Luck O' The Irish Week and a Wee Tutorial

Hello everyone, and a warm welcome to The Beary Scrap's Luck O' The Irish week! It's Susan here, and today I'm going to show you how I did this fun and funky crackled glass effect:

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit that this is the first time I've tried this effect. Since nothing is perfect the first time around, I'll also share a few boo-boos along the way.

Here's my supply list:

• Heat gun
• Clear slow-drying ink (I used Versamark)
• Clear embossing powder (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel [UTEE] is preferred)
• Tim Holtz Distress Ink
• Ink Blending Tool - in a pinch you can use makeup sponges, but they disintegrate quickly
• A stamped and colored image of your choice (I used a vintage St. Patrick's Day image)
• Optional is a containment tray and a heat-proof mat. If you don't have these, simply use one sheet of printer paper as a base for sprinkling embossing powder, and a separate page with slightly turned-up edges to capture fly-away embossing powder while you use the heat gun.

Step 1: Using your blending tool and a little distress ink, lightly dab along the edges to get a vintage-y look.

Step 2: Press your image into the Versamark ink to cover completely and then sprinkle a healthy layer of embossing enamel all over.

Step 3: Shake off excess powder and heat to melt. This will be the first of 3 rounds. :) Keep your heat gun about 6 inches (15cm) away, and move in a slow, circular motion. I found I had less fly-away in the beginning if I kept the gun directly above. I turned it on at about 8 inches above and lowered a few seconds later. Look for an orange-peel effect on the surface - you'll have to layer UTEE at least 3 times, and I've read that regular clear embossing powder will require 4-6 layers.

Steps 4 and 5: Repeat Step 3 until your image has a clear glassy topping. Be sure to allow a minute or two of cooling time before handling - it's hot!

Step 6: Put the image in the freezer for a minute or two to make the cracking easier. I highly recommend putting it between two flat objects to avoid curling. When it's still cold, carefully crack around the image to get your desired effect.

Click to see the crackling

  Here are lovely examples of my first two attempts at this technique:

Clicky to learn from my mistakes!

Step 7: Using your Distress Ink and Blending Tool, work the ink into the cracks and wipe away the excess.

Now you are ready to assemble your card! Here's mine:

There are a bunch of tiny blings and shimmers: I've touched the leaf edges and the very tips of the pink roses with Tea Dye Distress Ink, and the vintage rose die cut is enhanced with Stickles Star Dust. The Prima wild rose on the top left has been spritzed with Pearl Glimmer Mist, and the pearly pins were colored with a Copic.

Card Ingredients
Image: Vintage image printed at home
Papers: Basic Grey Origins - Seaweed Wrap, Bazzill in Pollen and Rain Forest
Medium: UTEE, Tim Holtz Distress Ink - Tea Dye, Stickles - Star Dust, Glimmer Mist - Pearl, Copic E11 Barely Beige
Embellishments: Assorted Prima flowers and leaves, pearl pins lace and metal bits from my stash

Thanks so much for visiting us today, and check back all week for more Luck O' The Irish from The Beary Scrap's Design Team.

Cheers,
Susan