Such great heights: soar to new levels with dimensional cards

Expression, May-June, 2005 by Vesta Abel

Take your cards to new heights with Texture Magic, stencils and gorgeous handmade papers. So fast and easy, anyone can find time to create these textured and elegant cards. But don't stop there ... add dimension to boxes, terra-cotta pots and anything else you can get your hands on. Add new levels of dimension to your creations.

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut four 12" X 6" black card stock pieces. 2. Fold in half. 3. Cut three 5 1/2-inch square pieces of the marbled papers in colors that coordinate with the Texture Magic colors. 4. Cut one 5 1/2-inch square piece of the dragonfly paper from the Windswept collection. 5. Place all the cut paper pieces facedown on newspaper and spray the backs lightly with the Super 77 spray adhesive. 6. Press onto the center of each card. 7. Cut four pieces of the black card stock approximately 5" X 4". 8. Spray the backs of the stencils with stencil sprays or tape down edges to keep in place. Note: You can use many great stencils available, but you can easily create your own with decorative punches and shrink plastics or Mylar. Also consider creating your own drawings on these products and cutting them out with a craft knife. 9. Squeeze some of the Texture Magic onto the stencil according to manufacturer's directions. (I used one of the endless supplies of credit cards that come in the mail to spread the paint over the stencil.) 10. Once all the designs are stenciled onto the paper, set them aside to dry, preferably overnight. You can speed up the drying time with a heat tool. 11. When dry, cut around the edges of the stenciled pieces with the deckle-edge scissors and mount onto the 6-inch square black card stock using double-stick foam tape to add dimension. 12. The dragonfly card has a golden-colored handmade paper piece between the stenciled piece and the black card. 13. The dragonfly was embellished when it was dry with the Uni-ball Gold pen. The "feelers" were added and lines were drawn directly on the stenciled dragonfly.

RELATED ARTICLE: MATERIALS

CARD STOCK -- BLACK

BLACK INK DECORATIVE PAPERS -- MARBLED

PROVO CRAFT BITTY SCRAP PADS -- WINDSWEPT

DELTA TEXTURE MAGIC -- SIENNA, LILAC, FERN GREEN, GOLDEN PEAR

STENCILS -- DELTA ASIAN SYMBOLS; PLAID SIMPLY STENCILS SCROLLING VINE, CLASSIC MOTIFS, FROM THE GARDEN

STENCIL SPRAY

SUPER 77 SPRAY ADHESIVE

DOUBLE-STICK FOAM TAPE

SCOTCH TAPE

SCISSORS -- REGULAR, DECKLE-EDGE

SANFORD UNI-BALL GOLD GEL IMPACT PEN

NEWSPAPER

RELATED ARTICLE: ADAPT ME

Terra-Cotta Pot

Punch a dragonfly into shrink plastic to create a stencil. Cut the stencil so that you can lay it flat against the pot. Tape down the edges of the stencil. Squeeze the Sienna Texture Magic onto the stencil following directions on the tube. Carefully remove the stencil and using a stylus dab dots onto the wings to add texture. Press two tiny turquoise beads into the body of the dragonfly with the stylus.

Papier-Mache Box

Place Classic Motifs stencil on top of the box. Tape down edges, add the Sienna Texture Magic and let dry. Squeeze a little Terra Cotta Decor it ink onto a paper plate and using a makeup sponge, dab all over the box including the stenciled design and the wire handle. Squeeze a little of Verdigris Decor it ink onto the paper plate and rub across the stenciled area to highlight. Using round-nose pliers, unbend the wire handle ends inside the box and feed on large beads with large holes. Glue beads in place with Jewel Bond glue. Feed wire back through box holes and bend ends with the pliers.