Faux Metal Tutorial with Jen

Fun with Faux Metal!

Today I'm sharing a quick little tutorial on how to make "faux metal" for your cards - Since the current Inky Paws Challenge is to add in Metal, Wood or Cork, I thought it would be a fun time to show this.

Here's what you need:

• Metal Repair Tape from a Hardware Store
• Cardstock (I used white but any color would be fine)
• Big Shot or other Embossing machine
• Embossing folders
• Scissors

Step One: Use tape to cover a piece of cardstock.  In this case the tape wasn't thick enough to cover it with one strip so I just applied it in stripes, butting the edges up as close together as I could. You want to cover your whole piece of paper with the tape. This tape tears easily so you can just tear it off a bit longer than your paper and then fold it over the back side.

Step Two: Place inside an embossing folder. Pick an embossing folder that has a design that might look good as "metal". Jeff thought this one looked like the running boards on a truck. You could choose any pattern you like but I think the geometric ones look best. 

Step Three: Emboss. Run your folder with the metal tape through your Big Shot or other embossing machine the same way you would paper. You get this AWESOME result:

Step Four: Admire your texture and add it to your project. That's It! Easy, right? I love how this looks. Depending on the pattern you may or may not see the little seam where the pieces of tape lined up but I figure you can always put a ribbon or something across that spot when you add it to your project.

Here's a few more textures I did with different embossing folders - whenever I try a new technique I always make a few to have on hand for when I want to use them for a card!

And here's the card I made using the faux metal  - it coordinates so well with our awesome Winston's BBQ set! If you haven't purchased this set yet, you should definitely go over to our online shop and check it out - it's such a must-have for summer!!

I colored Winston (our bear) with Copics and also created a little background of beer and burgers across the bottom using brown ink on kraft cardstock.  I just LOVE this little Winston set!! 

I also added in a little wooden arrow embellishment (Just couldn't resist) - so this would be a perfect entry in our Inky Paws Challenge!!  I love the combo of the shiny metal and the kraft cardstock. So fun! Isn't this just the perfect Masculine card? 

Now it's your turn! 

You have until Friday to get your paws inky!

There's still a couple of days left to make your own card featuring wood, cork or metal and enter it into our Inky Paws Challenge!  Just make a project with NND stamps (or download a freebie here) and add in some wood, cork, metal -- or all three if you'd like! Our challenge is open until Midnight this Friday - June 6th & we will be giving away $10 store credit to our top two favs!! Details on the challenge are on our Inky Paws Challenge page!