Tutorial: Embossed Resist Art Tag with Die Cut Fabric Flowers

It is funny where inspiration strikes you, for me it is usually while I am laying in bed trying to sleep.  I know I will never remember the inspiration if I don’t jot it down so I send myself lots of emails from my phone.  I always hope that when morning comes that it will make sense and I will know what I was thinking.  Lately I have been in a bit of a papercrafting dry spell.  I have been super inspired to draw new stamp designs (I post my daily drawings on my Instagram account if you want to see them).  Thankfully the dry spell seems to have broken with this lovely that came to me a few nights ago.  I love the way it turned out and I hope it will spark a little inspiration for you too.

Begin by embossing a #8 Ranger manila tag using the Rose Tablecloth embossing folder.  It is important to note that my embossing folders are thicker than what you may be used to.  This gives them a wonderfully deep impression.  To make the adjustment, you only need 1 cutting pad when running them through a Spellbinders Platinum or Sizzix Big Shot machine.  You will use you platform on the bottom, your folder with the tag inside, and one cutting plate on top.

If you use a different die cutting machine, check with your manufacturer for their stack suggestion.

One other thing to note, my folders are extra-large so you can fit an entire tag inside the folder which means the entire tag will be embossed with the design!  You can use either side of the tag, I chose the side where the flower image is raised.

Use an ink blending tool to apply Spun Sugar Distress Ink to the raised flower designs.  If you hold the tool flat and use a light touch, you can skim over the raised surface adding color just to the flower.  You are skimming, not pouncing.  Pouncing will dab the ink into the recessed areas.

Add Picked Raspberry Distress Ink to the lower part of the flower using an ink blending tool.  Again, hold the tool flat and lightly skim it over the raised design.

If you are using a really “juicy” ink pad like the one in the photo, tap your ink blending tool on your art towel to blot off some of the ink before applying it to your tag.  A really wet foam is much more likely to ink the recessed areas of the design.

Add Bundled Sage Distress ink using an ink blending tool to the leafy areas of the design.  Again, this is with the tool flat and with a light hand.

Use an ink blending tool to blend Peeled Paint Distress Ink around the top and right edges of the tag.

I wanted to see what would happen if I pounces a baby wipe over the ink.  I hoped that it would blend the two pinks a bit more.  I don’t know that it blended them much but it did at a bit of  spotty texture to the ink.  Kind of interesting…

Use a heat tool to dry the ink.  It is very important that it is dry before adding the embossing ink.

Place a Distress Embossing Ink pad foam side down onto the tag.  Skim the pad over the raised design.  Be sure to not press down as that will put ink in the recessed areas.  Skimming will keep most of the ink on the design.  You may get a little in the recessed areas, but that is ok, you just don’t want the whole tag inked solid.

Sprinkle clear embossing powder over the ink.  Tap any excess powder off.  If you have powder sticking in any of the larger recessed areas, use a small paint brush to brush it away.

Use a heat tool to melt the embossing powder.

You might notice that I use two different heat tools.  I use my white Ranger heat tool for things like drying inks and sprays.  I use my Milwaukee for tougher tasks like melting embossing powders, especially when I have a large area of powder like I do on this tag.

Mist the tag with water.  The water will help to create the watercolor-like background.

Mist the background with Tumbled Glass Distress Spray Stain.  You will notice that the areas covered by the embossing powder resist the stain.

Mist the background closer to the edges with Broken China Distress Spray Stain.

Mist Spun Sugar Distress Spray Stain in any open areas of the flower.

Use a dry cloth to blot away the excess spray.  Dry the tag with a heat tool.

If you would like an inked edge, you will need to sand along the edge of the tag to knock off some of the embossing powder.  Just like the spray, the embossing powder will resist Distress Ink and will prevent you from having an inked edge.

Please remember, even though I show the sanding grip sitting on my craft sheet, do NOT sand on the surface of the craft sheet, it will ruin the surface.  Holding the tag and sanding grip in your hands will give you much more control.

Use an ink blending tool to apply your favorite brown Distress Ink (shown- Gathered Twigs) along the edge of the tag.  You can also ink over the embossed design to add ink to the background which will make the design more bold.

Use a baby wipe or lightly moistened towel to buff over the embossing powder to remove any ink from the surface of the embossing.

Mist one yard of Crinkle Ribbon with water.

Mist the ribbon with Spun Sugar Distress Spray Stain.

For bold punches of color that will stay bold and not blend completely out, dab a Picked Raspberry Distress Ink pad directly onto the ribbon.  Toss the ribbon around and tap again.

Spray the ribbon with water again to blend.  You will notice that the bold color softens up a bit but mostly stays put.

Wring the ribbon out in a dry cloth to remove the excess moisture and then dry the ribbon with a heat tool.

Add a fluffy bow around the tag.

Die cut 6 small pinked flowers from fabric.  The fabric I am using today is woven sew-in garment interfacing.

You may think of interfacing as that paper-like fabric with adhesive on it that you iron on to fabric.  Sew-in interfacing is woven natural fiber fabric that comes in different weights.  I like the heavy weight from Therm O Web (linked below in the supply list).  The cool thing about this interfacing is that it is stiff enough to die cut with a thin die and because it is a natural fiber it takes inks and dyes.

If you have tried cutting fabric with thin dies before you may know that you rarely get clean cuts.  I am so thrilled that my thin dies cut fabric, even in multiple layers!  I folded the fabric above in three layers and it cut right through cleanly with no strings or rough edges.  The trick is the right fabric and great dies! 😉  I am planning a series of posts soon to talk more about different surfaces for flowers.  I have found some new surfaces to share that you will love!

Brush three stamen bunches with your favorite brown Distress Ink to add a bit of age.  You can find stamens at your local craft supply store in the wedding crafts and cake decorating sections.  They usually come in white and can be colored with inks.  My favorite source is Easy (linked in the supply list) and eBay.  You can easily find them at both places in a variety of colors.

Layer two flowers together.  Cut or poke a hole in the center of the two flowers (I used my Crop-a-dile).

Place a bundle of stamens through the hole.  Pull them down into the hole so that the base of the stamens sit right on top of the flowers.

Cup the petals up around the stamens.

Cut a thin piece of floral wire to about 3″.  Hold the end of the wire and the stem of the stamens between your thumb and finger.  If you are using a thin paddle wire you can snip the wire using your scissors (I love the Tim Holtz Tonic Scissors for this).  If you use a heavier wire use wire snips so that you don’t damage your scissors.  The thinner wire you use, the easier it is to work with.

Wrap the wire tight around the base of the flowers.  You want to catch the fabric under the wire.  Wrap the wire around the flowers 3-4 times.

Twist the remaining wire down around the stem.

You can also do this same type of wrapping with a needle and thread.  Simply stitch through the base of the flower, wrap around a few times tightly and stitch again.  If you sew, you may find this method quicker and easier.

Need to see this in a video?  I am hoping to do a quick video this week.

Fluff your petals if needed.

I loved white for this flower so I didn’t color the fabric before assembling.  Instead I decided to add just a light touch of color to the tips by brushing them with the pink ink already on the foam of my ink blending tool.

If you were using the flower in such a way that the stem would show, you would cover up the wire and stem with floral tape.  For this project, simply snip off the excess stem around 1/4″ – 1/2″ below the base of the flower.

Adhere the three flowers to the tag around the bow using a clear quick drying glue like Beacon 3 in 1,

Die cut four leaves from manila cardstock using the single leaf from the Pom Pom posies die set.  Don’t you love how the die adds detail lines?

Use an ink blending tool to apply Peeled Paint Distress Ink to the leaves.  I applied the ink lightly at the tip of the leaf and heavier at the base.

Mist the leaves with Evergreen Mica Spray.

Blot the excess spray with a dry cloth and then dry with a heat tool

Brush the edges of the leaves with your favorite brown Distress Ink.

Use a clear quick drying glue to adhere the leaves to the tag around the flowers.

Add a Small Talk Sticker sentiment to the tag over the ribbon on the right.

Tuck a few buttons in and around the flowers to add a vintage feel.  Adhere the buttons using a clear quick drying glue like Beacon’s 3 in 1 so that they adhere well on the embossing powder surface

You will notice that the embossing ink and powder allows for some fine speckling here and there.  I love that bit of randomness and imperfection.  Something about it makes it feel even more vintage to me.

I truly love making these fabric flowers.  Once you get the wire wrapping down you can make them in no time at all!  The beauty of them to me is that by using white fabrics, you can make one flower or ten flowers, what ever you need, that matches your project!  I love that I don’t have to wonder if I have a pre-made flower to match because I can make it myself!

This tag is one that I will have setting out in my studio for a while.  I simply love it!  I love the softness and the colors.  I love how feminine it is.  Wouldn’t it be so pretty adapted to a card front or small canvas?

 

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