For me, this is the ideal kind of project. It's easy, non-messy, inexpensive,
practical, AND the results can be very impressive. One can't ask more than that from
a craft. Oh yes, and the materials are also easy to come by. You probably already
have them in your home.
Materials:
heavy-duty aluminum foil
ball-point
pen
spray adhesive
credit card
scissors
magazine or phone book
metallic
pen (gold, copper, other)
or colored permanent marker
Steps:
- Tear off a piece of aluminum foil, fold it in half with dull sides facing, and
glue together using the spray adhesive.
- Smooth out the foil until it is as smooth as possible (figure A). Here's
where the credit card comes in handy, as a 'smoothing' tool. It's the best! Note:
It's a matter of choice, but you may prefer to smooth out the foil BEFORE you glue
the sheets together.
- Place foil on a soft surface (the magazine or open phone book) and draw your
design with the ballpoint pen (figure B). Don't worry about the ink being
visible. Since you're embossing the design, the OTHER side will be the 'right' side.
Draw a star, a heart, and a square, and fill these designs with swirls, zigzag patterns,
or anything your pen wants to do. Regularly turn the foil over to see what the embossing
looks like (figure C).
- Color in some of the patterns with a gold or copper metallic pen, or use a colored
permanent marker, if desired. Experiment extensively to determine how to achieve
different effects (figure D). Eventually, you'll cut out your main design
and glue it to the card you've made. Thus, you may also wish to test whether it is
best to cut out the outline before embossing all the interior patterns, or to cut
after the patterns have been completed. Fortunately, you can afford to experiment
since this project is so inexpensive.
Other Ideas:
- When you have the completed cutout in hand, it can be attached to the front of
your card with glue or double-faced tape.
- Make small pins or bookmarks by cutting a piece of cardboard and wrapping the
embossed foil around it. My small pin was made by rubber stamping the design onto
the foil and embossing over the lines.
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