Paper Veil Sospeso and More

Hi friends my fascination with Sospeso Transparente continues and since its a rage among Indian crafters and is so easy to do , sharing yet another simple tutorial + trying to answer common queries you may have.

• If you are already familiar with Paper veil technique scroll down to see some quick and easy ways to further beautify your Sospeso designs.
• For those new to Sospeso Transparente ,do read my introduction post on Sospeso Transparente using printed films first: Sospeso Transparente tutorial .

Printed films are the easiest way to start with the craft  but there are some cool techniques you can do using Paper veils plus paper veils are much more economic if you want to make lots of flowers.
What is the difference between Printed films and Paper veils?
Printed films are plastic and after cutting the designs you can jump straight into the heat and emboss stage to make your flowers
Paper veils are  made of thin paper and you need to stick it to special Sospeso plastic films first.
Materials for Paper veils Sospeso

1. Paper veils 
2. Glue - special Sospeso Transparente glue
3. Plastic films - special Sospeso Transparente one

   

   Materials
4. Water + brush + container to mix 
5. Embossing tools + Embossing Pad - specially designed for Sospeso
6. Heat Source - Candle -is the easiest

Here is the link to Sospeso Transparente Materials

Cut out the design roughly. 

Now if you are going to stick and cut it out again you may wonder why the double process...well its difficult to stick a large sheet of super thin paper without wrinkling so we cut it up and stick it!

Cut the design

Stick the designs to Sospeso Transparente plastic films using diluted Sospeso glue. 

Why dilute? Well paper veils are super thin and you dont need a big blob of thick glue!Mix roughly equal amount glue +water to get a thin glue.

Dilute the glue

Either apply this thinned glue all over your transparent films and then stick the designs or individually apply glue to each cut design and stick it.Its completely up to you.

Apply glue

Now common question : Which side to apply the glue ? on design side or its back- Either way you can do it!
If you apply glue on the design side of the paper veil and stick it to the plastic you get the classic plastic flower look of Sospeso Transparente otherwise called Porcelain effect since plastic will cover your flower design
If you stick glue on the back side of the design and stick to the plastic you get a paper look or otherwise called Matte effect since plastic is under your flower design !

Smoothen

Since paper veil is so thin sticking it to the plastic needs a bit of decoupage skills and finesse - otherwise you will wrinkle and even tear the paper! [I know cos I did it!!] Using your hand to stick it is crazy..it will lift, tear ,wrinkle and act all crazy! You can use a wet wipe sort of thing to blot and help stick the design or do it the more sophisticated way using a decoupage spatula [ the red tool shown above]

Face up and Face down!

The picture above shows how the transparent sheet + stuck on cut designs looks like when its dry. Give enough time to dry.Notice some of my designs have the design side facing up that's for some fun effects I 'll show you]

Ready to Heat and Emboss

Once dry - you again cut! Yeah I told you you would ask why the double cutting!
This time cut  the designs precisely and for each flower cut along the petal lines to nearly reach the center[ just like we did for the Printed films ]so that you will be able to emboss and give shape to your flowers.

Heat on plastic side

Now the most fun part and which makes all the gluing and cutting all worthwhile-- the Magic transformation that occurs on heating your cut designs!
Depending on how you glued your design you will heat either the design side or the back side.No need to get confused- just remember you have to heat the plastic side!

Heat on plastic side

Once your cut design starts to warm up [ in seconds] you will notice a little tremble  [ the flower petal starts to droop  slightly! ]and that's when you put it on your embossing mat and emboss! You can use a forceps to hold your leaf/ flower if it is too tiny to hold with your fingers. Most Sospeso Transparente flowers look good with convex petals and a cupped center.

Embossing

Now your Sospeso Transparente flowers are ready!
They look gorgeous just as they are  but how about having more fun with some crafty stuff you may already be having with you / I tempt you to get!

Crackle Effect

Crackle Paint

I talked about the Matte effect didn't I - you can get this by sticking the plastic to the under-surface of the flower/leaf design.The flowers above have the paper on the top surface so they actually look like ordinary paper flowers. Because its paper you can add media you may be already familiar with to achieve some cool effects!

Crackle effect

Ranger's Clear Rock Candy Crackle paint is an extremely popular "crackle media "product I have seen all over the crafting world of late. Its super easy to use. The bottle itself has a little paint brush and after shaking the bottle well to stir up the contents , apply a coating of the crackle paint and allow to dry.

Crackle effect

It dries fairly quickly too and you get a beautiful crackle effect + a glossy shine on your flowers!

Crackle effect

I chose a subtle colored flower design for this tutorial but still I hope you can make out the crackle from the picture.

Now can you use the crackle paint if you made the flowers with plastic surface on top ?- No! I tried it - the crackle just peels off as it doesn't stick to plastic!

Glitter effect

Glitter effect

Most Sospeso flowers look gorgeous as they are but if you want a subtle enhancement then Clear Rock Candy Distress glitter is what you can use.

Distress glitter

Its super easy to use and unlike some irritating glitters doesn't stick everywhere like crazy! You can use your normal glue [should dry transparent] to stick the glitter but I found better adhesion and a more raised effect using glossy accents. Apply glossy accents wherever you want the glitter. Pour the glitter on top , lift it off using a forceps and shake off the excess glitter . It dries super quickly too!

I used distress glitter on the leaf edges for a shimmery frost like effect.

Porcelain flowers + glitter on leaves

Diamond Dust
If you want to get a crystal like look but dont want the crystals to be as big as the ice crystal effect using ground glass you can use diamond dust.

Diamond Dust

Applying diamond dust is the same as using distress glitter.Use glossy accents/ other good adhesive glue on the design area you want covered and sprinkle diamond dust on top.Glossy accent dries super quickly compared to normal glue and adhesion is superior.Shake off excess diamond dust and allow to dry.

Diamond dust

In the flower above I have used diamond dust on the petal edges and just so you can see the difference added ground glass to the center.Ground glass crystals are larger.

Different effects

In the picture above you can see flowers with crackle effect, diamond dust and  leaves with distress glitter.

CD with Sospeso

I kept the project as such pretty simple -added the Sospeso flowers and leaves to a CD and displayed on an easel stand.

CD display

Sospeso Transparente flowers and designs look beautiful as they are but the array of additional techniques you can use to enhance their beauty according to your taste makes sure one is never bored of this beautiful magical craft!

Sospeso Transparente tutorial links

• Sospeso Transparente Basics and Printed film Sospeso Transparente 
• Sospeso Transparente Bouquet tutorial and How to make Sospeso Transparente flower centers
• Ice crystal effect tutorial 
• Fabric Sospeso Transparente tutorial 
• CD recycling with Sospeso Transparente 

I hope you found this super long tips and technique post useful -- do comment !!
Dr Sonia S V

My Blog : Cards Crafts Kids Projects

Craft Supplies
Decoupage spatula, brushes
Flower center options : Pollens and fillers
Glossy Accents, Glitter, Crackle
Sospeso Transparente Materials