Tie Dye Beverage Caddy with Artesprix Paint

Hello! I’m Sara and I’m very excited for today’s project because we will be using my all-time favorite from Artesprix; sublimation acrylic paint! I have been obsessed with them, and I have had fun experimenting with them. Today, we will make a tie dye themed beverage caddy for your July gatherings, and we’ll use the monthly featured blank, the Beverage Caddy. It is such a fun project for summer gatherings or picnics! This blank is only available for the month of July, so don't wait to grab yours! 

What is Sublimation Iron-on Ink?
Iron-on-Ink is a special ink that gets transferred onto poly-coated surfaces or polyester fabric once it is subjected to heat to heat and pressure. The Iron-on Inks are always muted on paper, and they become vibrant after they’re heat pressed onto any sublimation blank. Artesprix sublimation supplies are uniquely made with transferrable ink which gives us the ability to design on paper and make unique lifetime projects.

Materials:
Beverage Caddy Blank
Sublimation Acrylic Paint
Sublimation Markers
Stamp Anniething Star Stencil 
Heat Resistant Tape
Protective Paper Roll
Mixed Media Paper
Heat Press
Pencil
Step-by-Step Tutorial:
Step 1: Place your beverage caddy on a mixed media paper and trace it with a pencil. I will also use the pencil to draw out a spiral for our tie dye design and will be our guide for when we paint. Using a pencil is important since it will not transfer to the blank when we heat press it.

Step 2: Let’s create our design! I drew a spiral with my pencil to give me a guideline of where to paint.

Step 3: Next, I mixed my sublimation acrylic paints. To make this Patriotic July caddy, I decided to mix two color shades: light blue and dark red. 
Once I mixed my paints, I started going over the spiral with a brush using the dark red shade. While coloring, I did my best to brush the paint in a stripping motion. After I colored using the dark red, I followed it with light blue while leaving some portions without any paint. 

Pro Tip: Before we finish coloring, this is a good time to turn on your heat press so that it is ready when we’re done coloring our design. However, adjust your heat press pressure per the blank you’re pressing before turning it on! This beverage caddy blank is thick. So, make sure you have the right pressure before the heat press is on! For this beverage caddy, we’ll need to set our heat press to 400°F for 75 seconds.

Step 4: Now that we are finished painting, we are going to fill the area that was intentionally left white. I added a few stars using my Stamp Anniething star stencil with a black sublimation marker. I hand sketched a few big stars as well. Since we’re using a light blue shade, feel free to add your own custom wording to make this caddy a special gift!

Step 5: Ensuring everything is dry, place your Beverage Caddy face down on your colored design. Then, secure it to the paper with heat resistant tape. Securing it will prevent ghosting and ensure you get successful transfer with your intended look. 

Step 6: Let’s make a "sublimation sandwich"! Use your protective paper to sandwich in your design with your Beverage Caddy's white side secured to the design. It is very important to use protective paper so that it catches any extra ink.
Step 7: It is time to press your design! Your heat press should be set to 400°F and you’ll need to press it for 75 seconds.

Step 8: After you press your design, let’s do a "peek test"! Do not remove the tape and slightly peel one corner of your design to confirm we’ve got a good transfer. With such a quality blanks and supplies from Artesprix, you’ll mostly get a very vibrant design. However, in the slightest chance you didn’t get a good transfer, you should check your time, temperature, pressure and re-press your design.

Step 9: Reveal your design! Look at how vibrant the colors are! I think this turned out exactly as I pictured it and I’m very pleased with how it came out. I plan to try this same technique with more colors and so should you!

This beverage caddy is perfect for a spontaneous picnic and can be easily customized for a special friend so make sure you grab it before the end of July 2022! And truly, these sublimation acrylic paints are a total game changer, get your very own set now!
When you use your Artesprix sublimation craft supplies, please don’t forget to share your creations with us on instagram or Facebook!
Thank you for reading & keep on crafting!
Best,
Sara Ali 

**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.**