Vintage Bookmark – Combining Textiles and Jeweled Treasures...

Hello Everyone! This is Isie and I'm really excited to show you how to make a fabric bookmark with beautiful resin embellishments using Amazing Crafting Products.

One of the things I enjoy the most about creating new things is that I get to rummage around my own storage boxes and give old things a whole new life. I knew I wanted my finished bookmark to have an aged look, so I started with some vintage jewelry pieces that I had stashed away.

   

I created molds of each piece using Amazing Mold Putty and then painted the details with Alumilite Metallic Powders using a small soft bristled brush. For these two pieces, I used Bronze, Gold and Copper. For detailed instructions on mixing Amazing Mold Putty, please CLICK HERE.

Once I finished painting, I filled the molds with Amazing Clear Cast Resin and let them dry overnight. The finished pieces looked great! The metallic powder completely bonded with the resin, so it left a clean mold that I can use for other projects with no worries about residue.

For the bookmark I used a Bronze and Aqua fabric, sewing it on three sides and leaving the top open so that it can also serve as a case to store your reading glasses. The center detail was attached to the fabric using a two part epoxy adhesive. For the small embellishment, I drilled small holes at the top and bottom of the piece and used gold tone jump rings to secure it to the bookmark. The final touch is a tassel made with Gold and Aqua yarn.

Enjoy your next book knowing you'll never lose your place or your glasses. This finished bookmark also makes a great gift for your favorite reader. Thanks for visiting! ~ Isabel Villarreal

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Amazing Crafting Products Guest Designer Call

We are excited to announce our first
Amazing Crafting Products Guest Designer Call
for term July 2013 - Sept. 2013

Currently Open to U.S. Residents Only

Do you love to create and work in 3D? Are you imaginative and think out of the box? Can you take crisp, clear yummy and enticing photos of your work? Then you could be one of our next group of "AMAZING" Guest Designers on the Amazing Crafting Products Creative Team.

What is Amazing Crafting Products? Amazing Crafting Products is a family of cutting edge, molding and resin products that enable you to create anything you can possibly imagine – consisting of Amazing Mold Putty, Amazing Casting Resin and Amazing Clear Cast Resin from the Alumilite Corporation.

What the Amazing Crafting Products Creative Team Does: 

We INSPIRE, share and explore projects and ideas using Amazing Crafting Products with the ease of use. Amazing Mold Putty and Casting Resins have you sculpting, molding, and casting your creative ideas in no time! The possibilities are endless. Warning - Amazing Crafting Products are ADDICTIVE - once you start - you can't stop at just one creation.

We are looking for talented individuals from all areas of the creative spectrum: mixed-media artists, jewelry artists, food arts, R/C & miniatures, paper arts, scrapbooking, doll makers and more! We are looking for fresh, exuberant talent from all areas of expertise. Previous Design Team experience not required. If you aren't a "blogger" that's OK, too – but we'll need to see where you share your fabulous creations with the world.

What we ask of Guest Designers:

Create one AMAZING project with Publication-quality step-out photos and instructions with materials/supply list -AND- one inspiration post PER MONTH to be published on the Amazing Crafting Products blog {http://www.amazingmoldputty.blogspot.com}. Project posting dates to be assigned. Post to your personal blog site {if applicable}, and also to Facebook, Twitter and other social media circles and/or groups/galleries. Shout from the rooftops and tell the world how much you love creating with these AMAZING products. Monthly/quarterly publication submissions are not required, but we certainly encourage and reward it.

This call is for a three-month term. Depending on calibur of work, dedication and team interactivity – guest designer could be invited to join "core" creative team.

What We do for our artists:

Feature your work on the Amazing Crafting Products Blog, Facebook Page, Twitter and Pinterest pages, and website. Additional opportunities for your work to be showcased at CHA trade show, on product advertising and packaging; teaching; partnering swaps; etc.

Welcome you as part of our creative team, a close-knit group of designers, based on camaraderie and collaboration – who are focused on "AMAZING" the public's creative palette - leaving them craving more!

Provide generous amounts of Amazing Crafting Products will be provided in three shipments.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please put "Amazing Crafting Products Guest Designer Call" in the SUBJECT LINE.

• Name, address, daytime/evening phone number and email address.

• A brief paragraph letting us know why you would like to be a Guest Designer for the Amazing Crafting Products Creative Team.

• Link to your blog {if applicable}, galleries or videos online

• 3 - 5 projects that showcase your work and what you will bring to Amazing Crafting Products Creative Team. One project MUST include step-by-step photo directions utilizing a Mold and/or Resin Technique... if you can use Amazing Mold Putty, Amazing Casting Resin or Clear Cast Resins, even better!! Work submitted must be recent and can't be previously published or displayed on blogs or online galleries. Please no photos larger than 500kb each. How-to can be submitted via *.pdf file.

• List any current/previous design teams you are on {Previous Design Team experience not required}.

• Anything else you feel we need to know about you.

• PLEASE Like/Follow our Blog, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter!

GOOD LUCK and we can't wait to see your "AMAZING" submissions!

Toys for Tots - AMAZING Inspiration from Guest Designer Jess B.

I have been fascinated by ice molds and have been collecting them for a few years. I did not realize at the time I would and could use them to cast resin pieces. This ice mold is made by Fred and Friends.

I thought it would be fun to make some robots toys for the kids.

I prepared and mixed Amazing Casting Resin according to the easy to follow instructions. I poured the resin into the flexible ice molds. For full instructions on mixing Amazing Casting Resin, please CLICK HERE.

The kids were amazed on how quickly they cured. The resin cures in about 15 minutes...

This truly made my kiddos smile as they couldn't wait to start coloring them.

I am now finding little toy oddities on my craft desk. Amazing Casting Resin come to the rescue to!

What toys do you think you can fix and/or create?

If this has inspired you, please leave a comment and your link here. I would love to see how your creations came out! To see more of my work, please CLICK HERE to visit my blog "thatzuneek".

Thanks for stopping by! 

Don't forget to subscribe to our blog on the right side bar:

Twitter at AmazingCrafting | Facebook at AmazingMoldPutty | YouTube at AmazingMoldPutty

Dragonfly ATC with Guest Designer Sandra Strait

Face it. If you do much crafting, sooner or later you need a dragonfly. 

In a seeming change of subject, I like to make fancy knots. I came across a pattern for knotting a dragonfly and promptly tried it out.

And what does this have to do with Amazing Crafting Products by Alumilite Corporation? Well, I really liked the dragonfly I created, and knew it would make an AMAZING cast resin piece.

Supplies:

Amazing Mold Putty
Amazing Clear Cast Resin
1 illustration board ATC
Waxed Bookbinding thread
A dragonfly knot (Google 'dragonfly knot'; you'll find all sorts of how-to's)
Krylon Pale Gold Leafing Pen
Pearl Ex Powders-Interference Red and Interference Blue
Golden Fiber Paste and Heavy Gel medium
Miracle Tape sheet
A photo of a Koi pond

The Dragonfly Knot

When I knotted my dragonfly, I used waxed bookbinding thread because it required two threads, and the tacky surface made it easier to keep them together. It also resulted in a solidly knotted piece that was perfect for casting.

I needed something to fill in the wings, however, and I had just made a *fiber paste skin, so I used some left-over pieces.

*Fiber paste is an acrylic paste medium that you can spread on a non-stick sheet to create a textured paper-like 'skin'.

The Molds

Amazing Mold Putty comes in two parts, a white putty and a yellow. You mix equal amounts of both, rolling them into a ball to remove creases, until the whole piece turns yellow. Then you wrap it around the object. The whole process takes 10-15 minutes.

Using this process, I created a mold for the Dragonfly knot and I also created a second mold using an illustration board ATC.

I wanted the transparency of a dragonfly's wings so I decided to use the Amazing Clear Cast Resin. A tip-- wear gloves. You can get the resin off with rubbing alcohol, but it's easier not to get the stickum on you in the first place (I speak from experience, lol).

To add a touch of color, I sprinkled some Pearl Ex powder in the mold, where the wings would be. I chose interference colors, which are very transparent and which change color in the light.

The Casting

As with the Amazing Mold Putty, you mix two products--liquids this time. You pour equal amounts of Parts A and B into measuring cups and then pour the two amounts together. Be sure to read the instructions to learn how to eliminate bubbles and pour the resin into the mold. There is a link at the bottom of this post that will take you to videos and detailed written instructions on both the mold and casting processes.

Both my knot and ATC molds were fairly shallow so there was some overflow, but it is easy to trim away the excess.

Putting it together

Although I wanted transparency, I also wanted more color. After thinking about it, I decided to use a Krylon Pale Gold Leafing pen. I skimmed the ink over the Dragonfly's body to pick out detail, while still leaving transparency. I also picked out the edges of the wings.

I chose a photo I had recently taken of a Koi pond. It wasn't a very good photo but that was okay. It had a watery look, and I wanted to keep the focus on the dragonfly. I printed the photo on printer paper and cut it to ATC size. Using Miracle tape, I stuck the photo, facing up, on the bottom of my resin ATC so it would show through. Using the same interference paint that was on the dragonfly's wings, I added a few ripples to the top of the ATC.

I decided to use Golden Heavy Gel Medium to attach the dragonfly because of the weight.

I felt the ATC needed something else, but I wanted to keep it simple. I had a piece of overflow that was a nice droplet shape. I added a touch of the interference paint and stuck it on the ATC.

Voilà! I had a dragonfly skimming across a pond!

I've added my ATC to the Anything But a Card challenge.  Been making ATCs? Consider joining in on the fun!

For more of my work in Amazing Mold Putty, zentangle-inspired art, and daily links to tangles, tutorials, and giveaways please visit my "Life Imitates Doodles" blog.   ~ Sandra Strait

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For both written and video instructions showing how to create Amazing Mold Putty molds, and cast resin object, please visit the Amazing Crafting Products library.

Faerie Garden Bird Bath - AMAZING Inspiration from Michelle Frae Cummings

Hi Everyone! Do you believe in Faeries? I do!

Michelle here to show you something I created as a spin-off from some Sea Shell Magnets I made last year. You can see that tutorial here. This should inspire you to use your molds in new and inventive ways!

I Love Faerie gardens. Everything about them brings out the "kid" in me!

To make this little bird bath, I used one clean sea shell, Amazing Mold Putty, Amazing Casting Resin, Tear Drops, glitter, E-6000 adhesive and a golf tee.

I made the sea shell bird bath the same way I made the magnet, only before it had a chance to fully set, I quickly added the tear drops and glitter. Then while still soft, I trimmed off any rough edges.

I turned the sea shell over and glued the golf tee in place.

So there you have it!

Now you can make your own little faerie garden bird bath!

~ Michelle Frae Cummings

Transforming Found Objects into Beautiful Handmade Embellishments with Guest Designer Monica Edwards

Hi everyone! Monica here with another Amazing Mold Putty creation. I am always looking around the house both inside and out for interesting things to mold. Well, this find was at the Flea Market. My daughter loves to wear gaudy weird jewelry pieces and awhile back I found a flower ring for a dollar. It was very pretty to me and as I looked at it I saw something I could mold into a piece for a project.

Press the piece you are molding into the Amazing Mold Putty –

press well so you get a nice impression.

Finished and cured mold.

To make the Amazing Casting Resin:

To create casted flowers: begin by mixing equal portions
of parts "A" and "B" of Amazing Casting Resin.

Stir gently to mix completely, then pour Amazing Casting Resin into the mold.

This photo shows when the Amazing Casting Resin "flashes"
and changes from clear to opaque.

Finished resin piece removed from mold.

Coloring Resin Piece

Step 1: After the piece is molded, I used Cranberry Ranger Alcohol Ink

to add color - they work beautifully.

Notice how well the ink really sinks into the resin.

Step 2: I take an ink pad and apply directly to resin piece – 

a color pigment ink pad works extremely well. 

If color is darker than desired, buff away excess ink with a cloth or paper towel.

Finished colored flowers.

I've added these handmade flowers to give a "pop" of color
and dimension to this Asian theme tag.

I hope everyone enjoyed my tag. You can see how easy it is to make your own embellishments from items you would never even think of using. Why don't you take a look around the house and let's see what you can come up with to mold into amazing embellishments for your craft projects.

I would love to see what interesting pieces you find

around your house... so start searching!!

Hugs,

~ Monica

AMAZING Inspiration from Carole Lassak...

Heart pendants made using Spellbinders™ Media Mixáge™ 

Hearts One Bezels designed by Susan Lenar Kazmer™.

Hi! Carole here to INSPIRE you with a fun and easy jewelry project – a necklace focal piece. If you've never worked with resins before, this project is a great beginning. First, gather any little bits and ephemera that you want to encase in your necklace bezel. For the bottom layer of each bezel, I cut the heart shape from Dicrofibers by USArtQuest. You could use paper, fabric, or cardstock as well. In the large heart I've added a postage stamp, a bit of lace, graduated rhinestones, a metal crown, and a heart bead. The smaller heart only has the dicrofiber base and one rhinestone. When all the inclusions were in place, it's time to fill the bezels with resin.

This couldn't be any easier. Measure equal amount of Parts "A" and "B" of Amazing Clear Cast Resin.  Thoroughly mix them together using a craft stick or coffee stir. Let the mixed resin rest for two or three minutes to allow any air bubbles to dissipate. Fill the bezels and let them rest on a level surface overnight.

Ta-da!! You have a OOAK (one of a kind) jewelry piece! There is so much you can do with Amazing Clear Cast Resin! Check out my Create & Craft blog for more project ideas. 
~ Carole

"Nouveau Bee Necklace" with Guest Designer Jess B.

Hello Everyone! Jess B. here today. I'm so excited to be a Special Guest Designer. The designers on the Amazing Crafting Products creative team are from all over the spectrum ready to wow your eyes and think outside the box.

This is such an eclectic group! I know we will learn something new from each designer.

Now getting down to business... I have found my new love Amazing Mold Putty and Amazing Casting Resin. It's fun and easy to work with! A must have product in you creating closet.

Nouveau Bee Necklace

Today I am going to show how you can create molds from images cut from your Cricut Cartridges -or- other electronic die cut shapes... you could use your punches even.

I cut out the bee image five times from light cardboard using the Provocraft Cricut Cartridge Art Nouveau. 

    

After cutting images, I glued and layered the images in a stack to create one thick bee.

Using Amazing Mold Putty, I mixed equal parts "A" and parts "B" thoroughly according to the instructions, then pressed my layered paper bee into the mold putty. For HOW-TO of mixing Amazing Mold Putty, please CLICK HERE.

Next, I prepared and mixed Amazing Casting Resin according to the easy to follow instructions. I poured the resin into the molds to cast my bees. For full instructions on mixing Amazing Casting Resin, please CLICK HERE.

The resin cures in about 15 minutes...

and my bees were ready to be released from the molds.

I added Martha Stewart gold micro beads in the middle and hemp cord for the necklace.

The white on white really looks pretty and it's perfect for Springtime! 

Don't forget to subscribe to our blog on the right side bar:

Twitter at AmazingCrafting | Facebook at AmazingMoldPutty | YouTube at AmazingMoldPutty

Thanks for stopping by! To see more of my work, please CLICK HERE.

AMAZING Inspiration from Isie Villarreal...

Change your perspective by transforming the mundane!

I took an ordinary clear thread bobbin and molded copies using Amazing Mold Putty and then cast in Amazing Casting Resin.

The finished pieces had a few rough edges, so I sanded and smoothed them down using a glass file and drilled a hole in the center. A little glitter, some rhinestones and iridescent powder were added and then I coated the decorated side with Amazing Clear Cast Resin – making sure to leave one side of the bobbin plain; so it retains the functionality of the bobbin in my sewing machine. 

Voila! Thread bobbins that are fully functional and fun.

Small, simple things bring the most joy and these pretty altered bobbins are sure to make you smile. 

Everything can be a canvas when you love to create.  ~ Isabel Villarreal

What will you use as your next canvas?

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GREENcrafting with Amazing Crafting Products

Welcome to the blog for Amazing Crafting Products! We are so excited to be participating in LeslieRahye's Second Annual EARTH DAY Bloghop. LeslieRahye is one of the fabulous Amazing Crafting Product Creative Team Alumni and our products hold a special place in her heart as well as ours!

Susan here today making my creative return to sharing here with you on Earth Day - one of my favorite events to celebrate. I am an avid GREENcrafter and recycler and I'm always looking for creative opportunites for reusing things destined for the bin. This project is no exception!

I'm sharing a little fun how-to with you today that will make a great gift for Father's Day {or any other occasion by varying the embellishments}. I have a bag full of recycled bottlecaps from beer and soda bottles and they finally have been put to good use. These were collected at a few family events and marrying into the Brown clan, the bottlecaps pile up pretty quickly when there's a party.

This project is pretty simple and pretty fun too {and I am very good friends with Amazing Clear Cast resin now also}. First I made a mold to be my coaster shape from a shallow square candle holder that is made of glass and has nice rounded corners. It was the perfect size and shape. An alternative is a large size tuna can for round coasters, or you can glue a stack of chipboard coasters together to make a mold in Amazing Mold Putty. I made the mold and was ready to go... then things slowed down for casting in Amazing Clear Cast resin.

I prepared my surface and poured equal measurements of parts "A" and "B" and mixed following the instructions for the Amazing Casting Resin. CLICK HERE to view how-to.

**A TIP** I learned a valuable lesson the last time I embedded objects into Amazing Clear Cast - that being to paint resin onto or fill into objects prior to embedding into the freshly mixed resin. So the day before making my coasters I mixed up a batch of resin, selected and organized bottle caps to make four coasters, and filled each clean, dry bottlecap with resin to the top. This will help in weighing them down in the liquid resin and help prevent them from moving around.

So I poured about 3/8" resin into my rounded square mold, then placed a bottle cap into the resin after painting the top of the bottlecap with a dollop of resin {this prevents air bubbles getting captured underneath. I repeated for all nine bottlecaps, placed in a grid pattern, and added a little more resin over the top to slightly cover the bottlecaps.

Then the real work begins...you NEED to hang around and hover over your work for about 45 minutes to an hour until the resin begins getting thick. Regardless of what I did, one or two kept taking a walk around the bottle cap party. My first coaster poured, I watched for about a half-hour and it wasn't long enough. I thought it was and I went on my merry way. I returned an hour later and one of the bottlecaps had moved away from the others. The resin was already solidified, too late to move it back. So for the remaining three, I was on RESIN-WATCH and I stayed put to watch the resin set. I kept myself busy by making extra resin and filling other molds while every few minutes pushing a cap back in it's place. So now Amazing Clear Cast and I are brand new "Besties"... and I learned a lot by repeating this process four times. Working with Amazing Clear Cast resin is not a QUICK-result and requires patience and precise measuring... but the results are AMAZING!!!

Now I have a set of these awesome handmade coasters for a Father's Day gift and tons of other projects cast that I can't wait to share. I might make a special set for MOM too with vintage buttons or jewelry bits and bobs - or fill with fun goodies for kids.

I hope you enjoyed today's project. I encourage you to stroll around through the many AMAZING projects from our Creative Team members for some great tips and ideas! If you would like to see more of my creations, please visit my blog sbartist : painting in the dark by clicking here.  ~ Susan

Please scroll down to click on the squares below to continue to all the fantastic artists on the blog hop.