My Cardmaking Haven

Bugaboo Tutorial Wednesday - Cracked Glass

Hi all,as you know I am the March Guest DT at Bugaboo and it's my turn to do a tutorial.This is my first attempt at a tutorial,so I hope I have explained it properly and made it easy for you to use the cracked glass technique.So here goes.

Below are the tools you will need for this technique a Versamark inkpad,clear embossing powder,heat gun,ink of choice(optional) and sponge(optional).

I have started with a coloured image below,you can use an uncoloured image or even a solid stamped image.It's your choice.

 Take your Versamark inpad and cover your entire image.

Now cover your entire image with the embossing powder.Pick the image up carefully by the edges and shake off the excess powder and pour it back into your container.I use an A4 piece of paper folded in half for this,it is easier to pour the powder back into your container.You need to work quickly,you don't want the ink to dry,you need it to be wet so that the embossing powder sticks.

I hold my image with a tool so I don't burn myself,now heat the image with a heat gun.You will see the powder melt and become shiny.Don't keep the heat gun in the same spot for too long or you may burn it.You will need to work quickly,while the embossed image is still wet cover the entire image with embossing powder again.Shake off excess and heat it again.Don't worry if the embossed image becomes dry,just use the versamark ink again,the same as you did when you embossed the first layer.If you are using fine embossing powder you may want repeat this process 3 or 4 times and less for thick embossing powder.It does also depend on the desired effect,the more times you repeat the process the thicker the cracks will be.If you only complete the process 2 or 3 times the cracks may be finer.

Once you have completed the process above,put the image in your freezer for a minute or two.Then remove it from your freezer and bend it until it cracks.If it won't crack anymore,put it back in the freezer and repeat the process.You can repeat this process 2 or 3 times.You don't want any embossing to come off,but if it does,that is ok,it adds to the effect of it.You can stop here and use the image as is, or go one step further and ink your image.

Now you can ink over your entire image with your desired ink and a sponge.Once you can see the ink through the cracks,you can wipe off the excess with a paper towel or tissue.You can see where a small piece fell out,as I said that is ok,it can sometimes happen depending on how many cracks you put in.

Here is the finished image,ready to be used on one of your creations.I made a card with mine to show you what a finished card would look like.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and use this technique to make some of your own creations.If you do have any questions just email me at chezzy31@gmail.com