Flamingling with Love: A Sublimation Marker Flamingo Garden Stake Creation!

Hello! I’m Desgin Team Member Alison and I am excited to share Artesprix’s March's Blank of Month with you. It’s a set of two Garden Stakes. These have been available in the past, and I'm thrilled they are back! In fact, you can see my past tutorials for the Garden Stakes HERE and HERE. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with this one, but since I collect flamingos, my husband suggested I do a flamingo theme. I thought it was a great idea! 

**This post contains affiliate links. That means that I may be compensated if you purchase through the links I have provided, however the cost to you would remain the same.**

What is Artesprix Iron-on-Ink?

Artesprix Sublimation Markers, Ink, and Paint are specially formulated to allow you to use basic copy paper to: color, stamp, stencil, and monoprint 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.

Supplies:

Garden Stakes 2ct

Black Sublimation Ink Pad

Sublimation Markers- Pastel Chisel: Blush, Tangerine, Sky, Peach, Goldenrod

Sublimation Markers- Basic Fine: Black

Protective Paper

Heat Tape

Lawn Fawn: Flamingo Together Stamp Set

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Trace the Garden Stake onto a piece of copy paper.

Step 2: Using the Black Sublimation Stamp Ink, stamp the flamingos and the heart in the center of the outline. 

Step 3: Draw a line with a pencil to create the horizon.

Step 4: Using Goldenrod, Peach, and Tangerine, create the sky. Use the markers in a horizontal direction and overlap the colors a bit, to create a sunset. 

Step 5: Color the flamingos and heart in with Blush. You can control the color by how many times you go over an area. You can even watercolor with your markers, though I opted to not do that this time.

Step 6: Color the beaks in with Black. Color the water with Sky. I purposely didn't allow all the color to drain down to the tip of the marker so that I would be able to get a streaky effect. 

Here is our finished design! It's already so cute and it was quick to create.

Step 7: Attach the Garden Stake with the white side facing the design with Heat Tape.

Step 8: It’s time to make the "Sublimation Sandwich". This sandwich not only ensures a great transfer of your design, but it will protect your heat source from any ink transfer as well. Your sandwich will be: Protective Paper, Design (face down), Garden Stake, Protective Paper.

Step 9: Press the Garden Stake for 90 seconds at 400°F degrees. Don’t forget that this is a metal Blank and it will be HOT when you take it out.

Step 10: It's time for the "Peek Test"! Carefully lift up part of the design away from the Blank to see if your design sublimated well. If it didn't, the Heat Tape is still attached so you can re-sublimate without worrying that the design shifted on the Blank. Mine looks great, so I can remove the paper completely. 

Here's a comparison from our original design and our sublimated Garden Stake. Look at how fabulous and vibrant those colors are now! 

I'll be putting this Garden Stake outside with my lawn flamingos when the weather gets a bit nicer, but have no fear, this Blank is going to hold up beautifully outside. For now, it will hang out with my paperwhites. Don’t forget…the Blank of the Month is ONLY here for March, and then it’s gone, so get some for your own garden while you can.

How would you like to get more ideas using Artesprix’s Sublimation Ink Pads, Markers, and Paint? 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 Heikkila 

**This post contains affiliate links. That means that I may be compensated if you purchase through the links I have provided, however the cost to you would remain the same.**