| Pendant blanks/other jewelry making bezel settings like earrings, rings, bails, ball chains and more available on this page: |
| Store Index: pg.1: The Enchanted Gallery's Rubber Stamps, pg.2: EZ Mount Cling Cushion Mounting Foam, pg. 3: Other Stamps: Animals & Nature, pg.4: Other Stamps: Fantasy Art & People, pg.5: Jewelry Making Supplies, pg. 6: KrystalKraft - Acrylic Shapes to Decorate, pg.7: Mold Making Compound, pg.8 Face & Button Molds, pg.9: Nature Spirit Molds, pg.10: Goddess & Mythology Molds, pg.11: Fairy, Angel & Mermaid Molds, pg.12: Ink, Coloring Media, Embellishments and more!, pg.13: Stencils, Masks and Die Cuts. Gallery, Tutorials & Information Index: pg.1: Shipping & Store Policy pg.2: Flexible Push Mold Info & Instructions, pg.3: Kimberly Crick's Art Gallery, pg.4: Friendly Plastic Jewelry Tutorial, pg.5: Rubber Stamped Domino Jewelry, Pg.6: Paper Art Dolls with a Template, Pg.7: Other Ways To Use Domino Size Stamps, Pg.8: Stamp Positioning With Die Cuts (Nestabilities & Cuttlebug.) Pg.9: Coloring Options - Media & Techniques. Shipping/Payment Info Summary: Orders ship via USPS 1st class or Priority mail depending on weight to the United States only (policy), estimated delivery time is 7 to 14 business days. Quantities of 3 or more of the same item may delay shipping about a week, large quantity orders will receive an email within a few days to notify IF there will be any delay. Shipping info and optional insurance available here. I accept online payments only (US based credit cards/e-checks) through my PayPal shopping cart. You do not need to be a PayPal member to pay with my secure shopping cart system. (After you click "proceed to checkout" on the cart page just click the "Don't have a PayPal account? Use your credit card or bank account" link to the left of the PayPal log in box.) All orders over $100 ship free! My "Angel Company Policy" applies to The Enchanted Gallery's exclusive rubber stamps and molds only. For other rubber stamps, check with the manufacturer for their individual company's copyright policies. Comments/Questions? Check Q&A before you Email: EnchantedGallery@gmail.com - Want to know what's new? Check blog updates! |
| I ship within the USA only. All orders over $100 ship free! More info: Shipping & Store Policy, Tutorials & Gallery, Home, Artist Q&A |
| Cut the friendly plastic into a shape slightly larger than your jewelry blank/finished project size. Place it on a heat protected surface. To soften the plastic, use a heat tool (embossing powder gun) over it until the surface looks glossy and starts to crackle. Practice on a scrap piece to test softness. This takes very little time, somewhere around 30 seconds. It's very sticky when hot, avoid touching it. Press rubber stamp into the plastic. Leave the stamp there until the plastic cools down and re-hardens. This takes about 5 to 15 minutes depending on how cold your room is, put your project in the fridge or by the window to quicken the cool down time. Pull stamp off. Trim with scissors to fit your project. It may be possible to coat your rubber stamp with something slick, such as petroleum jelly, so you can remove it while the plastic is still hot. This will allow you to cut a shape out with a clay/cookie cutter while the plastic is still soft/hot. |
| Jewelry making with Friendly Plastic Tutorial by Kimberly Crick: |
| Let's start with rubber stamping on friendly plastic to make a pendant: |
| Materials list: 1) Friendly Plastic (a thin strip of black or white plastic with a metallic color coating, available here.) 2) Jewelry blank/metal setting (I've used a silver pendant tray by Amate Studios) 3) Sharp detail craft scissors 4) Rubber stamp (I recommend deeply etched red rubber stamps for a good impression. I used the ginko leaf from this stamp sheet.) 5) Ink pad of your choice (I used VersaMark, only because it is clear and I didn't want a colored ink in my impression. You can use whatever ink you desire, the heat should set most inks pretty quickly.) 6) Heat tool / Embossing powder gun (for anyone unfamiliar, this is a high heat tool that looks similar to a mini blow-dryer, but doesn't produce much air flow. It's made to melt embossing powders for rubber stampers, apply heat to projects that require heat setting, or speeding up drying times. 7) Coloring media, such as inks and paints. In the project below I used alcohol inks by Ranger Ink/Tim Holtz, 8) Your choice of glue, sealer or resin. For this project I have used a UV-resin called "Magic-Glos" by Lisa Palevka. |
| More projects coming soon! |
| Decide which way you want your art to lay in the jewelry base. Carefully trim away any excess friendly plastic. If you are happy with what your work looks like at this point, consider stopping! For the purpose of this tutorial I kept going to experiment. I reheated the plastic to smooth the edges out inside of the pendant base. I used an embossing tool to create textures in the plastic. During the reheating some of the detail of my stamped image was lost. I would only reheat if you really made a mistake with cutting the edges of your work or want to add other textures. |
| When cool, friendly plastic is very slick and will not naturally stick to your base. I would use a little glue, any kind rated for metal and plastic, to adhere it to your jewelry base. I then started coloring the plastic with alcohol inks. I used an aqua-brush filled with alcohol (either rubbing alcohol or Ranger's blending solution will work) and picked up color from a drop of alcohol ink on my non-stick surface. Problem: I noticed that the gold surface of my friendly plastic was "bleached" by the alcohol inks. Instead of gold it started looking like silver in some areas. Be aware that color changes may occur while working. Using more color instead of clear/blender alcohol should help with this issue. On the bright side you can use alcohol inks to totally change the appearance of your plastic when desired. |
| I applied the Magic Glos to my friendly plastic surface, sprinkling in some autumn colored glitter for a sparkly effect. I let it sit for a minute to let any bubbles rise to the surface, and popped them with a toothpick. I cured the resin according to the manufacturer's directions, for about 20 minutes under a UV light. Finding the right sealer or resin for you is tricky work. There are a few things to consider: Chemicals. I personally am very sensitive to chemicals and smell, so I do not use the many resins or epoxy formulas that require you to mix two parts in a well ventilated area. (Such as "envirotex lite" or "castin craft") These resins are the most durable though. I have heard good things about "Ice Resin" brand. Expense. I use "Magic Glos" by Lisa Pavelka, which is one of the more expensive sealers. It comes in a small 1 oz. bottle for around $10. To me it is worth it because it is one part, nothing to mix, just squeeze from the bottle. It hardens by UV rays, so you can either set it in the sunlight or use a UV lamp (like they have at nail salons.) Since it is not a glue you have more working time to remove bubbles before it "dries" (hardens.) It is more durable than other sealers/glues mentioned below, but less durable than the two-part chemical resin/epoxies mentioned above. You should still be careful with any art product, but Magic-Glos has no smell. It's my happy medium. Durability. There are many inexpensive sealers on the market, including "Glossy Accents", "Paper Glaze" and "Crystal Lacquer". These work like clear glues. They provide a pretty clear coat, but are easily scratched and dented. If you are making professional quality jewelry I would consider heavier duty resins. |
