Today’s technique is one I learned from Heather Nichols that she calls Cracked Glass.

Remember a couple of weeks ago during the Faux Metal technique I mentioned that sometimes you want the embossing powder to crack? Well, this is that time!

(Sidenote 1: Kristina Werner recommended trying white embossing powder for the faux metal technique to get the look of porcelain. It’s pretty cool!)

Moving on….

Once again, you only need minimal supplies: VersaMark Ink, Clear Embossing Powder, a heat gun, and a stamp of choice.

(Sidenote 2: I keep all my embossing powder in lock and lock containers. They don’t open and make a mess, they’re big enough to hold a spoon so you can easily coat  a piece in powder, and you don’t have to try to get the powder back in that little bottle – you just do it all over the container.)

Now, I think this technique looks best with a flower, or something that would look good as vintage, but for fun, I chose an old October Afternoon favourite – the monsters from Night Light!

Seriously, could they be any cuter?

Anyway….

Stamp your image.

As you can see, I just stamped him on some scrap paper, you only need a little space so no need to cut into a new sheet!

I stamped mine in Memento Tuxedo Black as I coloured the monster in with Copics. Please forgive the colouring – a Copics master, I am not, but I love how he turned out, with his teal spots and little dots all over him!

I then masked the image and stamped a text background around him, but that isn’t necessary and, in this case, didn’t really show up in the final product anyway.

Punch or cut out your shape and we’re ready to go!

Press VersaMark onto the image and clear heat emboss. I only had regular embossing powder, but UTEE would be best if you have it – less time and thicker coverage. I think I used 4-5 layers but UTEE would probably only need 2-3. Keep layering untill you get a thick, even, smooth coating.

If I was to do this again, I would leave the monster just as he is at this step. I liked him better uncracked – again, flowers and things that look more vintagey work best for this technique. I used Stampin’ Up! A Flower for All Seasons (retired) before and they turned out awesome!

Now let it cool. Technically, it cools in a few seconds but I find the crack happens best if you *really* let it cool down. Give it a half hour or more while you’re working on the rest of your project.

Now gently crack the embossing and rub a light brown ink, like Old Paper, into the cracks.

You can see the wet ink below the embossed surface here – that will absorb into the paper in a minute so don’t worry about the splotchy puddles!

Now, you just have to add it to your project! I had a little lovefest with October Afternoon and used 3 different lines to complete my tag – Night Light, Rocket Age, and Sidewalks. The stick pins are from My Little Bit of Whimsy and the stencil from The Crafter’s Workshop – Herringbone.

Lots of dimensions with foam adhesive, the rubber charm, the stick pins, and the cracked glass piece.

Try this out and let me know what you think! Can’t wait to see what you make with it – leave me a link in the comments!

S.