Mel Stampz: September 2008

Monday, September 29, 2008

Turn Rub-ons into Pastel Primas!

This started as a muck-up, but I'm likin' having a new 3D use for rub-ons. I failed at the rub-0ns trick from page 23 of the autumn/winter 2008 Close To My Heart Idea Book. I just love that catty; thank you lovely Anna DaGenerous! (So anywho, this was a technique where you add pastel to the rub-on & then rub it on. It gives a halo.) However, I flopped. I used Stampin' Up! rub-ons & pastels so maybe that's why it didn't work. But... it did turn into something else: homemade pastel primas out of rub-ons.

I didn't want to waste the rub-ons when they wouldn't stick, so I decided to add 'em to a project another way. It was really easy to cut them into flowers and curl them a little for shaped primas. Here's how-to:

Supplies for Pastel Rub-on Primas :

(I used Stampin' Up! supplies; I'm not sure how other brands perform.)

For the flowers:

Rub-ons (SU)
Pastels(SU)
Bone Folder
Gem Brads

Making the Flower:

Cut a rub-on & remove its backing
Dab pastel onto the sticky side of the rub-on ( I used 2 colours red & turquoise)
Dust off excess pastel powder
Trim around the shape with scissors
Curl them (I used a foam mat under them & rubbed a bone-folder over them)
Add a brad through it...

This is the back view of the rub-on. From the front, the white (or whatever colour rub-on you have) will show through with a halo of colour around the edges.)

Intricate rub-ons like these dotted ones from Stampin' Up! are good for this since the colour shows through the spaces inside the design. I can just picture the snowflakes from "Word Flurries" or the flowers in "Hidden Garden!" Ouuu dreamy! (For you Demos, it'd be a fun way to show customers another use for pastels & rub-ons.)

One way to use pastelled rub-ons...

I used these pastel rub-on flower thingies on this little notebook I made as a thank you for someone special. I'll post a notebook tutorial for you soon; it's SO easy! (Just pierce the card center & stitch some folded paper in the center.)

Schtuff for the notebook:

Close To My Heart Perfect Day paper
Hole punch (to distress the CTMH paper with holes)
Red Ridinghood In-colour cardstock (matches the CTMH paper perfectly)
Cardstock to form notebook (Naturals Ivory 12x12)
Paper for inside of book
Sakura Glitter pen or silver pen
White embroidery thread
Paper piercer, foam mat & needle
Metal frame thingy (Dollarama store in Ontario) :O)
Quickie Glue Pen
Silver embossing powder
Crystal Lacquer

To decorate this Notebook....

Add rub-ons where you'd like them
Doodle lines for stems or a flourish or something ( I use a silver or glitter pen so it's pretty if it shows under the stitching.)
Pierce holes along the lines
Stitch along the design
Stick 3D pastel rub-ons on over top

The sentiment (A) is made by glue embossing a letter:

Draw out the letter in Sakura Quickie Glue Pen
Sprinkle with embossing powder
Heat it & Punch out the letter
Glue onto the back of the charm with Crystal Lacquer

Here's a quick look at the inside (I stitched some paper in the middle and added a little area at the back for notes. This gorgeous distress-look blue graph paper is also from Close to my Heart. (Thanks again Annapurna! You ROCK!)

Thanks for poppin in! :O)

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Pierced Paper Patterns (with faux enamel)

This handmade artsy paper gives kind of a funky look because of the piercing & the sparkle of glitter covered in the glossy Crystal Lacquer. (Click the pic for a HUGE close-up look.) Piercing & faux enamel works great with embroidery patterns, but is a really flexible technique. You could use any clip art, any stamp, or any line image (You could even pierce the images on designer/patterned papers & "enamel" them.)

I'm dyin' to try piercing Gesso cardstock (or any paper that you paint Gesso on --which makes it very strong) You could also pierce fabric papers (I love Linen StickStock from Close To My Heart.)

Supplies:

Paper piercer & mat
3 straight pins
Cardstock/paper. This lined paper is from Close To My Heart
Marker (waterproof if you like)
Gems
Sakura Glitter pen
Crystal Lacquer
Template I got this from Martha's Dot-Painted China project but you could use any stamp image, any embroidery pattern (or any image at all.)

Pierced Paper & Faux Enamel:

Pierce Images into Cardstock:

Lay your cardstock or patterned paper on a piercing mat (if it is thin paper you can reinforce it with another piece of paper under it.)
Lay the template/pattern over top of it.
You can anchor your pattern with three pins poked into holes of the pattern (this will let you move around and pierce it without messing up the pattern)
Pierce the holes to create the pattern (being careful not pierce to closely together or it may tear.) You can use your pierced pattern as is or you can continue and embellish it...

I just love the deep sparkle & shine that you can get if you colour with a Sakura Glitter pen & go over it with Crystal Lacquer:

Colour areas with Glitter

Colour some areas with marker for interest

Add a layer of Crystal Lacquer over it all & let it dry well.

It may buckle a little from the moisture in the adhesive (bit it should dry flat.) Stuff that will help prevent permanent buckling:

Glue thin paper down to a heavier cardstock with an allover adhesive (even good glue stick.)
Use watercolour paper
Experiment with types of Crystal Lacquer

You can see that the SU stamp'n'write marker bleeds to give a sort of vintage water-stain look to it (the marker runs from the lacquer.) If you don't like that distressed look, you can just use waterproof permanent marker (if you're stamping before piercing use Stazon or a waterproof equivalent)

Some ideas...

You can use a little or a lot of colour. (Some markers/other mediums may bleed.)

You can embellish with beads or gems...

Different papers will work differently. Thin paper can tear, but you can prevent tearing by supporting thin papers with a sheet of cardstock under them.

You can pierce more than one image at once (for multiple projects)

You can leave the holes plain, circle them with a glitter pen, or draw stitches between them (you can draw stitches with a Sakura quickie glue pen & sprinkle on embossing powder for heat embossed stitches. Of course you can also hand stitch after piercing if you like :O)

You can turn your finished pierced pieces into luminaries, window hangings, or add them to lampshades because the light shines through the holes prettily. I think the technique might make nice Christmas ornaments with Christmas lights shining through them...

(This finished project is going to be a notebook. I'm workin' on a tutorial for a really speedy way to make cards into notebooks... I'll be posting it this week in case you'd like to give it a go. And I'm workin' on a tutorial for trying this with stamping too.) :O)

Thanks for taking time from your busy day! :O)

P.S. Patterns that might be fun for this:

This paper piercing pattern

Any of these flower templates