American Crafts Studio Blog: Altered Wood Veneer Tutorial by Janna Werner

Janna Werner is here today to show us how to alter wood veneer and create unique and custom embellishments that she then used on a sweet mini album cover!

Supplies: White (71273) - Cardstock, Ribbon (366193) - Polka Dot Party, Fascinating Friends (366165) - Polka Dot Party. Sparkling Stars (366161) - Polka Dot Party, Savvy Skirt (366168) - Polka Dot Party, Dazzling Décor (3661673) Polka Dot Party, Wood Veneer Shapes (366204) Polka Dot Party, Die-Cut Shapes (366205) Polka Dot Party, Extra Large Tags (366206) Polka Dot Party, Vellum (71719) - Vellum, Double-Sided Adhesive (61754)- This to That, Scissors (AC64201) - CutUp; Other: sewing machine, sandwich paper, gold foil, tweezer

To create the accordion mini album, cut a piece of 12x12" cardstock in three pieces - two in 4x12" and one in 4x8". Fold the pieces at 4x4" and 4x8".

Next, glue the three pieces together - the last piece of strip one with the first piece of strip two and so on. When the pieces are glued together, you have 5 folds and 6 squares on each side.

Use the same patterned paper for the front and backside of the album, it should be a calm pattern, especially if you want to decorate the front part. This will make it easier to create a harmonic design on the cover. Do not glue the front and back paper onto the album yet, only the squares on the inside. You will need 10 of those. Mix different patterned papers to create a lively and happy look.

To be able to close the album in the end, the ribbon needs to be adhered on both sides of the album. Adhering the ribbon on one side only will not be enough for an accordion album. Mix different ribbons to create more interest, but make sure the patterns fit each other and the album. Cut a long piece of ribbon and center it on the front cover, adhere with double-sided adhesive and glue the patterned paper on top. Do the same with the backside.

Gather embellishments for the cover. Wood Veneer Shapes are a fantastic highlight, not only on a layout or card, but also on a mini album. The Wood Veneer Shapes from the Dear Lizzy Polka Dot collection are very versatile and include flowers, words, arrows, and other shapes.The one I used for this album is a flower cluster.

The flower shape could be used as is, the wood has a very warm tone and is very smooth. But it could also be decorated with American Crafts Glitter, for example, or acrylic paint. As I wanted to achieve a a structured and elegant look, I used gold foil to embellish the flower.

If you do not have application milk, use normal liquid glue instead. Spread the glue on top of the flower. The application needs to be even - the best way to achieve an even application is to use your fingers to spread the glue. Clean your hands afterwards, they should not be sticky anymore.

Press the flower into gold foil, also, apply gold foil on empty spots, using your fingers. If your fingers are sticky, you will pull off the foil from the flower. Let the glue dry and apply more glue and foil on the spots that are still empty. Use a tweezer to scratch off the excess. Let it dry (you can also use a heat gun). As soon as the foil sticks to the Wood Veneer, the shape can be attached on the front of the mini album.

Gold foil shimmers a lot and changes the tone, depending on where the light comes from. Applying the foil creates a texture which looks very beautiful and interesting.

If you use gold foil on small, straight embellishments, like the wooden clothespins, for example, you could also use double-sided adhesive, instead of liquid glue (which makes it easier to apply the foil).