Hey everyone!
SURPRISE… no card to share today, but instead I decided to do a little stamping on another medium to create a fun, handmade bangle!
This is a project for Honey Bee Stamps, where I am featured on the blog today! The project uses the long floral border image in the amazing Zen Florals set – I simply adore the way the flowers are all connected to create one cohesive image. It is darling! When I first pulled the stamp off its backing, whilst I was holding it in the palm of my hand (whilst looking for an acrylic block large enough to hold it), I instantly thought that it would make a really pretty pattern for a bangle. And of course, once I get a crafty notion into my head, there just isn’t any way to stop me!
I did have to do a little experimenting, but the good news is that I can share with you guys the way that yielded the best results, so you can give it a go too!
I started by pinching a few wooden craft sticks from my daughters room. Technically they are tongue depressors which we use to apply cream, but I’m pretty sure you can also find them in the craft aisle too. Next I carefully stamped the long border image onto the craft stick using some black Stazon ink.
After the Stazon was dry, I pulled out my Spectrum noir colouring pencils and picked some bright summery colours, and carefully coloured in the flowers. I kept a sharpener to hand because a really sharp lead makes it easier to colour in the detailed areas. Next up, I wanted to seal the wood. You may be able to use something like clear nail varnish, but I used a product that I have in my stash called MicroGlaze. It comes in a little pot and looks and feels a bit like a lip balm. You simply rub your finger onto the waxy surface of the glaze, then rub your project. It instantly creates a seal and your project is waterproof!
Up until this point, the wooden stick is straight and flat, so it could be used as a bookmark, but I wanted a bangle, so I needed to bend the wood. I placed the stick into a tupperware container of water, and left it overnight – about 6-12 hours works well.
In the morning, I took the stick out from the water and the stick was more pliable. I was able to carefully bend it and then I placed it inside a narrow glass to dry for the rest of the day. Once it was completely dry, i could remove it from the glass, and it magically held its shape!! Isn’t it fun! I did go back over the images with another layer of coloured pencil, a little white gel pen and a final layer of micro glaze, and this really made the colours pop.
Why don’t you give it a try! But I would recommend that you hide your new creation from your daughters…. as my beautiful new bangle was promptly swiped by my five year old! 🙂 But seriously, how could she resist?!
Thanks for stopping by!
Have a great day!
Lesley
