DIY Handwritten Sublimation Message on Blank of the Month Garden Stake

February 28, 2025 Artesprix Design Team
Blank Of The Month, Garden Stake, Markers, Stamp Pads

Hello and welcome! I'm Design Team Member Linh from LVHandcrafted and sometimes you might find yourself wanting to add a handwritten personal message onto your blank.It doesn’t get more personalized than adding a message in your own handwriting. But who among us knows how to write mirrored or backwards? Certainly not me, but that’s what we need when we sublimate. Let me show you how I personalized this Garden Stake with my own handwriting!

sublimation garden stake with artesprix markers

**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.**

What are Sublimation Arts & Crafts Supplies?

The word "sublimation" is a chemistry term that describes the process of a substance (like Iron-on-Ink) going from a solid state to a gaseous phase and skipping over the liquid phase. In the world of designing custom goods, sublimation offers a permanent way to transfer a design to a polyester surface. The result is a vibrant, custom designed product that is long-lasting and durable. If you’ve always wanted to try sublimation but thought you needed an expensive, specialty printer, you’re in luck because Artesprix makes it possible to sublimate without a sublimation printer!

Supplies:

Lightbox

Protective Project Mat

Heat Resistant Gloves

Heat Source

Copy Paper/Cardstock

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Trace your blank onto thin copy/printer paper. Trace it a second time onto lightweight cardstock.

Step 2: Write your message onto the thin copy paper. Any marker will do, expect a Sublimation Marker, but it’s preferable if it’s a thicker one. I used a Sharpie pen.

Step 3: On your lightweight cardstock, draw some lines so you can make sure your message is squared off and looks straight within the outline of the blank. I don’t know about you, but never write in a straight line.

designing process for sublimation project

Step 4: Using a light box, flip your paper with the written message so it is face down. The words should look mirrored now.

designing with a lightbox for sublimation

Step 5: Trace your handwriting onto the lightweight cardstock using Sublimation Markers.

Step 6: Ink up your image to give it some color with Sublimation Ink Pads and blending brushes.

Pro Tip: If you ink over your handwriting be sure to use a very light hand. I basically only swiped my brush over the bottom of the stake after I already inked up the top but without picking up more ink from the pad.

Step 7: For added personalization, I drew a little strawberry doodle.

Step 9: Place your design face down the blank. Apply Heat Tape to secure the design to your blank from the back.

Step 9: Place protective paper on top of the blank & design to create a sandwich.

Step 10: Press at 400°F for 90 seconds.

Step 11: Without moving any tape out of place, take a sneaky peek by lifting a corner of your design. If you feel like you got a good color transfer, let your blank continue to cool. If your transfer looks light, try re-pressing again perhaps with more pressure.

Step 12: Peel off the design and enjoy!

before and after sublimation design with artesprix inks

I hope you’ve enjoyed my project on the Artesprix Blog! Share your next sublimation project in the Artesprix Iron-on-Ink Inspirational Group on Facebook, we would love to see your creations. Be sure to use the tags #Artesprix and #IrononInk so we don't miss it. If you want to learn more about me and see more projects click here: @LVHandcrafted.