Proud as a Peacock Graduation Cards

Created by: Stacey Dunning

Description: Proud as Peacock Graduation Cards

Stamp Set Used: Proud as a Peacock from Blockheads.

Both of these cards use a fun technique developed my Mary Jo McGraw several years ago.  It's one I always come back to when I want some subtle but vibrant color behind an embossed image.  She does
this technique on a matte coated card stock, like I did on the card with the three cutout feathers.  I used regular white cardstock from the background on the Way To Go card.  This technique requires embossing ink, metallic embossing powder and at least three colors Encore Metallic Ink Pad Cubes.

The first step is to emboss your image using any embossing ink and a metallic embossing powder.  I used VersaMagic ink and Gold Superfine powder.  This technique always looks best with stamps with some amount of detail.

Then you apply ink from the Encore Ink Cubes directly to the paper.  I started with honeydew for the centers of the feathers because they eyes are kind of yellowish and it was the closest I had.  Gold or champagne might have been even better.

I then started layering blue and teal ink from the Encore Ink cubes until I covered all the white.

I then used a paper towel to wipe away the metallic top coat.  On the plain cardstock, this step is necessary, to wipe ink away from the embossed image, but it doesn't quite pull off as much of the metallic top coat as on the matte coated paper (which I'll show an example of below).

I finished the card by layering the background onto black cardstock stamped with a peacock feather from the same set in Teal Encore ink.  The Way to Go, I'm proud of you and peacock stamps are also from the same stamp set.  The round bling are Dew Drop embellishements.

 Here is an example using a liquid platinum color of embossing powder and the same color dew drops on matte coated cardstock.  The color tends to blend together more and the metallic top coat of the Encore ink wipes away completely.  This looks especially amazing if you create larger patches of individual colors than I did here and with even more detailed stamps, like photo stamps.  I have a better example using a Lost Coast Designs stamp in our gallery:
Encore Inked Winged Flower Girl

I decided to cut the feathers out of that background to create this card.  I added some yellow marker to the centers.