Acetate, Glitter & 3D Lacquer

Koi Greeting Card

Today I have another fun project using Sakura Hobby Craft 3D Crystal Lacquer, acetate, and glitter. I made a tile that I used to embellish the front of a greeting card.

This is an easy technique that delivers results that will have folks asking, “How did you do that?” To start, select the stamp that you’re going to use. I find that images with bold lines and fewer details work best for this project. Next, cut a piece of acetate as large as your stamped image plus margins of at least 1/2″ on all sides. The margins allow you to frame the finished piece without losing any of the image.

Acetate tile with 3D Crystal Lacquer and Crystal Glitter

Cover the acetate with a coat of Sakura 3D Crystal Lacquer. I used a 1″ sponge paint brush to coat the acetate, using an up-and-dawn daubing motion rather than stroking the brush across the acetate. While the lacquer is still wet, sprinkle with a liberal dusting of very fine crystal glitter. Now, the hardest part of any 3D Lacquer project—wait until the lacquer is completely dry. Here’s my tile piece after it dried and before any adornment.

Detail of Koi Tile

Stamp your image onto the glitter-encrusted acetate. I used StazOn jet black. Use markers to color the image. I used Tombow markers because I like the brush tips, but any marker that will lay color onto the tile will work. Here’s a detail of the koi image.

I finished the card by cutting a frame for the koi image. Then, I mounted the framed piece on a square of colored cardstock using foam dots. The framed and mounted piece was glued to the card front.

Acetate and Glitter Charms

I also made some small (1″) charms using this technique. However, instead of stamping an image I laid the color directly on the glittered acetate, blending the colors in a rainbow effect. I used Design Lines stickers by Blue Hills Studio to define the shapes. After applying the stickers, I very firmly brayered them to be sure they stuck to the glittered surface. It was easy to cut out the shapes using either scissors or a craft knife.

You can see more projects using Sakura Hobby Craft 3D Lacquers on the Crystal Lacquer Blog.