That's Life: Foundry Wax

Showing posts with label Foundry Wax. Show all posts

Thursday, 24 April 2025

Creating Rust Effects with Tim Holtz Distress Products

Hello friends and Happy Thursday!

This week is flying by again, where do the days go? But today, I'm stopping by to say hello and share a mini tutorial of a technique that I have had so many requests for and as I sat in my craft room creating another project that will be shared at a later date, I thought this was the perfect time to share the details of how I create rust effects using Tim Holtz Distress products.

I don't think I will never tire of the magic of Tim’s Distress products and how they can take the ordinary, to the extraordinary, and even beyond!

So let's get started and here's how I use Ranger Ink Distress Paints, Foundry Wax and Paste to turn pewter into rust....

1. Supplies: Distress Paint, Foundry Wax, Black Opaque Texture Paste and a few of your favourite idea-ology metal embellishments. I’m using Industrial Gears, Sprocket Gears and Gadget Gears.

Apply Black Opaque Texture Paste to the metal idea-ology pieces and allow to set and harden.

3. Always shake your bottle of Statue Foundry Wax Foundry Wax to mix, and then squeeze a small amount onto your mat. Use either a brush or your fingertip to apply the wax to the metal. If you need more wax, just repeat but always make sure you place the cap back onto the bottle between applications.

4. Set the wax with a heat tool until it becomes molten and shiny.

5. Repeat the process using Sterling Foundry Wax but this time you don’t need to add so much, just a few highlights here and there, ensuring the previous layer of Statue Foundry Wax can still be seen in areas. Heat emboss to set.

6. Use a dry brush, (or you can use your fingertip if you don’t mind getting messy), to apply Crackling Campfire Distress Paint to the surface of the metal. Dry the paint thoroughly between each application.

7. Using a clean brush, apply Black Soot Distress Paint, followed by Salvaged Patina. If you need to add more of any one colour, to help build up the intensity, just repeat the process until you’re happy.

8. Finally, apply Mined Foundry Wax to accentuate the texture created on the metal. You don’t need a solid coverage, just the lightest of touches. Heat set the final layer.

9. If necessary, use a dry brush to apply more paint to highlight areas and add some more rusty, crusty goodness to complete the technique.

My gears are now transformed from the original pewter finish to a rusty metal, and are ready to use on a future project…

Thanks so much for stopping by today and I hope you've enjoyed the tricks and techniques to create rust effects.

Don't forget that you can click below to shop for all the products I've used in this tutorial...

See you soon, Emma xxx

Monday, 7 April 2025

Happiness Is A Butterfly....

Hello friends and welcome to a brand new week on the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge.

This week, the DT are showcasing products from Studio Light and combining it with our theme, TAG IT! We'd love for you to join us and of course, unless you want to ~ you don't have to use Studio Light products within your makes.

For my project, I chose to create a Size 8 Etcetera Tag and combined some Studio Light Ephemera with Tim Holtz products.

So, let's get started and here's how I created this tag!

To begin with I used a Size 8 Etcetera Tag, and a Size 8 Mixed Media Heavystock tag.

TAG

Using the Mixed Media Heavystock tag, I chose to add colour with Distress Spray Stains, Oxide Sprays and Mica Spray in the following colours:

DISTRESS SPRAY STAINS: Ground Espresso, Uncharted Mariner, Speckled Egg

OXIDE SPRAYS: Speckled Egg

MICA SPRAYS: Crooked Broomstick

After spritzing the tag with a light misting of water, I then spritzed each of the Distress Spray Stains, and the Oxide Sprays to add colour to the tag. Once I was happy with the blend, I heat dried the inks and then flicked some Crooked Broomstick Mica Spray across the surface to create the splatters. Once again, I heat dried the tag.

Across the bottom section of the tag, I added a separate piece of card, spritzed with the same colours and cut to approx 1". I stamped a border in clear embossing ink, using one of the Ornate Trims from the Stampers Anonymous stamp set and after sprinkling gold embossing powder over the ink, I heat embossed the powder until molten. I then attached the border strip, and machine stitched around the edge of the tag, and along the edges of the strip. I then adhered the tag to the Etcetera Tag using Matte Collage Medium. I did add some stamping to the tag, but in the finished version, it got hidden behind the ephemera...so, just ignore that!

My background is now complete, and is ready to add some embellishments...

STUDIO LIGHT EPHEMERA and RULER PIECE

I began building the scene by snapping a ruler piece into two. Using one half of the ruler, I inked the surface with Walnut Stain Distress Ink and then attached it across my tag.

I then chose a selection of the ephemera pieces from the Studio Light Paper Elements People and Botanics Grunge Collection pack, including the little girl, the butterflies and the foliage. I loved the colour tones and the white butterflies from this pack and apart from the little girl, which I colour tinted using Distress Crayons, I left the other pieces as they were.

I attached the foliage piece directly onto the tag using foam pads, which I splattered very lightly with Picket Fence Distress Paint. I then layered the Milk Cap over the top, which once again I gave a light splattering of white paint.

Finally, I added the little girl which I had colour tinted with Distress Crayons. I placed a butterfly behind her and lifted the wings to add dimension.

In the photo below you can see the dimension of this piece...

FLOURISHES

In this arrangement, I added two of the idea-ology metal Flourishes. To add colour to the metal idea-ology Flourishes, I used Statue and Sterling Foundry Wax on each of these pieces, applying one layer of wax at a time and then adding the second layer over the top, but not giving the metal a complete coverage. This will allow the layer of wax underneath to show through and create the variation of colour to the metal.

After I'd heat set the wax on all the pieces, I applied some dribbles of Mushroom alcohol ink over the metal to add more of a vintage feel to the pieces. I then rubbed some Black Soot and Crackling Campfire Distress paint over the surface, making sure it settled into all the recesses and the detail, before wiping away the excess paint and polishing the metal with a soft cloth to bring back the shine from the waxes.

I attached each flourish to the tag with Matte Collage Medium.

FINISHING DETAILS

We're nearly there and all that's left is the finishing details.

So that the little girl is grounded, I added some moss around the base of her feet and along the top edge of the ruler piece.

I also added some dried seed heads from my stash...

...and a few Tim Holtz Bouquet Findings, coloured with Wild Honey Distress Spray Stain.

As the finishing touch to the arrangement, I placed two of the smallest butterflies from the Studio Light pack onto this piece.

To complete the tag, I added some Word Clippings ~ "my beautiful butterfly" taken from Tim's Clippings Stickers. I cut the sentiment into three separate words before attaching them to my tag and adding some pencil shading around each.

That's completes my project for this week and I hope you love the piece I've made...

As always, if you make anything, or if you've been inspired by anything that you've seen here on my blog ~ then please, let me know by tagging me on social media or leaving a comment here and I will be right over to take a look!

Don't forget that every week, one lucky random participant has the chance to win a $25 gift voucher from Simon Says Stamp and you can join in up to 5 times, which means you could have 5 chances to win. You have until next Monday at 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in and good luck....

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop by today...

Love Emma xxx

Recipe for project:

Studio Light Paper Elements People and Botanics Grunge Collection

Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous: Size 8 Etcetera Tag, Ornate Trims

Distress Paint: Black Soot, Crackling Campfire

Distress Crayons

Distress Ink: Walnut Stain, Gathered Twigs

Foundry Wax

Distress Spray Stains: Ground Espresso, Uncharted Mariner, Speckled Egg, Wild Honey

Mica Sprays: Crooked Broomstick

Distress Oxide Sprays: Speckled Egg

Tim Holtz Idea-ology: Milk Caps, Bouquet Findings, Ruler Pieces, Flourish Adornments, Clippings Stickers

Mediums: Matte Collage Medium, Foam Pads, Gold Embossing Powder

Surfaces: Heavystock Mixed Media Tag

****These are not affiliate links****

Monday, 13 May 2024

A Fine Romance...

Hello everyone and Happy Monday!

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend and as we start the brand new week, it's time for a new Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge! This week our theme is all about Romance, and whether you want to celebrate upcoming weddings, anniversaries or just feel the love in the air, then we are excited to see what you will be creating and hope you'll join us for this fun challenge.

For my make, I chose to make an Etcetera Tag and used some of my favourite Sizzix Vault Dies from Tim Holtz to create a project celebrating LOVE and I combined these amazing dies with Foundry Wax, an idea-ology photo and the Palette Collage Paper.

So, let's begin and hope you enjoy how I made this piece.

For this make I used a Mini Etcetera Tag and primed the surface with a coat of white Gesso, which I allowed to dry and I also used a Size 8 Mixed Media Heavystock Tag, that is layered over the top.

DOUBLE LAYERED TAGS

Once the gesso is completely dry, I began to cover the background of the tag using the Palette Collage Paper. You will need to do this in two sections, and I began by adhering the first section of collage paper along the top of the tag using Matte Collage Medium to attach it into position.

I carefully applied a coat of the medium over the top of the paper, making sure that I didn't tear it and then cut another panel which I attached to cover the remaining part of the tag, again applying a coat of the medium over the top.

I allowed for the medium to dry, and then used Design Tape Trims around the outside edge of tag itself.

Setting the etcetera tag to one side, I then prepped the Size 8 tag.

Once again, I covered the card tag using the Collage Paper, and applying it exactly the same as I did on the etcetera tag. I then allowed for this to dry before machine stitching a border around the outside.

To knock back the whiteness of both tags, I ran the Walnut Stain Distress Crayon around the outside edges and then blended the colour with my fingertip.

After attaching the smaller tag in the centrally onto the Etcetera Tag using foam pads, I splattered white gesso across the surface and set them to one side to dry.

In each of the four corners of the Etcetera Tag, I attached Hardware Heads, which I painted with a combination of Antiqued Bronze and Ground Espresso Distress Paint.

PHOTO WREATH

Moving on to the wreath and the photo and for this I used the Sizzix Vault Funky Wreath Die Set by Tim and an idea-ology photomatic image.

To begin with I took a panel of black heavystock card and cut all my pieces using a selection of the dies from the Vault Funky Wreath Die Set by Tim. With my die cut pieces in front of me, I wanted to create this brushed metallic effect, aged bronze effect and for this I used Statue and Sterling Foundry Waxes.

I began by squeezing a little of the Statue Foundry wax onto my glass mat and then taking a brush, I picked up a little of the wax on the brush, wiped away the excess onto a tissue and then dry brushed the wax across the surface.

I then heat set the wax with my heat tool before adding another layer, this time using the Sterling Foundry Wax.

You can keep alternating and building up the intensity as you go, heat drying between applications but always allow some of the black card to show through.

I then layered the wreath to create the dimension ~ I cut three layers of the wreath which I layered over the top of one another, slightly offsetting them to form more of a fluffy, layered look to the finished piece.

I then took all the tiny pieces of foliage and flowers and layered these onto the wreath. To stick these into position, I just add a dab of collage medium to the ends of then tuck each piece into the main wreath itself.

I then added the beautiful die cut flowers, layering them and shaping them to create more dimension, and once again just tucking them in and placing them amongst the foliage.

Once I was happy with the wreath itself, I added pearls to the centres of the flowers.

Inside the wreath, I inlaid the photo. I used an image of a couple from the Photomatic set and to inlay the image, I used the large wreath die to cut the photo. It won't look perfect at this stage, but don't worry, all that is hidden by the wreath itself.

With my photo cut. I then applied a coat of Matte Collage Medium over the top, and colour tinted the image with Distress Crayons and a waterbrush.

Taking the dimensional wreath, I placed this over the top of the die cut photo, lining up the two pieces so that the wreath will seamlessly fit into the cuts on the photo, therefore creating an inlaid appearance.

I then attached the finished wreath onto my smaller tag, placing it over the top of a piece of Mica tile from my stash.

On the Mica Tile, I placed a Clippings Sticker, "in my heart", attaching it to the bottom right of the wreath itself.

LOVE PLAQUE

Now for the plaque...

For this I used the alphanumeric letters from the Vault World Travel die set and cut three layers of each of the four letters.

After layering them over the top of one another to form the thickness of chipboard, I attached each of the letters onto a strip of black card.

I then created the aged bronze effect on this strip of black card using the same technique with the Foundry Waxes as I used on the wreath, highlighting the lettering with a touch of Gilded Foundry Wax.

On either side of the card strip, I punched two holes using the Crop-A-Dile Tool and fixed eyelets into the position.

I attached the plaque using foam pads, and placing it across the bottom section of the smaller tag.

In the centre of the 'O', I placed a small heart which I die cut from some inky red card that I had in my stash box, using the Falling Hearts die. Once again, I cut three layers to form one heart, which I then attached inside the 'O'.

I also placed two further hearts just to the top left of the plaque.

We're nearly there and all that's left is the final detail...the clip!

CLIP

The clip is from Tim's idea-ology range and they come in a set of 3. Using one of these Vintage Clips, I wanted to continue with the aged bronze effect on the clip and again, I used Foundry Wax to achieve this.

Before applying the wax, I applied a small amount of Translucent Grit Paste over the surface of the clip, and allowed for this to dry.

Once dry, I applied the waxes but this time I used my fingertip to create a heavier coverage. You can use a brush if you have allergies or sensitivities to the waxes, please always check before using.

I heat set the wax between applications and then wrapped some twine around the neck of the clip itself.

From the twine, I hung a Heart Adornment which I painted using Distress Paint. I used Candied Apple on the heart itself and then dry brushed Black Soot over the top to give more of an aged effect. I attached the adornment to a ring fastener and then hung it from the twine.

I then clipped it to the top of my tag.

Finally, I added a small torn piece of linen from my stash. I dyed the linen with some Brushed Corduroy Distress Stain, added some stitching and then placed a tiny stitch die cut, that I had left over from a previous project in the centre. I attached the linen with Matte Collage Medium, placing it on the left hand side of the tag.

That final touch, completes my project for this week and I hope you love my interpretation of the challenge theme and the techniques I've used to create an aged bronze finish to the pieces on this tag, and how I created the dimension on the photo wreath.