Claire here, and I’ve got some exciting (and slightly scary) news to share: I’ve finally decided to take the plunge and launch my own part-time interior design business, Claire Zinnecker Design! I feel incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by so many creative, talented and supportive people who have helped me reach this point and shown me the endless possibilities in the world of design, and I know I’ll be reaching out to them more than ever as I embark on this new adventure. Establishing my own business means facing a whirlwind of to-do’s (DBA, EIN, EID, website, resume, portfolio…), so I thought I’d start tackling my list by making DIY business cards (baby steps!). This design is personal and handmade, yet professional and glamorous at the same time. Keep reading to see how I made them, and don’t miss the step-by-step instructions at the end of the post…
- photos printed from your Instagram photos (I used Print Studio, but Printstagram is great too)
- personalized wooden stamp (I had mine made at Capitol Rubber Stamp — helpful, fast and inexpensive)
- gold pigment ink pad
- ZING! gold embossing powder
- Heat Embossing Gun
- paint brush
- Have your favorite Instagram photos printed at 3 3/8″ x 2 1/8″.
- Design and order your personalized stamp, keeping in mind the size of the photo prints.
- Press the stamp into the pigment ink pad and firmly stamp onto the back of the card. Note: I found that the colored pigment ink actually worked better than the “embossing” pigment ink pad.
- Sprinkle the gold embossing powder onto the stamped card, making sure you cover the entire inked area.
- Turn over to shake away the excess powder.
- Use a paint brush to dust off any stray specks of glitter. Be careful not to touch the letters at any point!
- Hold the heat gun a few inches over the card to turn the powder into beautifully embossed type. Make sure not to hold the gun too close or in any one spot for too long.
- Embossing dries within 5-10 seconds. Repeat for each card.
