Sunday, August 6, 2023

New Adventures with Hero Arts Digitals

 Hello Crafty Friends!  

My son's return to college is on my mind (we'll be road-tripping to Ohio soon in my minivan to help him move into his very first apartment), so I've made a couple of cards that nod to his future in a positive way. 

These cards are two-fer, because they use a single design and a single sheet of foil to create two different card fronts--one using the positive design, and the other using the "waste material" or negative space  that the design left behind on my piece of toner foil.  

Note:  To foil digital designs you need:  a laser printer, a laminator or Minc machine, toner foil, and, for the black background card, either specialty toner paper, or very glossy black card stock.  

Here's my how-to for the design and the white background card:  Using the minivan image I discovered among the over 20 images in the Roadtrip Adventure Digital Kit, I created a line of minivans and copied that line o' vans again and again, until it covered a space about the size of an A2 card front on a Google slide in a design that was pleasing to my eye.  

Another note:  I've never taken a design class, and never had a lesson in Google docs/slides or anything else, this is just me playing around until I have something that looks right.  Google slide software is free, which is what I love most about it. 

I printed that slide/page on my Laser Jet printer onto lightweight card stock (yes, the cheap stuff I do NOT use for card bases), added summer-y rainbow toner foil, and ran it through my Minc machine/laminator.  After cutting the Google page to an A2 size, I cut a star shape  from the upper right corner of the foiled background using the 5-point infinity star dies and cut another star, one size larger, from Hero Arts pitch black card stock.  I also cut out 5 of the smallest-sized star from the pitch black card stock.  Using foam tape, I added the black star over the star cut out, and then adhered the smaller star cutout on top of the black star, making sure to align the smaller star's minivans with the background.  I like this semi-eclipse design--it's slightly subtle, but adds texture and interest.  I adhered the panel to an A2 card base, again made from pitch black card stock, scattered around the 5 smaller stars and added a sentiment I like from the Encouragement Sentiment Strip set which I'd pre-cut using the Sentiment Strip Fancy Die -- I love having these sentiments ready to go. 


To make the second card--the one with a black background, I used the leftover/negative space toner foil.  I've found that shiny black card stock, or specialty black toner card stock take toner foil perfectly.  


I just placed the minivan "leftover" foil piece over an A2 piece of glossy black card stock.  I made a quick video of the reveal as I remove the foil backer from the card, just click the arrow below. 

 
For the sentiment tag, I used the Travel Tag & Notes Printable--I printed the tags in black onto black card stock, cut out the tag I wanted (you can see the ink on the card stock--if you're looking for it!--and ran it through my Minc machine/laminator with gold toner foil.   Eureka!  The tag came to life in gold on black.  I gold heat-embossed a sentiment from the Seaside Highway HeroScape onto the tag and added a gold bow to complete the tag.  I mounted the panel onto a white A2 card base, and used foam tape to pop up the black tag.  

(Final Note:  Hubby says both cards are  "somber."  I say they are modern and urban cool and good masculine cards for my son.  We have agreed to disagree.)

Thanks so much for stopping by--I love that you took the time to drop in (and your comments always make my day!

Essie


12 comments:

  1. I agree with you, your cards are definitely modern and urban cool! Your son will love them!

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  2. Fantastic cards!
    Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Great cards! Love the modern design

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  4. I like your modern, urban cool cards!

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  5. Essie your cards are so colorfully cool! Best wishes to your son and his college move!

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  6. Great cards! I love the bold colors from the negative transfer- very cool!

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  7. Your card is so pretty and a very fun make. Hugz

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A Big Bright Celebration with Hero Arts