I'm sure that you have noticed that gold is super on trend this season for papercraft projects and with the release of
Heidi Swapps' foiling machine, Minc Foil Applicator, at the CHA in January you can't help but have noticed that foiling techniques and gold foiled products are starting to pop up everywhere.
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Go Gold! It's your birthday!
Time to get the look and I'm going to get the look with transfer foils today.
Eh? Transfer Foils?
Transfer foils have been around for years but they are definitely getting a makeover so it might be time to dig them out of your stash and have a play.
Transfer foils are an ultra-thin layer of metallic coloured foil adhered to a thin plastic sheet, you place the dull side on to something sticky and burnish it down with your finger or a bone folder, then when you peel the sheet away the metallic foil is left behind.
They come in a whole range of different colours and designs. You can find them in sheets or rolls.
What Can You Use Transfer Foils With?
Transfer foils can be used with glues and dry adhesives. But you also can transfer them using heat. Machines like the Heidi Swapp Minc Foil Applicator use heat to transfer and stick the foil onto a laser ink printed image.
Whatever glue or adhesive you use tackiness is key so if your glue needs time to get tacky, then wait for it to get tacky before pressing on the transfer foil.
A perfect place to start are double-sided tapes, double-sided foams and products like the Stick It adhesive sheets or the Xyron Sticker Maker refills. I'm using Stick It as I don't have the Xyron Sticker Maker but I'm guessing the adhesive would work just fine with transfer foils.
I love using transfer foils with glue pens as well, you have the freedom to draw or write whatever you like and foil it. You can use transfer foils on stamped images too if you use the various glues you can use on stamps, like Flitterglu and Flake and Glitter. But don't forget products like Stamp N Bond which you apply like you would an embossing powder but once heated the powder becomes tacky.
Oh and get this...you can use Vilene Bondaweb (one of my all time favourite products). The stitchers amongst you are sure to have come across Bondaweb. It is a thin web of glue that melts when heated and is most commonly used to attach fabric to fabric for appliqué techniques and the like.
The bottom line for what to use to attach your transfer foils is that if it is tacky it will stick.
Let's Try It Out!
I die cut some shapes from a sheet of thin 3D foam, a sheet of double-sided tape and some Stick It and stuck them to card with a sentiment I wrote using the ZIG Glue pen. I burnished the Stick It and double-sided tape down before taking off the top protective layer and burnished the transfer foil over the top.
And held up to catch the light...
ZOiNks! - no idea what happened with the 3D foam, it has worked perfectly in the past *sigh*. Luckily I have one that I did earlier:
What Next?
Ok so we have tried transfer foils out and it was fun but what can we actually do with them?
- Well how about foiling your die-cuts?
- Apply the glue thinly through masks and foil it for lovely metallic backgrounds.
- Use Stick It through a mask and foil it.
- Got to LOVE the foiled lettering, what about going big and making some home décor word art?
- Foiled stamped images anyone?
- Now empty out your embellishments draw(s) and foil everything! Alphas, tags, stickers gems and pearls.
- Foil your glue dots.
- Get your letterpress plates out and foil away.
In theory if you can apply a tacky adhesive to something then you can foil it!
So far I have tried gems, beads, chipboard alphabet stickers and dry adhesives die-cut like above or through a mask, wet adhesives written with or through masks all with great success so...
Go bling Baby and foil it!
How will you use your transfer foils? Have you been tempted by the
Heidi Swapp Minc Foil Applicator? I would love to know. Drop me a comment with your transfer foil stories below.
If you are looking for more ways to get the gold look then check out these posts:
