Step by step project: A4 Egyptian themed card

This project gives step by step instructions to make an Egyptian themed A4 card, featuring a Dufex postcard topper, which makes a great focal point for a larger card.
To start with, I needed:

• Two sheets of A4 silver moondust card (you could of course use a piece of A3 card, folded);
• Blue mirror card;
  
• Kanban Egyptian icons backing paper;
• Dufex Egyptian postcard topper;
  
• Dufex birthday greeting toppers sheet;
• Kanban self adhesive Egyptian hieroglyphic ribbon;
• Strong double sided adhesive tape;
• Double sided self adhesive foam pads;
• Scoring tool;
• Pencil;
  
• Paper trimmer.

At this stage, I was also planning to incorporate some hieroglyphic patterned card as part of the matting and layering - but as the design progressed, I decided that less was more!
Score both pieces of the moondust card approximately 1cm from the long edge of the card. The scored edge will form the spine of the card.
Place the postcard topper on the reverse of the mirror card, and mark in pencil where you need to cut, to form the backing mount.
Cut the mirror card backing to size using your trimmer; cut out two of the Dufex greetings toppers (one is for the inside of the card); cut a backing mount for one of the card greetings in mirror card and cut a piece of the Egyptian icons backing paper to size for the front of the card.
Put double sided sticky tape on the back of both pieces of mirror card, the backing paper and one Dufex greeting. Put double sided foam pads on the rear of the Dufex postcard and the other Dufex greeting.
Mount elements onto one piece of the moondust card, with the scored edge to the left, as shown. Whilst the Kanban ribbons are adhesive, I'd recommend using double sided adhesive tape also, to make sure that they stay stuck down.
This is the inside of the card - I've stuck down the Dufex greeting flat, and added double sided adhesive tape. There are actually two lines of tape, but I've removed the covering tape for the first line, as there wasn't enough room to fit them side by side. Remove the cover from the second piece of tape, and adhere the front of the card to the back. I found that the easiest way to get the two pieces of card correctly positioned was to hold them parallel and upright (landscape) on a flat surface with the edges to be adhered at the top. It's easy then to manoeuvre the sheets together to exactly the right position.
Adhere another piece of adhesive ribbon to the spine of the card, again using extra double sided adhesive tape, to be on the safe side.
Carefully open the card and crease back.
Voila, the finished card!

An A4 card, using a Photopics decoupage sheet

Larger cards are very on trend, here's an A4 card that I made, using a Photopics decoupage sheet. The Photopics sheets are specifically designed with larger cards in mind.

I made the card itself using two sheets of lemon A4 card. I scored along and folded each piece of card about 1cm from the edge to create a spine, decorated the spine on the front of the card with ribbon, then stuck the two pieces of card together along the spine with strong double sided tape. I found that the easiest way to get the two pieces of card correctly positioned was to hold them parallel and upright (landscape) on a flat surface with the edges to be adhered at the top. It's easy then to manoeuvre the sheets together to exactly the right position - in fact a lot easier than it sounds from the description :-)

The decoupage design was matted onto toning paper then mirror card (highly reflective, as you can see!), I also edged the design with straight border peel offs. A birthday greetings banner and a couple of gem stickers completed the card.

When making up the decoupage, I found that there is unfortunately a design flaw with this particular sheet - there are too many elements for the second layer of the design and some of the pieces on the same layer overlap. The sheet can still be made up but some of the pieces needed trimming, and I found it better to omit some altogether.

As a result, this sheet and another Photopics sheet with a similar problem (I checked all the other Photopics designs in stock, and these are the only two affected) have been re-homed to the newly created 'Adored - but slightly flawed!' section of Clearance at Foil Play. The publishers have promised me updated sheets without the design flaws, but I'm not sure when these will arrive (as I'm still waiting also for outstanding items from an order placed in March, it may be some time!).

Gallery updated

I have updated the gallery at Foil Play with more project examples.

Many thanks to Barbara for sending pictures of some gorgeous cards she has produced using Paper Nation decoupage sheets and co-ordinating papers. I love the googly eye on the fish in the Fishing Man card above!

Crafting with peel off stickers - a few hints and tips

Peel off stickers are a staple item for the crafter, and very versatile. Use them in many ways, from popping on a quick greeting or embellishment, or really go to town to produce more special effects.

Basic 'how to' instructions

To apply peel off stickers, bend the sheet and gently pull up part of the edge of the sticker (on delicate designs it may be necessary to loosen more edges).

Peel the entire sticker off the sheet and allow it to relax in the air, and regain its shape. Use tweezers, or a 'pokey tool' to hold the sticker if you prefer. Gently place the sticker onto your project (so that you can reposition if necessary). When you are happy with the placement, press down to adhere it.

If you are working with a greetings sticker, or individual letters, it can be a little tricky to get the wording straight. One way to do this is to use a post-it note as a straight edge against which you can align the message, then remove the post-it note when you are done.

If you are working with a very large peel off design, it can be sometimes be difficult to get it to lay it flat on your project, without getting any lumps or crinkles in the design. A tip here is to lay the peel off on your work surface, adhesive facing upwards, then lay your card or paper over the peel off and adhere it in that way.

How to get more out of your peel off stickers

Here are just a few ideas for using peel off stickers:

- colour in the sticker using a variety of materials - watercolour or gel pens, paints, chalks etc;

- use the sticker as a stencil - first remove some of the stickiness, by sticking to your clothes a couple of times, then place on your project and chalk over, then lift the sticker away (and repeat the process if you wish to make a background design, for example);

- apply the sticker to adhesive film (or use a glue pen), and colour it in using ultra fine glitter, rub on foil or coloured sand;

- apply the sticker to your choice of decorative background, then cut around it before applying to your project, either flat or using foam pads or silicone adhesive to achieve a 3D effect - either will emphasise the design very effectively. Transparent peel offs suit this technique particularly well. For background, you could use plain, decorative or holographic paper or card. Gold peel offs on a gold background or silver peel offs on silver look great too;

- bored with the basic colours? - change the colour of your stickers (while still on the backing sheet) using overhead projector or special peel off colouring pens;

- use the stickers as an outline for glass painting projects;

- use the 'negative' left behind after using a peel off sticker. To do this, you will need to cover the negative design with overlapping strips of Scotch magic tape, or peel off transfer sheets. Press down very firmly, then lift off the design. Place the tape / transfer sheet over where you wish to apply the negative image, then rub over very firmly (e.g. with the back of a spoon) and the design will transfer. You will need to apply a lot of pressure to achieve this successfully!

- another way to use the 'negative' if you have the same design of sticker in different colours, is to use the 'negative' from one or more different colours to fill in a design, use tweezers or a pokey tool to get the pieces in position.

Step by step project: Foiled Christmas gift bag

Another beautiful project designed by Andrea Dipple, this time a very special Christmas gift bag, accented with rub on foils. Step by step details of how to complete the project are here.

Step by step project: Christmas glittered bauble card

This is the first in a series of step by step projects to showcase different ways to use rub on foils and ultra fine glitters. This beautiful card has been designed by Andrea Dipple, and detailed instructions on how to create it can be found here.