Alpha-blocks

Hello, all!

This month's Papertrey Ink countdown is under way and today brings you a special group post featuring a new love... Alpha-blocks.

Solid little blocks. With open text. Total win-win.

I've had a sneaky little stamp experiment in mind for a while... just waiting on the perfect stamps to try it out on... and when I saw these beauties I knew it was time.

Combine that with a desperate need for birthday presents in this house {2 kids, 1 birth date this week, zero gifts purchased due to extended leave of absence this month... yikes!} as well as a goal of *finally* making some decorating progress on Elle's room this summer and what do you get?

A sweet home decor project, obviously.
 First up... a frame with an 8x10" opening.
Second... the stamps.

And the most important part?
Don't touch 'em!
The stamps that is.

The key to this quick and easy project?
For the love of all that is crafty, leave the stamps on the backing sheet they come on.
Do not pass go, do not collect $100, and do not remove the stamps and place them in that brand new storage case.

Back away from the case.
Because, look at all those letters...
 
lined up so nice and neat.

They just make me so happy :)

So, first things first. Clean the glass. I go old school with glass and mirrors and use a vinegar/water solution :)

Then rub a static resist bag over the glass to help the excess embossing powder slide off. {You can still see some of the powder residue on the edges of the frame.}

Next, line up your stamps within the frame. I placed both sheets down, then used a strip of cardstock to mark where to stamp the top sheet down. Ink up the stamps with Versamark ink, then gently lay the sheet down on the glass. I slid my thumb down each letter just to make sure the image was fully transferred. Gently pull the sheet up and voila... you just stamped 18 letters at once. Whew.

At this point I gently removed the glass from the frame. I found it easiest to place the letters on the glass within the frame first, then take the glass out when it was time to add the embossing powder. Gently shake off the excess powder. I wiped the edges of the glass down just to remove any leftover powder. I then went over the glass again with the anti-static bag.
{Slightly OCD? Yes.}
 
Once the powder is covering the first section of letters it's super easy to line up the second sheet and get it stamped down. {Note that I removed the "0" at the end. I originally planned to sign it there, then changed my mind and signed below.}

Then you just need to heat it up.
A few things to note on that part.
Overheating the glass = bad.

Word to the wise... wear goggles.
Seriously.
Abandon your pride and do it.

Because overheating the glass can cause problems...
 
see?

My original plan was to just heat up one line at a time then to back off and let the glass cool off completely before tackling the next line.

And that is a genius plan.

Unfortunately, I was the one following it.

Of course, I got a bit cocky and thought "This is going swimingly, so obviously, it's time to abandon my well-founded plan and see what happens!"

Yeah.
That didn't really work out for me :)

So, my advice?
Don't pull a Jess.
One line at a time, people.
And wear the goggles.
Then behold your beautiful project in all it's embossed glory...
 
Since this month at Papertrey Ink is all about the boys, I thought I'd show you that this project would be perfect for the little man in your life, too.

Because the embossing sits on top of the glass, there are endless possibilities for what to put behind it. I had lots of fun trying out just about every patterned paper in my stash to see what it would look like. I thought this oversized woodgrain would be very manly in a little boy bedroom.


Because I'll probably go with some sort of modern meets antique theme in Noelle's room, I wanted to keep things simple.

I cut a piece of linen to fit inside, then focused on embellishing the front. A few rows of buttons for color and a paint-pen signature {I used a white Sharpie poster paint pen} finishes everything off.

I've always been pretty intentional about handmade gifts from me to the kiddos, but after saying goodbye to my grandmother and being in the house that my grandfather detailed nearly every part of with his own two hands... I'm finding myself even more sentimental than usual. That may have had something to do with including my own handwriting. {You should know that the Sharpie pen is very forgiving... if you don't like your first attempt, just wipe it off and give it another go.}
 
I hope she likes it. In a few years, at least, since I don't know that it will mean much to her at 2 :)

But I know that it means something to me to make it for her.

I can't wait to see all the other Alpha-blocks projects the Papertrey Ink design team has come up with! Check 'em all out...

Nichole Heady
Betsy Veldman
Erin Lincoln
Maile Belles
Lisa Johnson
Dawn McVey
Heather Nichols
Melissa Phillilps
Michelle Wooderson
Danielle Flanders

Back tomorrow with more PTI peeks...

 

{Alphabet} Wall Hanging
Stamps - Alpha-blocks {to be released 4/15}
Ink - Versamark
Embossing Powder - Filigree Detail White
Other - Vintage Buttons, frame