Welcome to the #Cre8time Tropics...StencilGirl Products + Amazing Casting Products Bloghop Day 1

Hello friends! Today I am participating in a very special bloghop where the creative teams from Amazing Casting Products and StencilGirl Products have put their spin on projects using products from both lines.

I have to admit I was a bit unsure of what to create, there possibilities with the challenge at hand are endless... so I decided to create an altered torso. 

I've had this papier-maché torso lying around for more years than I'd care to admit {over 10} and it has nice wood accents. I'm painting her up with spray paints and StencilGirl stencils and gave her some handmade resin tropical flair and WINGS!

I created several molds using Amazing Mold Putty: an Art Deco style vintage mirror, a hand-carved polymer clay palm leaf, and some interesting shaped shells.

For two of the shells, the details on the front were just as beautiful on the back. So I rubbed the cured mold with petroleum jelly {inner and outer edges}, and pressed another batch of Amazing Mold Putty onto the top of each, overlapping down around sides to create a two-part mold. **TIP** A mold-release is needed to do this as mold putty fuses to itself, so in this case petroleum jelly works perfectly.

I selected three StencilGirl Products designs: Art Deco Wallpaper Stencil L319; Tribal Leaves Stencil L213; and Mimosa 6 Stencil S126.

The first thing I did is put a border of clear packing tape around the edges of each stencil, on the front and backside, and burnishing with a bone folder. I remember hearing this trick from another artist and thought it was worth a try.

First I added some color to the wood accents on the torso. I used Carbon Gray Varathane Wood Stain - it's easy to apply and dries quick. I never heard of gray stain... I happen to love this color and the color it achieved. 

Some areas didn't take the stain too well and looked a bit spotchy {most likely due to wood glue in the composite shape} so I added a little more color with a white-wash from a paint pen, then brushing over with a grey acrylic glaze. That's more like it!!

When this is dry I use some plastic wrap to cover the wooden parts and get ready for some fun... spray painting with stencils! I used some Mod Podge Matte finish to seal the papier maché torso in preparation to accept a layering of spray paint.

I have a bright gloss green and a bright blue which I sprayed alternating in no particular pattern.

After I had a nice base layer, I continued adding color spraying through the stencils. The shapes are organic and look like shadows peeking through palm branches at night.

I brush the inside of each mold with Ocean Blue Alumidust and also mix some into a batch of Amazing Casting Resin. This resin turns an opaque white when cured and the Alumidust will give it a pale blue hue.

I always make sure to have extra molds on hand to pour any leftover resin so it doesn't go to waste. This is all of the molds poured with resin cured. I needed two of the mirrors so all the small bits are extras for the rainy-day project bin.

Look at the AMAZING detail in the front and back of each shell cast in resin. The overpour {flashing} tears away pretty easy while resin is still soft and any remaining can easily be trimmed away. I sanded edges with an emory board.

I gave a little shine and brightness to the resin pieces by brushing the high points with Tonic Nuvo Embellishment Mousse. This color is a nice pearly pale blue... perfect for beachy themed projects!

I finished off by adding a section of recycled jewels around the neck to dangle the resin palm leaf and a faceted gem. I crossed the mirror shapes and wrapped with wire to form wings and secured with wrapping wire around the torso. I brushed a little of the spray paint onto the wire to blend it in to the background pattern. I'm so happy with how this looks that I left off the other two shell pieces I prepared... in this case less is MORE! I hope you love my tropical winged torso as much as I do. She will be a beautiful addition to my creative workspace.

To see more AMAZING projects for the StencilGirl/Amazing Casting Products Blog Hop follow along at the links below!

Today's stops on the hop are as follows...

StencilGirl Talk Blog

Mary Beth Shaw

Tina Walker

Kristie Taylor

Susan Brown

Lyn Gill

One lucky winner will receive both a $25 Gift Certificate to StencilGirl Products - AND - a $25 Gift Certificate to Amazing Casting Products!

Visit the fabulous designers from both teams and comment for your chance to win!

The more blogs you comment on, the more chances you have to WIN!

(One comment per blog please.)

You have until Sunday, April 23rd at 11:59PM Central Time to leave your comments.

Winner will be announced on StencilGirl's Facebook page and Amazing Casting Products’s Facebook page on Monday, April 24th.

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Thanks for dropping by and I'd love to hear what you are creating with stencils! xo Sb

** This is a sponsored post. StencilGirl Products and Amazing Casting Products® have provided products for use in this project in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions. My ideas and opinions are my own.

Catching #Cre8time Fireflies... the Amazing Mold Putty Scavenger Hunt with Designer Crafts Connection

Hello everyone! Today the Designer Crafts Connection takes on a new challenge featuring one of my favorite things... Amazing Mold Putty. Amazing Casting Products has sponsored our challenge this month with the Amazing Mold Putty Scavenger Hunt.

For this challenge, Amazing Casting Products provided each of the Designer Craft Connection designers with Amazing Mold Putty and Amazing Clear Cast Resin. You want to pop over to the beginning of the hop HERE because you can win what you see in the photo above... an artist's dream PRIZE!!! An Amazing Clear Cast Resin and a 3lb. kit of Amazing Mold Putty {which is 1 1/2 lbs of each part of this magical goodness}.

How do I begin... what to mold? E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!!!! Amazing Mold Putty is hands down my favorite tool in my crafty stash. It's quite addictive and over the years, I have used it in most every creation... cards, jewelry, food projects and dimensional whimsies! I have so many objects to mold I have a dedicated box to hold all the items. This is just what I molded with a handful of each part of the AMAZING yellow stuff! 13 molds!!! 

Paired with resin and the coloring of my choice... my imagination comes to life in 3D. Just like the wonderful pre-packaged, ready-to-alter resin pieces you can buy -- BUT -- even BETTER because it's totally custom and unique to me!

I have loads of things in a box of things to mold for arting and I never know what they will evolve into... I let them take on a life of their own. This project captured a rare specimen – the 'genuine angel firefly'.

This mini assemblage combines painty goodness with monoprints {created on my Gel Press® Printing Plate from last month's challenge}, and dimension combining a wooden canvas frame, a wooden spool, some bits and baubles and also a couple hand cast resin pieces.

Curiouser and curiouser... my muse came to play with an assortment of strips of words and phrases found in a paper art kit... that spell out 'genuine boy', 'angel' and 'firefly'. This interesting combination of words sent me off on a mission to create a 3D imaginary specimen inspired by some beetle and bug stamps.

Last month for the Gel Press Challenge, I made a bunch of monoprinted papers on book pages using my fabulous favorite punchinella from Gauche Alchemy. This paper is Cracked Pistachio and Blue Lagoon Ranger Distress Paint - just two pulls and this one is good enough for me!!! I love this color combination and how the text peeks through. It's the perfect base for my metallic resin assemblage.

Now onto the good stuff! Using Amazing Mold Putty, I made a mold of a gold leaf pendant in my jewelry box to serve as wings for this cool vintage handle I purchased online that looks like a bug body to me. I prepared my Amazing Clear Cast Resin mixed with some Alumilite Metallic Gold powder. Before pouring I brushed the molds with the same gold and also Alumilite Silver Metallic powder. When cured, the pieces look like real metal... but so lightweight and ready for use in any creative project. It's so AMAZING!!!

Before trimming my paper to wrap mini canvas, I traced around my resin piece with a pencil to lightly mark where I want to stamp the top and bottom of a beetle. I stamped with black pigment ink just the head and antennae of the beetle, then embossed with some black glittery embossing powder. TA-DA!!

You don't have to use the entire stamp the way it comes... you can just use a portion. I'm so happy I was able to work this out in my crazy mind without having to fussy cut this beetle. Now with the beetle parts in place, I can trim and mount this beauty to the mini canvas and glue inside the backwards facing frame. It looked more interesting that way.

I gave the resin pieces a rubbing with some dark pewter and silver Rub 'n Buff® and also some layers of black pigment pen brushed into crevices to bring out the details, then glue them in place forming my creature. 

I finished off the corners with some metal spider charms with loops clipped off, my word phrase assembled on a torn scrap of book page, and a wooden spool spritzed black wrapped with a scrap of silver thread and monoprinted book paper. 

I've caught my Cre8time firefly!

This may be small - only about 4" x 5", but this just makes me smile so big! I'm so happy to be able to bring a couple of hoarded vintage pieces to life in a creative way.

CLICK HERE to jump over to the beginning of the Amazing Casting Products Bloghop at the Designer Crafts Connection blog and find more AMAZING inspiration and projects using Amazing Casting Products!

To learn more about
Amazing Casting Products

visit www.moldputty.com/

For even more ideas follow @AmazingCasting Instagram Page!

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Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you are inspired to mold something for your arting! Sb :)

** This is a sponsored post. Alumilite Corp. has provided products for use in this project in exchange for my creative ideas, views and opinions. My ideas and opinions are my own.

#PumpkinSpice and Everything Nice... fun DIY #Cre8time Thanksgiving Treats!

Happy October friends!! It's another first Monday and myself along with the Designer Crafts Connection are sharing fabulous Fall Crafts. Today I'm sharing some fun DIY treats for your Thanksgiving table settings. I admit I'm crazy for pumpkins... especially those adorable mini pumpkins!! I made a couple molds for molding chocolates and other sweet treats using Amazing Remelt, and Amazing Mold Putty {both are food safe}.  

Amazing Remelt and Wilton Candy Melts both melt down in minutes in the microwave making custom sweet treats like a pro quick and easy.

First I selected a tapered glass bowl deep enough to fully cover my pumpkin, then melted down a container of Amazing Remelt using the lowest setting on my microwave in thirty second increments until it was completely liquified.

Please click here if you have trouble viewing video.

**A TIP** I poured a small amount into my bowl and let cool a bit before placing pumpkin in it. ALSO, I dipped the top of the pumpkin into the liquid remelt to coat the stem and let any air bubbles release before fully covering with Amazing Remelt.

After cooling in the refrigerator for a while {I left it all day since I had to go to work}, I removed the mold from the bowl. I gently cut the mold in half using a sharp Xacto knife and released the pumpkin. Now I'm ready to make some chocolate mini pumpkins.

First a solid chocolate pumpkin...

I melt down the Wilton Candy Melts following the directions for microwave in a pourable pyrex measuring cup. I scooped the melted chocolate with a small spatula into both sides of the Amazing Mold Putty mini pumpkin, filling completely.

I placed the top half of the mold onto the bottom, aligned to my marks and placed in refrigerator to chill and harden. Any edges are easily touched up with a light scraping with a spoon or backside of a butter knife.

Now I'll make a chocolate pumpkin box...

I repeated by filling the Amazing Remelt mold with the Wilton Chocolate Melts - spreading chocolate to evenly coat edges and leaving center open. When hardened this pumpkin will be hollow... perfect for desserts or party favors!

The chocolate hardens very quickly – then I gently remove from mold, set aside on a tray in the fridge and make another set. I fill the chocolate box with an assortment of roasted seeds/nuts and mini dark chocolate chips. These lovely white mini pumpkins make a perfect edible favor for the Thanksgiving Day the table settings. These are fun to make and can make well in advance of the event... can you imagine how fun they would be in colored chocolate too??! 

What will you like to

transform into edible art??

If you are pumpkin crazy like me... stay tuned!! This pumpkin baby has more projects in the works. Thanks for visiting! For more Fall and Halloween inspiration pop on over to the Designer Crafts Connection Fall Crafts roundup HERE. :) Sb

#Cre8time Love is in the Air... Valentine's Day Projects with Designer Crafts Connection

Hello friends and Happy February... the month of LOVE! This month the Designer Crafts Connection is feeling the Cre8time "Love in the Air" and sharing Valentine's Day projects. CLICK HERE to hop on over to the Designer Crafts Connection blog and be inspired!

Today I'm sharing a super fun and easy way to dress up your morning coffee for your Valentine with some custom shaped sugar cubes... and this is certainly a project that you can do with the kiddos.

Using some heart-shaped chocolates from the Dollar Tree {my favorite guilty pleasure}, I created a mold with Amazing Mold Putty. I hot glued four of them onto my glass craft mat and pressed the mold putty around them. I didn't even bother unwrapping them. I love the texture of the foil on the chocolates. To view how Amazing Mold Putty works... CLICK HERE.

By the way... did I mention

that my new DIY mold

is FOOD SAFE!!!

Next thing I did was rummage around my pantry for my collection of Wilton colored sugars for cake decorating and grabbed a couple recycled wooden coffee stir sticks and mini silicone mixing cups.

Quick and easy indeed! I poured a little bit of each color into a silicone mixing cup, added just a couple drops of water and stirred until the sugar was the consistency of wet sand at the beach.

Then I poured the mixture into the mold and pressed the sugar making a compact cake. This is just like packing wet sand to make a sand-castle... and just as fun – tastes better, too!

A little *TIP* – if you heat your Amazing Mold Putty mold up in the microwave a minute or two {test this first at 15 second increments to see how hot your device heats it and please use oven mitts} before putting sugar mixture into mold, it will help them dry out faster. Do not cook the sugar in the mold... it will melt or burn giving a completely different result.

**PLEASE NOTE** For your safety - please don't use a mold for food items if you have already used it for resin or other art products.

I didn't have any pink sugar... so I easily whipped some up using my natural cane sugar and one drop of red food coloring and a couple drops of water. This project took about half an hour and I made several of each color - and a couple different shapes from other hearts previously molded. My hubs will be quite surprised when I have some of these on the table for Valentine's Day brunch.

Sweetheart Sugar Cubes

How do you take your sugar...

one heart, or two... red, yellow or blue??

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! CLICK HERE to hop on over to the Designer Crafts Connection blog for more fabulous Valentine's Day projects! :) Sb

Flippin' a CREEPY, Crawly Switch... Halloween Crafts with Designer Crafts Connection

Good morning friends! October has arrived and today brings a new bloghop with the Designer Crafts Connection focused on "HALLOWEEN CRAFTS". So today, I am sharing how to make some spooky home decor for the spooky holiday season.

What do you do with a blank light switch plate and some of last year's leftover Halloween party favors??? You create a spooky lightswitch plate!

Supplies needed: a light switch plate, hot glue gun, your choice of halloween favors {I'm using skull rings and spiders, scissors, masking tape, acrylic paints, silver Rub n' Buff®, Amazing Mold Putty and Creative Paperclay®.

I wrapped torn pieces of masking tape onto the light switch plate to add texture, making sure to wrap around the backside and burnish edges. I cut off the rings sections on the skulls, then using hot glue, I adhered skulls to the corners and finished off with a plastic spider. ** A TIP ** Be careful when applying hot glue to plastic parts... it's very easy to melt them.

Now for the FUN to BEGIN! I got out my Amazing Mold Putty to create a mold of my altered switchplate! To see how-to of mixing Amazing Mold Putty please click here. I begin by taking equal parts of Amazing Mold Putty parts "A" and "B" and gently mix together both parts, working quickly so that the colors are evenly mixed together with no striping. Press the Amazing Mold Putty around the switch plate gently pressing it around the item and sides.

I let the mold sit and cure for about 15 minutes, then the mold is ready to fill with resin, polymer clay or paperclay. OH... did I mention that Amazing Mold Putty is FOOD SAFE. It can be used for custom candy molds, ice cubes, cookies, fondant shapes... and so much more! What creepy, tasty treats can you dream up?

I pressed some Creative Paperclay® into the mold, leveling it out flat to meet the edges of the mold. I let the mold dry overnight before attempting to remove. 

I gently removed casting from mold then let paperclay fully dry out {being in hot and humid South Florida... this took a couple days}. It looks like something that might be found at some ancient ruins - the texture and detail is captured beautifully. Wouldn't it be so fun to make a whole bunch of these and let the kids join in the fun of decorating?

While cutting out the holes, I dropped my lightswitch plate and one of the corners broke off. Along with the cracks from drying, this just added to the charm of this ghoulish lightswitch plate. Time for the transformation! By adding some acrylic paint this switchplate came to life in minutes.

Flippin' a Creepy, Crawly Switch...

I really love the distressed plasterlike texture that you get from the paperclay. I've rubbed casting with some acrylic paints and silver Rub n' Buff® to create a rusty, grungy patina. I dipped my screw heads in paint to match, wrapped some faux barbed wire trim and affixed to the lightswitch next to my front door... this is so creepy cool. I'm working on a resin variation to affix outside onto my doorbell to really scare the kiddies on all Hallow's Eve.

Thanks for visiting! Continue on the Designer Crafts Connection "HALLOWEEN CRAFTS" Bloghop by selecting hop back/forward on the logo below. Sb :)

Designer Craft Connection

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