Metallic Reindeer- Homemade Paper with A Printing Plate

Hi Stampers!!

It has been a busy week for me but I finally had a chance to play around with my new Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate (along with some old acrylic paints I had on hand and various embossing folders) to create some homemade DSP panels using plain Watercolor Paper :-).   

I heard about the Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate from the Mix-Ability Challenges at Splitcoaststampers and have found it very addicting!!  So far the only technique I have been experimenting with is using embossing folders but I cannot wait to try all of the other different techniques with stencils, found objects, etc.

I decided to create a few background panels for the CCC14 Christmas CardChallenge and tne Mix-Ability MIX26 Stencil Challenge (I used the embossing folders as stencils) at Splitcoaststampers and also incorporated the Festive Friday FFC32 Inspiration Photo along with the Seize the Sketch STS20 Challenge.   

Isn't this inspiration photo gorgeous??  I decided to focus on the silver reindeer on the table along with neutrals since I had an embossing folder that I have not used yet in my stash :-)

Again, if you have not stopped by any of the above listed challenge sites, I urge you to do so- great inspiration from all!

To create this card:

Use the Big Shot™ with the Anna Griffin™ Embossing Folder and emboss a piece of Whisper White cardstock and set aside (for use in a few minutes).

Apply a few drops of gold acrylic paint onto the Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate and use a Brayer to thinly spread the paint but make sure it is thick enough not to dry too quickly. 

Lay down a piece of Watercolor Paper over the printing plate, smooth with the brayer or your hand to cover the paper and carefully peel away from the plate.  Reapply the gold paint and continue with a few more prints.

 FYI- if you are interested in using the Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate, there are a few video links in the Splitcoaststampers forum as well you can find many searching YouTube®.

Apply a few drops of Pueblo Red and Midnight Blue Acrylic Paints and smooth with the brayer to mix the paint.  Lay the embossed piece of Whisper White cardstock over the paint, smooth with your hand or a brayer, lift up and set aside for use again.

Lay the gold side of the Watercolor Paper onto the printing plate, smooth with your hand or brayer and lift up (the raised areas of the embossing piece should show against the gold paint).

Continue to repeat the above steps on the additional Watercolor Paper gold panels (if you created more than one)- FY- I have found that I am creating approximately 10-12 background panels in one session with the printing plate as I experiment with different folders and paint colors (I will be sharing more of the experiments soon) :-).

Some of the panels will be darker than others (depending on the thickness of the paint at the time of laying down the embossing folder, etc.).   Again, this is a fun technique that it a bit of a collage-type appearance with random patterns- just remember there is no right or wrong :-)

Once the initial panels were finished and dry (you can use a Heat Tool to speed up the drying process), trim to 4 ¼” x 5 ½” , re-insert into the same embossing folder that was used as the “stencil” and re-emboss using the Big Shot™.

Apply another thin layer of Gold Paint onto the printing plate and roll the paint from the Brayer onto the original Whisper White embossed panel (the one that was used as the “stencil” and is now covered with blue/red paint) – this way you can use the original embossing panels as well as the print panels- nothing is wasted!!

You may find that you like the prints just as they are but I wanted to add a bit more texture and color.   On this panel, apply Blackberry Bliss and Midnight Muse Classic Ink using the Aqua Painter™, spritz the ink with water to allow it to spread and dry with the Heat Tool.

After this layer is dry, gently rub the Gold and Silver Encore™ Pigment ink pads across the top of the embossing to give the panel even more of a metallic look.  Trim the panel and apply to a layer of Blackberry Bliss cardstock. 

Use the Big Shot™ with the Woodgrain Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder to emboss a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock and mount this piece onto the Blackberry Bliss card base.

Add the printed panel onto the card front using Stampin’ Dimensionals® and adhere the 3/8” Blackberry Bliss Stitched Satin Ribbon.

Mount the sentiment from Come to Bethlehem using Stampin’ Dimensionals® on the banner end and regular adhesive along the panel along with the retired Brushed Bronze button and Linen Thread.  

FYI- I used My Digital Studio (MDS) to print out the sentiment onto Whisper White cardstock and the Hexagon punch to create the banner points then mounted onto Blackberry Bliss cardstock, trimmed and created the banner points with the Hexagon Punch. 

Add the retired Brushed Bronze button with the Linen Thread to finish off the card.

Stamp Sets: Come to Bethlehem (MDS verison)

Ink: Printer Ink- Black, Classic Ink- Blackberry Bliss, Midnight Muse, Encore™ Pigment Ink- Gold and Silver, Acrylic Paints- Gold, Pueblo Red, Midnight Blue

Paper: Whisper White, Blackberry Bliss, Crumb Cake, Watercolor

Accessories: Big Shot™, Woodgrain Textured Impressions™ Embossing Folder, Anna Griffin™ Embossing Folder, Gelli Arts® Gel Printing Plate, Brayer, 3/8” Blackberry Bliss Stitched Satin Ribbon, retired Brushed Bronze Button, Linen Thread, Hexagon Punch

Thanks again for taking the time visit-  I hope all of you have a great week and stop by again soon- God Bless!