Stencil Beverage Caddy with Sublimation Stamp Pads

Hello! This is Alison Heikkila and I am really happy you stopped by today. My latest project for Artesprix uses their July Blank of the Month which is the Beverage Caddy. This Blank (or substrate) will only be available for the month of July. I decided to go with a fun stenciled design on the Beverage Caddy, and I have a way to help you use stencils that are smaller than the Blank you are sublimating on.

What is 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.

Materials:
Beverage Caddy
Acrylic Paint Set (I mixed the colors to make Hot Pink, Violet, and Pool- See Artesprix’s free Color Mixing Chart for details.)
Ink Pads (I used Pink, Blue, and Purple)
Protective Paper

Heat Tape
Heat Source: Home Iron or Artesprix Heat Press
A Colorful Life Designs: Organic Doodles Stencil
Blending Brushes (I have a dedicated brush for each color)
Paint Brush
Copy Paper

Pencil

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Trace the Beverage Caddy onto a piece of copy paper with a pencil to create your template. Your pencil lines will not transfer during the sublimation process.

Step 2: Paint the area with the colors mentioned from the Material's List in thirds. I purposely kept my edges super brushy and not overly blended. It is best practice to go past your template outline to ensure full sublimation design. 

Step 3: After the paint has dried, lay your stencil on the left side of the paper. My stencil is 6x9", so it’s too small to cover the entire Beverage Caddy. My plan is  to stencil one half, then flip the stencil over to stencil the other, creating a mirror image, as the stencil is organic and doesn’t have a repeating pattern. I stenciled the Purple Ink Stamp Pad on top of the Hot Pink paint, the Blue Ink Stamp Pad on top of the Violet paint, and the Pink Ink Stamp Pad on top of the Pool paint.

Step 4: Realign your stencil when you flip it over to create the mirror image. We are working on what was the back side of the stencil. Our art will be pretty seamless when lined up correctly.

Here’s what the completed design looks like. We’re almost ready to start sublimating! Turn on your Heat Press is set to 400℉ and 75 seconds. 

Step 5: Tape your finished art to the the white side of the Beverage Caddy with Heat Tape. Because the piece is so thick, you’ll want to use a good amount of tape to be sure everything stays in place.

Step 6: Let’s make our "Sublimation Sandwich"! Add a layer of siliconized paper to the top and bottom of your Blank. Your sandwich will be: Protective Paper-Colored Design-Blank-Protective Paper. The Protective Paper prevents any images accidentally transferring to either side of your Heat Press or to your home iron.

Step 7: Press the Sublimation Sandwich (design on top face-down to your blank) for 75 seconds.

Step 8: Time for the "Peek Test"! Carefully lift a small portion of your design off of the Blank to ensure a good transfer. If you need to re-press your piece, you should be able to do it successfully since you haven’t moved the design out of place.

Step 9: Mine looks good, so I can remove my design from the Blank.

I especially love how the bottom section came out! 

Check out the finished Beverage Caddy in use. You do not need to use it for wine. It can hold soda, bottled water, etc. You can have your glasses going upright, or use it for something different entirely!

Get creative with how you use it. Remember, this Blank is only available in July 2022. How would you like to get more ideas on 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 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.**