Happy Tuesday .......
It's Linda here with my Brand Ambassador Inspiration post for February.
It's been a busy month, and it's not over yet!
We're celebrating Uniko's 8th Birthday. We've had the
Birthday Linky Party .....
There's the amazing
Birthday Giveaway ....... where one lucky winner will receive a HUGE prize .....
And of course there's the brand new
February/Birthday Release which was launched at the weekend.
As I said ..... a busy month!
Today I've got a few ideas for you using some simple foiling techniques with your Uniko Stencils.
Foiling seems to be one of the popular techniques at the moment, and there's a few different ways of adding the pretty, shiny foils to you cards, using stencils.
Stencil paste is one of them ...... I'm not sure if they all work in the same way but, I use the Sweet Poppy Stencil Medium and it works a treat .......
Simply apply the medium through your stencil design
(Mid Century Modern Squares) and then let it dry completely. I tend to leave it overnight but depending on the stencil design, and the temperature of your craft space an hour or so should be fine.
Once it's dry, lay your foil over the top, pretty side up, sandwich your card and foil between copier paper and then run it through a laminator. It doesn't have to be anything fancy ..... mine is a cheap and cheerful one, bought years ago and works fine.
What I will say is ...... don't have the temperature too high, that way you'll avoid getting foil where you don't want it!
Use your finished pieces as backgrounds for your stamped images
(Hello Lovely) ........
Add a touch of colour and a simple sentiment ......
Foil Transfer Gel works in the same way ........ apply the gel through your stencil
(Party Confetti), let it dry and then add your foil. Some gels work with heat ....... the laminator, and some also work with pressure. Instead of using the laminator run the foil and card through your die cutting machine.
Deco Foil Duo Transfer Gel works with, or without heat ......... and gives great results eaither way. I used my Big Shot ...... sandwiching the foil and card between copier paper and using the same plates as I would for cutting thin metal dies. You may or may not need to add a shim, it depends on your machine.
I added a collection of sentiments (
Simply Said Blocks &
Simply said Blocks II) on the top for a really simple but fun design
Another easy way of adding foil is to use the sticky embossing powder ......
This works just like any other embossing powder, except when you heat it, it goes tacky.
I inked through my stencil
(Nature's Treasures II) using Distress Oxide ink ..... Oxides tend to stay wet a little longer so if you're quick you can get the powder on top before they dry.
Heat it as you would regular embossing powder, once it goes clear quickly lay the foil over the top, gently rub over the design and peel away the excess. You don't always get a clean finish but, I quite like the distressed look.
Finally .... a really quick and easy way to add foiled accents is simply apply the foil over your double-sided tape
I like to use the Ultra Tacky stuff .... you know the one, with the red backing, gets everywhere!
I simply run the tape along the edge of my card and apply the foil over the top. Give it a rub to burnish the foil onto the tape and then peel back the excess ...... so pretty!
Thanks for popping by .... enjoy the rest of your day.
I hope you've enjoyed the Birthday month celebrations, and as I've said they're not over yet.
There's still time to join in the fun ....... the
Birthday Linky Party is still open, there's still time to join the
Huge Birthday Prize Giveaway and the
Blog Hop is still running.
Oh! and don't forget ....... for the whole month of February you can save 10% on all your Uniko purchases. Just add the code .... CELEBRATE8 before you check out.
Cheerio until next time ......
. 
