January Artesprix Blank of the Month Heart Ornament

Hi everyone! Sarah here back with another fun Blog post. Today, I’m going to share my January Blank of the Month. I love these heart ornaments. I’m going to use this heart ornament as a gift tag for Valentine’s day, but there is so much more you can do with them. So, let’s get started!

What are Artesprix Sublimation Markers?
Artesprix Sublimation Markers are so much fun to use. These markers use sublimation ink and make it easy for you to create permanent designs with nothing more than regular copy paper, a heat source, and a sublimation blank. No need for expensive printers and ink. There are so many applications you will never run out of ideas! 

Materials:
Blank of the month Heart Ornaments
Sublimation Markers
Sublimation Stamp Pad
Artesprix Stamps  (I used the Love one)
Protective Paper
Copy Paper
Heat Tape
Heat Source (Heat Press, Craft Press, Home Iron) 
We R Memory Keepers Marker Airbrush (Original Version, newer model does not work well with Artesprix Markers)
Step-by-Step Tutorial:
Step 1: The first thing I did was pick my design and create my stencil. I cut my own stencil on my Silhouette Cameo. You can read how I did that on my blog post Reusable Stencils on your Cameo.

Step 2: Once the stencil was cut, I traced my blank with pencil onto a plain sheet of copy paper.

Step 3: Grab one of your sublimation markers, the marker airbrush, and the stencil.  Place the stencil on your design, put the marker in the airbrush, and start squeezing the airbrush. The airbrush uses puffs of air to spray ink onto the stencil. When I was happy with the coverage, I stopped airbrushing.

Pro Tip: Preheat your heat source while you are creating so it will be the required temperature when you're ready to transfer. For this Heart Ornament, it requires a transfer temperature of 400℉ when using a Heat Press like me. 

Step 4: Once I had my background, I used my Artesprix Sublimation Love stamp and stamp pad to stamp the LOVE in the middle of my design. I used the Artespix stamps because the word is reversed, that way when it’s pressed it will read the correct way.

Step 5: Secure your design to the Heart Ornament using Artesprix Heat Tape. 

Step 6: Cut a piece of Artesprix Protective paper big enough to cover your design, fold it in half and place your ornament with the copy paper in the middle, making a “sublimation sandwich”, or in this case a "sublimation taco". 
Step 7: When the Heat Press is at 400℉, place your “sublimation sandwich” on the press with the design/paper side on top. Press for 75 seconds.

Step 8: Once the time is up, open the press. Before you remove the heat tape, you want to do a “peek test”. Pull up a little corner of your design and make sure the it transferred correctly. If your transfer was successful, move your blank to a heat resistant surface. Metal is hot so I use heat gloves and place it on my Artesprix protective project mat.

Step 9: Once your ornament is cool, remove the paper and heat tape. Tie on your ribbon and you are done!

I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did. I can’t wait to see what you create with January’s Blank of the Month, for more inspiration check out this post using the blank of the month by Nicole. 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
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