GLOW-IN-THE-DARK CARD

FUN WITH GL0W-IN-THE-DARK EMBOSSING POWDER!

Hello! Thank you so much for visiting my blog! My son had some suggestions for what the next post topic should be, so in today's post we're talking about how to make a card glow-in-the-dark. This is such a fun, easy way to add a little something extra to any card. It's hard to capture on camera, but trust me when I say, it's really cool! Today, I will walk you through how I made the firefly card.

To begin, here's a list of the supplies I used (and again, once I figure out how to, I'll add a list at the bottom of this post with links to where you can purchase the items you may be wanting):

• Cardstock (I used Neenah Classic Crest 110# cardstock for the card panel, and Keaykolour Royal Blue Solid 111# cardstock for the card base)

• Acetate for the mason jar (I highly recommend Hot Off the Press Heat Resistant Acetate, as it doesn't warp when embossed)

• Embossing powder:

  • Glow-in-the-dark embossing powder (the brand I used was Brutus Monroe)

  • Silver embossing powder for the mason jar (I used Recollections brand)

  • White embossing powder for the sentiment (I used Gina K detail white)

• Stamps and Dies (for this card):

  • Fireflies and sentiment: Lawn Fawn "Little Fireflies" stamps and coordinating dies

  • Mason jar: Lawn Fawn "How You Bean" stamp and coordinating die

  • Glow-in-the-dark sentiment: Lawn Fawn "Lights Out" stamp

  • Stars background: Lawn Fawn "Snowy Backdrop" stamp

  • Border: Lawn Fawn "Bayou Backdrop" die

  • Grass: Lawn Fawn "Simply Grassy Hillside" dies

• Cutting machine (I use the Sizzix BigKick)

• Embossing ink, anti-static powder tool, and heat gun (I used Versamark ink)

• Ink and ink blending tool (I used Distress Oxide inks in Wilted Violet, Seedless Preserves, Black Soot, and Mowed Lawn with the Ranger mini ink blending tool)

• Adhesive (I used Bearly Art liquid glue and Scotch 3M foam tape)

---

Let's get started! I inked up the background with Wilted Violet, Seedless Preserves and Black Soot. Originally, I had wanted to use the entire "Bayou Backdrop" as my scene, but the die I have wouldn't cut the vines cleanly (since making this card, I have discovered the precision cutting plate for cutting intricate dies; I will have to try this die on that plate to see if that solves the problem of clean cuts). So instead, I used my scissors to cut the vines so I ended up with just the stitched border, which I inked up with Black Soot. I cut out two of the "Simply Grassy Hillsides" and inked those with Mowed Lawn. I cut the hillsides with my scissors so that they fit inside the stitched border. At this point, you can set these pieces aside to dry, or speed up the drying process with your heat gun (just be mindful of warping).

While my inked pieces were drying, I stamped, colored, and cut out the fireflies. I colored them using my alcohol markers (use whatever is your favorite method of coloring to color your fireflies). Before cutting out the glowing circles (the glowing butts of the fireflies), I applied my Versamark ink directly to a piece of cardstock and then embossed it with glow-in-the-dark embossing powder. Once cooled, I used this embossed cardstock to cut out the glowing "butts".

Next, I stamped the mason jar with Versamark ink on acetate (I use my Misti stamp positioner tool for almost all of my stamping) and embossed it with silver embossing powder. Make sure your heat tool is nice and hot before bringing it to acetate, as acetate will easily warp under the heat, and keep your heat moving to avoid warping. Once the embossing powder cooled, I cut out the mason jar using the coordinating die.

Once my inked pieces (grass and background) were dry, I used Versamark ink to stamp the "Snowy Backdrop" on the background. I embossed that with the glow-in-the-dark embossing powder. I also wanted the tops of the grass to "glow", so I pressed the tips of the grass directly onto the Versamark pad and embossed them with glow-in-the-dark embossing powder. Finally, I embossed the sentiment onto one of the grass piece with white embossing powder.

We should now be ready to assemble! First, I glued one of the hillsides directly to the background card panel. Then I glued the mason jar (when glueing acetate, keep in mind to place the glue directly behind the embossed lines of the stamp; otherwise, you will see the glue through the acetate). I left the "top" of the mason jar unglued so I could fit a firefly inside. Next, I adhered my fireflies and glowing circles.

To add some dimension, I adhered the second hillside and the stitched border using foam tape. Finally, I glued the entire panel to a 4.25" x 5.5" card base. Now "charge" your card in front of a light or in the sun, turn off the lights and enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed this post about making a glow-in-the-dark card! There are so many possibilities for glow-in-the-dark card designs. I'm excited to come up with some more. Happy crafting, friends!