ironing...

Hello my fabulous friends!

I bought a magazine yesterday.

ok... so I really only got it for the super cute free stamps. 

I'm a super big sucker for stamps!

However, as I did my obligatory flip through of the magazine, I noticed they featured a technique I haven't done in a while... wax paper resist.  The way that they were doing it, really didn't make much sense, and honestly, didn't work very well for me. I admit, it was probably user error.. aka: me not doing something right, but I really couldn't get it to work. 

Luckily, I already know how to do the wax paper resist technique in a way that actually WORKS FOR ME.  

So, for those of you who want to learn, here it is, step by step... 

(plus another resist technique that you can use together as I did, or as a stand-alone technique... 2 for 1 today!)

Does that make up for the fact I haven't been  blogging all week because I've been sick?

Step 1: Put a piece or regular wax paper from your kitchen in an embossing folder and run it through your embossing machine.

When you take it out, it will look something like this... a crazy mess! Don't worry, it's perfect!

Step 2: Build a sandwich... 

-scratch paper

-card stock (for a card front)

-embossed wax paper

-card stock (for a card front)

-scratch paper

(you will want to stack them right on top of each other... I just wanted you to be able to see all the pieces in the photo to make sure it was clear)

Step 3: Using a dry iron (no steam) set on high, iron your sandwich. Don't over iron it, just run your iron over it a time or two.

(little honesty here... I um... never iron my clothes. I iron my crafts.)

Step 4: Remove both pieces of card stock, and ink the sides that were touching the wax paper to reveal the pattern.  I like using Distress ink for this because it blends beautifully.

You will get two different patterns out of each piece of embossed wax paper. How cool is that!

Step 5: If you want to make the pattern pop more, spritz with a little water. The wet ink will basically run off the wax.  You can see the difference. The picture above is the same piece as the the one on the left in the side by side photo. 

I used water mixed with some gold Perfect Pearls, so mine also shimmers. :)

Ok... Now that is the first technique.  In making this card, I ended up doing another resist technique involving the iron, so here it is..

Step 1: Stamp your image with clear embossing ink.

Step 2: Cover with clear embossing powder, and heat.

Step 3: Cover you whole card with a dark ink or acrylic paint.  Scary, yes, but just trust me. 

I used acrylic paint. I wanted a really nice coverage. Notice, you can still see the wax paper resist pattern behind it though. LOVE.

Step 4: Once the paint is dry, you can use a damp paper rag to wipe off the paint from the embossed image!  

You may find that it is kinda dingy though. 

Back to the iron!

Step 5: Place a pice of scrap paper over your card and, with your dry iron still on high, iron your image. This time you want to give it some heat. Don't let it burn, but  you want the embossing powder to melt, and absorb into the scrap paper. You will see the image appear as you iron.  When it is completely transferred, you should be able to easily peel the two pieces of paper apart.

Look.. a bright image on a dark background, and a transferred image on your scrap paper... If you wanted to use a not-so-scrap paper.... like say a piece of old book paper, it would be a great piece to use in another project!

I love the double resist! 

Happy little randomness... I decided to tear the edge of my blue paper, and look what happened... the blue tore at a slightly different angle than the rest, leaving a layer of the of the orange before the white core. Never would have guessed that would happen. I like it though!

Enjoy!

~Kassi

PS: make sure you clean your iron before using it on your clothes... you know... for those of you who are good, and iron your clothes. :)

Supplies Used:
Paper: card stock
Ink: Distress Ink, VersaMark
Stamps: Unity "Bold Butterfly" & "Blossom Stackers"
Other: Darcie "Damask Background" embossing folder, Perfect Pearls, acrylic paint, clear embossing powder