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Altered books - Foil lettering


Shiny metal foil tape, the self-adhesive type, can be found in hardware stores.  The brand that I found had black ink writing all over it (what were they thinking?), but I removed it easily with some acetone, aka nail polish remover!  Look for a brand that has a thin film on the back that you can peel off to uncover the sticky part.  This makes it much easier to handle until you're ready to stick it in place.

Materials and tools list from Part One

1. Use a stylus, a blunt pencil, or an empty ballpoint pen tip to write on the foil tape.  All you want to do is to incise the letters, not to leave any ink.

2. Thin some black acrylic paint until it is thin enough to run into the incised lines you made.  Wipe each word with paint, and wipe it right back off the tops of the foil, leaving it down in the lines.

3. Peel off the film from the backs of the words and stick them in place on your otherwise completed page.


Part One: Introduction to altered books
Part Two: Mixed text technique
Part Three: Blending in an image
Part Four: Nesting pages
Part Five: Adding tabs
Part Six: Making a frame
Part Seven: Slicing up an image
Part Eight: Foil lettering
Part Nine: Doors and other flaps
Copyright 2010 Cyndi Lavin. Not to be reprinted, resold, or redistributed for profit. May be printed out for personal use or distributed electronically provided that entire file, including this notice, remains intact.

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Comments

What a neat technique! I love finding things outside the craft aisle that can be used artistically.

Do you know what the tape is designed for, Cyndi? I've never noticed tape like this in the hardware store.
Cyndi L said…
Well, I think it was mostly designed for us to use ;-) But besides that, I used double sided automotive tape.
Colleen said…
This is a great idea! I love this tape and use it frequently but never thought to do lettering! Thanks for the idea!
Cyndi L said…
Thanks Colleen! Don't forget about other designs besides just lettering... :-)