Tissue Background Tutorial

Hi there. I made this card is for the color challenge at Kristine Werner's blog this week. There are instructions below for creating the tissue paper background. The bird is from Pun Fun and the swirl stamp is from Baroque Motifs, both from Stampin' Up.


Start by laying ink on a piece of Plexiglas. You can use reinkers or if you are like me and don't have many colors, just sponge or apply the color from your stamp pad.

If you do it this way, be sure to start with your lightest color first and work darker from there, so that you don't muck up you light colors.


Keep adding colors until you are satisfied. I used River Rock, Groovy Guava and Purely Pomegranate.


Next, spritz the plexi with water. You want to add enough to help the colors blend together, but not get muddy.

Lay a piece of tissue paper over your plexi. You can scrunch it up and smooth it out first, if you want some creases. Pat down the tissue until it is saturated. Lift it very carefully (it tears easily when wet). Allow it to dry. You can speed the process up with a heat gun if you are careful.

Use a paint medium like Modge Podge and paint the surface of a piece of card stock. I used clear gloss medium by Liquitex, but you could even use watered down glue if you would like.

Lay the piece of tissue on the card stock and gently add another coat of the medium. Allow to dry.

Once dry, trim to the desired size. It is a good idea to use a guillotine style cutter. Sometimes when I used a sliding trimmer the tissue tries to tear, rather than cut.

For a more finished look, cover the surface with Versa Mark and heat emboss with clear embossing powder. You can also add a stamped image first, like I did.


Is that clear as mud? Let me know if you have any questions.

Have a great day!