Faux Fabulous: Cloisonné

While looking for a pretty and unique-looking accent for a layout dedicated to my daughters I came across a faux Cloisonné technique. Cloisonné is a type of enamel wear in which thin metal bands separate areas of brightly colored enamel. It was first seen in Beijing during the Yuan Dynasty between 1271-1368. The appeal of Cloisonné is in the rich colors and flowing detailed lines.

To create your own faux Cloisonné you'll need the following supplies:

• dye-based ink pad or a VersaMark Watermark Ink Pad
• A stamp of your choice,o. One that is fairly easy to cut out and can possibly be layered. You'll have to experiment and find out which images appeal to you.
• opaque detail embossing powderPowder. I like black or metallic. You can use any color of your choice as long as it is both opaque and very fine (should be labeled Detail Embossing Powder).
• embossing heat gunGun
• Exacto Knife and cutting matMat
• magazine clippings. Be sure not to overly handle the pages - oils from your fingers will cause extra embossing powder to stick to them. Pick images such as floral scenes and color-rich, slightly busy backgrounds to achieve the most dynamic look. You only need a small section, so look closely at backgrounds and advertisements to pick the best possible options for your faux Cloisonné.

This is a collage of magazine scraps I've collected to use in Cloisonné projects.

Trim your magazine clippings to a manageable size and stamp your image using the light-colored dye or VersaMark ink. Since your magazine is glossy you'll have plenty of time to sprinkle on your detail embossing powders and heat set the image with your embossing gun.

Once your image has cooled cut it out and use your piece to accent your layout, or as a smaller element within a larger embellishment.

This technique was used to create the butterfly accents for this layout dedicated to my daughter.

If you look closely you'll see that I stamped and embossed the image onto the tag as well as onto the magazine pages. After cutting out the main body and wing sections I layered them over the stamped image so that I could include the head and antenna areas. This is a great way to incorporate images with small or detailed sections that you can't successfully cut out due to size.

Cloisonné is an elegant technique that is also quite versatile. Try creating whimsical accents by using brightly colored images and bold child-like stamps. Or go in the totally opposite direction and look for softer colors and finely detailed vintage-style stamps. You'll be amazed at the variety of ways you can use this fun technique. So gather those magazines and scissors, because you'll find that once you start you just can't stop seeing beauty in everyday images.

*Magazines are not considered an acid-free product.