomly - you don't want it to coat the entire piece, so don't press too hard or evenly.

11. Sprinkle on the embossing powders, in whatever colours you choose. The left panel has Frantage pink & blue, and the right has Tinsel. Use a make-up brush to brush off any stray powder that you don't want.

12. Heat set the embossing powder - and you can add more at this stage. I've just added a third colour to the one on the left - gold sparkle. As you can see  these are pretty 'bendy' - I usually flatten them out under hardcover books for a couple hours at this point. I know, more waiting.

13. Trim your panel to fit the card base, and get your other elements together (woohoo, it's almost the end!)

14. Finish your card! Voila!

Since I'm obviously still making Christmas cards - and I usually do up until the 20th or so - I'm popping this in over at jingle belles :)

xoxo,

Jessi