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Brads are a great basic for scrapbooking, card making and so many other paper crafts! This month we’ve got a special for you—a downloadable Brad Sampler you can print out and post in your store.
Post it next to your brad selection, hand it out in class, or use it as a premium for customers buying brads.
The Techniques
All the techniques on the sampler are perfect for scrapbookers, stampers and card makers—and they’re great for beginners or experienced paper crafters. Here are a few tips that you can pass on to your customers:
Sanded brad: Yes, the customer can use a piece of sandpaper to achieve this look, but we suggest you recommend whatever sanding tool you’re selling in your store. Hold the brad by the prongs, then sand along the top. Embossed brad from Classic Embellish-abilities™.
Sanded and White Ink: Sand the button brad, then tap a white StazOn ink pad around the edges and on the top to accentuate the detail. Tip: This button brad gets even more dimension if you dot a black fine-tip Sharpie marker in the faux holes. Button Brads from Pastel Pink Button Brads.
Rub-On and Black Ink: Yes, you can apply a rub-on to metal! Attach the 22mm Great Big Brad™ to scrap paper first, then transfer the rub-on. Remove the brad from the paper, then tap around the edges with a black StazOn ink pad. Brad from Flea Market Embellish-abilities™; “Love” rub-on from Words Rub-Ons.
Punched Circle of Paper: A 3/4" circle punch perfectly fits a 22mm Great Big Brad™. Simply punch the paper and glue it to the top of the brad with any type of adhesive. (Glue stick works just fine.) Want more dimension? Ink the edges of the circle and/or the brad. Brad from Flea Market Embellish-abilities™.
Double Rub-Ons: Not only can you apply one rub-on to a Great Big Brad™, you can apply one on top of the other. Simply transfer the “2-gether” image toward the bottom of the brad, then transfer “sweet” slightly overlapping. Brad from Fresh Berry Great Big Brads™; rub-ons from Words Rub-Ons.
Sanded and Penwork: You can alter the brad—and you can enhance it with simple pework, like this flight pattern. The dragonfly was sanded, then attached to paper and a dashed line drawn onto the paper. Dragonfly brad from Pastel Green Dragonfly Brads.
Balloon Brad and Penwork: This balloon brad was left as is (though you could add a rub-on!) and a swoopy penwork balloon string added below it. Simply attach the brad to the page and add a free-form string. Balloon brad from Navy Balloon Brads.
Brad Edged with Paint: A quick swipe with cream acrylic paint gives this silver brad a shabby chic look (it looks great as the center of a silk flower!). Simply hold the brad by the prongs and lightly swipe acrylic paint around the edges using a foam brush or cosmetic wedge. Let dry, then attach to paper or flower. Brad from Shiny Bright Things Great Big Brads™.
Sanded Brads and Flower: Adding an uneven number of brads to the center of a flower is a great design technique. Here we chose five brown mini brads, sanded the tops and attached them to the flower. First, sand the brads, then attach the flower to your paper with one brad in the center hole of the flower. Use a pencil to mark four other positions around the center brad, then use a craft knife to make holes and insert the brads as you cut. Flower and mini brads from Flea Market Embellish-abilities™.
Love these brad techniques? Try a class or demo on altering or embellishing with brads!
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