Question: I love the look of slide mounts, but I’ve never used them before and I’m stuck for ideas. What are some of my options for covering and decorating slide mounts, and do you have any innovative ideas for how I can use them on my projects?

LeNae Says: Slide mounts are easy to make and they’re so versatile. With a few simple steps, you can create tons of coordinating accents for any of your paper crafts–both decorative and functional! What can you do with them? Here are some tips to decorate and use slide mounts on your upcoming projects:

Covering a Slide Mount
Hot Off The Press’ line of Slide Mount Mania™ slide mounts are made from paper, so they’re easy to alter in many ways. Many also come with both a black side and a white side for extra versatility. Use either side as is, or cover and decorate the slide mount in any way you choose! Apply one of the following methods to cover your slide mount, or combine any of the methods together to create visual dimension.

Cover it with paper. Covering a slide mount with paper is a great way to ensure that the slide mount will coordinate with any project, plus it’s very easy to do–and it gets even easier with practice! Try experimenting with any size, color and pattern of paper, or try using glimmer, suede, metallic or other specialty papers.

Need to know how? Just click here for simple step-by-step instructions to cover your slide mounts. Want to cover a slide mount that has a circular opening? Click here for special instructions for covering circular slide mounts.

Direct-to-paper inking. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to cover slide mounts, try experimenting with different kinds of ink. The white side of a slide is a perfect surface for applying any type of ink.

A regular pigment inkpad is a great tool to start with. You can ink the edges of a slide mount with any color you choose and leave the rest white, or you can rub the ink pad over the whole surface of the slide mount for solid color. By lightly laying the inkpad down on the slide mount without much pressure, you can even create an effect that looks like sand.

Spray walnut ink is another great material to use when covering a slide mount. Simply lay the slide mount on a work surface, then spray the walnut ink over the white side of the slide mount for a spattered effect. Want something smoother? Try using a paper towel to rub in the ink after you’ve sprayed it on the surface.

Alcohol inks also work well on slide mounts and can produce some unique effects with different application methods. Foam brushes are a simple way to add alcohol ink to the surface or just around the edges of your slide mount. By applying ink to the head of a toothbrush and running your finger along it, you can even create a spattered look. (Tip: To avoid long-lasting color on your fingers, use a glove when trying out the toothbrush method.) The Slide Mount Mania™ Super-Size Slide Mounts are especially wonderful when using alcohol inks because one side of the slide mount has a glossy surface. By applying different colors or amounts of alcohol ink on the glossy side (which won’t absorb the inks in the same way the paper side does), the inks will blend together to produce a rich watercolor-like effect.

Chalking. If you want to add subtle color to your slide mount, try applying decorating chalk to the white surface. Cover the whole surface with one or more colors of chalk, or accent just the edges and the opening and leave the rest white.

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Try glitter and other unusual materials to jazz up the surface of your slide mounts.

Experiment. Paper, ink and chalk are all perfect tools to use to cover slide mounts, but they’re certainly not the only ones! Try painting the surface of your slide mount or applying adhesive to the surface and sprinkling glitter all over it for a sparkly twist!

Embellishing a Slide Mount
From ribbons, fibers, brads and clips to vellum, acetate and artwork cut-outs, there are countless materials and embellishments you can use to decorate your slide mount after it has been covered.

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Brads secure the vellum in place while adding color and dimension to this slide mount.

Brads & Clips. Use brads and clips to add a dimensional, metallic accent to your slide mounts while holding things in place! They’re especially great for attaching vellum and ribbons to your slides.

Vellum & Overlays. Vellum or overlays will create visual dimension on your slide mounts–try alternating placing the vellum or overlay on top of or underneath the slide mount for variety. Or, try cutting out images from the vellum and acetate sheets included in the Slide Mount Mania™ Idea Book, then alter them with chalk or permanent markers to coordinate with your projects.

Cut-outs. Artwork cut-outs and alphabet tiles are great for embellishing slide mounts–you can place the artwork behind the window or add it on the front. Artwork from 8”x8” Paper Packs and Cardmaker’s™ Creative Packs are perfect for slide mounts because of their smaller patterns.

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Two slide mounts connected with ribbon make a sweet hanging frame.

There are tons of different materials you can use to embellish your slide mounts, and each material can be used in a variety of ways. Experiment! Try unusual materials or methods, or try recreating slide mount designs from the Slide Mount Mania™ Idea Book.

Using Slide Mounts on Your Projects
There is no right or wrong way to use a slide mount–use them in any way you can dream up! If you need a little inspiration or help getting started, here are a few ways that I like to use slide mounts on my projects:

Frames. Every slide mount has a window in the center that’s perfect for framing photos, journaling and titles. Choose either a square or circular opening in any size that works best for the item you want to frame, and start by simply covering the slide mount. After that, just glue the element to the back of the slide, framing the portion you want to showcase in the window. Add framed photos and journaling to your scrapbook pages, or a framed title to your next sarabook™ or sarabinder™.

Embellishments. The latest trend in scrapbooking is flat embellishments–like slide mounts! Decorating each slide mount is a fun mini paper crafting project that you can showcase on your layouts and cards. Add artwork to the slides that coordinates with the theme of your page or the colors on your card and add your own style and original flair with embellishments!

Gifts. Slide mounts are not just for embellishing other projects–they can also be used to create a personalized gift all on their own! I love to cover two jumbo or super-size slide mounts with coordinating papers, then frame photos in the windows and connect the slides together to make a cute fold-out frame. You can also fold a strip of paper in an accordion style and connect each end to a slide mount to create a fold-out book. Or, try decorating a slide mount and adding a photo or quote in the center, then punch a hole at the top and add a loop of ribbon, fiber or jute to turn it into a handcrafted ornament.

The best way to get to know something new is through experimentation. Slide mounts are small projects, they’re fun to do and they’re totally open to personalization. Since slide mounts are a new trend, there’s still a world of embellishments and techniques waiting to be discovered at your local craft, fabric and hardware stores! Get inspiration from everyday items or from paper crafting magazines and books. Whether you’re starting simple or inventing new slide mount techniques on the spot, do what’s comfortable and don’t forget to have fun with them!

LeNae Gerig’s realistic approach to scrapbooking has made her popular with beginners and experts alike. Want to see more of LeNae’s projects, plus read articles and tips and learn about her favorite scrapbooking products? Get all of LeNae’s insider info at www.scrapbooking101.net.