Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Sip n' Tip Tuesday - Epoxy Embellies & Chai Recipe

Welcome back to SNT Tuesday--Today was a Chai Tea morning!  I mentioned last week I'd have an easy Chai recipe for you to try, so I thought I'd post it today.  This was given to me a while ago by my sister inlaw, Stephanie, and I just love it!  If I recall correctly, she said she got it from Taste of Home magazine (Dec '08):

~ Place in coffee filter & brew with 1 c. water:
2 Tea Bags
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Ginger
1/4 tsp. Allspice

~  In saucepan, cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved & heated through:
1 c. Milk
1/4 c. Brown Sugar (use less if you like it less sweet)
2 Tbsp. Vanilla Creamer

~ Pour cream mixture in mugs & stir in tea.  Dollop with cool whip & fresh grated nutmeg.

While you're enjoying your hot cuppa, or iced frappe', today's tutorial is about making your own (MYO) epoxy embellishments--another tip I happened upon by accident...which is usually the way I learn new ideas.  You'll need a couple items for this:  a non-stick craft sheet (I use Ranger's Craft Sheet), and a bottle of a clear gloss medium (I use Glossy Accents, but you could use Diamond Glaze, Crystal Lacquer, CTMH Liquid Glass, Stampin Up Crystal Effects, etc).  I find both the Craft Sheet & Glossy Accents to be a wonderful addition to my craft room.  These products are SO versatile that what I'm going to show you here is only a mere fragment of what these awesome products can do!

In one paragraph I can tell you how to make these fun embellishments; and then I've added some pictures for a visual viewpoint. 

You'll need some drying time, so I recommend making these the night before you want to use them.  These are SO easy to make, that all you need to do is squeeze out the Glossy Accents onto the Craft Sheet in any design you like.  Leave the craft sheet to dry overnight, and peel off the epoxy embellies in the morning.  You can store these in a recycled plastic container, glass jar, etc.  By morning, when they are cured/dry, they aren't sticky at all.  Use scissors to trim any uneven edges (no adhesive will stick to your scissors).  To adhere them to your project, just add Glossy Accents to the back of the epoxy piece and adhere to your project--make sure to use a thin layer of the glue and press gently but firmly to project area. 

When you first squeeze out your designs they will be a milky color.

After drying overnight they will be clear & can easily be lifted off the mat.

Completely dry & ready to use.
Trim rough edges with sharp scissors.

Epoxy embellies are totally flexible that they don't crack when bent

Notice the texture to the epoxy element? 
It picked up the texture from the Craft Mat.

Notice how the texture is not quite as visible
when it's laid down over a specific area.
This particular piece is not yet adhered.

This is after it has been adhered to the center of the daisy with Glossy Accents.
You can see an area on the right of the center piece that wasn't adhered down.
You want to add a thin layer of Glossy Accents when adhering down
and press glue to edges to avoid an incomplete look. 
I left this small area to show as an example.

The left antennae was adhered correctly,
the right antennae had a touch too much glue which spilled out.

Use these epoxy embellies like you're adding dew drops or baubles

On this card I used Glossy Accents to "color" over the key.
Then I used my pre-made epoxy element to highlight the word "key".
Similar looks, but different. 

Try adding a wire circle or other shape to your craft sheet, and filling it in with Glossy Accents.  When it dries you'll have a wired epoxy embellishment!  You can also add color to your epoxies with markers, alcohol ink, distress ink, perfect pearls, etc.

I hope you decide to give these a try.  I'd love to hear how yours turned out. 

Have a wonderful day!
Lisa

1 comment:

  1. wow, great tutorial. This is something I am definitely gonna do. I love Glossy Accents

    ReplyDelete

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