Hi'ya CP Lovers! I wanted to share with you a really quick tutorial that adds a personal, unique, fun embellishment to your pages and project. I was a digital scrapbooker before I found my love for paper, and although a lot of their products I still use on my hybrid pages, sometimes, there are things I see that I wish I could use. There have been a lot of fun, funky frames showing up on pages and I wanted to create one of my own, but I wasn't finding anything that I loved on the market. What's a girl to do? Make your own, of course!
I ordered a mold from "Mold Muse" on etsy, and hit up my local craft store for some Sculpty Clay. {Please note, these are just the brands I chose to use. There are a lot of amazing products out there}. What I loved about using the polymer clay is that it's available in a vast variety of pretty colors. I found a NEON pink that I fell in love with, instantly!
First, take a small amount of clay into your hands (pea size) and warm it up while rolling it into a ball, until it becomes a little softer. Once you've done that, start pressing the clay into the mold. Take your time with this and make sure that all the little details are being filled.
Keep working on it as you go around the mold, paying attention to prevent air bubbles. You can see the back of mine isn't perfectly flat, but I wasn't worried about it. You wouldn't see the backside of the frame anyway given that it'll be adhered to the page, backside down. If you're worried about it, you can take a flat edge, such as a credit card, and level the area.
Make sure to follow the direction on the clay package as it may be different from mine. I used an old toaster oven to bake my frame and placed it directly on the rack. I then baked it at 250 degrees for 10 minutes before removing and setting it onto a cooling rack. I left it there until it was cool to the touch. Let me tell you, I was really excited to see the final result, so waiting wasn't easy. Laugh. It's essential though that you let it cool down.
I really love the way it turned out! I'd found the perfect NEON pink to match with many of my fave Crate Paper collections, including Random!!
I dare you to give the frame a try - it's a unique addition and will give that next Crate Paper project, a boost of personality!
shanna, you know i love your style to bits, but this takes the cake!! thanks for all of the inspiration!
Posted by: ginny | June 27, 2012 at 04:34 AM
Oh my goodness...couldn't love the layout more and yahooo to NEON pink!
Posted by: ~amy~ | June 27, 2012 at 04:44 AM
Wow!! That's awesome!!! I loveeeeeeeeeeee it!!! And it looks AMAZING on your page!!!
Posted by: Julie Tucker-Wolek | June 27, 2012 at 04:45 AM
Wow, that's brilliant. I'm sold! Gonna have to go get some molds. Excellent idea!!!
Posted by: Jess Leggett | June 27, 2012 at 09:25 AM
Shanna you are a GENIUS!
Posted by: Toni Anderson | June 27, 2012 at 01:42 PM
OH my goodness I didnt know you could use that clay with those...looks like I will be placing a mold muse order soon :) Thanks for sharing & that is such a beautiful layout!
Posted by: stephanie hines | June 27, 2012 at 08:28 PM
WOWZA I am loving that...super cool
Posted by: scrappyrae10 | June 28, 2012 at 12:01 PM
What a fun idea!!!
Posted by: Court's Crafts | June 28, 2012 at 08:09 PM
thanks for sharing this. I think I will start looking into molds & clay in teal...
Posted by: Ezlie Perez | June 29, 2012 at 12:16 PM
What an amazing idea and the layout is gorgeous!! I'm so impressed!
Posted by: Jacquie I | July 05, 2012 at 08:22 AM