Paper Flower Topiary Project Begins

 

Finally have all my paper flowers done! Now its time to really start working.  :)

Make your own stamps (Photopolymer Stamp Tutorial )

It is not hard or expensive to make your own custom stamps.

You will need

photopolymer sheet ( I used polyester backed purchased from www.wholelottawhimsy.com You also can get them from places like boxcarpress
Light with 60 watt (halogen, and uv work better)
transparency paper
printer
image
water
scrub brush
Cheap picture frame
bubble wrap
4 binder clips


Print

First print your image in negative/positive on your transparency paper. A negative area will be white the positive will be black. I have a laser printer. They do make them of ink jet too. I bought my paper off amazon 50 sheets for $12.00 You are not limited to line drawings. You actually can print photos like this

Make sure the lines are not too thin

The right eye is too thin :(

Stack

Start with the back of the picture frame

Then add bubble wrap

Next add your photopolymer sheet ( take it out of the bag). You can cut it down if necessary and use it later. Please do so in a dark place and store in absolute darkness.

Then add your negative/positive.

Place the glass on top and clamp it up :)




Light

Place under a light about 5-6 inches above your frame.






Wait... 

It took me 30 minutes to get good results.  Please do a test before you start on a big piece.Halogen lamps take less time, black lights/uv lights are ideal and can take about 3 min. Many have found nail dryers to work wonderful.




Scrub

Scrub in circular motions...NOT TOO HARD!  Wash away all the sticky gel with water.






Final Cure

Dry with hair dryer and place back under light for about the same time.




Done

Glue the stamp on a stamping block or piece of wood.

Free Vintage Postcard Back & Peony RSVP Templates

PDF Here

I wanted better print quality for my rsvp postcards so I made a new vintage postcard back. Thought I should share my peony rsvp template too :)

PDF Here

PDF HERE

 PDF HERE

Painted my stepping stone chargers

I think they turned out very well. I originally just spray painted them gold but they looked like cheap gold coins. I painted them black first and applied the gold over it. I am happy  with them :)

****Use breathable paint designed for concrete. Let stones cure for at least 28 days before painting they WILL crumble :( 

Cheap Flower pots Fantastic :) MY Decoupage Adventure

I took advantage of a 75% off summer clearance and bought all my flower pots for my centerpieces .43 a piece for 10" pots. The down part they are plastic. don't even look real.  I spray painted them gold. They looked even cheaper than before.  What to do? Decoupage!!! I think my first one turned out fabulous. I can't wait to assemble my branch centerpieces.

Before 

How did I do this? Glue, white tissue paper, gold paint and a stamper.
Tutorial to come soon ! 

Yes, I cut the plastic rim off too.

Stepping Stone Charger Plate Tutorial

I have had a few emails on the subject of stepping stones. Is really that easy. Yes! It won't take you forever to make them ether.  Will I need special tools or equipment? No! All you really need is a bucket, water concert mix and a place to put it. You actually don't need to buy a mold you can make an imprint in wet sand and pour your mix in. So technically you can get this done by a simple trip to the beach...if no one complains :)




Materials


Water
bucket
something to mix with
Fast setting concrete mix (I use quick-rite fast-setting mix)
mold or wet sand
oil,shortening or pam
*Styrofoam if making light wight version here

Prep you mold

If you are using a plastic mold then you will need to oil it up.  Personally I use veg shortening just because it is on hand. If you are using wet sand, imprint it with a pan or other stepping stone.



Measure & Mix

I use a 5 parts of mix to 1 part of water...It works good for me. Measure out you mix and pour water in slowly. Stir well try to work quickly the concrete sets fast.

It will look like this.

Pour

Glop all your mix in your mold. Yes, you are going to say I did this wrong. It is so lumpy. Why is it so lumpy!  Don't worry  just spread it out :)

Shake

Now to take care of lumps. Shake the heck out of the mold. It helps remove air bubbles and smooth things out. Most of the lumps will be gone. The stubborn stones sticking far out I remove. Ones that are just above the surface I usually leave alone. 

Wait

Probably the worst step ever the wait. Usually 30-45 minutes. The stepping stone should have changed colors slightly and firmed up quite a bit. If it feels soft and leaves a finger print leave it alone.


De mold

Carefully flip the stone over on the other side and gently tug on the sides you should see it start to lift.

Curing
Place your stone in a plastic garbage bag and forget about it for a week.

Painting
Stone must cure for about 28 days before painting. The surface must be scrubbed with a mild soap solution or vinegar, then allowed to dry before the application of paint. Check out here for more info on painting