Creating Uniquely Original Christmas Cards using Magenta Nuance Pigment Powders And Some Heat!

Today I am sharing with you how I created these wonderful Christmas cards using a heating embossing technique and my Magenta Nuance Dye Ink Powders.  What I like the most about this technique is that no two stamped images come out the same so every card is an original. 

Now, before I start I want to establish that I do not work for Magenta and have never been given any of their products to endorse - (but I can WISH...grin).  Everything I am using I bought and paid for with LOTS of my own money - I just LOVE this product, that is all!

And now on to the tutorial...

For this technique you will need:

A stamp set with images that create "cells"

Heavy white card stock (100 lbs or more and not watercolor paper)

Clear embossing ink

White enamel embossing powder 

A heat gun

Pigment powders

a fine mist spray bottle (or two)

Paper towels
 

I used a Close To My Heart stamp set called Ornate Ornaments.  These lovely baubles have designs that create cells where the water/color can pool and which keeps different colors of powder separate from each other.  This gives the loveliest of effects, so look for a stamp that has similar features.

Important: Take the time to create several pages of embossed images so you can practise and play with different color combinations.  Use a paper that will not fall apart when wet, but also will not absorb the water too quickly, you will need to be able to use enough water so that it pools.

 Do NOT use water color paper, it absorbs water so well that this technique totally fails.  I am using my current favorite paper, the Staples brand of 110lbs white card stock.  It is smooth as glass, ultra white, heavy enough for my fussy-cut images and it takes water very well. 

Once the embossed pages have cooled down, have your water bottle (or two) and your pigment powders ready.  I have tried them all - Brushos, Ken Oliver's Color Bursts and  Magenta Nuance Dye Ink powders, Luminarte Primary Elements, Perfect Pearls and my favorite are the Magenta's.  

This is for a lot of reasons, but especially because they act like a watercolor when wet but are almost permanent when dry so they do not reactivate when you wet them down again.  Also they are translucent, which means they act like a stain rather than a paint, and everything underneath still shows through rather than being covered up.  Besides the colors are mouth-wateringly brilliant without being overpowering... How did they do THAT?!

Here is an eight minute process video I created showing you how to get this effect ... (it's my first attempt so please be kind...grin)

First EVER, Process Video Part 1 - The Technique

 Process Video - Part 2 - Close Ups 

(and probably sharing too much - Grin)

To re-cap here are the Steps:

1. Stamp and heat emboss the image using a white, glossy enamel embossing powder.

2. Wet paper and sprinkle on powders - WAIT

3. Add second layer of powders and mist again

4.  Blot any excess pools of water or color

5. Allow paper to dry and cut out images

6. Create Cards

Now for the rest of us here are everything written out the old fashioned way.  
Using a spray bottle, wet your paper until the water begins to pool in the cells created by the heat embossing and start sprinkling your powders.  Do this part quickly... My favorite method is to have two or three warm colors to start with (warm meaning oranges, yellows, pinks, reds and magenta purples).

Using colors from the same warm or cool color families means that when these colors touch and blend they will remain pretty colors. Now slow down and be patient - allow the colors to touch and blend and soften on their own for a little bit - try counting to 100.  Then you can dab up the excess water using a paper towel, but be gentle so you don't dab away all your color!

While the paper is still wet you can sprinkle in additional colors.  At this stage is when I introduce my complimentary color - so if I used warm colors initially I will add in just a sprinkle of cools - like apple green and turquoise and soft bluey-purple.

This time you will sprinkle and then mist with your spray bottle to activate the colors.  Start small, with just a sprinkle or two and watch carefully to establish if you like what is happening.  You can blot away stuff you don't like and move color around with a paint brush.

It takes a bit of practise to figure out how much water is enough but not too much and when to add more color and when NOT to... grin.  Which is why it is a good idea to start with more than one embossed pages ready to go to allow you to experiment.  Start one page with warm colors and then add cools, and then do up a page with cool colors adding in some warmth.  Do this just to see the difference it makes when certain colors touch.

The longer you let the pigments sit in the wet the more they will soften and blend on their own.  You can use your heat gun to dry your page rapidly but go carefully with the heat gun because I have discovered that too much heat will compromise the enameled embossing and it has a tendency to fall off after the paper is dry.  (which gives it a kind of distressed look... so maybe you will like it!)

Once the Nuance powder decorated pages have dried, cut out all the images and get ready to assemble the cards.  I stamped and heat embossed the hangy bits in gold and cut those out too (can you tell that I like fussy cutting?).

I used embossing folders in various patterns on the same Staples 110lbs white card stock to create the card bases and layered my baubles using foam tap to add some dimension.  A gold embossed sentiment was all I needed to complete these cards, well, except for the layer of Ranger's Stickles I have to add to every card because I think Christmas card should sparkle and shine!

So That's It... a really fun technique that will allow you to create quite a few cards if you use four pages of stamped images like I did!  I love how these non-traditional colors pop right off the white embossed background which has just enough texture to make it interesting.

You can leave the edges plain or ink them in a complimentary color...

or add the front to a coordinating colored card base... it all looks Great!   

So that's it for today! Thanks for popping in to see what I am up to... and please do leave me a comment if you like what you see!  I love sharing everything I do and I would appreciate if you would direct people HERE to this blog post if you are sharing too!

Lynne Mizera, Mixed Media Artist
Creston, British Columbia, Canada