Sparkle Christmas card and stamping and embossing help

Here is my beautiful sparkling Wreath card using the lovely stamp by Woodware that I have designed for The Fruit Pixie. The stamp is a clear cling stamp so you will need a clear block to attach it too. These blocks are re usable so you only need to buy them once. You then take the clear stamp and peel it off the packaging and attach it to you block. Place your block on a level surface, stamp side up and apply the ink evenly across the whole stamp using light taps. You should always apply the ink to the stamp, don't push the stamp into your ink pad or you will just end up with an inky mess and you will wast a lot of ink.   Then turn your stamp over and gently press it onto your card. Always keep one hand in the middle of the stamp block at all times to stop it rocking. Gently press over the whole stamp to push the ink onto the card, you don't need huge pressure or you will squash you stamp and the image will be blurred. Small stamps don't need as much pressure as large ones. Each stamp is different so I always try out a stamp on scrap paper to see how much ink and pressure you need to get a good image before I apply it to my project.  If it's the first time you have stamped I would recommend stamping on a separate piece of card to your project and then cutting it out, either as a topper or cut around it, that way if it doesn't quite go to plan you have not spoiled a card you have worked for hours on. The more you stamp the more confident you will get.  The great thing about clear stamps is you can see through them so you can place them exactly where you want them. After stamping wash them in soapy water and leave them to air dry or use a stamp cleaner. Once dry put them back on the packaging and keep them in a cool dark place. If your ink has stained your stamp don't worry this happens, they will still stamp well. Once you have mastered stamping you will want to have a go at heat embossing, which is what I have done on my card.

To heat emboss you will need an embossing ink some embossing powder and a heat gun. For this card I have used a red tinsel embossing powder I have had for about 15 years or more so the powder will never go off!

To heat emboss you ink up your stamp with an embossing ink and stamp onto your card. Then cover your stamped image in your embosssing powder as you used to do glue and glitter as a child. It's a good idea to have a scrap piece of paper under your project so you can pour the excess powder onto it then back into the pot. You will notice just how little you will have used. Give the card a good few taps to get the excess off the card. If you have trouble with  embossing powder sticking to other areas of you card try wiping an anti static bag over your card before you stamp, it really dose help.

You then need your heat gun. Now they may look like a hairdryer but they don't blow like a hairdryer and get much hotter. If you use a hairdryer you will just blow all the powder off your card, nothing else. Now as I said the heat gun dose get hot so if your card is small you might want to hold it using a peg so you don't burn you fingers and of course don't let children do it. 

Turn your heat gun on and let it just run for 10 seconds or so to get hot, every heat gun is different and you will get to know yours. Once it is running hot hold it over a part of your image and wait for it to melt, it won't take long and once it has melted to a smooth surface immediately move on to the next bit. Keep going until it is all melted to a smooth shiny surface. Don't keep it on a melted part or it will melt into the card and don't wave it over the image or it will not melt evenly. Leave to cool before you touch it. If you find places where it hasn't melted then just go back in and melt it down.

This process is mesmerising, no matter how many hundreds of times you see it happen it is still magic!

So perhaps have a go at stamping or embossing if you have never tried it before it dose open up a whole other world. Or if, like me you haven't done it for a few years, get out your embossing powders and play with them. 

You can find all you need for you card in the shop 

The Woodware Berry Wreath stamp -

http://www.thefruitpixie.co.uk/woodware-clear-magic-stamp-berry-wreath-26345-p.asp

Acrylic blocks -

http://www.thefruitpixie.co.uk/acrylic-block-5-x-3-12-10780-p.asp

http://www.thefruitpixie.co.uk/acrylic-block-6-12-x-5-10776-p.asp

 Embossing Ink for you stamp -

http://www.thefruitpixie.co.uk/embossing-inks-407-c.asp

Embossing powders -

http://www.thefruitpixie.co.uk/cosmic-shimmer-embossing-powders-312-c.asp

An anti static bag wiped over the card before you stamp and add you embossing powders really dose stop the powder from sticking where you don't want it, so only on the ink!

http://www.thefruitpixie.co.uk/woodware-magic-anti-static-pad-23796-p.asp

If you have any questions about stamping and heat embossing please ask me, either by email or here or on The Fruit Pixie face book page and I will do my best to help.

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