Quickie Tutorial on Foiling

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Before I forget to mention, if you were interested in my Lettering a la Kelly Style class this Saturday at Banana Rose, there was a mix up yesterday with the registration and the page is back up again now. If you're interested, please sign up asap here. Sample pages are available here. I hope to see you there.

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On the page above, I used foil which doesn't photograph very well (especially early in the morning when you're trying not to wake your sleeping husband up taking photos of your journal.) One of the things that I've noticed when teaching how to use foiling tools is that most folks (and I've been one of the guilty people) don't wait long enough for the glue to dry before applying the foil.  You HAVE to wait for the glue to dry or else it will NOT work. You also have to make sure that you're using the RIGHT side of the foil or else it won't work.

Here's how to use foiling:

You need an adhesive that will dry sticky to the touch. My favorite adhesives for this technique are: 

-Sakura Quickie Glue Pen (I can write or draw with it)

-Aleene's Foiling Glue OR USArtquest's Duo Adhesive (I can apply either adhesive very thinly to a rubber stamp, stamp with it and CLEAN IT IMMEDIATELY. Do NOT let the glue dry on your stamp or you can kiss it goodbye.)

You also need FOIL (or you can also use gold leafing sheets or flakes.) A quick search of the internet brings up a ton of different foils. Stampington sells them (I love the Creative Imaginations sheets and their sticky rub ons.) Martha Stewart sells them as Foil Transfer Sheets.  Dharma Trading Company also sells it as foil paper. I used to be able to walk into my local rubber stamp store and pick it up by the foot, yard or even roll but now it's a bit harder to find in person. Some of the scrapbooking companies are selling it in kits. Just make sure that you're buying the right thing (lots of links in this paragraph to check out!)

You will also need a bone folder, metal spoon or popsicle stick. My favorite tool of choice for this is a bone folder. It's the best six bucks you'll spend.

Decide if you're going to draw/write or stamp with your adhesive. Apply adhesive to the page that you are working on. LET IT DRY COMPLETELY. 

When the adhesive is dry, it will feel sticky or tacky to the touch. IT DOES NOT FEEL WET. It should be STICKY.

Apply your foil sheet wrong side down into the STICKY glue (which means that you want the bright colorful side facing YOU. If you're using green foil, you want the green foil facing YOU and the boring color facing down into the glue.) 

While the foil is attached to the glue, take your burnishing tool (bone folder) and burnish to transfer the foil to the adhesive. Peel up the foil sheet. Voila! The foil will stick to the glue.

Some Troubleshooting-

-Usually the first thing I check if it hasn't been successful is that the glue has dried completely. This tends to be the number one problem, most of us want it dry NOW and don't wait long enough so that the glue is STICKY (NOT WET) to the touch. If it's wet, it won't work.

-Sometimes you may have to repeat applying the foil if it hasn't stuck everywhere. I just stick the sheet down and burnish with the bone folder until everything has transferred.

-SAVE your foil scraps. Foil is expensive! I use every bit of the sheet until there's nothing left on the sheet. I have them in a separate ziploc bag or if it's the leafing flakes, I use an empty (never to be used for food again) gladware container.

-You'll have different levels of success depending upon the paper that you are using the foiling sheets and adhesive on. Some papers take the foil better than others. It's a matter of experimentation. I've used it on cardstock, magazine papers, scrapbook papers, etc... without a problem. Sometimes on handmade paper because the paper is so porous, the glue will seep into the paper and it doesn't always work the right way. Experiment and see what happens. Sometimes I let the glue dry and then apply more glue (if I'm using the Quickie Glue Pen) on top. This tends to work with the more porous papers.

-Sometimes foil has a shelf life. Always store your art supplies in a cool, dry place away from heating vents, etc... where over time they might dry out.

-Have some patience. Experiment with it! With some practice, you'll get it to work!