The lovely folks at Crystal Parade have sent me some crystals to play with!
My first project was this framed friendship gift made with the addition of black flocked heat transfer vinyl, a brush stroke font, a Samantha Walker cutting file and my Silhouette Cameo.
I'll cover how to make the flocked part in a separate post. The file required some minor editing before being ready to iron on to the backing fabric (I used a heat press).
The gems are a Crystal Parade mixed pack of rainbow crystals. They are so pretty with a bright sparkle that is difficult to capture, but beautiful to look at.
Being non-hotfix means that they need to be adhered to projects with glue and I used Beacon's Gem-tac glue, a precision glue syringe with a pink tip, and a jewel setter.
The syringe was easy to fill and very (very) precise. I followed directions from a couple of YouTube videos on how to do it to exclude air bubbles. I practiced a few times first, but really needn't have bothered.
A gentle pressure on the plunger delivers a precise amount of glue just where you need it (and more importantly, NOT where you DON'T).
The crystals, which are 3mm in diameter (SS10) are best picked up with a tool like the jewel setter. It has a waxy end which you manipulate into a point with your fingers. This helps avoid touching the flat side of the crystals which can transfer oils from your skin and make the gems less likely to stick firmly first time.
The trick to keeping your project free from excess glue is to use a small amount of glue and apply minimal pressure, otherwise the glue is pressed to the edges of the gem and none remains underneath to adhere it.
At the risk of sounding smug, I was pretty pleased with how this project turned out. Using a glue syringe might seem like a daunting prospect, but it turned out to be enjoyable and straightforward. More so than my photographic efforts, but that's a post for another day!
SUPPLIES:
CUTTING FILE
FONT
Black Jack by Typadelic on dafont
MATERIALS
Crystal Parade Rainbow mixed pack of crystals
Beadsmith Jewel Setter
Precision Glue Syringe with pink tip
Beacon Gem-tac CPD/AmazonUk/AmazonUSA
Black Flock HTV Prem-flock from MDP Supplies
Lovely project using those crystals. I love the green background, it really makes the crystals stand out.
ReplyDeleteHi this is a gorgeous. Hugs Jackie
ReplyDeleteThank you both. I had such fun doing it!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely gorgeous. I love this x
ReplyDelete