Friday Focus

Hi everyone. This week for Frilly and Funkie's Friday Focus I thought I would share some of my playtime with a Tim Holtz Texture Fades embossing folder and a piece of Foil Adhesive Sheet. I created a simple, but rich background for a card. There's a wide range of Tim Holtz Texture Fades to choose from at The Funkie Junkie Boutique, and from today (for one week only) there's an extra 15% discount on the already low prices.

As a dedicated ‘frilly’ crafter, I had no desire to produce the dramatic, metallic embossing finishes that I’ve seen. Typically, black, browns and strong metallic colors are used to highlight embossing, but I love soft, vintage looks. I began with a piece of adhesive backed foil. One of the first things I discovered is that while transferring the adhesive foil sheet to the destination, the embossing and the finishing were damaged, so I now place the foil onto a neutral color of card stock that will later be mounted onto the project…

It doesn’t need to be perfectly flat, since it will go through a die cut machine. I use a Sizzix ‘Big Shot’ and to emboss, I open the first tab and place my clear plate onto the base, followed by the foil sandwiched between the embossing folder and followed by the second clear plate. It’s then ready to run through the machine. Check on-line for the best way to use your own machine if you don’t know the sequence for embossing…

The Texture Fades folders produce deeply embossed patterns…

I covered the entire foil with a coat of distress paint. I had a bottle of  ’antique linen’ in my crafting suitcase, that arrived at home just before I left on this trip and I’m so glad that I had it! I’m a convert to distress paints… you’ll see one of the reasons why….

When the paint was nearly dry, I used a soft rag to gently wipe off the paint. It immediately appeared as a sort of antiqued platinum. I wanted more layers…

Using a makeup sponge, I daubed and wiped pigment inks onto the surface. First I used an aqua and then a medium lavender and small bits of lilac. The next layer was antique gold (a greenish gold) gilding wax onto the raised surfaces and into some of the larger spaces that are recessed. I used a piece of paper towel to apply it and worked some of it in with my fingertips…

If you look at the ‘T’ and ‘h’ above, you can see how the distress paint has resisted some of the ink and wax.  It makes it very simple to achieve a distressed or vintage look…

As you may know, I’m creating while on a barge on the Leeds Liverpool canal in England and in addition to working with a suitcase of supplies, I am limited to a point and shoot camera and daylight! While there was sun yesterday, today has been grey and rainy. I hope you can see enough of the detail to get a sense of this technique. Try color combos that appeal to you and don’t be afraid to experiment!! I plan on playing with more colors and types of ink when I’m back in my craft room again.

In the meantime remember to take a look at the Tim Holtz Texture Fades at The Funkie Junkie Boutique, including the new ones from this summer's CHA, especially as they are discounted for a week.

((hugs)) from North Yorkshire in the U.K.,
Rebecca

Tim Holtz Sixxiz Texture Fades - Thankful Backgrounds and Borders

Ranger Inkssentials Foil Tape Sheets 6x12"

Tim Holtz Ranger Distress Paint - Antique Linen

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Shaded Lilac

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Milled Lavender

Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Tumbled Glass