Red Peony Heat-Embossed Card with Bleached Effect

A project from our live show CATCH UP with Toni for ANYTHING GOES WEDNESDAY in the HTCN studio broadcast 20th Oct 21 · 20/10/2021 · watch it from 2:15

Create a striking card featuring heat-embossed peonies on a distress oxide inked background. The design uses a red base with gold embossing, then selectively bleaches areas of the flowers to create a lighter, dimensional effect.

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Step by step

1. Apply distress oxide ink in Fired Brick directly to white cardstock using the ink pad, then allow it to dry completely before proceeding. ▶ watch 2:45
2. Use an anti-static bag to cover the inked cardstock to prevent embossing powder mess. ▶ watch 3:15
3. Stamp the peony design onto the inked cardstock using sticky ink. ▶ watch 3:45
4. Apply gold embossing powder to the stamped image and heat set with a heat gun until the powder melts and changes colour. ▶ watch 4:30
5. Turn the card around and repeat the stamping and embossing process on the reverse side of the design to create a double-stamped effect. ▶ watch 6:00
6. Wet a clean brush with water and paint into selected petals and leaves to reactivate the oxide ink. ▶ watch 13:00
7. Place tissue paper over the wet areas and gently pull to lift out some of the colour, creating a bleached effect. ▶ watch 13:45
8. Heat set the bleached areas with a heat gun to make the lighter areas even brighter. ▶ watch 15:00
9. Use a blending brush to add a tiny amount of black oxide ink around the edges to draw the eye into the design. ▶ watch 16:45
10. Die-cut the outline die around the embossed peony design using the coordinating die set. ▶ watch 9:45

Tips from the show

• Make sure the inked cardstock is absolutely dry before heat embossing to avoid moisture issues.
• The bleaching technique works better on some cardstocks than others, so results may vary.
• Oxide and dye-based inks are reactive with water, so adding colour on top may activate the colour underneath and create an unpredictable result.

More from this show

• Striped Peony Card with Gold Overlay and Drop Shadow
• Layered Sentiment Card with Letterpress Die

Written up from the show itself. See every guide from our shows · free how-to guides · watch live on My Telly