Project by Ann Barba
Cut 5”x6 1/2” of the gold Color Me™ writing paper, cutting out just the writing portion. Place it on scrap paper or a craft sheet to protect your work surface. Open the black pigment ink pad and rub it in circular motions onto the gold Color Me™ paper until you have covered it with a charcoal colored coat. Take a paper towel and blend and wipe off the excess pigment ink. Let dry.
Draw a 3”x4” rectangle lightly in pencil in the center of the gold Color Me™ piece. Dab a clean cosmetic sponge onto your VersaMark™ ink pad and rub onto the piece over the pencil line, creating a soft frame (for the fern to rest on later). Pour on Aged Gold embossing enamel and sprinkle on some Tea Stained Mica Fragments. Heat emboss the enamel from the back of the paper (do NOT emboss or blow on the front; your fragments and enamel will fly everywhere). Keep the heat gun about 3-4” away from the back of the paper. After the embossing enamel melts, set aside to cool. Take your 5”x6 1/2” blank white card with the fold on the left and glue the piece covering the card front.
Cut 5”x6 1/2” of black cardstock. Open your VersaMark™ ink pad and dab it directly onto the center of the cardstock, creating about a 2 3/4”x3 1/2” loose rectangle of ink. Pour on the Aged Gold embossing enamel and shake off excess. Emboss from the bottom of the cardstock, holding the heat gun about 3-4” away from the cardstock. (if you emboss from the top, the enamel pieces will fly away). Let cool. Apply VersaMark™ a second time to just the embossed areas. This time sprinkle on the Aged Gold and Aged Silver in a diagonal stripe pattern and shake off excess. Emboss again from the bottom.
Place your embossed piece on your craft sheet or other heatproof surface. Open your Jet Black StazOn® ink pad and prep your fern stamp by attaching it to an acrylic block and inking it up. Heat the embossed area with the heat gun until it melts once again (several seconds). Right away (before the enamel hardens), stamp the fern into the center of the molten embossing enamel. Press on the stamp, holding it for a few seconds until the enamel is hard enough to release the stamp. Peel off the stamped piece from the stamp. Let harden for a few minutes. You may also set it in the freezer for 10 minutes. After hardening, bend the cardstock back until the embossed enamel cracks. Create more cracks all over the piece.
Take a cosmetic sponge and the black pigment ink pad and rub black pigment ink all over the embossed piece, trying to get the ink into the cracks. Wipe off the excess with a paper towel. Tear the black cardstock around the embossed piece, leaving about a 1/8” wide torn border. Foam tape to the center of the rectangle of embossed enamel.
Cut out the small tag from the gold Color Me™ Tags & Borders paper. Cover it with black pigment ink and wipe off excess with a paper towel. Stamp “Take Care” on a separate piece of black cardstock with VersaMark™ ink. Sprinkle on Aged Gold embossing enamel and shake off excess. Emboss from the bottom. Cut out around the words and glue to the top of the tag as shown. Tie a small knot of gold swirl sheer ribbon and Zot™ it to the top of the tag. Apply glue stick to the top of the back of the tag and foam tape to the bottom. Adhere the tag to the card in the bottom right, 1/2” from the right and bottom.
For the inside: Cut 4 7/8”x 5 1/2” of gold Color Me™ writing and ink the same as on the front. Cut 6” of gold sheer swirl ribbon and place across the center of the piece, adhering in the very center with a small Zot™. Tape the ends to the back of the piece, then glue the piece centered on the inside panel of the card.
On 4”x4” of black cardstock, create a 2”x2” rectangle of VersaMark™ ink. Alternate sprinkling on equal amounts of Aged Gold and Aged Silver. Shake off excess. Emboss from below, using the same technique as on the front. Repeat the inking and embossing to create a double-embossed layer. Ink up the “Know that you are loved” stamp and keep it handy. Re-melt the embossing enamel and quickly press the inked stamp into the center. Wait about 10 seconds, then remove the stamp to reveal your impressed image. Let cool. Tear around the square, creating about a 2 3/4” torn square Glue to the center over the ribbon.
Black pigment ink pad
Cosmetic sponge
Paper towel
Draw a 3”x4” rectangle lightly in pencil in the center of the gold Color Me™ piece. Dab a clean cosmetic sponge onto your VersaMark™ ink pad and rub onto the piece over the pencil line, creating a soft frame (for the fern to rest on later). Pour on Aged Gold embossing enamel and sprinkle on some Tea Stained Mica Fragments. Heat emboss the enamel from the back of the paper (do NOT emboss or blow on the front; your fragments and enamel will fly everywhere). Keep the heat gun about 3-4” away from the back of the paper. After the embossing enamel melts, set aside to cool. Take your 5”x6 1/2” blank white card with the fold on the left and glue the piece covering the card front.
Cut 5”x6 1/2” of black cardstock. Open your VersaMark™ ink pad and dab it directly onto the center of the cardstock, creating about a 2 3/4”x3 1/2” loose rectangle of ink. Pour on the Aged Gold embossing enamel and shake off excess. Emboss from the bottom of the cardstock, holding the heat gun about 3-4” away from the cardstock. (if you emboss from the top, the enamel pieces will fly away). Let cool. Apply VersaMark™ a second time to just the embossed areas. This time sprinkle on the Aged Gold and Aged Silver in a diagonal stripe pattern and shake off excess. Emboss again from the bottom.
Place your embossed piece on your craft sheet or other heatproof surface. Open your Jet Black StazOn® ink pad and prep your fern stamp by attaching it to an acrylic block and inking it up. Heat the embossed area with the heat gun until it melts once again (several seconds). Right away (before the enamel hardens), stamp the fern into the center of the molten embossing enamel. Press on the stamp, holding it for a few seconds until the enamel is hard enough to release the stamp. Peel off the stamped piece from the stamp. Let harden for a few minutes. You may also set it in the freezer for 10 minutes. After hardening, bend the cardstock back until the embossed enamel cracks. Create more cracks all over the piece.
Take a cosmetic sponge and the black pigment ink pad and rub black pigment ink all over the embossed piece, trying to get the ink into the cracks. Wipe off the excess with a paper towel. Tear the black cardstock around the embossed piece, leaving about a 1/8” wide torn border. Foam tape to the center of the rectangle of embossed enamel.
Cut out the small tag from the gold Color Me™ Tags & Borders paper. Cover it with black pigment ink and wipe off excess with a paper towel. Stamp “Take Care” on a separate piece of black cardstock with VersaMark™ ink. Sprinkle on Aged Gold embossing enamel and shake off excess. Emboss from the bottom. Cut out around the words and glue to the top of the tag as shown. Tie a small knot of gold swirl sheer ribbon and Zot™ it to the top of the tag. Apply glue stick to the top of the back of the tag and foam tape to the bottom. Adhere the tag to the card in the bottom right, 1/2” from the right and bottom.
For the inside: Cut 4 7/8”x 5 1/2” of gold Color Me™ writing and ink the same as on the front. Cut 6” of gold sheer swirl ribbon and place across the center of the piece, adhering in the very center with a small Zot™. Tape the ends to the back of the piece, then glue the piece centered on the inside panel of the card.
On 4”x4” of black cardstock, create a 2”x2” rectangle of VersaMark™ ink. Alternate sprinkling on equal amounts of Aged Gold and Aged Silver. Shake off excess. Emboss from below, using the same technique as on the front. Repeat the inking and embossing to create a double-embossed layer. Ink up the “Know that you are loved” stamp and keep it handy. Re-melt the embossing enamel and quickly press the inked stamp into the center. Wait about 10 seconds, then remove the stamp to reveal your impressed image. Let cool. Tear around the square, creating about a 2 3/4” torn square Glue to the center over the ribbon.
Black pigment ink pad
Cosmetic sponge
Paper towel