Another interesting project idea came from the shoebox today in the form of a letter and some cards from Sharon Lancaster of Coos Bay, Ore. Sharon used a product called Design Paste (discontinued) to make delicate looking designs on the cards with the aid of metal embossing templates. Design Paste is a product that was introduced to the market a few years ago as a way to stencil your walls dimensionally. Sharon did it on a smaller scale.
Steps:
- Place metal embossing template on top of the card and apply the Design Paste (discontinued). Smooth it out with a putty knife being careful not to spread it beyond the edge of the template (figure A).
- Press down on one corner of the template and carefully lift it off of the card being careful not to disturb the paste. Allow to dry thoroughly which should take no more than an hour (figure B).
When dry, Sharon colored some of the designs with pastels. Some she painted with acrylic paint. To some she applied glitter before the paste was dry.
I then tried my hand at the project, but at first was unable to purchase the Design Paste (discontinued) so I substituted lightweight spackling compound, which was one-quarter the price of the paste and seemed to work every bit as well. The only difference I noted was that glitter did not want to adhere to it.
Variations:
- Although the white on white also looks very nice you can also add a bit of paint to the compound to color it.
- Go over the dry design with glitter paint
- Sprinkle with embossing powder when wet and heat with heat gun. It enhances the dimension of the compound.
- Try using other small stencils. Any one that does not have large solid areas should work well.
There are now several products on the market that can be used including one called Decorating Paste and another called Embossing Paste. Try your craft or rubber stamp store.
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