Decorative Floral Cross with Iron-on-Ink

Hi! Alison Heikkila here, and I have a beautiful project to share with you today. I am not one to typically work with crosses, but when Artesprix sent me this bonus ornament from Unisub, it made me think of a lovely addition to our Dia de los Muertos decorations. You can easily apply these techniques using Sublimation Markers to any of your favorite blanks, so use your favorite! It’s so simple with Artesprix Sublimation Markers.

What are Sublimation Markers?
Artesprix Sublimation Markers and Ink are specially formulated inks that allow you to use basic copy paper to: color, stamp, and stencil anything you wish and turn it into a heat-transferable design. These designs are then applied to a polyester or polyester coated substrate with heat and pressure. You can use a heat press or a home iron! These designs, through this process of sublimation, will become permanent on your substrates.

Materials:
Sublimation Stamp Pad-Black
Original Sublimation Markers (All of them except Brown)
Gnomies Sublimation Markers (Mustard Seed, Clover, and Poppy)
Pastel Sublimation Markers (Sky, Mauve)
Black Sublimation Markers (We’ll be using the Fine Tip)
Unisub Cross Ornament Blank 
Protective Paper
Heat Tape
Heat Source: Home Iron or Artesprix Heat Press.
Stampendous: Flower Frame Stamps
Stamping Postioner/Platform or Acrylic Block

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Trace the outline of your blank on to a piece of copy paper with a pencil. The pencil will not transfer during the sublimation process.

Step 2: Stamp your image on to your copy paper using the Sublimation Stamp Pad and a stamp positioner or an acrylic block. Repeat until you have covered the outlined area, or the desired look is achieved.

This is what my traced image looked like after I finished stamping it repeatedly.

Step 3: Color in your stamped images with Sublimation Markers. The colors will look very dull! This is normal. I promise that once you have done the sublimation, the colors will be vibrant and beautiful. Be sure to color past your traced line, to allow some wiggle room when you adhere your blank.

Step 4: I decided that I did not want any white space, so I used the chisel and fine point Black Sublimation Markers to fill in all of the areas that would have been left white.

Step 5: Line your blank up with your traced and colored image. Use Heat Tape to adhere the blank to the colored image. If you are using a Heat Press, you don’t need much tape, but if you are using a home iron, be sure to use Heat Tape around the entire blank to ensure that it doesn’t move during the sublimation process.

Step 6: Make a Sublimation Sandwich. Cut two pieces of Protective Paper that are larger than your blank, and place them above and below your taped blank and colored sheet. When placing on to the bed of the heat press, or on to your protected surface, have the blank facing up. Your sandwich will be: Protective Paper-Blank-Colored Image-Protective Paper.

Step 7: Press your project in the Heat Press at 400℉ for 75 seconds. If you are using a home iron, you’ll want to have it on the highest dry setting, and press (without shifting the iron) for 3 minutes.

Step 8: Peek Test! Very carefully remove some of the tape to peek at your project. Check to see if everything transferred well. Don’t remove all of the tape, just some because if you need to press the project again, you will be able to realign it easily. *Wear protective gloves, oven mitts, etc. during the peek test. Your project will be extremely hot!

Step 9: Ta-da!!! Admire your amazing work! Look at how vibrant those colors are in comparison to the original colored image!

Step 10: Add the ribbon that comes along with the ornament once it has fully cooled, or add your own from your stash. I chose to use a yellow organza ribbon I had in my stash.

I think this would make a wonderful gift, don’t you? How would you like to get more ideas on how to use Sublimation Markers? There’s a Facebook Group that’s just for fans of Artesprix! You can click HERE to join. Also, don't forget to visit the Artesprix store to see all of the available blanks and bundles, so you can get started with sublimation. Thanks so much for stopping by.

Have an inspiring day!

Alison 

**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.**