Metal Tape Experiments

After watching this video about metal tape on Youtube and sharing it with a friend who had to take some time off work, we decided that it would be fun to give it a try.  I wanted to make a postcard and she decided to make her holiday cards for the year.
I found metal tape at Wmart, in the hardware section by the caulk and duct tape. It’s called waterproofing tape. Be warned, the adhesive on the tape is stinky, but it does go away after the tape is stuck down and has a chance to set.We decided to make a sample sheet, to see what worked and what didn’t. Basically I just kept pulling interesting things out of the craft room and putting metal tape over them. What we ended up liking the best was cardstock cut into shapes and mesh that you patch drywall with. I think that I need to find someone with a die cutting machine to make me some fancy letters and shapes.I cut out a bunch of shapes and some mesh strips and covered the whole thing with tape. Smoothing the tape with my fingers made the designs underneath start showing up. Using a variety of tools I accented the designs and added extra details like lines, dots, and scrolls. A bone folder is really handy for smoothing out wrinkles in the tape and to smooth out design mistakes. I also really liked using a wooden orange wood stick (pointed on one end and angled on the other, used for grooming cuticles and nails)
Adding paint really makes the different textures pop. On this piece I used black paint, copper paint, and greek copper rub-n-buff. I really like the steampunk look this technique gives. I think I went a little overboard with the layering of elements, the K monogram, in the center, seems to get lost with all the other elements.
We had a lot of fun playing with this tape and my friend did manage to finish a few cards too. I can’t wait to see what else we can use this technique for.
Have a super crafty weekend!!!