caught in crystal

Hi everyone, this is a photo heavy post today!

I'm sharing the cards I made for a demonstration last night, using the 'caught in crystal' technique. The end result is almost like a huge epoxy accent, one of those 'how did you do that? techniques.

This one is my favourite.

Its easy, but not a card you can make fast as the drying time is several hours. You need Glossy

accents, acetate sheet(cut down into manageable pieces), white card, glitter, stamps, inkpads, alcohol ink (optional) and a Staz-on inkpad.

So here's how.

Stamp your focal image using Staz-On onto a piece of acetate and let it dry. While it's drying, stamp a background (for the card below, I stamped swirls and snowflakes using Brilliance inks). If you want to include text, stamp it on the background, bearing in mind that the main image is going to be reversed at the end, so plan where you'll stamp your text.

Back to your stamped acetate now, it should be dry. Drizzle a generous amount of Glossy Accents over your stamped image and slightly beyond. Drip a few drops of ink into this then swirl with a gloved finger (I use light-coloured alcohol inks) and spread the glossy accents evenly. Sprinkle a little glitter into this, then take your stamped background and place it on top (stamped side to the glossy accents). Flip it over and then gently squish the acetate with your fingers, trying to get rid of air bubbles. Make sure you get the glossy accents out far enough so that you can cut it down to size, but not so far out it goes all over you and the furniture..

Leave it somewhere safe to dry (several hours, maybe overnight), and away from curious cats and children, who can't resist giving it an extra squish...

It will curl, but this actually is a good thing as when you make it up into a card, the curve looks really nice. Once it's dry you can trim it down or die cut it - well, yes, I used my nesties, you know I'm addicted to them!

On this one, I just did acetate, glossy Accents and glitter, no stamping on the acetate and no alcohol ink swirled in. All the stamping is on the background using dye inks, which ran a little with the moisture from the Glossy Accents. A bit 'distress', Sir Tim Holtz would be proud...

This blue one was my first attempt, and I didn't use enough glitter. And you know what a glitter queen I am.

And this one is another fave.

Serendipity moment - I wiped off the Staz-On stamped seed head, thinking I'd do it again, and it left behind a sort of ghost image, which I liked. (If you've got a grey Staz-On pad, you could probably get the same effect using that).

I stamped the frame and text in dye ink, knowing that would run a little, then stamped the seed heads in green chalk ink, which doesn't run.

Of course they are much more twinkly when you see them in real life. I had the devil of a job trying to photograph these, what with all the relections on the acetate!

I also tried this using cheap acetate, but that was not successful as it went very wrinkly. But then, I peeled away the acetate and was left with the hardened glossy accents trapping all the glitter, which was a bit unexpected. It'll go in the 'interesting things' box and I might find a use for it one day.

Hi to everyone who came last night btw, it was a great evening, and I know you'll all enjoy your bargains!

TTFN!