Holly FairyCompleted by Tracy Creedy

This is how I made my project. Hope you like it. It was fiddly but fun to cut out. Most of it didn’t even need ‘inner cutting’ with a craft knife. I managed mostly with scissors.

1. Print off all sheets that have the card images on them.

2. Cut out all the decoupage layers, curl and curve from the back with a round edged tool and a soft area like a mousepad or foam, then add double sided foam pads to the back. Take a soft pencil around all the white cut edges, especially where there’s dark areas. This takes the eye away from the edge and more on the picture itself.

3. Mount up onto the base picture last just in case you make a mistake (it’s cheaper to re print the smaller graphics out again.)

4. Add to your blank card base and then finish with the insert if any. ( For future reference if there isn’t an insert on your project print out the base pic again but in 25 percent or less so it’s a whisper of a copy then you can reprint wording on top or write it.)

5. When you stick the insert in always put the double sided tape on the upper side so that when the card is opened so does the insert sheet. Make sure your insert is about 3mm shorter then the card around the open edges so it doesn’t stick out.

5. Add any glitter glue or gems, 3D gloss even. I added some iridescent glitter glue to my project. I knew it would react with the back and make it look more like under the sea. The 3D gloss I added to the violin to make it look more realistic and I popped tiny dots of gloss on the eyes and other little areas I felt would add interest to the project.

Once dry it’s complete and ready to go into the envelope and be posted.

Tip, if you want a more metallic look print onto high gloss photo paper. (I used Matt paper for this one)

Then you can add double sided tape or fast drying glue to the edges of the cut outs as well as foam pads to the centres then when you mount them up the edges will stick down to the one underneath in an arc decrease in size so when absolutely finished re cut round everything and your metallic little character with look like a real 3D tin person or doll.