Mixed Media Poinsettia Wood Design Ornament with Iron-on-Ink

Hello! I am Adam and I am a paper crafting guru. I love making cards for all occasions and have done so for the past 8 years. I have since progressed to mixed media using stamping and other paper and metal pieces. I am now branching out again into the world of sublimation crafts.

Now that the holidays will soon be upon us, I decided to craft an ornament for a Christmas ornament exchange of which I am part. I did not want a flat ornament so I added dimension by making it a mixed media and sublimation project.  This allows me to add texture and other craft pieces to the project. Let's get started on this Metal Mixed Media Poinsettia Wood Design Ornament with Iron-on-Ink. 

What is Sublimation Crafting?

You ask “what is sublimation ink or crafting”, well for me I see it as an extension of what I currently use. Artesprix Iron-on Ink offers a complete line of sublimation products that allow artists and crafters to personalize polyester-coated blanks with their own designs. 

I have discovered Sublimation Markers and Sublimation Iron-on Ink are two forms of the same product.  It is heat transferable ink.  I can color in stamped images with the markers after I stamp the images using the sublimation Iron-on-Ink onto printer paper.  This ink in marker form or pad form is amazingly intense and colorful once it is ironed or heat press set onto the final blank used for the project.  It will appear dull on the printer paper but the final product is beyond belief.

Materials:

Sublimation Markers

Sublimation Stamp Pad – Black

Heat Tape

Protective Paper Roll

Heat Press or Craft Iron, or Home Iron

Copy Paper

Pencil

Scissors

Metal Ornaments 

Optional:

Sizzix - Christmas - Tim Holtz - Thinlits Dies - Festive Bouquet 

Simon Says Cling Stamp Wood Planks

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Start by tracing the blank to be used. I always rough trace, leaving additional white space for ease of alignment of my design. This shape is perfect for my Metal Mixed Media Poinsettia Wood Design Ornament with Iron-on-Ink. 

Step 2: Stamp the wood background image using the Artesprix black sublimation iron-on-ink onto the printer paper template. Next, using the sublimation markers (2 shades of brown) color in the wood stamped background creating texture and dimension to create a realistic look.

Pro Tip: I usually turn on the heat press during this stage of my creating. This allows plenty of time to get the press to the proper temperature. The transfer temperature is dependent on the material, each blank can vary. This blank requires a transfer temperature of 400℉.

Step 3: Center the image onto the blank and using heat resistant tape. The idea is to use enough tape to ensure it will not move during the transfer process. Do not use regular adhesives, heat resistant tape resists the heat and does not leave a sticky residue on the finished product.

Step 4: This step is what is referred to as a sublimation sandwich. Cut two pieces of the protective paper larger than the project being heated. The blank with the colored image taped to it is placed between the two sheets. This protects the both the heat platen as well as the pad on your press from migrating ink. 

Step 5: Transfer according to the directions for your specific blank. This Metal Sublimation Ornament calls for 400℉ for 75 seconds with my Heat Press. If you are using a Home Iron that cannot reach optimum temperature, simply add more time to offset the lower maximum temperature, approximately 3 minutes.

Step 6: One of the most important steps in an Iron-on-Ink project is the Peek Test! Do not remove the tape from the blank until you lift a corner of the paper with the design to confirm your successful transfer. The colors should be intense in comparison to the paper before. If you think the transfer could be brighter, check your time, temperature, pressure and "Sublimation Sandwich", close heat press and press for additional time. This could mean the press was not fully heated and just needs a bit more time, item not sandwiched and placed correctly onto the heat press, there are multiple variables to consider. 

Step 7: If your transfer was successful, pull back the piece of paper with your design to reveal your unique creation! 

Step 8: (Optional) Add mixed media to your transferred design with die cuts and other embellishments to create a beautiful, one-of-a-kind Christmas Ornament. Don't forget to add the ribbon that comes with your Artesprix Metal Ornament set.

I hope you enjoyed my Metal Mixed Media Poinsettia Wood Design Ornament with Iron-on-Ink project. I am looking forward to creating more fun projects this term with Iron-on-Ink. If you liked this Blog, check out this Metal Ornament Blog from last year. You can find more of my work over on my Instagram.

Thanks for stopping by!

Adam 

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