Gotta add some digi stamps to your Christmas list. These things are waaaay cool! I use them all the time, but I finally figured out a way to get them on non-paper items! And since these days I'm all about Christmas, I thought I'd show you how I put a digital image on a Christmas ornament. Yep, you heard (read) right! I put a digital image on a round, glass Christmas ornament. Okay, it didn't fit in the printer, but I found this cool product that lets you make your own rub-ons. I used a product called Grafix Rub-onz Transfer Film. It's expensive (well, I think $9 for four sheets is expensive), but I did use a 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby.
There are tutorials out there for making homemade rub-ons using transparency film, but I could not get them to work for me. I tried everything I could think of: different brands of film, different printers, longer drying times, etc. All I ended up with using the regular transparency film was a wet mess. The Grafix Rub-onz has an adhesive component to it that allows the image to actually transfer to a smooth surface.
So, basically, I printed out my digital stamp onto the transfer film following the instructions provided, colored the image, and then rubbed it onto my ornament. Look at the stunning results.
I chose an image from
Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Christmas Cupcake Wrappers Digital Stamp Set. Love that set and I have yet to make a cupcake--so much versatility. I sized the image in a word document and did a couple of test runs with plain paper to make sure the size was what I wanted before printing on the transfer film. Once I got it the right size, I printed it out on my rub-on paper, colored it with copic markers, and rubbed the image onto my ornament. I added a few dots of Frosted Lace Stickles to the berries for highlights. Isn't that so cool! But wait till you see this next one!
Ahhhh! Love the intense green on this one! Same exact process as above, but instead of using copic markers, I used Clearsnap Smooch and some red stickles. Have you seen Smooch? It looks like a bottle of fingernail polish but has a much more precise brush. In fact, I didn't color in this image until
after I transferred it to the ornament, so I actually "painted" the image in on the ornament itself instead of the transfer paper. I loved this so much, I promptly returned to
Scrapbook Gadgets (Angela's got a great selection and shipping was super fast!) for more Smooch in more colors! My poor Christmas tree won't know what hit it after I'm through decorating the decorations!
Now, if you're thinking you'd like to jazz up your ornaments, jars, metal containers, etc with some cool, custom-made rub-ons, let me encourage you to do a little Christmas shopping at
Lindsay's Stamp Stuff where you can pick up this great
Christmas Cupcake Wrapper set or her brand new
Christmas Potpourri (to "die for" cute) set. You might also try googling "homemade rub-ons" and see if you can find a cheaper method of creating rub-ons. If you find something that works, leave me a comment. I'd love a more affordable option, but I must say, I still have lots of transfer paper left. It goes a long way. And digi stamps are so affordable, you can afford to splurge a little on the transfer film.
Be sure to check out what the ladies of the
Lindsay's Stamp Stuff design team have prepared for you, and Lindsay's sure to have a Christmas treat or two, so don't forget to stop by her
blog. Have fun and have a homemade Christmas!
Project Recipe
Paper: Graffix Rub-onz Transfer Film
Stamps:
Lindsay's Stamp Stuff Christmas Cupcake Wrapper
Accessories: Old Christmas ornament, copic markers, Clearsnap Smooch Green Apple and Moonlight, Ranger Stickles Frosted Lace and Glitz Ruby Slippers
