I wish I could tell you that you're going to find an impressive, eye-popping "pinworthy" craft here. But it's not. This Trick or Treat page isn't one of my best pages. But it is a page that is in season and I believe someone (out there, somewhere) can learn from the mistakes I made while making this page. I think my skill level is average so I may be able to help beginner scrappers get past just scrapping pics with rectangle paper borders.
I dream that one day I'll be so good that thousands of people will pin my stuff on their Pinterest boards. Or I'll have a job creating cards and stuff. Until then I will keep learning and crafting in order to achieve that goal.
The purpose of this tutorial is to show how to make a gradient background using glitter. When I made this page I had just started blogging so I wasn't thinking of taking pictures as I did the process, but I'll try my best to be as descriptive as possible. You will need cardstock paper, scrap papers, spray adhesive, glitter, liquid glue such as Glossy Accents, and embellishments of your choice for this project.
1) I used a 12x12 copper cardstock that already had a shimmer to it. It is not necessary to use paper with a shimmer because the glitter covers the paper completely.
2) Choose 2 contrasting glitter colors. I chose Martha Stewart's copper and gold glitter. The colors do not have to be light and dark. Whatever appeals to you is good.
3) Next step needs to be done outside. Lay cardstock on newspaper and spray the adhesive glue over entire page. I never understood why people always say to lay your project on the ground before you spray it. I felt like it was an unnecessary step and a waste of time. I held the paper in my hand and sprayed. Now I know why they say to do it. Here is the result of laziness:
Thumbprint
Do next steps quickly before the adhesive dries.
4) Lay your cardstock on a clean scrap paper. Apply glitter #1 liberally on the top of the page and gradually sprinkle less as you come to the center. Turn the paper on it's side to make the glitter run down the towards the bottom. Tap page onto scrap paper to remove excess glitter. Pour excess glitter back into bottle.
5) If you don't want to mix glitter make sure you use another clean scrap paper.
6) Liberally apply glitter #2 on the opposite end of paper and gradually sprinkle less as you come to the center. Turn the paper so the glitter will run down page towards the first glitter. Tap paper to remove excess...you know the drill. Now you have your gradient background.
Martha Stewart copper and gold glitter.
7) Use cut outs of your choice. It doesn't have to be Halloween.
The tree, grass, and "Trick or Treat" cut outs are from the Happy Hauntings Cricut cartridge. I wrote down the size of the tree on a piece of paper but I can't find it. I think the tree size is approximately 10 inches on the
Cricut.
8) Because the glitter makes the paper grainy a regular glue stick will not adhere the cut outs. I used Glossy Accents. I believe any liquid glue is best for adhering on top of rough surfaces.
9) Embellish your page with extras. I used yellow
Stickles to glitter the moon. I simply traced the lines that were already printed on the cardstock. I didn't want to add too many embellishments because I wanted the glitter to stand out.
CARD
I repeated the process to make a card. The adhesive spray sputtered out so the glitter isn't as smooth. I'm not done with the card yet, but I am a procrastinator and it might be after Halloween when I get around to finishing so I decided to post it now. Maybe I'll find some cute Halloween stuff on clearance to add.
What I learned:
1) Don't hold your project in your hand when spraying adhesive. Actually take time to place newspapers on the ground and place project on it.
2) Make sure your air conditioner is not running if you're near a vent. It never occurred to me to that anything would happen because I thought I was far enough away from the vent. But as soon as I started pouring the glitter it started flying everywhere. I would have enjoyed the snow globe effect if I was in somebody else's house. But I wasn't able to enjoy the "magical" moment because all I could think of was the mess.
3) Don't apply glitter on top of a glass table or make sure the entire table is protected. Again due to the flying glitter it went all over my glass dining room table. My table has crevices too...oh mercy. Glitter loves glass surfaces like a heartsick tween loves Justin Bieber.
Cool Storage Ideas for Stickles and Glitter:
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