Category Archives: Iris Rodriguez

Upcycle a Wood Block Using Plaster and Tsukineko Inks

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by Iris Rodriguez

Upcycle a Wood Block Using Plaster and Tsukineko Inks

In today’s tutorial, I create an art piece with upcycled remodel leftovers. I had discarded unfinished pieces of wooden blocks, my neighbor gave me when he did some home renovations. I covered a wooden block with plaster cloth and created a wall hanging piece using Joy Clair stamps with VersaFine CLAIR ink and used All-Purpose inks for the background. Plaster is porous and these inks are highly pigmented, thereby, allowing the inks to adhere to the plastered surface easily. You get a little bit of uneven surface with a distressed look, which I really like.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 30 Mins to plaster and color the wooden substrate + 2 days for plaster to dry

Directions


Step 1

For this project, you will need plaster cloth, wooden substrates, such as a cradled board (shadowbox) or block, water and scissors. The plaster can be messy and a little dusty. Line your table with a plastic bag, which makes it easier to clean up. Do not use hot or warm water. It will speed up the setting up of the plaster. Plaster is water-soluble, so cleaning is easy and fast.
DO NOT throw the plaster water in your sink, it will set in your plumbing and clog it. You’ll have small or fine pieces of plaster leftover in the water. You can throw the water out in your yard. Plaster is Gypsum stone, it exists in nature. Another option is to drain the water out and you are left with plaster pieces that can be thrown away in the trash.


Step 2

Dip the plaster cloth in water. Hold the cloth tightly in the palm of your hands and wring out the excess water. This will prevent the plaster from completely sloughing off the cloth.


Step 3

Lay it out on your substrate and smooth it out with your fingers. Move quickly, plaster tends to set fast. Once it begins to set, there is no way to smooth it out. If you try you just get a bumpy surface.


Step 4

Allow the piece to dry for a whole day. The rate it dries will depend on the temperature of the room. The drier, warmer the room, the faster it dries.


Step 5

Brush on the Sand All-Purpose ink. Lay a little drop on the inkwell, dip the brush in water and brush onto the piece. Plater is highly porous, so a little goes a long way. The plaster will get activated, just a little. Dry the piece between each layer. The color will be lighter once dry.


Step 6

Brush on the Tropical Lagoon All-Purpose ink. Dry the piece with a heating tool or allow it dry naturally before stamping.


Step 7

Stamp images with the Nocture VersaFine Clair. Despite smoothing out the plaster, you still have a little bit of an uneven surface; that is the nature of plaster cloth. I find that VersaFine Clair ink to be perfect for plaster. It’s highly pigmented, moist and it captures details very well, ideal for allowing the ink to get into the uneven surface easily. It is best to use unmounted stamps because it makes it easier for the stamps to go through the uneven surface by pushing the stamp into the surface with your fingers.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Plaster Cloth
  • Finished or Unfinished Wood
  • Joy Clair – Butterfly Kisses stamp set
  • Acrylic Block
  • Mixing bowl
  • Paintbrush
  • Paint Palette

See How to Achieve Bliss with All-Purpose Ink and Embroidery

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by Iris Rodriguez

See How to Achieve Bliss with All-Purpose Ink and Embroidery

I have a confession. I am not a sewing person, whatsoever. However, I do like textile arts and a friend, who destashed her crafting supplies, gave me a gallon bag of embroidery thread. Well, it was time to challenge myself with an embroidery project. I made this wall hanging using All-Purpose Inks to color the plain fabric and stitch some whimsical stitches.

Skill: Advanced
Time: 2-4 hours


Step 1

For this project, you will need fabric for embroidery. You have several options of fabric that will work; 100% cotton; linen, muslin or specialized needlework linen. I bought a piece of 100% cotton remnant from my local fabric store. You will also need embroidery hoops and thread. Fasten the fabric to the hoops.


Step 2

Spray water on the fabric. Place a small drop of Red Delicious All-Purpose ink.


Step 3

Spray water onto the drop of the All-Purpose ink. The color will spread out, creating cool effects and shapes.


Step 4

Repeat Step 3 with the rest of the All-Purpose Inks; Thyme, Wisteria, Blue Lagoon. Allow the project to dry. You can allow it to dry naturally or dry with an iron to speed up the process. At this point, you will find that the colors are lighter than when the fabric was wet. You can darken the color by adding more ink.


Step 5

Determine the embroidery thread you will use. I like to use a contrasting color.


Step 6

Use embroidery needles for your project. They are designed with wider holes than a regular needle.


Step 7

Embroider onto the fabric. If you are not familiar with embroidery stitching techniques as was the case with me. The internet is an excellent resource; do a general search, Pinterest has great pics of stitches and mini visual tutorials, YouTube has stitching videos as well. Above I choose some simple star and X-shape patterns. If you wish to add lettering or an image, it helps if you have a guide. Use a regular pencil to mark up the fabric. Stitch over the pencil mark.


Step 8

No matter the stitch you use, you must make a knot in the back when you are finished with a segment. Add different stitch types for added variation. Once you are finished. Cut the excess fabric. Glue the excess fabric onto the hoop.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Fabric for embroidery; 100% cotton, linen, or muslin
  • Embroidery Thread
  • Embroidery Hoops
  • Embroidery Needles

Color a Wooden Box with Walnut Ink And Delicata Metallic Inks

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by Iris Rodriguez

Color a Wooden Box with Walnut Ink And Delicata Metallic Inks

Full steam ahead with this Steampunk box project! I enjoy using Walnut ink on wooden projects. The colors are rich and seep into the grain nicely, bringing out the beauty of the wood. Imagine has Walnut Inks in a variation of colors. For this project, I used the Terra Cotta ink, brown-reddish colors. To color the gears I used metallic Delicata Inks; Celestial Copper, Golden Glitz and Shimmery Silver.

Skill: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes to color box and gears, 1-2 hours of natural air dry

Directions


Step 1

For this project, you will need a wooden box and wooden or chipboard gears. These materials are very porous and soak in the Walnut and Delicata pigment inks very nicely.


Step 2

Spray the box with the Terra Cotta Walnut Ink.


Step 3

Allow the box to naturally air dry; it takes about an hour, or speed up the process by drying with a heating tool. Seal the box. This protects the box and ink from liquids and humidity. Plus it looks nice and finished. Allow the box to completely dry.


Step 4

To color the gears, lightly pounce the gears on the Golden Glitz Delicata Inkpad. Repeat this step with the Shimmery Silver and Celestial Copper Delicata Inks. Allow the inks to completely dry or to speed up the process with a heating tool.


Step 6

Glue the gears with On Point Glue.


Step 7

The fine point needle helps to get in the narrow spaces of the gears. And just like that, you have a nice steampunk-industrial keepsake box to keep for yourself or give as a gift.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Unfinished Wooden Box
  • Laser-cut wooden or chipboard gears
  • Sealer; Spray (e.g. 3M, Krylon) or Water-based Polyurethane

Use a Yogurt Container as a Clay Template

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by Iris Rodriguez

Want to make a decorative and functional bowl but do not know where to start? In this tutorial, I show you how to shape a color a bowl with Activa Self Hardening clay and color with Fireworks Sprays. I found that Fireworks plays well with porous or paper clay. The Activa clay is a nice porous clay that takes pigment inks and craft sprays nicely. I blended together Summer Sky, Danube Blue and Tuxedo Black in Fireworks Craft Sprays. Check it out!

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 Hour to make the bowl, 2 days total for bowls to air dry

Directions


Step 1

For this project, I used Activa Plus clay. In case you’re not familiar with this clay, I will describe its properties. It is an air-dry clay. It is fine, moist, malleable, firm, but not hard. Keep the clay moist by spraying a little water, which also makes it softer. When the clay is wet, it is a beige like color, and when dry it turns off white color. The rate that it dries will depend on the thickness of the project and room temperature. The drier the room, the faster it dries. It is highly porous, which is nice, because it takes just about any kind of medium for coloring onto the clay, such as Imagine’s dye/pigment inks and craft sprays. For this project, I used Fireworks Craft Sprays. Use a wooden board or another non-porous surface to work with this clay.


Step 2

Condition the clay by wedging the clay or just rolling it around.


Step 3

Roll out a sheet of clay. You can use a pin roller or use a clay roller.


Step 4

The clay is usually very smooth when it’s rolled out. If it is not, then smooth out the clay with your fingers, rib tool or another smooth-edged tool.


Step 5

Now we will create a makeshift mold for the bowl shape. I used a small plastic yogurt container.


Step 6

The clay will stick to the plastic. Add newspaper and tape it down with masking tape. Masking tape is ideal; it’s porous and the clay will not stick to it. We could just use the masking tape, but the newspaper with the tape comes off easier as one unit.


Step 7

Drape the clay over the container.


Step 8

Smooth the clay onto the container. Cut the rim with a knife.


Step 9

Add texture to the clay with a jagged rib tool or another textured object.


Step 10

This is optional. Wrap hemp string around the bowl, to add additional texture. Allow the clay to dry for one day.


Step 11

At the start of day 2. The clay will be slightly moist. Because the clay will slightly shrink when it gets completely dry, you risk the clay cracking while the clay is wrapped around the container. Take out the mold while it’s moist. The container comes off easier while the clay is moist; you can maneuver the clay without it breaking or distorting. If you get cracks, wet your finger and smooth it out.


Step 12

Let the clay dry for another day. To determine if it’s dry, take a look at the natural clay color; it will turn an off-white when dry. Also, if the clay feels cold then it’s still wet.


Step 13

Cut off the help string.


Step 14

Spray one layer of the Summer Sky Fireworks! Craft Spray. Allow it dry completely. The color will dry lighter. If you add additional layers allow it dry completely before adding more Craft Spray. If you spray too much at once, it will begin to weaken or activate the clay. Also, by waiting for each layer to dry, you can determine the color intensity that you’ll want. Use a heating tool to speed up the drying process.


Step 15

Spray one layer of the Danube Fireworks! Craft Spray. Allow the clay to completely dry before adding more layers. Use a heating tool to speed up the drying process.


Step 16

Spray one layer of the Tuxedo Black Fireworks! Craft Spray. Allow the clay to completely dry before adding more layers. This spray will look very dark when wet, but when it dries you’ll get a Navy or Prussian Blue type color. Use a heating tool to speed up the drying process.


Step 17

Add On Point Glue. Adhere to the silver leaf. It is very important to seal the bowls. The clay is porous, therefore liquids can weaken or activate the clay. The sealer makes it look purposely finished. You can use a spray sealer like 3M/Krylon or brush on a water-based varnish or polyurethane.

Supplies

Imagine

Other
  • Activa Plus Self Hardening Clay – White
  • Modeling clay tools – smooth rib tool, knife, textured rib tool
  • Rolling pin
  • Silver Leaf
  • Hemp string
  • Wooden board
  • Sealer (spray, polyurethane)

See How to Make a Beautiful Beaded Bowl

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by Iris Rodriguez

See How to Make a Beautiful Beaded Bowl

They say it’s the little things that matter. So one day, I was at my local craft store and noticed the beads were on clearance. How can I pass up this aisle, right? I saw these two large turquoise beads. I got inspired to wire wrap them into a small bowl. I made the bowl using Activa Self Hardening clay, a nice porous clay that takes pigment inks nicely. I decided to use inks that would complement the beads. I used Turquoise Gem, VersaMagic, a stunning turquoise that contrasts nicely with the Crimson Copper and Rocket Red Gold Brilliance inks.

Skill: Intermediate
Time: 1 Hour to make the bowl, 2 days total for bowls to air dry

Directions


Step 1

For this project, I used Activa Plus clay. In case you’re not familiar with this clay, I will describe its properties. It is an air-dry clay. It is fine, moist, malleable, firm, but not hard. Keep the clay moist by spraying a little water, which also makes it softer. When the clay is wet, it is a beige like color, and when dry it turns off white color. The rate that it dries will depend on the thickness of the project and room temperature. The drier the room, the faster it dries. It is highly porous, which is nice, because it takes just about any kind of medium for coloring onto the clay, such as Imagine’s dye/pigment inks and craft sprays. For this project, I used pigment inks. Use a wooden board or another non-porous surface to work with this clay.


Step 2

Condition the clay by wedging the clay or just rolling it around. Roll out a sheet of clay. You can use a pin roller used or use a clay roller. The clay is usually very smooth when it’s rolled out. If it is not, then smooth out the clay with your fingers, rib tool or another smooth-edged tool.


Step 3

Create a template for the bowl. Make the template out of scratch paper. The template will guide you when cutting out the clay.


Step 4

Place the stencil over the clay and in a pouncing motion ink the clay with Turquoise Gem VersaMagic ink. Then ink on the Crimson Copper Brilliance ink. Add the Rocket Red Gold Brilliance ink over the Crimson Copper. If you do not have a stencil, you can cut shapes out of paper and place over the clay. The moisture of the clay keeps the paper in place.


Step 5

Place the template over the clay and cut out the shape. Ensure that you work on the wooden board when cutting out the clay. DO NOT use the craft mat to cut.


Step 6

Place the bead on the end. Place the circle stencil over the bead and find a circle that fits the bead.


Step 7

Using the stencil as a guide, cut out the shapes. Repeat steps 7 and 8 for the other side. Ensure that you work on the wooden board when cutting out the clay. DO NOT use the craft mat to cut.


Step 8

Place the clay bowl into a real bowl or other object and allow it dry for one day. It will take on the shape of the object.


Step 9

At the start of day 2. The clay will be slightly moist. Perfect time for drilling the holes. If the clay is completely dry, and you try drilling, you risk the clay breaking. Use a small drill bit and manually drill the holes. Ensure that the wire will fit through the holes. Do not use a power drill; it’s overkill and the clay is too delicate. Wipe off the clay burrs with a brush. Let the clay dry for another day. No need to put it back in the real bowl. At this point, the shape will stay in place. To determine if it’s dry, take a look at the natural clay color; it will turn an off-white when dry. Also, if the clay feels cold then it’s still wet. It is very important to seal the bowls. The clay is porous, therefore liquids can weaken or activate the clay. The sealer makes it look purposely finished. You can use a spray sealers like 3M/Krylon or brush on a water-based varnish or polyurethane.


Step 10

Now that the bowl is completely dry. Time to embellish it. You will need beads, plyers and 20 gauge copper wire.


Step 11

Cut out about 15 inches worth of wire. Add the bead to the wire, take it to the center of the wire.


Step 12

Wrap the wire over and under the edge of the bowl.


Step 13

Wrap the wire three times to secure the ends. Cut the wire.


Step 14

Now you have you finished your decorative bowl.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Activa Plus Self Hardening Clay – White
  • Modeling clay tools – rib tool, knife or needle tool
  • Rolling pin
  • Wooden board
  • Large Beads
  • 20 Gauge copper wire
  • Stencils
  • Sealer (spray, polyurethane)

Repurpose Old Tea Bags into a Beautiful Garden Theme Card

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by Iris Rodriguez

Repurpose Old Tea Bags into a Beautiful Garden Theme Card

Got tea? I do and I like to make and create with them in new ways such as these collaged garden-themed cards. I find teabags versatile, translucent and luminous. When colored with All-Purpose Inks, the color on the tea bags are intense, yet they maintain their delicate vintage look. I enjoyed making this crafting project—not only are you making cool cards, but you are upcycling your teabags too!

Skill Beginner
Time: 45 minutes

Directions


Step 1

Begin by cleaning out your teabags. Take them apart by removing the tiny staple or string. Rip open the seams. Take out the dried leaves by sloughing it off. Brush on watered-down All-Purpose inks. Allow the bag to dry naturally or use a heat tool to dry.


Step 2

Continue to paint more teabags using the various colors of All-Purpose Ink. Allow the bags to dry naturally or use a heat tool.


Step 3

Now that all the teabags are dry, make your collage pieces onto the main card.


Step 4

Tear pieces of the bags; ensuring to fit the card. Brush on Creative Medium on the backside


Step 5

Adhere teabag pieces onto to the main card continuing to paste with Creative Medium on the top. Use various colors to vary the look. In the above example, I used Rose Gold and Thyme (green).


Step 6

Stamp on the images using the Piano Black StazOn Pigment Ink. StazOn will stamp on top of the dried Creative Medium. Other water-based inks might take a long time to dry and would not stamp well on the Creative Medium (non-porous).


Step 7

Draw in the border with a pencil. Get creative with the border; add asemic writing, squiggly line, circles, or other doodles.


Close up of each card and the All-Purpose inks used with each one.

Supplies

Imagine

Other

  • Used tea bags
  • Cardstock – white
  • Stamps
  • Pencil
  • Paintbrush
  • Palette