Jo's Crafty Place: Gilded Corner and Aperture Card

Gilded Corner and Aperture Card - Le Petit Jardin

With this card I wanted to experiment with using some "messy crafting" techniques. Combining using the lovely die cuts that can be created using the dies in the Le Petit Jardin collection with Gilding Polishes/Embellishment Mouses, gilding waxes and inks to create embellishments to coordinate with this beautiful backing paper from the Le Petit Jardin 12x12 paper pad.

My card is A5 size (14.9cm x 21cm). The purple mat layer is 14.5cm x 20.6cm, the black card is 13.9cm x 20cm and the patterned paper is 13.6cm x 19.7cm.

The corner embellishment and the sentiment aperture are die cut from black card, as well as some of the Evening Branch foliage die cuts. I've then used a white pearl gilding polish to create highlights and provide a base to apply pigment ink to. If you have a polishing medium with mica in a coordinating color you won't need to use any ink, but you can still brush ink over to change the tone.

I've also used some gold gilding wax to add some highlights and coordinate with the foiling on the sentiment and around the aperture. See the video for how I apply the pearl polish, ink and gold gilding wax.

To make the aperture, I foiled black card using the backs of the nesting cutting dies (a rectangle and an oval). I lay my card on a piece of magnetic storage sheet, to hold the dies still while I stick the dies down on top of the foil. The dies go on top of the foil cutting edge facing up. Put tape across both dies and the foil, so the foil is also taped to the card - I show you in the video.

You need a thin metal shim on your GoPress and Foil with one or 2 layers of card underneath it, or 2 thin metal shims - allow the shim to heat through on the GoPress. Put your card, foil and taped down dies on top of the metal shim, with the cutting edges of the dies facing up. Close the lid and leave for about 2 minutes to heat through before rolling. I like to change the angle the dies are at, and then roll again.

Once the edges are foiled I embossed the card with an embossing folder, and used my pearl polish to highlight the pattern, and brushed with ink to match the corner die cut. Then tape the dies in place and cut the rectangle and aperture.

Foil the sentiment on a spare piece of the patterned paper, making sure there is enough space around the edges so it can be centered in the aperture.

Add plenty of foam pads to the back of the aperture, so that it won't sag at the edges of the rectangle or the oval.

Then stick the aperture over the sentiment before trimming away any paper that overhangs around the edges.

Then you just need to put the card together - sticking down the mats and layers with the pattern paper on top. I stuck down the corner die cut, then the topper, and then arranged the flowers and foliage.