Marbleized paper is a lot of fun to make and you can use the papers for a variety of projects! This is a simple and easy method for creating marbleized paper with fun results every time! Turn your marbleized papers into greeting cards, bookmarks, elements in collage work, book covers, etc. or use this same method to create your marbleized effect on things like envelopes, eggs (for Easter decorations) blank sticker/label papers, etc.! Since it’s almost Valentine’s day, I thought a heart garland would be fun but you can use any shape with the same method!
What you need for Marbleized paper:
- Shaving cream
- Food coloring
- Card stock
- Wooden skewer or toothpick
- 9″x13″ baking dish or aluminum foil pan (or something similar to be used as a vat)
- Squeegee, ruler, or piece of cardboard (around 4″x6″)
What you need to make a heart garland:
- Your Marbled paper!
- Scissors
- Pencil
- Hole punch
- Heart stencil or cookie cutters to trace (or heart punches)
- String – I Used embroidery thread but you could also use twine, cotton, yarn, or smaller thread for mini garlands!
CREATING MARBLEIZED PAPER:
Step one: Fill the bottom of your vat with shaving cream!
Step two: Use your ruler, squeegee, or cardboard to smooth out your shaving cream (this doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth!).
Step three: Add drops of food coloring to your shaving cream – I just started off with a few drops of one color, we can add more colors later!
Step four: Swirl your food coloring around with your skewer or toothpick to create a marbleized effect!
Step five: Continue to move your color around by dragging your toothpick or skewer through the shaving cream and color! Be careful not to mix too much – we want to see the swirls!
Step six: Once you’re happy with your marbled look, carefully place your paper on top of your shaving cream! I find the best method is to gently roll your paper and place the middle of your paper on the shaving cream first, then letting the sides unroll into the shavings cream. This way helps reduce any air bubbles that get trapped between your paper and the shaving cream! Gently press your paper into the shaving cream!
Step seven: Pull your paper out of the shaving cream!
Step eight: Lay your paper on a flat surface, shaving cream side up!
Step nine: Use your squeegee, ruler, or cardboard, to remove the shaving cream from your paper – try to do this in one swoop of your tool. You can place the used shaving cream back into your vat and use again!
Step ten: Continue to make more papers in the same vat – smooth your shaving cream add colors and swirl! Colors will start to mix the more you use the shaving cream and eventually you may need to add new shaving cream to avoid a muddy look!
Step eleven: Let your marbleized papers dry!
MAKING A HEART GARLAND:
Step one: Trace your heart shapes on your marbleized papers!
Step two: Cut out your hearts!
Step three: Punch holes towards the top of your hearts on each side.
Step four: Take your string and string your hearts by placing the thread through the top of a hole & coming back up the bottom of the second hole!
Step five: Hang your heart garland!
Check out other projects to do at home here and let me know if you’ve given any a try!
Love the marbleizing process. But I have no shaving cream. Is there another product that would work?
Hi! Shaving cream is the easiest method I’ve used but I have also created marbleized papers with Alum & liquid starch for a similar look to the shaving cream. Another easy method is Suminagashi (a Japanese paper marbling method) but the effect is slightly different from the shaving cream – I will be posting this method in the upcoming months! You could also try the method I’ve use on eggs: https://artroomhappenings.com/2020/04/04/marbled-easter-eggs/ but on paper instead! 🙂
Thanks for the suggestions.