Shimmer Sheetz Sunday: Strips, Squares & Dots

October 7, 2018

By Judi Kauffman

I somehow saved several scrap Shimmer Sheetz strips (say that five times fast, I dare you!), one of them lightly sanded Gold Metallic (1” x 12”) and the other embossed and alcohol-inked Ruby Gemstone (1” x 8”). I decided to turn these leftovers into focal elements for some mixed media card fronts.

My design strategies: Go for contrast. Play with shiny strips and squares against more muted cardstock backgrounds. Repeat the dot patterns of the embossing folders (used for the background and for the alcohol-inked Shimmer Sheetz strip) with round, similarly-sized embellishments. Mix the embellishments so that some sparkle and some are more muted.

INSTRUCTIONS for FOUR CARDS:

Step 1 – Use a wide, stiff almost-dry brush to streak an 8.5” x 11” piece of tan cardstock with random swooshes of acrylic paint in shades of green, teal, and copper metallic. Allow to dry. Cut into four rectangles measuring 4” x 5.25”. (Hold onto the skinny scraps for another project.)

Step 2 – Back the Shimmer Sheetz strips with Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape. Cut the Gold Metallic strip into .25” pieces. Adhere at an angle onto the four rectangles. Trim at the edges as needed. Emboss or de-boss each rectangle with a dot pattern.

Step 3 – To unify the colors and highlight the embossing pattern, use a round craft sponge to streak blue-green dye ink onto the rectangles.

Step 4 – Cut the alcohol-inked Ruby Gemstone strip into 1” squares. Adhere each square to dark chocolate cardstock OR to a square of embossed Shimmer Sheetz in another color that coordinates with the paint and other elements. (Shown: Black Iridescent SS for card with buttons.) Trim, leaving a narrow border on two opposite sides of the square or on all four sides.

Step 5 – Using the photos as a reference, arrange the small squares on the rectangles. Adhere with Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape. Accent with round embellishments to repeat the dot pattern theme of the backgrounds. Tip: Durable, low-relief embellishments are best for cards that need to survive the postal system. Fragile and more dimensional accents are fine for cards that will be delivered in person or will need to be mailed in a padded envelope, adding to the cost of postage.

Step 6 – Using narrow strips of Clear Double Sided Adhesive Tape, adhere each rectangle onto a side-fold A2 card base (solid color or patterned cardstock).

Supplies:

Elizabeth Craft Designs: