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!)

Birthday rules

This is for the sketch on Moving along with the times challenge 49:

The papers and sentiment are taken from HOTP cardmaker's floral ultimate pack (I love these papers, but have to confess that most of the time they remain unused - don't know why) with a bit of distressing with dusty concord distress ink. The flowers are rub ons.

I chose the colours for Color dare 68: razzleberry, soft suede, crushed curry, old olive.


The card is also for:

Crazy challenge 18: 'distress it'
Cas-tastic Wednesday 6: 'focus on sentiments'
Glue, scissors, paper 22: 'take 5' - my items: designer papers, cardstock (with the sentiment), sentiment, distress ink, rub on flowers
Sentimental Sundays 6: 'new or neglected stash' - the HOTP papers have really been neglected; the floral rub ons are new(ish) ones
Spoon full of sugar 107: 'floral delights'
Tuesday taggers: 'all that blooms'
Gingersnap GC55 rndom redhead: 'quotes' - I love the bit about the candles!
Charisma cardz 22: 'flowers'
Alphabet: 'F is for flowers'