Double Duty, means Double the #Cre8time Fun!!! AMAZING Inspiration by Maria Soto

A mold on one side, a stamp on the other...

talk about double duty!!! 

Hi there, this is Maria and today I bring you an inspiration post. As I was trying to decide what to make and what to show you... so I re-visited all of my previous molds. I have to admit I've made a lot using the Amazing Mold Putty, including some I have not used on a project yet – so soon I will.

The last molds I made were the ones I created for my kitty coasters. You can go to the link here to see the original project. Since making that project, I have made several more. I think I have about 4-5 different coasters made – all about kitties, and below is one of my new kitty molds.

As I made the additional coasters, I had problems with one of them – the bottom part was not even enough and would not lay flat on the table. So I decided to use my craft knife to even the bottom part. Well it sorta worked out... but I noticed a lot of imperfections. I decided to go ahead and add a border to the bottom; and make a few more cuts here and there. By just using my fingers to pull off the putty once it was cut with my craft knife a little, this way it would look more uneven. I had an idea in mind and I think it came out just perfect.

So what I thought would work is this – one side of the mold was perfect to create my coasters, and the other side could be perfect to make some thin resin skins to use in mixed media projects. Well as I was was getting ready to add resin... I thought why not use it as a stamp, so I did just that! I took out some ink pads, a pack of ATC's I've been wanting to make, and well, the fun began.

The front side of the mold, next to it is one of my cast kitty coasters. I used Amazing Casting Resin and then used different types of blue paint and inks along with black to bring out the details.

This is the back side of the mold, I tried to make it even so it would lay right but it kept tearing up, so I added a border and decided it would make a great stamp!

I remember I had made a tag mold long time ago. If you missed it CLICK HERE to view the original post. I thought why not bring this mold out and use it as a stamp too... so I did just that.

I finally got to use these Strathmore ATC blanks...

I've only had them for a couple of years.

Here you can see the molds I used as stamps, along with paints/inks this time around and a few of the ATC's I made. I can't wait to finish up these ATC's! Now that I have my base done, I invite you to come back later on this month to my blog, "What is Creativity" so you can see the final results.

I plan to visit the rest of my molds to see how I can use them in different ways – or maybe I can combine some of them. Who knows what I might be able to do with the ton of molds I already have on hand. The Cre8time possibilities are endless!

I hope that I have inspired you to go back and take a second look to those molds you have on hand and see how else you can use them. I think when you can get more than one use out of these fun molds, it just means you can have double the fun creating!

How do you get multiple uses from

your Amazing Crafting Products? 

Thanks for visiting! I invite you to stop over to my blog "What is Creativity"

at http://chuy-creativity.blogspot.com to see more of my creations. ~ Maria Soto

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A TRIO of ‪#‎Cre8time‬ ATCs... by our AMAZING Featured Artist Tina Walker

Hello Amazing Crafters! Today we continue our "Featured Artist" series here at the Amazing Crafting Products blog. Each month we feature one artist who joins us to share a special project and some inspiration using Amazing Crafting Products. Today Tina Walker is joining with another project utilizing Amazing Crafting Products... a trio of chunky mixed-media ATCs {artist trading cards}. CLICK HERE to head on over to Tina's Blog "A Dog's Life" to see more of her fabulous work. Enjoy! 

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Frozen Charlottes and Stamped Resin ATCs

Today, I am sharing a video tutorial on how I created these super fun ATC cards, using Amazing Mold Putty and Amazing Casting Resin. I've created a mold from a stamp** and I take you through the process {**please see annotations below regarding molding stamps}.

Now for the tutorial... 

Now that you've seen the video – here's some of close-ups of my ATC cards!

What items would you mold for creating
embellishments in your altered creations?

I'd love to see them - please comment below with a link. ~ Tina

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You can see more of Tina's scrapbook, Home Décor, and mixed media projects on her blog, "A Dog's Life" at http://adogslife-thirteen.blogspot.com.

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**A NOTE** You can make a mold using rubber stamps, but there needs to be some preparation. There is a chemical reaction when contact between a rubber stamp and Amazing Mold Putty happens, so you need to generously apply a protective layer of petroleum jelly to the stamp before pressing into the mold putty to create a mold. You can also warm up each part of the mold putty by working it in your hands prior to mixing to help accelerate the curing process once mixed – so that you can remove the stamp as quickly as possible. ALSO, please follow each stamp companys' Angel Policy when molding stamps for use in your creations.

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Thanks so much for dropping by! Check next Tuesday, June 24th for some more inspiration from our AMAZING Featured Artist Tina Walker! Have a wonderful day! :) Sb

AMAZING Emergency Gifts... Three-Horses Resin ATCs by Sandra Strait

I saw it coming.  I thought I'd planned for it. 

My mother turns 90 (will have, by the time this is posted) and to celebrate we're having a family reunion.  Relatives will be coming in from England and Australia, and even from the far, far reaches of Florida, U.S.A.!  We've done this before, and the tradition is to exchange small birthday gifts with everybody, no matter when their birthday falls.

So I've been working on gifts for quite a while.  I knew that someone unexpected would decide to show up at the last minute, and I made extra gifts. But. I didn't make enough, dad-rat it! A recent marriage and a new girlfriend with a child, left me short-handed.

Well, you may not think of Amazing Casting Resin as being quick and easy, but it is, and I was able to make up my shortfall in under an hour!

Supplies: Amazing Mold Putty, Amazing Casting Resin, Alumilite Metallic Powders-Copper and Silver, ATC sized Illustration Board, Micro Marbles, Drywall Tape, Scissors, E6000 Adhesive

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

The Molds
Amazing Mold Putty comes in two parts, Part "A", which is a white putty, and Part "B", which is yellow putty. You mix equal amounts of both, until the whole thing is yellow, then press it flat and wrap it over the object to be cast.  The whole routine takes about 10-15 minutes.

I took an ATC-sized piece of illustration board and made an ATC card base mold with it.  Then I drew a funky horse on the board and covered it with drywall tape. I cut the horse out and used it for the second mold.

Casting
Amazing Casting Resin also has a Part "A" and Part "B", only in liquid form. You pour Part "A" into one measuring cup, pour an equal amount of Part "B" into another cup, and then pour them together and stir. The resin sets fairly quickly, so you stir a few seconds until all the swirls are gone and then pour the resin into the mold. After 5-10 minutes the piece turns white and can be removed from the mold.

It is still soft at this time and can easily be trimmed. If I need to sand, I usually wait a few hours until the resin gets harder.

This time, before pouring the resin, I poured Micro Marbles into both molds.

Once set, the white of the resin mutes the Micro Marbles colors. The finished pieces remind me of candy, like the taffy or pressed coconut bars I ate as a child.

I poured and popped out my horses as quickly as possible, using a different color of Micro Marbles for three of them. Then I switched to Alumilite Metallic Powders, making a copper and a silver horse. I didn't add any color for the last horse, just let it pick up left over color from the mold.

I took one of the three Micro Marbles horses and glued it to one of the ATCs with the E6000.  Then I glued another Micro Marble horse to the first one, and another to the second one.

I repeated the process with the metallic powder horses, using a different layout for them.

The person who will be getting these lives on Little Horse Creek road and trades ATCS, so I think she'll like them!

The next time I use Micro Marbles I'll try them with Amazing Clear Cast Resin and see if I can keep the brilliant color, though I do like these candy colors too!

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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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.

ATC Accessories with Amazing Mold Putty

Artist Trading Cards [ATC for short] are little pieces of art contained on a "card" the size of 2½×3½. These can be made out of anything. I have plans this year to try to make ATCs in an effort to broaden my creativity. Today I present to you an ATC comprised of my favorite things!  I hope you enjoy!

Favorite Things ATC--felting, steampunk, Amazing Mold Putty
Terri Sproul Mixers, and Sizzix Dies--these are a few of MY favorite things!

I began the construction of my ATC by die cutting from felt the
ATC base, gears, hearts and other potential items that I might
need in the construction of my ATC.

I then also die cut foam core board to use for making my mold.

I rolled out a large piece of putty after combining Part A and Part B.
I pressed the foam core die cuts into the putty and went over them
with my brayer pushing putty to enable an even pour of resin.

The completed molds looked like this. They were perfect for
pouring the white Amazing Casting Resin. I also practiced with
some Creative Paperclay that I will use for a future project. These
steampunky molds will get quite the workout!

I added the felt components to the felt ATC base
by needle felting them.

Prior to pouring the casting resin, I dusted my molds with bronze
Metallic Powder by Allumilite. It provide this matte finish to my
resin gears.

I coated my gear for my project with Sakura Hobby
Crafts 3D Crysral Lacquer mixed with the Allumilite
Metallic Powder to give it a sheen. I then also for the heart
sprinkled Terri Sproul's Mixers Glitz Effects--which are
small Vintage Glass Particles--think chunky glitter.
AWESOME.

The elements were then trimmed and added to my felt ATC with hot glue.The edges that were revealed by cutting the resin were touched with more Allumilite and lacquer

I adore how My Favorite Things ATC turned out. The elements that can be molded and casted are virtually unlimited!! I can't wait to make  more "die cut" molds and create accessories for all of my crafty needs!! stay tuned...