By definition, translucent (also referred to as vellum) paper is a type of paper that permits the passage of light. That means that when you put a translucent piece of paper in front of something, you can still see what’s behind it. Translucent paper has varying levels of opacity, meaning that some are easier to see through than others. Additionally, translucent paper comes in all shades, including some metallic shades, making this the perfect paper to use as an embellishment for craft projects, special event invitations and scrapbook pages.
In order to demonstrate the added effect of using translucent paper to embellish an invitation or crafted item with a Halloween theme, I printed black text on a regular white sheet of paper, then I added a clear translucent overlay with a cloudy pattern to give the text a “spooky” feeling.
This is the result:

Translucent Overlay makes text look "spooooky"
Another great use of translucent (or vellum) paper is to adhere the translucent paper to the back of an image cut out from a sheet of solid card stock. The result is colorful glowing feature using natural light. In order to demonstrate this use, I printed an orange pumpkin on solid card stock and used an exacto blade to cut out holes for the eyes, nose and teeth. Additionally, I cut the pumpkin out using the outer edge and I also left a rectangular tab along the bottom of the pumpkin for use in making a pop-up cutout. Using spray adhesive, I then attached a piece of bright yellow translucent paper to the back of the pumpkin. I folded the rectangular tab at the bottom of the pumpkin and glued it to a sheet of card stock (sturdy) paper.
Here is the result:

Yellow Translucent backing for "glowing" pumpkin
There are many other great uses for translucent/vellum papers. With a little imagination, the uses are endless!
At ARC Crafts, our translucent papers are acid free, elemental chlorine free, recyclable, and biodegradable. Made from 100% pure cellulose fibers, it is naturally translucent, and free of the resins and other chemical agents that make some translucent paper brittle and hard to fold. This vellum offers outstanding formation and superior printability, and is even naturally grease resistant. Click HERE to check out ARC Crafts assortment of translucent paper!
HAPPY CRAFT-O-WEEN!