How to Add Foiling to Your Crafts

Use our step-by-step guide to learn how to use various techniques for making foil crafts. We show you how to do everything from using a foiling heat tool to using liquid foiling adhesive. It's so easy!

Foiling

Materials

• Craft Foil or Leafing Sheets
• Liquid Foiling Adhesive, Foiling/Glue Inkpad, or Foiling Heat Tool
• Clean Surface
• Burnisher: bone, old toothbrush, craft stick.

Step by Step

Liquid Foiling Adhesive

1. All liquid foiling adhesive vary in instruction so read the labeling very carefully. Some adhesives must dry until tacky while other say dry until milky clear. You will apply the adhesive either in a thin coat covering an entire surface or apply in lines for a design.
    
2. Once adhesive is set to label instruction, lay the lay the foil or leafing with the dull side down on top of surface as smoothly as possible.
    
3. Burnish or firmly rub over the foil or leafing to adhere it to the adhesive. Foil has a thin clear backing while leafing is just the raw material.
    
4. If using foil, lift the clear film backing and make sure you’ve rubbed the foil onto the entire surface. If not, place back down and continue to burnish.
    
5. If using lines of adhesive, just cover the lines and burnish. Lines are best burnished with an old toothbrush so you can get into nooks and crannies.

Foiling/Glue Inkpad

1. This technique uses a rubber stamp. Ink stamp with foiling inkpad and stamp image. Clean stamp immediately.
    
2. Heat foil glue with heat tool.
    
3. Press down foil and burnish.

Foiling Heat Tool

1. Usually a pen like tool that heats up by batteries.
    
2. Foil is placed down onto surface and you use the foiling heat tool by lightly pressing down. Dull side down and apply foiling heat tool to the shiny topside of foil.