"Procrastibaking" Print + Adventures in Gold Foil Toner Transfer

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This Monday in Wonderland, apparently I was set to go all out. Not only did I doodle up a print that I’ve been dreaming of making for a while, but I also put some gold foil transfer to the test!

Now firstly, this printable really speaks to my heart, because I am such a “procrastibaker!” Whenever I’m really stressed and busy, making pancakes, cookies or cake is one of my favorite ways to relax. Fresh-baked bread would also be AMAZING to make on those overwhelming days! Regardless, this is both good and bad for me. Good, because I need to protect my mental health and I need to eat, and bad because there goes another hour without my to-do list making any process. At least compared to Netflix-binging, baking has you on your feet and creating. I support procrastibaking as one of the finest  forms of procrastination.

This gold foil attempt though—it did not leave much time for procrastination at all! I ended up getting it to work pretty well through testing a lot of different tutorials. In the end, here’s what I did:

You will need

A toner (or “laser”) printer

Paper

Gold transfer foil

An iron

Press cloth

Print your design onto the cardstock, turning up the quality of the print if possible. On a hard surface, cover all the parts you want gold-foiled with the gold foil shiny-side up, and use an iron to heat press. Make sure to lay a press cloth or additional piece of computer paper over top of the print and foil, and iron for at least 30 seconds, using lots of pressure and paying special attention to ironing the edges, pressing in the same spot for about 5 seconds at a time. Using a small towel or old shirt, rub back and forth across the page to press the design down, with the cover sheet still on top. After this, I ran the iron over the paper one more time for good measure.

Let cool COMPLETELY (I waited an agonizing 10 minutes), then gently peel up the excess foil, leaving only the gold over the design. Frame and hang if desired!

Regular printer paper as opposed to white cardstock worked best for me, unlike some of the tutorials I read. I also used the same deco foil as in my Gold Textured Bathroom Sign and Nostalgic Key Hooks. I think it works much better with the designated adhesives rather than the toner, so perhaps a different gold transfer foil would better suit your project! There are so many wonderful brands out there, so if you’re serious about foiling, experimenting may be well worth it! I honestly just chose this one because I had it on hand, and it’s pretty inexpensive. Also, I wouldn’t try to fill in any spots that don’t stick the first time by foiling over them again as you would normally do with the adhesives for this foil product—it just tends to smear the toner!

Have you had any luck with this gold-foiling technique? And are you a “procrastibaker” like me?

Stay lovely,