Personalized Gnome Blank of the Month Button with Artesprix

Hello again! It’s Design Team Member Mandie, back again with another great Iron-on-Ink project. I am so in love with the March Blank of the Month – Iron on Buttons! Its always fun when you have a little canvas to create with, and who doesn’t love wearable art work? These cute little buttons have so many possibilities, I hope you’ll grab yourself a set or three to play with, because they are only available during the month of March. 

**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 is Sublimation Iron-on-Ink?
Iron-on-Ink is an innovative craft sublimation medium to create unique designs that you can transfer to a endless selection of blanks. You can create some amazing one-of-a-kind gifts that will last a lifetime. When the finished sublimation design is combined with heat and pressure, the ink turns into a gas and binds to the polyester fabric or poly-coated blank leaving you with a permanent transfer. Between Artesprix's plethora of Iron-on-Ink products and the endless amount of compatible sublimation blanks, the possibilities are endless! Iron-on-Inks is fabulous because you don’t have to invest in an expensive sublimation printer to create some high quality projects right in your home! Plus, if you’re more “hands on” or “hands inky” like me, I feel you can get so much more creative with the Sublimation Inks, Paints and Markers that Artesprix offers! 
Supplies: 
Buttons
Sublimation Stamp Pads
Stamp Block
Pastel Sublimation Markers
Protective Paper Roll
Heat Tape
Ink Daubers
Teflon Sheet 
Hero Arts Lacy Floral Stencil
Hero Arts Floral Imprints Stamp Set
Heat Source: Heat Press or Craft Press 

Step-by-Step Tutorial:

Step 1: Start by tracing your Button Blank on a sheet of plain copy paper to create a template. Use a pencil because the pencil won’t transfer during the sublimation process. I chose to do a few extra because I decided to try a few different designs and see which ones I liked best.

Step 2: Position your Hero Arts Lacy Floral Stencil over your traced circle and use some Washi Tape or other low tack tape to hold your stencil in place. 

Step 3: Using an ink dauber, pick up some color from your stamp pad and then start adding color to your stencil. I start by dabbing straight up and down to get the color down into the stencil. Then use a fresh dauber for the next color. From the center out I used Red, Yellow and Blue inks and overlapped a bit between each color.  

Step 4: Next I decided to try another technique with the brand new Pastel Iron-on-Ink Markers. I decided to just color directly onto my paper. I started with the purple at the bottom of the circle and then worked my way up, overlapping the colors slightly. 

Step 5: Then I grabbed my set of stamps: Hero Arts Floral Imprints Stamp Set and put one of the floral bouquets onto the Stamp Block. Then I applied Black Ink to the stamp and stamped in onto my background.

Step 6: We are ready to transfer! You’re going to want to adjust your heat source to the recommended settings. For this blank it’s recommended 400℉ for 60 seconds. 

Step 7: I cut out my transfers but was sure to leave 1" margin so I’d have room to get proper positioning, and have somewhere to adhere my tape. I laid the button blank face down onto my paper, lining it up carefully and then taped all around the edges with the Heat Tape.  

Step 8: Create your "sublimation sandwich" cutting 2 pieces of siliconized Protective Paper bigger than your design and layering your secured blank in between. Be sure the blank is positioned with the paper side on top so the heat only has to go through the paper.  

Pro Tip: Because these Buttons are small and have the same thickness, you can press them together if your heat platen is big enough. 

Step 9: Once you’ve pressed your blank you can now do a "peek test". Simply lift up the corner and see if your design has transferred. You’ll want to keep the tape in place in case you need to re-press. 

Step 10: My "peek test" was successful, the colors looked great, so I revealed my finished project and WOW! Look at the difference between the before and after it has been pressed. Everything is now much more vibrant, that is a part of the sublimation magic! Check out the side by side of both buttons with their original designs. 

I love that I can personalize things so easily with Artesprix Iron-on-Ink. You can grab the Button Blanks in the Artesprix Shop for the month of March only. Save them for when you need to create wearable masterpieces for yourself! There are endless possibilities for this beautiful blank, the only limit is your imagination! 

Don’t forget to join the Artesprix Iron-On Inspirational Group on Facebook and share your ideas too! 

Looking forward to sharing my next project with you!

Mandie Wade 

**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.**