Artesprix Coffee Sleeve Necktie with Iron-on-Ink!

Hi Everyone! I am Sarah, one of the new Design Team member for the new term. I am so excited to be a part of this Design Team. Let me tell you a little about myself. I am a mother of 6, wife, licensed Silhouette Instructor, and a full-time Technical Writer. I have been crafting for as long as I can remember. 

Today, I’m going to share with you a little twist on the May Blank of the Month. I will be honest, when I first found out the Blank of the Month was a Poly Tie, I was a little lost. I was not sure what I was going to do with it. No one in my family (or even anyone I know) wears a tie. But, with a little brainstorming, I figured out EXACTLY what to do. I turned this Poly Tie into something I know will get used often. 

So, let’s get started!

What are Artesprix Iron-on-Ink Markers?

Artesprix Sublimation Markers are so much fun to use. They introduce you to a whole new crafting experience. They give you the ability to create fantastic sublimation designs without having to go out and spend lots of money on an expensive printer, ink, and special paper. These markers take that special ink and make it easy for you to create sublimation designs on nothing more than copy paper. 

For this project I decided that even though no one I know wears a tie, almost everyone I know drinks coffee. So, what better way to use a conventional object in an unconventional way. I turned the Poly Tie into a coffee cup sleeve. It was such a simple project and I know that it will be used over and over.

Materials:

1. Blank of the Month Poly Tie
2. Sublimation Markers
3. Protective Paper
4. Copy Paper
5. Pencil (for tracing)
6. Heat Tape
7. Heat source (either a heat press or an iron)
8. Paint Brush
9. Sandwich baggie 
10. A small amount of water
11. Silhouette Cameo, Portrait, or Curio
12. Silhouette Pen Holder (either Type A or Type B depending on your machine)

Instructions:

Step 1. First you want trace around your blank. I did this so I could get more accurate measurements on how wide and long my design needed to be. It also helped me figure out the placement of my design. 

Step 2. Using your Silhouette machine, pen holder with the large adapter, and a black Artesprix Sublimation Marker sketch out your design on the copy paper you traced your blank on. To learn how to sketch with your Artesprix markers and your Silhouette, check out my blog post on Sketching with Your Silhouette.

Step 3. When it is done sketching, take the page off the mat and start coloring away! This is always my favorite part.  

*Remember to place your makers tip down for 15 minutes (30 minutes if the pack is brand new) before use.*

Step 4. Next, grab one of your markers, a paintbrush, a sandwich baggie, and a small cup with a little bit of water in it.  Color on the baggie using the marker (I used a piece of protective paper as you can see in my picture, but it did not work quite as well as a sandwich baggie).  You want to try to get as much ink down on the baggie as you can in a small area. Do not try to color the whole baggie. Dip the paintbrush in the water and smear it around on the ink on the baggie. It makes a kind of “watercolor” paint.

Step 5. Paint the background on your copy paper. You will have to re-color on your baggie and re-wet your paint brush a few times depending on how big of an area you are “painting”. Once you are done let the page dry completely

Step 6. When the page it dry, it is ready to press. Preheat your heat press to 400◦. Place your Poly Tie on your design. I did it this way so I could make sure of the placement on the tie. Once it is where you like it, use heat tape to secure it in place. 

Step 7. Grab a piece of protective paper big enough to cover your design, fold it in half and place your tie with the copy paper in the middle, making a “sublimation sandwich."

Step 8. When the heat press is at temperature, place your “sublimation sandwich” on the press with the copy paper side on top. Press for 60 seconds.

Step 9. Once the time is up, open the press. Before you remove the heat tape and take off the copy paper from the blank, you want to do a “peek test”. Pull up a little corner of your page and make sure the design transferred correctly.

Step 10. With the design sublimated onto your tie, remove the paper and heat tape. You can now create your coffee sleeve. I used this tutorial from Lime & Aqua.

I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did. I can’t wait to see what you create with May’s Blank of the Month. Be sure to join the Iron-on-ink Inspirational Group on Facebook. You can see what others are creating and share your projects. 

Until next time,

Sarah Clark

**This post may contain affiliate links. That means that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher, but I may get compensated for sharing. **