Acetate
 

Hello,

I've got some acetate, but haven't a clue what to do with it! It's printable, so I did try to print out an image and colour it with Promarkers, but it looked awful - all streaky - so then I tried to stamp on it and the ink wouldn't dry, so I've given up!

I've heard about 'floating' cards, but can't seem to find any info, what are they?

I'd love to know what to do with the acetate and if anyone can point me to some pics, that'll be even better :D

Kat x

I've used StazOn for stamping but I usually stamp on one side and color on the other.

Not sure if it's what you've heard of but you can use strips of acetate to "float" elements on a card. I see you're in the UK Kat - if you can get hold of a Nov issue of Craft Stamper magazine (the current issue) there's a step-by-step article in there using acetate strips and cut out slots to have an element that floats across a scene on the card.

If you want to stamp on it, you need something like Stazon (dries quickly) or Brilliance (takes a while but does dry). Any kind of marker colouring is going to look streaky because the surface is slick and does not absorb ink. You can add blocks of colour in other ways though such as adding a layer of Xyron-type adhesive to the back of the piece and then "painting" with mica powders such as perfect pearls. There's a version of this in Resources that uses glitter - try here. (ETA- I just found the version that uses pearl powder - that's here)

Techniques such as "caught in crystal" use acetate - there's a tutorial here in the Resources section.

HTH!

Here is a two part video on how to do a pop card with acetate. Very cool card.
part 1
Ku-Ku CARD Snowman in a Box (Mu�eco de Nieve en Caja) 1:1 - YouTube

Part 2
Ku-Ku CARD Snowman in a Box (Mu�eco de Nieve en Caja)2:2 - YouTube

Floating cards are named that way because the image floats in a window or on the card fronts. That's why you need the acetate.

I remember floating cards from a long time ago. It's been on my tutorial to write list forever. The way I have seen them there are two ways to do them.

1. Stamp on Acetate and color in with alcohol based markers, colored glitter or paint.

2. Stamp an image on cardstock, color and cut out. Adhere to a piece of acetate that you adhered behind a window you cut into your card front.

We do have several tutorials in our resource section that use Acetate:

Acetate and Tissue
Acetate Box
Acetate Card
Acrylic Smash
Glitter Puzzle
Magic Card
Pearly Window
Reflection Technique
Shaker Card
Smackin' Acetate
Sparkly Stained Glass

You can stamp an image in Staz-on/Brilliance, as Angelnorth said, then add glitter on the reverse using clear drying pva glue.Like these:
Attachment 233139

Attachment 233140

Attachment 233141

Dry embossing acetate makes a nice overlay. Here is a card I made last year:
Snowman by idletiger - Cards and Paper Crafts at Splitcoaststampers

I have found that for stamping on acetate, that Memories works far better than Stazon. I like to stamp an open or detailed stamp (like Stipple Butterfly) and then "color" the back with glue or xyron adhesive and cover with foil sheets or even pieces. Looks great! I'm away from home on vacation now, so can't attach a picture, but will try to remember when I get home.

Don't forget shaker cards. They're always impressive.

Oh, yes! They are so fun and can be made for any season and with all sorts of shapes for the opening, from traditional rectangles and circles, to jars, stars, etc. From sophisticated to whimsical!

Not just for cards either - shakers make cute ornaments too! Here's one I did last year, there's a step by step here on my blog if anyone would like it.

This is soooo cool! I want to do this for my ornaments this year. Hope I am as successful as you were. TFS!

Get some clear glass ball ornaments to go with your acetate and make these darling little creations! I made some last year and they turned out so CUTE. And, not as hard as you may think. This gal printed the image on the acetate - I stamped mine with Stazon and colored with Bics and Sharpies:

Method Monday - Clear Acetate Ornament

This is new to me, You guys have some great ideas. Where do I get Acetate? I have never see it in stores before but I would love to make a little treat box out of it.

The acetate sheets can be found in office supply stores. They are used for overhead projectors and such and come in two versions: for inkjet printing and for laser printing.

The ones I have, made by 3M, are very thin. I'd like to get some thicker sheets but they are probably marketed as something else.

Thanks so much! I guess I'm headed to staples on my lunch break tomorrow!!

So YOU are the one who taught me about Rub 'n Buff!!!!! I've counted that as my MOST clever find from a Blog EVER........there are so many different looks that can be achieved with it, and it's so fool-proof........your Blog has many times helped me look like an "artist" rather than like a kindergarten "crafter", though it would take a gene transplant before I could come close to turning out the beauty you create without thinking of yourself as special at all. You ARE special!

Sorry if I embarrass you, but I am ever so grateful for how generous you are with listing your supplies and techniques so we all can profit from what you do.

Bahb

If you plan on doing any heat embossing, go for the ones designed for a laser printer. The inkjet ones will melt under a heat gun but laser printers get very hot inside so the acetate sheets designed to go through those will stand up to some heat embossing.

For thicker stuff, try looking for "report covers".

Bahb, you're very sweet - thank you!

RubnBuff????

It's a type of metallic wax finish made by Amaco Kathy. Comes in little tubes and a little goes a very long way! The frame of the ornament I attached to post #11 is black card die cut with Nesties and then given a light rub over with Rub n Buff for a nice aged metal finish.

More info about it on the Amaco site here if you'd like it.

Thanks much

For reals?????????????? That is Rub n Buff on black cardstock????????????? Neat!

I never would have guessed either. I thought it was a wooden frame! Beautiful.

I've been using shrink plastic, which is not acetate. The inkjet kind will definitely melt in a photocopier. If you're going to photocopy onto the laser printer kind, I recommend doing "bypass feed" and one sheet at a time. This way you don't jam the copier, and if it melted one you would only melt one. I used StazOn and Sharpie markers on the shrink plastic (do it on opposite sides though, or the marker will dissolve the ink).

Speaking as someone who stood next to an engineer after a colleague put the wrong kind of transparency sheet through a photocopier I would say that if you are going to put anything through a copier or a laser printer, check, check and check again that what you're using is the right material for the job. Melting a sheet inside the copier doesn't just melt the sheet - it has the potential to wreck the drums inside the machine (meaning it's a rather expensive mistake to make).

For me, stamping on acetate is not the easiest thing to do. Rubbing alcohol removes smudged images from the acetate sheet.

Just what I needed!
 

This post was just what I needed! Thank you!

I found mine at michaels in the artist section

I find that using a Stamp-a-ma-Jig makes it much easier to stamp successfully on acetate, as the jig stops the stamp from sliding on the slick surface.

I use my stamp-a-ma-jig all the time, but never thought to use it to steady the stamp on acetate. Brilliant!!!

I've been playing with acetate sheets. I used my Cricut to cut out shapes, but now I'm frustrated trying to find an adhesive that won't show through the image. Should I use vellum adhesive? Does anyone have a better solution?

Do you have a Xyron machine? If not, a good spray adhesive works about the same. With adhesive covering the entire sheet, it becomes invisible. I have found vellum adhesive even shows through vellum, so I doubt it would work for acetate.

I tend to avoid adhesive with both acetate and vellum if I can since it's nigh on impossible to do something that doesn't show and yet still retain the transparant look you wanted - brads or stitching are my usual adhesive by-pass methods!

I like using brads, too, or an embellishment like a die cut shape or flower. Or I'll use adhesive on one edge, and cover it with ribbon or a piece of card stock.