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Tuesday 8 June 2010

Fun with the melting pot

For the past few days I've been looking at videos of Suze Weinberg using her melting pot and I determined that I would get mine out of cold storage (well, not quite cold storage - the back of a drawer to be precise). Anyway, Suze was on QVC this afternoon (and will be again at 6 pm), so I watched the programme and then set to work on using my melting pot. It's ages since I did - I don't know why I don't use it more often. It's a bit like making pancakes on Shrove Tuesday - I then think that I should make them more often ... and then time goes by again. Anyway, I digress - back to this afternoon's crafting.

I decided to use UTEE to cover a couple of big chipboard letters - H and b. I sprinkled bronze UTEE on the letters and then a sprinkling of Debbi Moore's metal magic. When I last used my melting pot I cut a piece of heatproof craft sheet to put into the pan so I could then pull it out with tweezers (this is what Dawn Bibby does rather than immerse the chipboard in the UTEE - the end result is the same).

When I pulled them out of the pot I stamped into them with this Tim Holtz stamp:

and this is the effect I got:

The above picture was taken before I sanded the edges with my precision file set.

The H ended up split in the middle, so I used the same process for another H, this time smearing stickles crystal ice over the embossed surface.

However, when I came to prepare the letters for the card I carefully added a little melted UTEE with a cocktail stick to the original H to join it together, so I now have a spare stickled H to use some other time.

I then stamped the remaining letters for Happy birthday on to pearlised bronze card using Versamark and heat embossed with silver detail powder, added the H and b and then cut round and mounted on to silver metallic card, which in turn was matted on to bronze and eventually on to a silver metallic A5 size card.

I wanted to keep the rest of the card simple, so I've just added a couple of the felt and buttons that I received recently from a crafting friend.

The photos show how the different angles of light change the look of the colours:


I made this card 'just because' - nobody in mind to give it to ... and then I realised that it would make a good birthday card for John - it's got lots of texture, large letters ... could this be the first time I've made his birthday card in advance - it's not till the end of December! Lol!

I'm submitting this for these challenges:

Corrosive 67: 'die cuts' - the letters started out as die cut chipboard
Magical crafts 16: 'metal madness' - I used metal magic
One stitch at a time 16: 'boys to men' - any male card
Sunday stamper 106: 'the letter'
Crazy challenge 18: 'distress it'
Shabby tea room 13: 'masculine card'
Artful inkables 22: 'something completely different than you normally make'
The creative type 32: 'monograms'
For fun challenges: 'card for a man'
Little red wagon 31: 'altered embellishment' - the plain chipboard letters were embellished
Simon says: 'male'
Tanda teaser 147: 'Xtra large'
Busy beauties creation station 5: 'anything goes'
Stampin' B 61: 'masculine card'
Frosted designs: 'buttons'
Drunken stampers 19: 'birthday'
Stamp, scrap & doodle 43: 'use a handmade embellishment - the altered chipboard letters
Delightful sketches: 'texture'
Caardvarks June challenge: 'stamps and wet and/or dry embossing'
My time to craft 95: 'Xtra special' - this is going to be saved for John's birthday (if I remember where I hide it!)

31 comments:

  1. Hazel, don't you dare put that melt pot back in the cupboard, you need to make more, it is gorgeous!

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  2. What a cool technique!!! Thanks for sharing with us in the Tea Room this week :)

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  3. How fab! I sat and watched Suze too.. she is so inspiring isn't she? Love your card, thanks for joining in with the Sunday Stamper hun...mmm, now, I wonder if there is anyone I know who has a birthday on Sunday?? ROFL x

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  4. Hi Hazel, WOW... I LOVE this effect. I think Suze is an inspiration too. I need to do something with my Melt-Pot soon too. I haven't used it since I got it last August! Love you wonderful card - and thanks for joining us at Magical Crafts this time.
    Hugs, Donna x

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  5. Fabulous card :-) I need to get my melt pot out too ,,, as you say ,,, it just gets left in a draw ,, neglected ! :-) I love what you did with it ,, the letters are brilliant :-)

    thanks for joining the Simon Says Stamp Challenge :-)

    luv
    Lols x x x

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  6. Wow a fabulous card and a great technique.Thanks for sharing this with us at Magical Crafts this week.xxx

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  7. oh really love this hun,I have done this before,too but still not used,the letters,he he but yours is truly brilliant,hun love it thanks for joining us at OSAAT love hugs cheryl xxxxx

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  8. New technique for me. Thanks for sharing! Great card!
    Thanks so much for playing along with us at For Fun Challenges this week. Hope to see you back next week.
    "Hugs" Carol

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  9. Hazel I think you have mastered that melt pot thingy now use it more often your work is wonderful. Those letters look like metal.

    Love the cards - hope you remember were you put John's card - don't hide it too well or you won't find it come December! haha :)

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  10. This is wonderful, Hazel! You've totally mastered the melting pot (something I still struggle with after several years...) and your card is great! Thanks for playing along with the Drunken Stampers!

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  11. Great idea with the chipboard letters! Thanks for playing along with Little Red Wagon!

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  12. This card is fabulous!! Thank you so much for showing us how you made your letters!! Glad you shared your card with us at Frosted Designs!!
    Barb :)

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  13. Awe a birthday card. When I see hb I get excited. those were my initials when I was single, every time I see them I get excited. LOL
    Great card and wonderful technique. Thanks for sharing on For Fun this week.

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  14. What a great masculine card. Awesome texture. Thanks for joining the StampinB's this week with your wonderful creation.

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  15. Those letters are stunning...thanks for sharing the steps too! And thanks for joining us at Frosted Designs this week!

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  16. Cool! this is great! thanks for joining us at Delightful Sketches and Challenges.
    hugs,
    Rachel

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  18. Gorgeous, Hazel. What a great technique with the UTEE. You can save the bd card till December, but if you're like me by the time December rolls around you will have forgotten you stored this beauty in the back of your card drawer.

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  19. Wow, wow, wow. Those letters turned out so beautiful! Gorgeous card.
    Thank you for joining us at "Crazy challenge", hope to see you again next week!
    hugs Nana

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  20. Those letters are just too cool! Excellent directions too! Thanks for joining us at Digital Delights!

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  21. Great embellishment and wonderful card.
    Thanks for joining us at SSDS this week.

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  22. Wow! Your letters turned out fabulously! It's time for me to get my melting pot out. Thanks for playing with us at SSDS this week. Hugs, Kim

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  23. OMGosh love how you did the letters on this, they turned out beautiful and so did your card!!! Thank you for joining us at the Artful INKable challenge this week!
    Hugs,
    Cheryl

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  24. LOL I always leave hubbies birthday card till the last minute, love those big letters look great
    Thanks for joining us at 'The Crazy' this week!! good luck

    Hugs Shell xx

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  25. I love those letters hun they are fabulous! Thanks for joining us here this week at OSAAT.
    Sam x

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  26. Those letters are lovely Hazel, I really need one of those pots so I can make stuff like that xxx

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  27. Oh Hazel what a fabulous piece of work.

    Thank you for joining in with our challenge over at Magical Crafts.

    Hugs

    Joanne x

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  28. Nice to see you on the Tanda Teaser...those letters are fabulous...and your right with such georgousness keeping the rest of the card simple works so well!

    I'm sure John will love it!

    Sue
    x

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  29. Those letters look fabulous! thanks for sharing the technique you used on those, and thanks for joining us this week in the Tea Room.

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  30. Amazing how many challenges you manage! Great male card and the texture is great. Thanks for joining in with us at MTTC :o)

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