Jennifer

It’s just about time to get started on all of your Halloween projects, and I want to give you as much inspiration as possible. On a recent trip to the Dollar Tree, I found this super cute Halloween Door Hanger.

Halloween Door Hanger

I think I may make the Dollar Tree a weekly trip. They always have new stuff, and it’s cute and affordable!

So… I grabbed this cute wood cutout, “Happy Halloween” and thought it would be a great start to my Halloween Door Hanger!

Loving all the foils in September’s Foil Club Collection, I picked the Purple Rain, Orange, and Melody to foil the cutout.

As usual, I base coated the cutout in Black Bondago and allowed it to dry for a few hours. I applied with a pouncing technique to make sure the paint wasn’t dripping all over the place.  Then I applied the Foil Adhesive, the same pouncing technique, and allowed this to dry for at least one hour.

Now you are ready to transfer your foils…

I was careful to cut small pieces and foil the Bats first with the Melody foil, which then made is easier to foil the words “Happy Halloween”.  Last but not least, I foiled the pumpkin with the Orange foil.  To finish it off, I applied a layer of the Golden Paintworks Topcoat in Gloss.

Now onto the Door Hanger…

I already had my Banner Door Hanger (which you can purchase through our studio by calling), and I created a really cool texture to foil on.

To create this texture I used my Texture Medium and the Jagged Lines roller. Then I painted it in Black Bondago, and then foiled in the Orange foil. I only transferred a little of the foil to enhance the texture of the roller pattern. Make sure to catch the video for the application process here:

I add our Berkeley Silver foil to the backside. I hang my door hanger on our screen door, which means both sides have to look awesome!!

Now it’s time to adhere the “Happy Halloween” cutout to the Banner, and embellish with some ribbons. Yes, all the ribbons were purchased from Dollar Tree as well!

Y’all know that I love to create and I’m always looking for new projects. I absolutely love trying different techniques, and I was so excited to create this super cute custom diy tumbler.

Custom DIY Tumbler

So… with my love of Foils and Epoxy, I knew these custom tumblers would be the perfect project. Such a fun project to customize for friends and family. They would make such amazing Christmas or birthday presents!

Time for some shopping…

I had to hit Etsy and Amazon to do some research on Cup Turners and Tumblers. I wanted to make sure the products I purchased would be exactly what I needed.

I am pleased to say, I am very happy with my cup turner and tumbler purchases. You can find the cup turner I used HERE, and you can purchase the perfect tumbler HERE.

This was such a fun and easy project.

First…

I started with prepping the Tumbler and gave it a light sanding with 250 to 400 grit sandpaper and cleaned it off.

More of a visual learner??

Then you will apply the foil adhesive by brush. You will want to take some Foil Adhesive out of the container and add about 1 to 2% water to it, this will help it brush on smoother. Once you have applied the foil adhesive, allow it to dry for at least an hour or two. The longer it dries the better the transfer of your foil will be.

I also used the cup turner to hold the tumbler while the foil adhesive dried.

Once the Foil Adhesive is dry…

You will apply your foil of choice. For this project, I used our newest foil “Melody“. It is quite a stunning foil if I must say so myself.

Cut a piece of foil large enough to wrap around the tumbler, and then use your cloth to smooth out the foil over the tumbler.

Next, you can use your scrubber brush, if necessary, to achieve the transfer you would like. The scrubber brush will help more of the foil to transfer.

Once the tumbler was foiled…

I put the tumbler on the Cup Turner and mixed up my Liquid Glass Epoxy.  This is equal parts of the Resin and Hardener. Make sure to stir for at least 2 minutes. I then added a little Gold Dust for extra sparkle.

You can either drip this mixture onto the cup as it turns, or use a foam brush and brush it on as it turns.  Once you have 100% coverage, allow the cup to turn for at least 8 to 10 hours as it sets up.

Ready to create your own custom diy tumbler?? Grab some supplies and start making those personalized Christmas and birthday gifts!

So… Y’all have been asking for at least a year now for a Foil Club, and we have been listening BUT… some things take a little longer to put together and we wanted this to be fabulous!!

We are so pleased to announce our Foil Club is finally here!  This Club is going to offer you some amazing monthly “happy mail” you are not going to want to miss out on. And… It’s a steal of a deal!

If you ordered the 15’ assortment of foils it would cost you $45, but as a member of our Foil Club, it’s only $23 monthly plus s/h 😍 Yeah, now that’s a deal!!

Every month you will receive a new collection of foils to create with. Some packs will be themed for the upcoming holidays and some will have NEW foils that no one has seen yet. Some packages will also be exclusive foils to Club Members only!

So… If you are addicted to Foils like the rest of us are, make sure to sign-up for this fabulous Club.

The First Foil Club Collection Ever

August’s package will include 5’ each of the Cheetalicious, Leopard Silver, and Wild Leopard Spots Gold Small.  With animal prints being one of the hottest patterns these days, we felt you needed these foils to create with.

These foils would look fabulous on a sign, furniture, wood cutouts, a t-shirt, and so many other fun projects. Cheetahlicious is the only foil in August’s package that will not work on fabric.

Make sure to sign-up by August 5th for your monthly Happy Mail and get the first Foil Club package.

SIGN UP NOW

We all love to create and I’m always looking for fun projects to do for myself or to just inspire others to be creative! This family sign DIY project was a blast to create!

Family Sign DIY

While shopping at Hobby Lobby (yes, I love going there and gathering different surfaces to create with), I found a bunch of different plaques and cutout wood words, like family, blessed, etc.

So…

Back at the studio it was time to figure out what to do with all these fun finds.  So I started digging through my foils and found a couple that I loved together: Copper Bronze Crackle and Aberdeen.

Well, if you have followed me for a little, you know that my favorite color to paint underneath most of the foils is black so I base coated the plaque and family cutout, painting all sides front and back of everything. A little trick with painting a detailed wood cutout, use a foam sponge brush and you can pounce onto the surface so you don’t get the paint build up on the edges.  Also, I love my Bondago Black for great coverage and it’s a primer and paint all in one.  Make sure to allow this to dry completely before moving to the next layer. I usually allow it to dry for a couple of hours.

Next…

Grab your Foil Adhesive and apply a layer on all sides that you plan to add the foil to the surface.  When brushing on the foil adhesive, I advise to put it on a foam plate and then add a little water, maybe 1-2%. It will help it to brush on smoother and not show brush strokes as much. Remember this product does not self-level and can show all your brush strokes, so try to smooth them out and it is best to apply with an art wash brush.

Once you have the foil adhesive on the surface, set a timer for at least an hour and allow it to dry to a firm tack.  Don’t try to rush this step, you could have failure with your transfer if you don’t allow the foil adhesive to dry long enough.

Now that you have patiently waited for the Foil Adhesive to dry…

It’s time for the fun part of applying the foils! There are so many fabulous foil patterns and colors to choose from.  I transferred the Copper Bronze Crackle foil to the plaque surface and Aberdeen foil to the top of the word Family.

Lay the foil over your project with the pattern/color side facing up (you). Smooth the surface with a soft rag and peak to see how well it has transferred.  You can rub harder or grab a plastic bristle scrub brush and scrub only in one direction (not circular). Scrubbing will create the best transfer.  Also, remember that foils only transfer in the 90% range, you will never get 100% transfer and that’s why I recommend using Black or a color similar to the foil color so any imperfections won’t be seen as much.

Once you have transferred the foil to the surface you will want to protect the foil with a topcoat. Any topcoat will work, just play with the different sheens to see which one enhances the foils for your project.  I would apply at least two coats.

Want to watch and see how I created this sign??

Head HERE!

 

I have been playing around with our new Heat Transfer Vinyl Adhesive and everything we can create with this product!

This Vinyl Adhesive is designed to be used with your Cricut or Silhouette Cameo, or any machine that you have that will cut vinyl.

Heat Transfer Vinyl Adhesive

I bought my Silhouette Cameo at the first of the year and had so many plans for it, but there is a learning curve to using these vinyl cutters.  I personally skipped the learning part and have had someone take my designs and convert them for me… That way I can just enjoy cutting the vinyl and not have to worry about the tech part!

Fun is exactly what I’m having these days!  Especially now that I found this new vinyl adhesive to create with.  With my Cameo, I can create any design my heart desires and cut the creation to the size needed.  When cutting the vinyl adhesive, you cut the design backward in the vinyl and cut it on the frosted side of the vinyl.  Then we weed out all parts that you don’t need.

Once you have weeded the design, you will place it onto the surface that you want to transfer the adhesive too.  You can transfer to any fabric and I have been having fun doing some tank tops for the summer.

Lay the t-shirt out and smooth out the surface of any wrinkles. Then place the Heat Transfer Vinyl Adhesive design at the desired location.  Using an iron on low setting, iron the backing of the vinyl adhesive for a few seconds, maybe 5 to 10.  You will see it go from frosted to clear.  After you iron, carefully pull away the backing making sure that all of the design elements have adhered to the surface.

Now your design is ready to foil!

So grab your favorite foil pattern and place it over your vinyl adhesive design.  Using your iron once again, iron over the foil for about 15 to 20 seconds making sure that it is adhering to all parts and then let it cool down.  These foils are a cold release, so you want it to cool first.  Once it has completely cooled off, remove the foil. You will for sure WOW all of your friends and family with your new designs!

This can also be used with a Heat Press on about 325 degrees, press the vinyl adhesive into place for 3 seconds, and then transfer the foil at the same temperature for about 5 to 10 seconds.

I Love My Animal Print Faith Tank Tops!!

Just a note…

Make sure that when transferring on t-shirt fabric that you have a shirt that fits pretty well. This vinyl doesn’t stretch, so you don’t want your t-shirt to stretch when you wear it.

I am so excited to share these beautiful projects with you this week. Renee Holder and Penny Collie created these stunning Singer Sewing Machine DIY projects and I cannot get over how awesome they turned out.

Singer Sewing Machine DIY

This was such an easy and fun project for Renee and Penny! They started by cleaning the machine with a vinegar and water mixture. Next, they allowed the sewing machine to dry completely and then applied Foil Adhesive.

Renee taped off the word Singer, but applied foil adhesive to the rest of the sewing machine that she wanted to apply the foil to. Make sure to allow your Foil Adhesive to dry for no less than an hour and then you can get foiling. Both Penny and Renee choose to use the Baylee Flowers Foil. Finally, they sprayed on a topcoat to protect the foil.

This is such proof that ANYTHING can be foiled!  So start looking around the house and see what you have. If these girls can foil a sewing machine, nothing is off the table!

Project by Renee Holder

Project by Penny Collie

I hope this inspired you to foil something fun! I cannot wait to see your projects. Make sure to email them to me at jennifer@artisticpaintingstudio.com