Frosty Days at the Zoo with Deco Foil
By Heather Collins

Pittsburgh, PA has one of the most amazing zoos in the country. We are blessed to have an education department within the zoo I have been fortunate enough to be able to take several of the classes and behind the scenes with my children over the years. They built this “Water’s Edge” part of the zoo that has a tunnel that one can walk under and if the polar bears choose to do so they can swim over you and beside you.

This is one of my family’s favorite parts of the zoo and we make sure that we visit it each time that we visit. One of the favorite times to visit the zoo is when they have what is called “Zoo Lights”, not only are many of the animals out but they have light displays also. I made this small shaped canvas to sit on my mantle to remind me of the fun times at the zoo that my family has participated in.

Let’s Get Started

To start this project I cut a piece of the Ultrathick Surface Board by Brutus Monroe down to the desired shape. Then I ran Brutus Monroe Toner Sheet Mixables, Really Radiant through my Minc on setting #4 twice with a piece of cardboard under my sandwich. This really makes sure that you have an even foil transfer.

After this was done I cut the foiled papers down to resemble a hillside, I just used a pair of scissors and freestyle cut. Next, I ink blended on the pieces Ranger Ink – Tim Holtz – Distress Oxides Ink Pads – Broken China, Uncharted Mariner, Weathered Wood”, so they had a more muted look. I didn’t want the foil to be too shiny so that it looked a little like a snowstorm.

When I was assembling the scene I used iCraft UltraBond Permanent Dries Clear Adhesive and added cardboard to give the layers lift and a 3D look. I added iCraft 3D Foam Tape to make sure that the whole project had depth and foreground. This really brought the piece to life. Lastly, I added stickers, gems and chipboard. I wanted this project to have a whimsy look to remind me of the fun time that family had at the zoo, especially when the kids were so young and carefree.