more embossing powder play...

a few days ago, 

I took some time to just play...

for me...

not to do a step by step blog post, 

but to just relax & P L A Y...

this is still my hobby!

I wanted time to P L A Y 

with these guys...

I had so much fun that I wanted to share the finished piece with my blog friends...

I had an assemblage clock that I took out several times over the last few months...

but the inspiration was hiding & I decided to save the clock for the perfect idea...

I'm so glad I did...

here's what I created...

a faux graniteware home decor piece...

this clock is so easy to alter because it's designed to be disassembled...

with the pieces apart & working in sections,

I tapped cornflower blue archival ink over the metal clock, sprinkled on 

the cornflower blue embossing powder 

& heated it to melt the powder...

***remember***

heated metal is H O T, so take your time...

after the embossing powder cooled, I used my unmounted spatter stamp with snow cap white pigment ink to add the dots & make it look more authentic...

after drying the snow cap, I tapped on some potting soil archival ink with the blending tool...

I kept it mainly on the edges where you would expect normal wear to occur...

potting soil is the best color 

over ALL 6 of the embossing powders...

I also added some mushroom alcohol ink to the edges of the glass to make the glass look more vintage...

 you'll also see that I distressed the metal between the bells...

I painted it with glue n seal...

the matte finish & sprinkled on just a few bits of the vintage photo distress embossing powder...

I didn't heat it...the glue n seal keeps it in place & it looks & feels like rust...

it's not easy to photograph with the glass, but I hope you can see the "grass"...

since this is our home...

see the 490?...

I wanted it to look real...

I opened 4 or 5 of the woodlands wreaths, misted them with peeled paint distress spray stain & hot glued them in place in front of the house...

since they are flexible, it was easy to fit the curve of the clock...

tada...

GRASS!

I used my embossing powders on the letterpress...

and on the art parts residence...

on the art parts word ENJOY...

and on the little art parts flowers you'll see in the first & last photos...

here's a better look at the grass...

all assembled, it looks like this...

think about these ideas...

this clock can be created in any color theme & would make an awesome holiday gift...

it could be a Christmas theme,

with a mini tree in front of the house...

or an everyday theme like this one...

I think it's the perfect gift for a new home owner...

just add their house number...

if they have a long house number, the number could be added to the glass with remnant rubs...

you could also use this as an anniversary gift & include the date of the wedding...

and use a heart or their photo as the focal point...

or customize it with letterpress name or initials for a wedding gift...

gotta run...

I'm off to Orlando for The Collin's event...

this is a great event, where we teach, do make & takes & get lots of time to visit with store owners...

see you next week...

have a great weekend...

I hope you're ready to

grab an assemblage clock...

and...

make art!

wendy

altered with distress spray stain & embossing powders...

while looking thru my *to be altered* stash, 

I found this wood holder...

I remember picking it up at an antique store, with the intention of making it a business card holder...

fairly long ago...

so...

after I blew the dust off...

haha...

I misted the wood with vintage photo distress spray stain...

the spray makes it super simple...

then I dried it...

now it looks like this...

next I chose my letterpress &

 5 of my embossing powders...

to add embossing powder to the letterpress,

swipe the letterpress onto the archival ink pad, then sprinkle with embossing powder & heat to melt the powder...

my letters looked like this...

nice & bright...

you could quit there, but I went over them with potting soil to age them...

then I stamped over the letters with jet black & the polka dot stamp & the tiny text stamp...

in the photo below you can see that I enameled the wood holder...

I swiped the cornflower blue archival pad over the areas where I wanted to add the cornflower blue embossing powder, sprinkled on the powder, wiped a bit off the edges...

then heated it to melt the powder...

so far...

wiping off some of the powder from the edges really adds to the vintage/chipped enamel effect...

I added potting soil archival over the whole thing and now it looks like this...

I used multi medium to add my letterpress to the holder......

and just as I planned...

it's the perfect size to hold business cards at conventions...

some things to note...

the distress spray stains are 

AWESOME on bare wood...

it couldn't be any easier or faster...

stamping on the letterpress is a tiny detail, but it does matter...

look at inexpensive things & think about how to make it something else...

if it has good bones & can take the heat, 

you're ready to go...

upcycling, repurposing...

or whatever you call it is

 is another way to...

make art!

wendy

pssst...be watching my Facebook page...

there will be a flash giveaway today...

it's a set of all 6 of my embossing powders...

embossing powders on multiple surfaces...

I had several questions about using the faux graniteware technique on a "plain old tag"...

YES...it sure does work & I really love it on a black tag, because it shades itself...

tree branch archival ink was added to the black tag with a blending tool...

I intentionally didn't ink the edges...

I sprinkled over the wet ink 

with tree branch embossing powder &

 heated the tag to emboss...

when cool, I went over the powder with

 potting soil archival ink to tone it down...

then comes the spatter stamp with 

snow cap white pigment ink...

a quick dry...

then you'll see I used watering can archival to stamp some tiny text...

it's not finished yet...

but I wanted to make sure you know tags are AWESOME if you want to start with one before you jump into the home decor/dimensional game...

manila tags work great too...

here's another make-over...

this is a small metal decor piece I found at Hobby Lobby...

metal + nice shape = awesome to heat emboss...

I used the same technique to change it to this...

my embossing powders are super fine detail...

which creates an orange peel effect & even more detail...

you'll see on the photo of the frame how cool this is when another color is added over the cooled powder...

I guess you'll have to come back...

this isn't finished either...

keep your eyes open for good shapes...

the graphics don't matter...

the photo below shows tree branch embossing powder used on a black wooden frame...

it's the small square shadowbox frame from Ikea...

to alter the wood frame, 

swipe the archival pad onto one side of the frame...

very easy, since it'a a flat surface...

work on one side at a time...

again...I left some black showing & I LOVE the effect!

sprinkle on the tree branch embossing powder, heat to melt, then I added potting soil archival ink over the cooled powder...

the potting soil defines the orange peel texture of the embossing powder...

no white spatters this time...

I saved them for inside pieces...

this one is finished!

you'll see I used the embossing powders on multiple surfaces...

the wood frame...

the tiny metal spoon...

art parts...the leaves & art parts flower...

tim's addicting letterpress(which are wood)...

and on the tattered floral...it's die cut 

from clearly for art blackout...

and it's covered with 

cornflower blue embossing powder...

this cute baby is a found relative...

this was so much fun that I didn't want it to end!

so, the moral of the story is...

my Ranger embossing powders 

are awesome on LOTS of surfaces...

I hope you're excited to...

make art!

wendy

ps...I had questions about this too....
the order number for the single background spatter stamp is wvbg017...
you can ask your favorite shopping spot to order it for you

embossing powder faux graniteware technique...

welcome friends!

first, from the bottom of my heart...

a gigantic 

THANK YOU 

for all the sweet blog comments, 

Ranger blog comments, 

emails & you-tube video comments...

WOW!

your excitement for my new embossing powders has me even more exited, if that's possible...

I DREAM of these guys...

I have so much to share about using them in unique unexpected ways...

stay tuned!

when looking for things to alter with embossing powders, the first thing to consider is that it must be able to

"take the heat"...

since embossing powders need to be heated to melt them...

so far I've altered large & small metal home decor pieces, glass, clearly for art, art parts, wood, metal & resin embellishments with these powders...

and for sure, you can use them on cards, tags, art journals, scrapbook pages & cards...

anything that is heat stable is embossable...

this project seemed appropriate to share today, since it's a heart...

this is something I dug out of my stash...

it's a heavy metal piece, 

it has a good shape & it needed some love...

it's large...about 8 inches tall...

 below is the finished piece...

here are the steps to add the faux graniteware technique to glass, metal & art parts...

tap over the surface to add archival ink...

the ink is what will hold the powders on the surface & allow them to be melted & stay strongly adhered to the surface...

depending what the shape of the item is, sometimes I use the blending tool...

sometimes I'll swipe the archival pad directly on the surface & then spread it around with the blending tool...

speaking of heat embossing, 

I have chosen to use 

the ZAP embossing tool from American Crafts,  for major embossing projects...

I bought the Milwaukee & the ZAP...

both work just fine...

I looked at several options & chose this one mainly because the tip is NOT metal & it seems a bit safer for me to use in classes, where table space is at a premium...

that means the tables are FULL of art supplies...

I don't want to worry about someone accidentally touching the hot metal tip...

price also played a part too, 

since I needed to buy 25...

when embossing on heavy metal, it takes a bit to warm up the metal, so that the powders will melt...

this embossing tool works great...

be patient with heavy metal...

it takes a bit longer than you think it will...

ok...back to the steps...

apply the archival ink to the surface, 

then sprinkle on 

the embossing powder (red geranium)...

sometimes I wipe a bit away from the edges, to create a chipped off effect...

then heat to emboss...

***DO NOT put the wiped away powder back in the container***

it may cause clumping, because it came in contact with the ink (moisture)...

you're wasting just a few granules...

***REMEMBER***

heated metal is HOT...

be patient & allow it to cool before proceeding...

once the piece has cooled, I like to add

potting soil archival ink 

to the edges with the blending tool...

this adds to the authentic vintage look...

and it works well with every color...

if you want to tone down the color of any of the powders, use potting soil over the whole surface...

instead of just on the edges...

the potting soil gives us 6 more embossing powder color options...

they can be bright or toned down vintage...

you can stop here & you have an enameled metal heart...

or continue with the faux graniteware technique...

next comes the white dots...

ink the unmounted spatter stamp 

(it's from LCS001 if you have that set & it's also available now as 

a single background stamp (wvbg017)...

 with the snow cap white pigment pad & stamp randomly over the surface, then give it a quick dry with the Ranger heat tool...

heat it just enough to dry the white ink...

it only takes a few seconds...

the art parts leaves were inked with fern green archival, sprinkled with fern green embossing powder & heated to emboss...

when cooled,

I added potting soil to define/shade the leaf edges, then stamped over them with the lots of leaves background, using watering can archival ink...

to alter the idea-ology birdcage, I tapped on watering can archival ink, sprinkled it with watering can embossing powder, heated it, 

LET IT COOL...

then added the tiny white ink dots, again with the spatter stamp & snow cap white pigment ink...

the red Blossom Bucket heart was altered the same as the large heart...

now for the clearly for art (CFA) tattered flower...

this is a bit different & it's important

 NOT TO OVERHEAT the CFA with the embossing tool...

here's what works...

I used the tattered florals die 

with CFA blackout...

the blackout is great for the vintage look I'm going for...

add archival ink to the die cut flowers with the blending tool, then sprinkle with the embossing powder...

I used cornflower blue embossing powder...

I like to randomly wipe some of the powder from the flower edges...

that reveals the black & the flowers are already distressed...

simple & M A G I C!

next, I like to heat the powder a bit with the Ranger heat-it tool & when the powders start to melt, then give them a quick blast with 

the HOT ZAP embossing tool...

staying about 5 inches away...

heat just enough to melt the powder...

then S T O P!

if you overheat the CFA with the HOT embossing tool, the flowers will distort & shrink...

just be careful...

and it works fine...

after the powder is melted & the flowers have cooled, I go back to the Ranger heat-it tool & soften the CFA, just enough so that I can shape it...

the flower center is the large custom fastener...

I swiped it on the archival pad, dipped it into the embossing powder, then heated it to melt...

when that cooled, I pressed it onto an inked polka dot stamp & gave it a quick dry...

I like to use a hemostat to hold small pieces...

it saves the fingers from being burned...

it's a very handy tool to use 

with heat embossing...

and it works especially well with small metal embellishments that get HOT quickly...

tweezers work too, but the hemostat is longer & keeps you further away from the heat...

with everything glued on...

here's my altered faux graniteware heart...

here's a closer look at the CFA flower...

you can see the black on the petal edges...

and  the adorable birdcage...

oops...forgot to say that I did the technique on the back of the birdcage with cornflower blue embossing powder, so that the red Blossom Bucket heart would show up better...

simple, since the back is removable...

here's a few tips & hints...

aka...

embossing powders 101...

my embossing powders are opaque when melted...

so, if you are using fern green embossing powder, but only have the leaf green ink pad,

 it doesn't matter...

the powders melt & the color isn't seen...

when working on dark surfaces like CFA blackout or dark metal...again...

use any archival ink color...it won't show...

if you're working on paper or art parts, I use the coordinating ink...

are you wondering why I used archival inks to adhere the embossing powders instead of an embossing pad?

here's the scoop...

the embossing pads are sort of oily & if you add  too much, they will chip from metal & glass...

by using archival ink on the surface, the embossing powder is firmly attached & won't chip off...

I've tried all sorts of things...

the archival inks work best...

especially on metal, painted wood & glass...

so what if you have a tiny metal surface and the blending tool is too large to add the archival ink?

use the emboss-it pens...

it's embossing fluid in a convenient pen form...

or if you have the perfect medium pens, they will work great too...

wherever you add the emboss-it fluid, the embossing powders will stick...

here's an example...

the adornment on the left is right from the package...

the one on the right has been changed with the embossing powders, using the emboss-it pen...

do one embossing powder color at a time...

allow it to cool...

then add the next color...

can you see all the fun options we have?

remember...

embossing powders are not just for embossing a sentiment!

think home decor!

if you have any embossing questions...

please ask away...

now...

it's time to announce the winner 

of a set of all 6 of my embossing powders, compliments of Ranger...

congrats to...

 Anita Houston said...

Yay yay yay you!!! I am so digging these Wendy, and your samples are out of this creative world!!! LOVE them all, but those bottles and Letterpress words have me SWOONING!!! I love how your mind thinks!!! You blow me away! MEGA HUGE CONGRATS!!!!

September 13, 2014 at 10:59 AM

 

please email me with your shipping info & we'll get them off to you...

are YOU sad that YOU didn't win?

be watching my FACEBOOK PAGE...

I *think* I have an extra set of my embossing powders to share there...

I'm planning a FLASH GIVEAWAY!

be watching...

it will be THIS WEEK...

one more thing before I go...

I've had multiple emails asking where the powders can be purchased in the UK, in Alaska, in Kentucky etc...

we don't get a list of stores that have them in stock..

plus, it would be impossible to know their in stock inventory...

so...

ask your local store to order them for you...

if I was a store owner, I'd be happy to order whatever my customer needed...

and I'm sure that's common...

or...

I did an internet search & found these 

BUNDLES of all 6 embossing powders at sale pricing...

check

HERE

and 

HERE

that's it for today...

I hear LOTS of kits calling me...

honestly, I'd rather...

make art!

wendy