Wax Paper Vignettes
A staple in the craft room and my love of wax paper led to making these embellishment pieces. This technique can be used for embellishments like charms or other ephemera like postcards and bookmarks, anything where you would like a truly vintage look as well as to add a little protection. They are very sturdy and with another layer or two of package material can be turned in to ornaments.
Vignettes
What you’ll need:
Images (mine are both 24 lb. and 20 lb. digitals)
Wax paper
Glue (quite a few will work)
Package material or chip board
Brayer (this technique might work with a brayer only)
Sizzix or other die cut machine
Cutting dies
Video Tutorial
Tips:
It’s hard to demonstrate a project that requires paying attention to how much glue is used as well as drying time to avoid a disaster but a few tips are:
Use a glue you are pretty sure will work with non porous materials such as wax paper.
You want thin layers of glue to avoid making a slick surface, don’t make puddles of glue and probably avoid a glue with a lot of water.
Allow the image layer to dry completely before applying the wax paper layer.
Allow the wax paper layer on top to be almost completely dry to ensure adhesion but still avoid sliding when you press it in your machine.
Embellishments will likely curl when completely dry, press under heavy books for a day or two.
You can layer packaging material to create a wood/board like embellishment for ornament making but press only if your machine can handle the bulk and a die cut will be possible, do not force your machine. Add extra layers after your three initial layers if ornaments are your desired project.
Failure led to another technique...
A technique fail with Elmer’s Glue led to another technique that turned out quite beautiful. These images have a coating that is either glue alone or part glue and wax but the fail left a lovely finish that heightened the color and clarity of the image. It also has a super smooth glass like protective finish that might be desirable for covers or other projects. Shown in video.
Since I have seen decoupage artists use a 50/50 mixture of Elmer’s Glue and water to decoupage paper on to glass I am at a loss to explain why Elmer’s Glue did not work.
I’m sure either of these techniques can be applied to numerous projects so I hope they inspire you to try it.
Happy paper crafting!