Yesterday, I posted a simple DIY Cake Banner using pre-made glitter numbers and stars embellishments, string and skewers.
Over the weekend, I made a large batch of 21st Birthday invitations, which included a glitter 21 at the centre of the invitation. To buy 24 of these would have cost in excess of £70! So - [let's recover from how ridiculous this would have been] - I made my own and it couldn't have been easier - I hope you find this simple 'how to' useful!
What I Used:
Card
Glitter Glue Pens
Scissors
Double sided foam stickers
The best part of making your own, is that you can decide the font style and size, depending on what you need the letters/numbers/shapes for. Print your letters/numbers/shapes on to card [I printed in a light grey, so that any areas missed later by the silver glitter wouldn't show].
I still wanted to maintain a 3D quality to the numbers, so I found glitter glue pens to be the best for this effect. Using a silver glitter glue pen [you can buy 6 in a pack for around £3.99 - 3 x gold, 3 x silver from HobbyCraft], I traced the outline of the letters and then filled in. Once this is complete, the part that takes the longest is the drying....
....and I have no patience. To fully dry, I had to leave well alone for around 3 hours [this will probably vary depend on on how thickly you have applied the glue, and how much you help the process along with a hairdryer!], but it is important to leave until fully dry as you will be holding and moving the card to cut around the outlines.
Once dry, start cutting the letters and numbers with your scissors - you may find that as you cut and move the card, the card bends and the ends may start to stick up or curl due to the glitter and glue - if this does happen, you can flatten them after with heavy book.
To complete, I attached double sided foam pads along the back to give the numbers a 3D effect, and placed on the invitation card:
So simple - and much cheaper! The variations to this are endless, but here are a few ideas:
Alternatives:
- Glitter Card - my printer is not so good at accepting any other stock than standard A4 paper and card [boo] - if yours will allow you to print on to a glitter card surface, you can cut out the longest step [time-wise] - just be sure that if the card has a shiny surface, it wont smudge. [I've heard hairspray is good for overcoming this - has anyone tried it?]
- Patterned Card - if you have a particular theme and can find a pattern on card that fits in, you can create some letters, numbers or shapes in no time by printing using a typeface with only an outline, or print on to plain card first, cut out and use as stencils so that you don't spoil the pattern.
- Sequins and powdered glitter add embellishment and you can create brilliant effects with more than one colour such as two-tone and ombre.
If you choose to use loose or powdered glitter, I strongly recommend using a glue pen - it will help you stay within the lines and glue thin lines too:
Effects:
- Fix to string held between two skewers to create your own cake topper.
- Attach toothpicks to the bottoms, fixed at the back for cupcake toppers.
- Adding double-sided foam will give your glitter letters/numbers/shapes a 3D effect when fixing to a flat surface, such as card.
- Print large for banners, signs and decorations
- Cover the back in glitter also if creating large numbers/letters as hanging decorations [one number per A4 sheet works well].
- Create glitter shape decorations by hanging with thread/ribbons or turn them into gift tags
If you have a go, I'd love to hear how it went, or show me: thethingsshemakes [at] yahoo.co.uk
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