Have you ever had your writing implements...just walk off...seemingly...on their own? Yup - that happens here - A LOT. I'd like to share today how to conveniently decorate (or mark/identify/mine! - hee) your writing tools!!
After having six (yes, six) brand new, nicely sharpened pencils disappear from my office within three hours, I developed an idea...
Some folks like pens...I'm a pencil person. You could use this technique on pens too...but...I even carry a small pencil sharpener in my purse. Weird? Obsessive? OK maybe a little...but I really like my pencils! Maybe you can understand, or sympathize, why I've taken to marking my pencils from my six and nine year old pencil thieves!
OK to begin we're going to use Claudine Hellmuth's Studio Sticky-Back Canvas (either her 8.5x11 or her 12x12) and a few nice, brand-spankin' new pencils.
Claudine's quality canvas is beautifully textured on one side, and has a super sticky adhesive on the reverse, with a protective backing that you simply peel away to expose.
I cut a piece of the sticky back canvas to the width needed - I measured the logo/writing on the pencil and used that as my guide. For the length - You'll use roughly one inch of canvas around each pencil. For four pencils my canvas was roughly 2-1/4" x 4".
We'll also need a couple of Mini Misters - these hold any liquid, an produce a wonderful, very fine mist.
I sprayed the canvas with one mister containing Distress Peeled Paint re-inker and then added water, leaving about a 1/2" of head room so the contents can emulsify (how-to at the end of this post).
The canvas was sprayed with a second mister, shown above, containing Distress Mustard Seed re-inker and Perfect Pearl (it's a Perfect Pearl Product - mica powder with a binder - the water acts as the binder so there is no need to seal - the water seals it - yay! A step-by-step how-to create this mister is the end of this post). Heat set wet canvas with a heat tool or craft iron.
Claudine's canvas holds up despite relentless attacks with water...and heat from the heat tool too...and yet stays super-sticky!
Stamp canvas with desired image. I'm using Ranger's Archival Ink in Jet Black, and Memory Box's Classic Flourish.
Lastly, if desired, take any script stamp or other fine line image, and stamp canvas using a Peeled Paint Distress pad.
Cut canvas apart into 1" (or circumference needed for each pencil) increments, then peel off backing. These adhere neatly and cleanly to each pencil. Thank you for visiting the CLASSroom today!
A quick word about re-inkers and misters:
Tim Holtz's Distress products (Ellen Hutson carries a full inventory of every color), including the re-inkers, will not alter in hue when mixed with water. Green stays green. Red stays red. And browns stay true and will not turn pink. This is not the case with all dye-based re-inkers, so play and experiment!
To create the Peeled Paint mister I used above, use one full dropperful of Distress re-inker, then fill mister with water leaving 1/2" headroom for the contents to emulsify when shaken.
To create a the Mustard Seed & Perfect Pearl mister, place one dropperful of Distress reinker, followed by desired amount of Perfect Pearl powder (I used Perfect Pearl here, and a popsicle stick to insert). The more powder you use the more shimmery the spray will be. You'll want the re-inker in the mister first to 'grab' the Perfect Pearl powder. If you opt to place the powder in first, it will become 'locked' in the bottom of the mister by the liquid and be very troublesome, difficult, time-consuming and frustrating to emulsify while shaking.
Fill mister with water leaving 1/2" headroom for the contents to emulsify when shaken. You'll need to shake any mister you create each time you use it, to ensure the products are mixed thoroughly.
The Perfect Pearls powder creates an incredible and brilliant shimmer on the surface! With a few Distress re-inkers (there are 24!) and a few Perfect Pearls powders and some Mini Misters, you can create a vast multitude of colored sprays quickly and inexpensively.
I like to label my misters with the ingredients I used so I can quickly and easily make more. You can label them further by spraying a piece of white cardstock with the mix then drying (heat set with a heat tool or craft iron), then punching cardstock with a 1/2" circle punch and adhering the circle punch to the mister cap - this makes identifying your misters super fast and easy, especially when using the handy Mister Organizer.
