Glitter Glitter Everywhere...

Stencils can be used in so many different ways, and this method shows how to use any stencil design and turn it into an amazing glitter card. Be prepared for everything you own getting a light dusting of glitter - well, that's what happens to me anyway...

This project creates a Christmas card, but the technique can be used with many of our stencil designs to create cards for all kinds of occasions. It is especially effective for birthdays and thank you cards.

Materials and Tools

Embossing Stencil, Christmas Tree With Star
Ultra Fine Glitter (Green, Red, Silver and Gold)
Red textured card
Double sided adhesive sheet
Masking tape or other low tack tape
Soap (ideally vegetable fat based)

This technique is great fun, though it can get a bit messy, with glitter everywhere if you're not careful - though some will say that is half the fun! To make the card we will be sticking a stencil on an adhesive sheet and adding glitter to create the effect.

1. Start off by cutting out a rectangle of the double sided adhesive sheet that is big enough to fit your chosen stencil design on. Next cut out another rectangle from a sheet of red bazzill basics textured card, making it a little bigger than the first rectangle. Peel off the backing paper from 1 side of the adhesive sheet and carefully stick it onto the middle of the red card (it is much easier to handle when stuck to a sheet of card, so it makes sense to do this at the start).

2. Now it is time to get ready for the glittering. Rub the back of your stencil with the soap. This is to make it easier to remove from the sticky sheet at the end. Take care to remove any excess soap, especially bits that are trapped in the corners of the stencil design, with a stencil brush. Peel off the last bit of backing paper from the front of the adhesive sheet to reveal the sticky surface and stick the stencil down in the middle of it. Finally, cover up any bits of the sticky surface around the edge of the stencil with masking tape to prevent any glitter sticking to it. If you want to colour in different parts of the stencil with different colours of glitter, you will also need to cover those parts up with masking tape as well. For this project, I covered up the pot at the bottom and the star at the top.

3. Glitter time! Pour the green glitter over the tree and tap off any excess. If you do this over a sheet of paper or a Clean and Clear tray you can easily pour the excess glitter back into the pot ready for next time. Once the green parts are covered, remove the tape from the pot and cover it in red glitter in the same way. Repeat this for the final colour of gold for the star at the top.

4. When you have cleared as much of the glitter away as you can, carefully start to remove the masking tape from around the edges and then lift the stencil off the adhesive sheet. It is best to try and peel the sheet away from the stencil, instead of the stencil away from the sheet, as it can be easy to bend the stencil if you are not careful. Now you can cover the rest of the sheet with your background colour of glitter. Make sure you choose a colour that has a lot of contrast with the foreground colour to ensure it stands out well.

5. You can now mount your glittery masterpiece onto a card and share it with the world.

This method can be used on any stencil designs, though it tends to work best on designs with larger and simpler shapes on them. Here is another example using the popular Angel design.

Related Tags

Christmas Cards Craft Ideas Technique

Related Products

Double Sided A4 Adhesive Sheets

A pack of 4 double sided A4 adhesive sheets. Each sheet is acid free and heat resistant. The backing sheet also has a useful grid printed on it to help you cut the sheet to the size you need. The adhesive sheet is clear when the backing papers are removed.

Embossing Stencil, Christmas Tree With Star

A striking round Christmas tree with a star on the top. The design is made up from a series of bands that create a brilliant shading effect. The complete design is about 8cm (3") tall.

Glue Dots Masking Tape

A 50m roll of easy tear and acid free masking tape. The tape is about 25mm (1") wide.