FAKE IT FRIDAY: GLASS ORNAMENTS

I can't believe it's Friday already - I love doing this weekly segment 'cause I get to surf the web for ideas and try out new things, and at the same time tell my hubby that I'm working!

Today I've chosen one of my all-time go-to gals for inspiration, Diana Gibbs of Arizona. Diana and her sister Jacqui are both very talented stampers whom I'm proud to call my friends. Funny thing is that even though Jacqui lives much closer to me (only an hour away) I usually see Diana more often in person - at Stampin' Up!'s Convention and Leadership events; go figure. However, I am part of Jacqui's Yahoo Group for demonstrators, and I love all the kewl things she shares online, too!

For today's post, I decided to try Diana's demo of Embossed Glass Ornaments (link). It probably won't surprise you to hear that I already had a supply of plain glass ornaments in my overstuffed "things-to-stamp-on" cupboard (aka my dollar-store treasure chest), so I pulled out a couple of different shaped ornaments to try today.

Now I have made these before (that is to say, I've stamped on acetate, coloured the image and inserted it into the ornament) but I really liked the added effect of embossing the inside of the glass with "Iridescent Ice" embossing powder - it really adds something to the finished project!

Once again, I can't stress enough how important (and sensible) it is to read the instructions THOROUGHLY before you start. Just wish I could get that message through my own thick skull. (chuckle)

What did I do wrong? Well, let's just say that Diana wasn't kidding when she said the glass gets really hot when you're embossing!!!! So ... after I soaked my burnt little fingers in cold water I tried again, this time holding the ornament with a towel ... that was another bad idea. Towels will start to scorch before the embossing powder has fully set. Plus, my EP just wasn't setting evenly - some spots were fine while others stayed powdery.

I finally admitted defeat and went back to Diana's site for another look-see - let me tell you, things went much easier once a) I switched to holding the ornament by the neck with my tweezers (duh), and b) I pointed my heat tool all over the OUTSIDE of the ornament (I was aiming it inside, through the tiny opening ... double duh!)

I had to guess what size to make the acetate circles, depending on the size of the ornament. One ended up too small and the design was turning upside down once it was inside. I ended up pulling it back out with my tweezers (you'll need three hands to do that!) and instead of stamping all over again on a larger circle, I just glued my small one to a larger one, using a glue dot behind the red bow - it worked fine!

They ended up looking pretty kewl ... my hubby was even impressed, and that's saying something! I think I'll offer these in an ornament and tag class in December - they'd look nice tied onto a gift as a keepsake, don't you think?

PS: Be sure to visit Diana's blog HERE and Jacqui's blog HERE - and tell them I say HI!

cheers,

Donna