I recently did a page about Hayden's love of bath time, and since the topic centers around being in the tub and in the water, I thought it would be neat to have some shiny, epoxy letters for my title, to give it a 'wet' look. Unfortunately, in all my stash, I didn't have any stickers or chipboard letters that fit the bill, so in typical fashion, I decided to make my own! Here's a quick walk-through of how I did it, that shows you with a few minutes of your time, and a little creativity, you can get just the look you want!
First, I started by cutting my title, "Bath Time", out on my Cricut. If you don't have a Cricut, you can also use plan, flat letter stickers, other die-cut letters, or chipboard alphabets to spell out your title.
Next, to ensure the letters stayed put easily while I worked, I zipped them through my Xyron, which also turned them into stickers for easy adhesion later! After rubbing the letters well, I peeled the front sheet off, leaving the letters adhered to the Xyron backing. If you're braver than me, you can go ahead and attach them to your layout, then follow the remaining steps, but I always like to have the option of a re-do before I stick everything down to my page! Call me chicken!
Then, I got out my Liquid Glass. If you haven't seen this stuff, it's amazing. It's a CTMH product (which means you can get it from your local consultant...ahem.), and it makes adding some shine and texture to almost anything a quick and easy process!
When using Liquid Glass, I typically outline whatever I'm covering, to create a dam to capture the rest of the LG as I fill in the shape. These letters were pretty thin, so one thick line of LG covered it just about everywhere.
Once you cover the object, let it dry flat for about 15 minutes (or a little longer if you covered a large space). I used that time to finish sticking down all the photos and embellishments on the rest of the pages, and work on my journaling. Once a multi-tasker, always a multi-tasker! :)
Test a corner of your object with a fingernail to check to see if it's fully dry before moving, and then you're free to add your title to your finished page!
It creates a nice dimension to your letters, and a great shine that helps bring your pages to life.
I love LG because it is great on so many projects! One year, for my Christmas cards, I used it to make my stamped candy canes and tree ornaments sparkle, and it's wonderful for covering the tops of buttons or other embellishments to give them an epoxy-ed look.
Here's another quick idea -
Do you love the look of glitter letters or embellishments, but hate the mess they leave on your albums and pages (and hands, and face, and hair, and carpet, and...) Next time you glue some glitter to your pages, cover the object with a top coat of Liquid Glass. You'll get all the razzle-dazzle without any of the frizzle-frazzle (yes, I made that up. Don't laugh).
Another thing I love about LG is that it's so fast and easy to use! And of course, it's a money saver! For only a few dollars, you get a whole bottle of LG, and you can cut your own letters for a fraction of the price of designer stickers.
I'm sure you all have great ideas on where you can add a little 'pop' to your pages! Please comment and let us know your thoughts - I'm sure we'd all love to add some more tricks to our scrappin' games too!
