Tag Archives: lapis

Turn Heads with this Amazing Agate Project

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by Roni Johnson

faux agate with blue lapis rings and gold edge

Blue is my favorite color so when I found out that the Imagine color of the month was Lapis I was thrilled. Not just because I like blue but because I had been experimenting with how to make my own Faux Blue Agate Slices. I had tried all sorts of combinations using various materials for the base and mediums to color it. Recently, I found an excellent combination with mica slices, Imagine IrRESISTibles and Tsukineko products. These gems are perfect to use as accents on scrapbook layouts, journal pages, cards, and even as a necklace. This project takes 2 full days to complete, so without further delay let’s get started!

Skill: Advanced
Time: 30 minutes + extended 2-day dry time

Directions

Gold embossing powder used to decorate mica slices.

Step 1

Select a piece of natural mica and split it into multiple pieces. Mica comes in all shapes and sizes. You will need two pieces for each agate slice. Keep in mind that the slices you select should be fairly thin and translucent. Select a thicker piece for the base and a thinner secondary piece for the final cover. Once you have selected these pieces, ink the edges with the VersaMark inkpad, dip into Gold Embossing Powder and heat emboss.

tsukineko blue hawaii stazon studio glaze

Step 2

Apply IrRESISTibles and StazOn Studio Glaze to create the rings inside the faux stone. Starting with one color and one ring at a time, apply Danube Blue, Electric Blue and Wedding Dress irRESISTible Pico Embellishers as well as Blue Hawaii, Midnight Blue, Cotton White and Jet Black StazOn Studio Glaze. Work quickly to prevent the mediums spreading.

moving ink with a pick on agate piece

Step 3

Continue until all the rings are filled toward the center. When you reach the center of the piece, fill it in with Clear irRESISTible Pico Embellisher and silver glass glitter. This will give the illusion of crystals in the center of a geode type agate.  If desired, you may choose to swirl the mediums around a bit to imitate more intricate blue agate designs. Let the mediums dry overnight.

StazOn ink on mica slice

Step 4

Trim the second piece of mica so it fits inside of the gold embossed ring.

on point glue used to seal backside of Faux Agate stone

Step 5

Apply a layer of On Point Glue over the various mediums and place the second piece of mica over the top. Let this dry 24 additional hours. 

Finished Faux Agate piece. Blue Hawaii, Midnight Blue, Black and gold Tsukineko inks.

Once the piece has dried the resemblance to a real piece of blue agate will be amazing. Since mica was used as the base material you also have the option of choosing which side to call the front as you can see from the photos of a single Faux Blue Agate Slice above. These pieces can be used for necklaces but due to the fragile layers of the mica, the back of the slice will need to be stabilized. I applied a layer of Clear irRESISTible Pico Embellisher to the entire back of the slice and let it dry for 48 hours. I have found that the thinner consistency of the Pico Embellisher finds its way between the layers and binds them together. Other mediums will work for this process as well. Creating these faux agates was a time-consuming project with 2 full days of dry time, but the finished result was well worth the wait!

Supplies

Imagine
Other

 

learn how to make your own faux agates craft tutorial.

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Learn How to Create an Easy Luxurious Gemstone on Paper

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It amazes us at times what crafters can do to replicate ideas with raw materials. This is especially impressive when what is replicated is difficult such as complex patterns, metallics, glass or stone. In today’s post, Jennifer Vanderbeek recreates the Lapis Lazuli piece of jewelry in her personal collection and Renee Zarate creates a beautiful silver metallic pattern on Lapis paper.

Shades of Blue Jewelry Inspired Card by Jennifer Vanderbeek

Lapis lazuli is my favorite among the semi-precious stones. It comes in various shades of blue but my favorite are the strains that are deep blue with a scattering of pyrite, or Fool’s Gold, running through it. I’ve collected many pieces of Lapis jewelry and decided to use a particular bracelet I picked up in Mexico as the inspiration for this card.


I started by applying Metallic Silver Creative Medium onto white cardstock in the shape of a circle with a palette knife. I then carved out the center of the oval to make room for the faux stone. I filled the center of the space with Blue Hawaii StazOn Studio Glaze and added a few drops of Cotton White StazOn Studio Glaze then swirl it in with a toothpick before adding a few flakes of gold leaf. This creates the marbled effect that most stones have.

To make the bracelet look, I simply extended the designs with long, thin dashes of StazOn Studio Glaze and allowed to dry completely before fussy cutting the bracelet. To pull it together as a card design, I stamped the “enjoy today” sentiment in the lower right corner of the card front with Mediterranean Blue Brilliance ink pad. Then tied the whole layout together with a layer of StazOn element with two pieces of blue cardstock (one solid, one patterned) with deckled edges. And finished by adding pen detailing around design and on sentiment.

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Cardstock – white, navy
  • DCWV – patterned paper
  • Oval template
  • Sticky notes
  • 
Tweezers
  • Gold leaf flakes
  • 
Acrylic blocks
  • Studio Calico – Story Builder stamps
  • 
Stampabilities – word stamps
  • Adhesive
  • 
Gelly Roll pen – white, silver

Blessings in Blue An All Occasion Card by Renee Zarate

Lapis Blue is such a beautiful and rich color, it looks so royal! I made a quick but luxurious colored card using scrap paper, DCWV paper, and enhanced glue dots. It’s a quick, simple design with some unexpected touches of bling, a great way to use up your craft supply stash.

I started by spraying Fireworks Craft Spray in several colors on a scrap piece of watercolor paper. After it is dry, I then cut a square panel from sprayed paper and a piece of black cardstock. On the Fireworks panel, I stamped circular stamp with text nine times with Paris Dusk StazOn ink, a nice complimentary color. To create the background, I stamped the words a few times on the panel with Jet Black StazOn. Then I adhered silver foil in between the circles and placed glue dots around each circle and laid foil on top of dots.

To bring the whole design together, I cut Lapis blue colored panel, stamped “blessing” at the bottom with VersaMark and heat embossed and matched the sentiment by distressing the edge with VersaMark and embossing the edge!  Finally, I mounted all the layers together and the design is complete!

Supplies

Imagine
Other
  • Dyan Reaveley -Stamps – texted circles
  • Hero Arts – Blessing stamp
  • Dina Wakley – All the Gals stamp set
  • Invoke Arts – swirl stamp
  • DCWV paper – Brights Textured, Lapis blue paper
  • Blank card
  • Watercolor paper
  • Cardstock – black
  • Paper trimmer
  • Adhesive
  • Pop dots
  • Prima Silver Foil
  • Glue stick