I’m still needing to build up my stash of Holiday cards, so I made a batch of 10 of this design. I like the pairing of the gold metallic specialty paper with the more country feel of the gingham red paper and the embossed Garden Green cardstock. I think the gold glams up the other elements just the right amount. I also decided to do something different (for me) with the stamped greeting. A couple of years ago I purchased the Gilded Leafing but I have been intimidated to give it a try. Well, I finally built up my courage and I’m really happy with how it turned out. I’ll describe further the specifics of how I did it, but the key for a stamped images is the Heat & Stick embossing powder (another product that intimidated me).

There are several different ways that you can use the Gilded Leafing. All you need is a sticky surface and this lighter-than-air product will stick right to it. You can put down strips of adhesive, randomly apply some Tombow Liquid Glue, or use an embossed image with the Heat & Stick powder. I’m not sure why I was feeling nervous about it, but my best guess is all of the warnings that I had seen about how they can puff up and kinda get everywhere. That was easy enough to solve – I purchase a new leftover container at the grocery store that I’ll leave my flakes in. The important thing is that the container needs to be big enough that your project can fit inside it to keep the flakes contained. Another tip is to have a Swiffer wipe at the ready to catch any of those bits that escape. There is no evidence in my crafting area that I played with the Leafing, so I call those 2 measures a complete success.

Here are the steps that I did for my Gilded greeting:

1. Use an anti-static bag to wipe the surface of the cardstock that will have the stamped image
2. Stamp the image with Versamark ink
3. Sprinkle with the Heat & Stick powder; make sure that the image is completely covered
4. Blow gently or brush away any stray speck of the powder
5. Get you heat tool good and hot, then aim it at the image
6. As soon as you see it turn shiny, stop applying heat
   • I have read a warning that over-heating will cause the powder to lose its’ stickiness
7. Put pieces of the Gilded Leafing over the image, push in with your fingers
8. Brush away the extraneous Gilded Leafing; you won’t remove it from the stamped image unless you scrape
   • I also used a small stencil brush to get the last of the extra flakes off
9. TaDa! You’ve got a beautiful element that is shinier than standard gold embossing

This current challenge was the inspiration for some of the elements for my card. I used the right column – Any Shape Die, Wreath, Gold Foil/Glitter as the guide for some of the design elements on my card. I just couldn’t pass up an opportunity to use the Country Wreaths dies again because I love how versatile they are. In fact, I used several elements from the Gingham Cottage Suite in my card. This suite is great for projects for any season!

Framed & Festive Cling Stamp Set (English) [160888] $23.00	Country Wreaths Dies [160238] $39.00	Deckled Rectangles Dies [159173] $30.00	Wintry 3 D Embossing Folders [155433] $10.00
Pearlized Enamel Effects Basics [156310] $15.00	Gilded Leafing Embellishment [154560] $9.00	Heat & Stick Powder [156110] $6.00	Heat Tool (Us And Canada) [129053] $30.00
Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.25	Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [144108] $4.25	Gingham Cottage 12" X 12" (30,5 X 30,5 Cm) Designer Series Paper [159651] $30.00	Gold & Rose Gold 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Metallic Specialty Paper [156844] $5.00
Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [159229] $8.75	Old Olive 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [100702] $9.25	Garden Green 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [102584] $9.25	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276] $10.25
Merry Merlot 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [146979] $9.25	Versamark Pad [102283] $9.50