Photo Tutorial: Faux Silk technique with coffee filters

It's a blustery day in the Hundred Acre Wood, as my husband likes to say... the perfect time to learn a new technique in the coziness of your stamp room!

Today I'm going to show you the Faux Silk technique, done with either basket-style coffee filters. Many stampers use white tissue paper, but I like coffee filters better because they are not so flimsy. Sometimes the tissue can tear and ruin all your hard work! If the thickness of the finished card is a concern, though, by all means use white tissue. Both will give you a great fabric-like finished product. Enjoy this quick and easy WOW technique!

To begin, you'll need a coffee filter (grab a couple out of your kitchen, because you're gonna want to make more as soon as you've done one!), a rectangle or square of neutral-colored cardstock, a glue stick, a bone folder, and your stamps and ink.

Stamp your preferred design all over the filter. I used Cajun Craze, More Mustard and Soft Suede with the Gently Falling stamp set for this card. Then, crumple it into a little ball!

Smooth it out only partially--you want to leave some of the wrinkles in. Next, apply glue stick all over your cardstock in a good heavy layer, making sure you get right into the corners.

I LOVE our Anywhere Glue Sticks with their square ends for just such a purpose--plus, the design helps them stay put when they want to go rolling off the table.

Lay your wrinkly coffee filter on top of the gluey cardstock and pat down gently. Then press all the wrinkles down to lay flat with your bone folder. Fold the excess to the back side and adhere with SNAIL (you can trim off excess filter with scissors to make it easier as needed).

There! A very cool and very textural piece to use on your cards. Because this is heavier now, be sure to use the correct adhesives for the job, such as Mini Glue Dots or Sticky Strip instead of SNAIL. Many people make the mistake of using SNAIL where it was never intended to go--a good papercrafter should always have a nice variety of adhesives in her collection.

It's so fun to make cards that people can't resist running their fingers over and asking how you did that! Just make sure to pick up more filters at the store, or you'll be grouchy come the morning you discover you can't make coffee because of your last craft project...

Comments

[Dee in N.H.]

Oh wow! Thanks Lyssa! I can't wait to try this!

[Jenny]

How fun! looks quick and easy! thanks for sharing!

[Gail/basketballmom]

Thanks for this tutorial Lyssa!
It's great - we're going to use it at our church ladies retreat this weekend! :)

[Ginger Giese]

I'm going to try this right now, I have unbleached filter so we shall see how they work.

[Judi 'Stamparooni']

Thanks for the inspiration! This looks like a technique I could do!