Step by step project: card featuring elegant stamped dress on foiled background

This beautiful card has been designed by Andrea Dipple. The card uses the techniques:

• using foils to create a background;
• stamping on foiled surfaces;
• using foils with stamp board;
• using triple thick enamelling; and
  
• using glitter to highlight stamped images.
  

To create this card you will need:

• a sheet of double sided adhesive film;
  
• a Tonertex or Sakura Quickie glue pen;
  
• rub on foil and ultra fine art glitter;
• a Stazon ink pad;
  
• a Versamark ink pad
• clear embossing powder;
  
• rubber stamp of your choice;
• three pieces of stamp board large enough to fit your stamped image (alternatively you could use off-cuts of mount board);
• ribbed cardstock and card blank; and
  
• heat gun, spare piece of paper and a heat resistant surface.
  

Start off by cutting 3 pieces of double-sided adhesive sheet slightly larger than the pieces of stamp board. Apply them to front of the stamp board, but before removing the upper protective sheet, trim the adhesive to snugly fit the stamp board. Remove the upper protective sheet and apply the rub on foil. Go back over with the foil to pick up any missed sections. Ink the outer edges of the stamp board with your coloured ink pad.

Turn the stamp board over and secure the three pieces together with low-tack masking tape (or ordinary sticky tape that you have "felted" on your clothing to remove the stickiness). The tape just holds the stamp board together temporarily whilst you stamp. Turn the stamp board back over and if you have one, wipe the surface with an anti-static pad. Now ink up your stamp and stamp your image onto the foiled surface, taking care not to slide the stamp which will blur the image (if by any chance you do, don't worry, just repeat the foiling stage on the reverse of your stamp board and you'll be able to stamp again on that side).

Set the stamped image aside to dry for 15 minutes. Using the glue pen, pick up highlights of the stamped image (in this case, I picked out detail on the dress hem) and apply glitter. Tap off the excess and leave to dry for approximately 30 minutes.

Once the image has dried, remove the low tack masking tape from the reverse of the stamped images. You now need to liberally cover each of the stamped pieces with a Versamark Ink Pad. Then, working on a spare piece of creased paper to catch the excess, cover with clear embossing powder. Tap off any excess and return to the tub. Place the stamp board on a heat resistant work surface and heat with the heat gun until the embossing powder melts. As you carry out this process, the foiled background will bubble up slightly due to the heat, Do not worry! Firstly, almost all of the bubbles will disappear as the stamp board cools. Those that remain will only enhance the end result, as the image is meant to look like it is a reflection in an old, slightly distressed mirror.

Repeat the above enamelling process another 2-3 times until the desired result is achieved. You want the pieces of stamp board to be covered in a thick, glossy coat of clear enamel, so that they look like mirrored pieces. When finished, allow a few minutes for the pieces to cool and set.
Next, cut and mat a piece of ribbed cardstock and adhere it to the front of your card blank.
Apply double-sided sticky tape to the reverse of the stamp board pieces and adhere them to your card blank. I find it easier to apply the middle piece centrally and then align the top and bottom pieces accordingly.
Voila, your card is finished!