Altered Box - stamping with hot glue - part two

Metal, image transfer and ink embellishments from stamps

This is the technique courtesy of Annepat on UKstampers. When I first read it I though this will never work and it will ruin my stamp. But it does work and the stamp is fine... Grease cake cutter with vaseline so glue does not stick. Coat red rubber stamp in Versamark. Pour in hot glue.

 I tried putting glue in using my glue gun but it was too slow so I just cut up the glue sticks and melted them with my heat too. This time I had stamp facing up. When dry it comes out of cutter as below.

 Trim round edges and peel off the stamp from the dried glue.

 Finished piece - there was an air bubble so not perfect but I like this effect and I just swiped some distress stains over the stamp to highlight colours more.

This time (now I knew stamp was safe) I used PaperArtsy butterfly and dragonfly.

 I quite like the look of it embedded in the glue before I cut it out and I imagine this could make some interesting fossil like embellishments.

 For this one I just reused the glue I had cut away from the ones above and although it was slightly dirtier I hate to waste all that glue.

I also made these embellishments using a sandwich of PaperArtsy metal, double sided tape and image transfers which were then stamped, metal embossed with metal tools and swiped with alcohol ink.

An Altered Box, part one

 I set a monthly challenge on UKStampers and this is my almost too late entry for the challenge. The challenge was to create a piece of art in any format, use an image transfer somewhere on the piece, use a favourite stamp in a new way no red or hearts as I am the grinch of Valentine's day.

The idea behind the challenge is to try out new techniques and I have had all sorts of problems experimenting with image transfers as you can see here. In the end I used large photocopies of feathers I found on Graphics Fairy. I added layers of Golden acrylic gel medium in different directions and then soaked the paper and rubbed off the back. It leaves a transparent flexible image.
I began with this box from Molton and Brown which I added three layers of gesso to.

I then used TH text stamps from the Shabby French collection and stamped them randomly over each other - blue side used broken china, evergreen bough and faded jeans, orange side was spiced marmalade, worn lipstick and fired brick. 

I promptly forgot that Distress inks react with water and applied the feather over the stamping with acrylic gel. Cue smudged inks and major swearing. I then decided I could use this even more distressed look. I added more stamps on top and an other layer of gel. I also added some stazon and versamark inks that would not smudge.

The butterflies and dragonflies were image transfer feathers onto double side paperartsy tape and metal. I stamped on the metal and then embossed with metal tools and cut out. I also added some more alcohol inks.

 This was using stamps in a new way but I wanted to try something else. I had read a post from Annepat on the forum who said you could use hot glue, versamark, vaseline and stamps. The dragonfly and square stamp that holds the ribbon come from those experiments.

 I will post separately about those experiments as there would be too many pictures. I lined the box with adhesive back blue and green felt and used turquoise seam binding to make the tab ribbon and edge the box.