Novice needing help with a card idea please!

[CountessCadburyOfBournville]

Dh and I have planned to make our own Christmas cards this year and have this idea of using a star shapped stencil cutout and holding it in position, using some kind of gold or silver powder to dust around the shape of the star, thus leaving a plain card coloured starr shape in the middle.

Now, I have no idea whether you can get either pastel or chalk in gold or silver that I could grind down to a powder, or whether there is something else I could use. Also, how would I stop it from smudging off the card afterwards? I remember using hairspray on pastelpictures when I was teaching- does that sound right?

Can any of you clever crafty mumsnetters help?

Hi Cadders! How are you?

Are you planning on "colouring" the whole of the card, apart from the star shape then or just a border around the star itself?

No, just a border around the star shape I thing, but I wanted it to be sort of fuzzy, IYKWIM, apart from the edge of the star. Not a solid border.

Hello, yourself. I'm doing fine thanks. How are things with you and yours?

I've not tried this but (having just bought a pot of glitter suspended in clear glaze from B&Q) can you mix fine glitter with glue and paint it over the stenci? It may (a) be extremely messy and/or (b) make the card distort with the wetness.

Oooh! Fimo, the polymer modelling clay, used to sell pots of metallic dust which you were meant to "paint" onto the clay model and seal with varnish. It's literally a powder rather than glitter.

White chalk on a dark background, sealed with fixative or hairspray may look OK too.

Thats an idea, think I had a dry sort of effect in my head though. Is it possible?

Crossed posts

Yes the metalic dust sounds like the kind of thing I was thinking of. Couldn't seal it with varnish on the card though . . . . hmm.

Aw...hectic as ever.Had a mad burst of appoinments, at it's worst this week when we are down the hospital for 3 afternoons. Mum still not really sorted, her permentnat line for dialysis has been working for the last few weeks so they are back using her neck line!

Anyway...back to the subject in question I don't use a lot of chalks myself, but I am sure you would be able to find a gold or silver somewhere. If you are after a soft, muted look I do tend to use eyeshadow, blushers...can often find them in bargain buckets for much less than "crafting goodies" have an experiment at home before buying.

Hey, good idea! I hadn't thought about make-up!

Sorry to hear things still aren't right with your mum - she has been through so much .
How are your nerves? Or haven't you stopped long enough to look?

You know where I am if you want to have a sit down and a coffee?

You can definitely get metallic eyeshadows - especially coming up to Christmas. You'd have to seal it with fixative/hairspray. Probably better bet that the Fimo dust (although since I have some, I may see if it fixes like chalk with fixative spray!)

proabably much easier to get hold of than the Fimo stuff too!

Thanks guys. I may even be able to make a start (of the hundreds of cards I'll need to make ) after my birthday at the weekend. It's probably time to make the Christmas Cake too!

Cadders have you already got your card. If not go to the Paper Mill at Chatham Dockside. It works out so much cheaper. I have a board folder that makes folding you own really easy, you can borrow that for a while or if not- I'll fold them for you.

LMK if I can be of any more help.

Dingle.xx

Bless you Dingle. I was planning to go there on Friday
Can you recommend anywhere to get cheep but not too scussy envelopes?
What does a board folder look like?

A board folder looks like this but you can pick them up for much cheaper. They do sell them in Paper Mill Shop but honestly, unless you plan to make a lot of card, please feel that I can return one of the favours you have often done for me and help out!

I buy my envelopes from Craft Creations. I tend to make most of my cards A5 size but if you can get a good choice of A6 size envelopes at very reasonable prices. I subcribe to CC, so I have vouchers to use ATM, with 10% off and money off P&P, so if the have what you are after, again LMK and I can save you a few pennies.

Sorry, trying to rush and my typing is going all over the place.
Craft Creations envelopes

Tha nks, I'll have a look at those anbd let you know lovely dingle