DSP Ceramic Tile Coasters

Today, I'm sharing my neighbor gifts with you!  Each of our neighbors received a set of 4 ceramic tile coasters in a box with a matching glass ornament :).  In total, I made 120 coasters - 30 sets for my neighbors, family, and friends.  Let's just say I didn't leave my stamp room for 3 days - haha!

I bought the coasters from Home Depot for $0.16 a piece - they're the glossy ceramic tile coasters.  I adhered 4"x4" pieces of Designer Series Paper (DSP) using Mod Podge to the top of each tile and, once dry, applied 2 coats of Mod Podge on top of the DSP to seal it.

Next, I poured 2-part resin (Envirotex Lite) in batches.  I think I was able to do 16-20 tiles at a time - the resin starts to set pretty quickly after mixing, so I only had a small window of time to apply it.  It was tedious, but I was trying to spread the resin over the whole tile without it dripping off the sides.  I made a few mistakes, but for the most part I was able to use the surface tension to prevent the resin from dripping off the sides.

The final step is to remove all the bubbles from the resin within 15 minutes of pouring.  You can either blow on the surface with a straw or you can use a blow torch.  I opted for the blow torch :).  I purchased a little blow torch - the size of a marker/pen - and it did the trick!  The bubbles disappeared instantly using the blow torch!

Once the resin cured after 72 hours, I adhered cork Contact paper squares to the back (with my signature stamp of course) - that will protect any surface the coasters are set on.  I made a little box to put them in and tied it with some ribbon.

The finishing touch to my neighbor gifts was a matching glass ornament.  I purchased the glass ornaments from the craft store, dropped 20-30 drops of Cherry Cobbler reinker inside and slowly coated the inside of each ornament.  Then I funneled silver glitter to the inside, shook it around, and dumped out any excess.  What you're left with is a beautiful, no mess, glitter ornament that coordinates with the DSP on the coasters!

Thanks for stopping by today!

DSP Glass Pendants

Here are the necklaces I made for all the ladies in my family!  They are glass tile pendants with Designer Series Paper (DSP) adhered to the back.  I adhered the DSP to the back of each glass tile using Crystal Effects®.

Once that dried, I applied 2 coats of Mod Podge to seal the DSP so that the resin wouldn't discolor the paper.  Then, I (slowly) dripped resin (Envirotex Lite) on top of the sealed DSP to protect it from the elements.  I removed any bubbles with a blow torch (or you could blow on the surface using a straw).  The resin cured for 72 hours and then I adhered a heart bail to the back using E6000 glue, added a ball chain, and... voila!  A beautiful necklace!

Tomorrow I'll share my neighbor gifts with you :).  Thanks for stopping by!

DSP & Resin Keychains

Here are the gifts I made for the guys in my family!  They are keychains made using a bezel pendant with Designer Series Paper (DSP), watch gears, and resin.

First, I glued the DSP inside the bezel pendant.  Once the glue dried, I painted on (liberally) two coats of Mod Podge to seal the DSP - this is critical when using resin, otherwise the resin will seep into the paper and discolor it.

Once the Mod Podge dried, I placed the watch gears inside the bezel and then poured 2-part resin into the bezel very slowly until the resin domed just slightly above the bezel.  There will be some bubbles in the resin, but you can remove them easily by either blowing on the surface with a straw or using a blow torch.  The resin had to cure for 72 hours before it was completely hardened.  I used Envirotex Lite 2-part resin - you'll see a resin theme in my next few posts :).

I just love how these turned out!  They are extremely durable and masculine looking.  It was fun to watch each of the guys open their gifts :).

Thanks for stopping by today!  Tomorrow I will share with you the gift I made for the girls in my family...

2011 Christmas Card

Yikes - I have some catch-up to do!  It's been a busy couple of months, and I got out of the habit of updating my blog, but I sure was busy in my craft room!  I have lots to share with you as I catch you up on my holiday creations and some recent cards.  So, stay tuned!

First, I'll start with our Christmas card for this year.  I chose to go with a simple design, since I had over 100 to make :).  Nothing says Christmas like Poinsettias, and the 5-Petal Flower punch does the trick!  Using my bone folder, I separated the card stock to give the Poinsettia some texture.  You can't tell from the photo, but the flower is spritzed with some shimmer mist (Shimmer Paint + alcohol).  The Poinsettia is held together by a Mini Brad and the background of the card is embossed with the Northern Flurry embossing folder.

Thanks for stopping by today and stay tuned for my upcoming posts where I will show you my handmade Christmas gifts!

Stamp Sets	Christmas Greetings
Ink	Always Artichoke
Paper	Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla
Accessories	5-Petal Flower Punch, Mini Brads, Champagne Shimmer Paint + alcohol, Northern Flurry Embossing Folder, Stampin' Dimensionals®