Why I Love My Tim Holtz Stamp Platform Step By Step

So how is everyone doing? 

I know the blog has been quiet recently but that is all due to change as starting next month, I am extremely happy to announce the new Speshink Design Team will be going live with posts coming each Monday to the blog featuring makes using my New stamps available at Chocolate Baroque or through the Shop Tab at the top of my blog.

There will be a post in the next couple of days introducing the new team.

( I am sorry if I have not got round to contacting everyone that applied, I was completely caught off guard and overwhelmed with the response for the team xx )

Ok, so today's post is all about why I love the Tim Holtz Stamp platform from Tonic Studios.( Not just because it works great with my stamps ;) )

I mainly work with acrylic paints and it can be hard at times to use an image that needs to be colored over a painted surface as the paint can/will obscure the stamped details this also holds true for surfaces like design papers, and until the stamp platform arrived it was almost impossible to line up and re stamp an image you have already stamped.

( I hope I am making sense? )

The stamp platform allows you to stamp an image and then have a perfect alignment for re stamping in the same place. This lets you stamp an image, paint in the details without worrying to much about going over the lines and then re stamping the image over the painted version.

Below I have stepped out how I use the Stamp Platform.

The best thing is it even works with substrates like mdf and grey board, you just have to be careful about where you position the substrate, the thicker it is the further away from the hinge you need to work.

Start with your substrate, I have used an Mdf tag that has been covered with a Gel Plate print I made a few weeks ago.

The magnets wont be able to hold the tag down as it is to thick but you can use them as a guide for the bottom and side edges of the tag, Just be careful when you remove the tag as you do not want the magnets to move.

position the un inked stamp face down where you want the image to be stamped.

Close the lid and apply enough pressure to pick the stamp up.  One side of the platform is for foam mounted stamps and the other side is for clear cling stamps.

Ink up the stamp and close the Stamp Platform and apply even and firm pressure to get a nice cleanly stamped image, I have used archival ink

As you can see the image is visible but gets lost with the background details and colors. Don't worry, you only need the lines there to help guide you when you start to add paint to the image.

Now the fun begins ;)

Pic a medium to fine detail brush and start to fill in the design. I have used My Aviator stamp fr this tag.

You don't need to worry to much about painting ontop of the inked lines, just be careful not to go outside the lines. This process is actually easier and quicker than it may look and is quite forgiving once you get to re stamping over the top.

You can see a lot of the inked detail has been lost but its a lot easier to paint straight over the lines rather than going around them.

once the paint is dry, carefully place the tag back on to the Stamp Platform and re ink the stamp.

fold the lid back down and stamp over the painted surface.

Carefully lift the lid up and you will be left with a perfectly lined up and over stamped image.

Now I should have stopped there as I really liked the way the tag was looking but I had to keep on fiddling and I decided to stamp the word Fly to the top, this looked horrible and I had to figure out a way to save the tag.

I ended up using some of the Tim Holtz Printers Blocks to hide my botch. The details have been bought out using Decoart Media fluids to give a distressed look to them, I have also added some of Tim's mini stars that have been aged using Decoart Media Antiquing Cream.

Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to head back in a few days where I can introduce you to the New Speshink DT. I am so excited to share their work with you all. xxx

Silicon Mould Making and Resin Casting

So how is everyone?

I've been planning a new class for a retreat I have coming up soon and I am planning on using some cast resin pieces as part of the kit.

This was all very good in principle but having never attempted casting anything before it left me with a little bit of a challenge.

This weekend I finally got round to having my first attempt so I thought I would share with you what I did and how it turned out.

I started a few weeks ago by doing an internet search for silicon mould making to see what products were out there for me to use. After reading a different company websites I decided on an Irish company MB Fiberglass  and gave them a call,  I explained what I wanted to achieve and that I had never tried anything like this, they were extremely helpful in explaining the different products, cure times etc and what should be done to get the required results.

I decided on getting their 1.1kg Polycraft GP-3481F Silicone kit  £20ish for making my mould 

and their 1kg Polycraft SG 2000 Fast Cure PU Resin System £15ish for making the resin embelishments.

When handling and using these products it's recommended you use a pair of rubber gloves and some eye protection.  

The Silicon mould making kit comes as a two bottle kit, a 1kg bottle of what I assume to be a liquid silicone  and a 100g bottle of liquid that will cause the silicone to set to a flexible mould. (i am sure there is more to it than that, the science isn't important ;) )

I wanted to cast a 3d metal star I have and its about 5 inches across.

you need to create a space to pour the silicon. I have used an old biscuit tin as it was just about the right size, If anything it's a little bigger than it needed to be. You could use a flat surface with your craft sheet as the base and modeling clay to build a wall. I was told a 10mm thickness of silicon around what you are casting is enough to make the mould viable anything beyond that is technically a waste of product. Depending on what you are casting though it's just easier to find a suitable container and pour.

The star I have is made from thin sheet metal so is hollow on the reverse. to stop the silicon from seeping under in the mould making process I decided to place a sheet of cling film over the star and to line the whole tin including the sides. This created a sealed barrier between the star and the silicon, it would also create extra texture on the stars surface.

I could also have set the edges of the star into some modeling clay and cleaned the edges with a craft knife to get a smooth clean edge to the star. 

I picked up a couple of cheep plastic measuring jugs large enough to contain the 1.1kg load of product.

I should have done some maths to figure out exactly how much product I needed but as I only had a max of the 1.1kg bottles I thought I would need all of it if not a little more.

Mix bot parts together in the measuring jug making sure its mixed together properly. The 1kg bottle is the silicon and is very thick and white in colour. The 100g bottle contains the setting agent and Is red in colour. Imagine mixing food colouring into dough. Once its a uniform colour you are ready to pour the liquid into the container. Do this slowly as you don't want to trap any air bubbles in the mould. Leave it to sit for 6-8 hours or over night.

If you don't need to use the complete 1kg tub you will have to do a little maths to figure out how much of each product is needed.

Giving a gentle pull on the clingfilm the silicon mould released nice and easy and came out of the tin without any trouble, Once flipped round I could place the mould back in the tin which will help with storage and keeping it safe, It has also added a little extra stability to the base as I only just had enough product for the mould, the point of the star is a little thin (not the 10mm recommended thickness). I have since picked up a couple of 6 inch round cake tins that will be perfect for my next attempt.

Using the cling film was great for adding extra texture but in a couple of places it has slightly rounded my edges, Next time I will make sure to pour slowly and work the clingfilm down around the edge of the star.

Using the Polycraft SG 2000 Resin I worked out I needed about 100ml of liquid to fill the star shape.

The resin kit is also a 2 part system and is a 1:1 ratio.  So I would need 50ml of one bottle mixed with 50ml of the second bottle.

The product works by creating a chemical reaction that causes the two liquids to set, at this point once you mix you want to pour fairly quickly as it starts to set pretty fast, so have everything ready to go before you start the mixing process.

Carefully pour the liquid into your mould and leave to set, the stars set in about an hour and were ready to be popped out of the mould.

You can just about see towards the base of the star where I lost the definition of my edges but also the extra texture created by the clingfilm.

I think I will be able to get about 10 stars from the resin kit I bought which means each 5 inch star is costing £1.50 which I think is pretty good value and the silicon mould will last for 100's of pours if looked after.

I also found the best way to clean up the plastic measuring jugs was to leave the dregs of the product to dry completely. The silicon just peels away in a very satisfying manner ;)

With the resin it might be an idea to leave something like a wooden lollipop stick poking out so you have something to grab, it still pulls away from the jug fairly easily and cleanly. 

All in all I was very impressed with how easy it was to make the mould and create the resin stars.

I made the mould at lunch time and by the time I went to bed I had three stars made.

Lots learnt and I am no longer wary about giving it another go and with a few tweeks I will get the results I am after all ready in time for the new workshop.

As always a huge thank you for stopping by. Hopefully the post wasn't to wordy for you and sorry the pics were not a little more exciting ;) xx

Image Transfer Tutorial Decoart Media

 

Thanks for stopping by, I am sharing an Image transfer technique today on the Decoart Media Blog. There is a full step by step with pics showing how I created the back ground as well as how to get a good image transfer n to a canvas.

If you have time it would be great to see you over there x.

 

I would like to enter this into the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. Their challenge this week is a Trio Of Colour.

I have used Decoart's Media Fluids, Green Gold,Quinacridonne Burnt Orange and Translucent Yellow Oxide.

Decoart Media Antiquing cream tutoria for De Stempelwinkel

 

 

 Afternoon all. Thanks for stopping by. Today I am sharing a little tutorial on using the Decoart Media Antiquing Creams on the De Stempelwinkel blog.
I show how to use the creams for a qouple of different effects and how to make these tag back grounds.

 

For my main tag I used my background tag I made using an embossed Tando-Creative media board, Decoart Media products including the Antiquing Creams. Stamping on Acetate with stamps from De Stempelwinkel and finishing with an embellishment I also used the creams on.x

 

I would like to enter my tag into a couple of challenges.

 

Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge is Summer themed, Like May I decided to go a little away from the norm, nice summer colours but tinged with a subdued theme as I have to spend most of my summer working outside Gardening. ;( instead of making the most of it. 

 

Forever Dark are having an Anything Goes theme, as long as it's on the dark side. I'm skirting with the theme again as this is not as dark as I normally like to go ;)

 

Tutoria Step by Stepl - Decoart Media Canvas

 

 

Thanks for stopping by I'm so happy as today as I have my tutorial for this canvas up on the Decoart Media Blog.

I have used the Decoart crackle and modelling paste as well as the fluid acrylics to create my canvs

Things are moving really well with the Media line and we recently started our Decoart Media Face Book Page so if you have not found us there yet, it would be great to have you join us.