As a Stampin' Up demonstrator, I love to teach and share techniques -- ways to alter and play with paper so it looks a little more special. So at our June stamp clubs one of the projects used the Faux Leather technique -- and a stamp set from the Occasions Mini catalog that I love -- Just Beachy. (You only have until June 30 to get this set right now. I love the little "woody" car and the flip flops and all the little fish, which you won't see on this card.)

The card base is a 6 inch square of Kraft card stock, folded to a 3 by 6 card. I'm going to tell you about each accent -- and then the faux leather panel. The Laughter saying comes from another soon to retire stamp set, Sweet Serendipity -- love this one. It's stamped with Chocolate Chip CRAFT ink on a little rectangle cut from one of the papers in the lovely Italian paper set called Taste of Textiles (another retiring item). The little lines on that version of Kraft add just the right little detail. It was embossed with clear embossing powder and a little Mini Library clip finishes it off. The car was stamped and embossed the same way -- this time on more plain Kraft card stock then cut out. The "hub caps" are from the Vintage Brads collection -- and the four metals in those match the four metals in the Mini Library clips -- too cute. That flip flop border was embossed using clear Versamark ink and clear powder for a tone-on-tone look. Love doing that.

So now on to the highlight -- the faux leather! I started with a 2" by 3" rectangle of smooth Chocolate Chip card stock -- I like using a smooth finish card stock.
- Press the card stock against a Versamark ink pad until one side is completely coated with the ink.
- Then cover it with clear embossing powder -- don't heat it yet and try to hold by the edges so you avoid fingerprints or knocking off powder. I don't have photos of each step -- but it's really pretty easy.
- Lay the powder-covered card stock on scrap paper or inside one of our great Powder Pals, designed to catch stray embossing powder or glitter. Take the tip of a bone folder or embossing stylus and trace little wavy lines into the powder, removing some of it in little lines that intersect here and there to mimic the look of croco-embossed leather.You want the lines to be wide enough that they won't disappear when you melt the powder.
- Still holding by the edges, pick up your rectangle and tap off the stray bits of powder that you've scraped off.
- Heat the whole thing with a heat tool until it melts and is glossy -- don't over heat as you don't want your lines to melt away.

There you have it -- faux leather. I think you can see the lines a little better in this close up and in person it's really fun. It would make a great accent for a masculine card or to jazz up a 3-D item such as a photo wallet or gift card holder that would look great made from "paper leather."

Remember the current catalog runs through midnight on June 30 -- with the great new book starting July 1. I'll have my annual New Catalog Open House on Sat., July 18 from 10 am to 2 pm -- so send me an email for more info if you live locally on Florida's Space Coast.