I don’t know about you, but when I first saw this Swallowtail Stamp, I said, hmm,”That stamp is BIG!” I first thought it was too BIG to use on a card unless you used a portion of it. After awhile I found myself going back to it in the catalog with different ideas for using it and finally bought it. This is one of the many ideas I came up with. I wanted the Swallowtail to resemble cloisonne.
Cloisonne is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects, in recent centuries using enamel, and in older periods they used inlays of cut gemstones, glass, and other materials. The decoration is formed by first adding compartments (cloisons in French) to the metal object by soldering or adhering silver or gold wires. These remain visible in the finished piece, separating the different compartments of the enamel or inlays, which are often of several colors. Cloisonne enamel objects are worked on with enamel powder made into a paste, which then needs to be fired in a kiln.
I think this Swallowtail accomplished that with the compartments formed by Gold Embossing Powder! Place it in a pretty frame, as this one is, and you have another great Mother’s Day gift!
Here’s what to do to achieve a Cloisonne Swallowtail:
1. On a 5″ x 7” piece of Whisper White Card Stock stamp the Swallowtail in VersaMark, sprinkle with Gold Embossing Powder and melt with a Heat Tool.
2. Now take Stampin’ Markers and color in the Swallowtail’s compartments with your choice of color(s). For my Swallowtail I chose a different color palette for each quadrant of the Swallowtail; Pinks, Blue/Purples, Greens and Orange/Yellow.
3. Once you finish your coloring, make sure you wipe the gold embossed areas with a tissue. Remember the Embossing Resist Technique? Well the same holds true here and the gold areas will resist the color, which also means the color will stay wet on the gold.
4. Once the Swallowtail is all cleaned up, cut it our carefully.
5. Choose a background card stock, I chose Certainly Celery, and place it in a frame.
Hope you enjoyed this project share, Now go and make an inspiration!
Hugs,
gorgeous!!