"Numerology" DominoART Card featuring a Crafter's Workshop Template!

Hello Everyone!
It's time for DominoART's March DMT which stands for DominoART's Monthly Technique!
This month I challenge you to try using a stencil or a template to create a design on a domino or any other similar game tile!  I'm calling this one the "D'ART Stenciling Technique".

The theme for my DominoART card is Numerology which is a branch of knowledge that deals with the occult significance of numbers.  I had a ball playing around with the various elements and think this card would be suitable for someone who is into Numerology or just as an all occasion card.  You could really personalize it to a number or a date that is significant like a birthday, anniversary or a graduation date.  The possibilities truly are limitless!
Please pop over to my DominoART Blog to see the full tutorial on how I altered the domino and made this card!  I've also got a DominoART Challenge going if you're interested in altering dominoes or other similar game pieces, so come and join us!

Thanks for stopping by today and enjoy the rest of your week!

Happy Stamping!

 THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

'Winter Dragon' Domino Pendant - A Third Coast Creative Coterie Project!

Happy Saturday Everyone!

It's been quite chilly here in San Diego this week with lots of foggy mornings so I was inspired to share a wintery Third Coast Creative Coterie design team project with you today!

I designed a DominoART pendant featuring the gorgeous Dragon Orb (CH-696-H) rubber stamp by Third Coast Rubber Stamps.
I'm absolutely crazy for dragons and Third Coast has a large selection of gorgeous dragons to choose from ;0)

Winter Dragon

DominoART Pendant

I used my signature 'Sharpie Domino Queen' Technique to alter the domino so no surface preparation was needed and I stamped the image directly onto the shiny standard sized domino with Coal Black Ancient Page dye ink and heat set with my favourite heat gun called the Heat It.  I coloured the dragon and the background (upper and lower left side of the domino) with a combination of Ocean Blue and Sky Blue Sharpie markers.  I used Purple and Lilac to colour the details on the dragon and the orb in the background.

I painted the large orb on the upper right of the design with purple pearlescent glass paint and used an extra-fine point metallic silver paint pen on the tiny orb the dragon is clutching in its right claw.  I then used Stickles glitter glue to create the magical wintery crystal orb the dragon is holding in its left claw.  I love how the orb glows and sparkles!  I highlighted the dragon's eyes with an extra-fine gold paint pen to give the impression that the dragon's eyes are reflecting the glow from the crystal orb.  I then edged the domino with a broad point metallic silver paint pen.  Once everything was dry I applied a coat of Judikins Diamond Glaze.

I then fashioned a bale from metallic midnight/cobalt blue wire and free-form wrapped the wire around the domino so that it was encased inside the wire 'cage'.  I curled the one end to mirror the curl of the dragon's tail and also mirrored the curve of the orb in the background where the wire wrapped around the domino.

On the back of the domino I looped the wire to form the bale and hooked the other end of the wire beneath the back section.  Once the wire was snug against the domino I applied a small amount of Judikins Diamond Glaze beneath the curled wire end on the front of the domino so that it would adhere to the domino and further secure the wire in place.

I finished off my necklace with a turquoise velvet cord with a silver lobster claw clasp.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Stamping!

THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN

I design for Blockheads Paper Arts * Third Coast Rubber Stamps * About Art Accents

Domino Fairy Butterflies - About Art Accents Design Team Project

Domino Fairy Butterflies

Standing Domino Ornaments

Tutorial

I challenged my DominoART yahoo group members to create Make & Share projects for our August 2010 Challenge based on the poem 'To A Butterfly' by William Wordsworth.  I took from the poem the beauty and fragility of the butterfly and was inspired to design a 'double domino' standing ornament of a Fairy Butterfly!  I absolutely love fairies and I knew immediately I wanted to use the Masked Fairy Girl rubber stamps by About Art Accents!

There's a couple of different Masked Fairy Girls available but the two I used are on plate 147: Fairy Girls

 

  

For this tutorial I'm concentrating on the Blue Fairy Butterfly.  The Green Fairy Butterfly tutorial will be coming soon so keep an eye out for it!

I used 2 standard white dominoes and stamped the front and all 4 sides of both dominoes with portions of the Butterfly Masked Fairy Girl II in coal black Ancient Page dye ink.  Stamp and heat set each side separately to avoid smudging the images.

I always start my Sharpie colouring by laying in the darker areas first and then I use a lighter shade of the same colour to blend, shade and fill in the areas.  I used Blue and Turquoise Sharpies for the background.

 

The skin is Almond, hair is a combo of Brown & Marigold, dress and flourish detail is Purple & Lilac. I then added DecoColor metallic gold accents.

 

To finish off the bottom edge of the dominoes I edged and overlapped a bit onto the back of each so you don't see any white when the two dominoes are glued together.  Seal all surfaces with Judikins Diamond Glaze.

 

For my Fairy Butterfly wings I used some acetate wings I have for my ceramic art, but you can easily make your own!  I've made my own wings out of acetate before and they work great!  Adhere the wings to the domino with Judikins Diamond Glaze and then glue both dominoes together.  Even though the Diamond Glaze is meant as a dimensional accent and for hard glass-like surfaces it's awesome as a glue too!

 

I randomly bent and twisted metallic blue craft wire for the antennae and finished with a drop of Diamond Glaze on the ends. Once the glaze was dry I coloured it metallic gold and also added a touch of opal glitter glue.
I then glued the antennae into the top groove between the two dominoes with Diamond Glaze. I also accented the wings with glitter glue for a touch of sparkle.

I'm thrilled with the way my Fairy Butterfly turned out.
Even though I designed her to be a standing ornament you could easily make her into a magnet ornament too by just gluing a magnet to the back.

 

Happy Stamping!
Leigh S-B
THE SHARPIE DOMINO QUEEN
www.VelvetPawCreations.com

About Art Accents Design Team 

"The Elegance of Natural Beauty" Part 2 featuring DominoART Pendants and Blockheads Stamps

Hello Stampers!

I'm so excited to share with you Part 2 of my "The Elegance of Natural Beauty" tutorials!  This is now my second project as an official Designer for
Blockheads Paper Arts and I'm having a blast!

If you haven't seen Part 1 yet then check it out here
"The Elegance of Natural Beauty" 
Vintage Domino WallART - Blockheads Design Team Project Part 1. 

Part 1 featured 4 of the 5 gorgeous flower panels available from 

Blockheads "Flowers Full Sheet 1 FL1001"

The fragile beauty of these Flower images inspired me to design something that would capture the elegance of nature and Part 2 continues along this theme with vintage Doublecross DominoART pendants.   I again wanted to focus on bringing out the beauty of the wood of the actual domino which in turn enhanced the elegance of the Tulips stamp.  But I didn't stop there!  I had so many ideas for this particular pendant I decided to include all the variations in this tutorial to show you how different jewelry embellishments can change the appearance of the same altered domino.
Enjoy!

"The Elegance of Natural Beauty"
1 Vintage Domino Pendant = 4 Different Styles

Tutorial Part 2

Supplies
Blockheads "Flowers FL1001" rubber stamps
1 Doublecross Domino
Ancient Page dye ink pads:  Chocolate and Sienna
Archival Jet Black ink pad
Violet Sharpie marker
Heat/embossing gun
E6000 glue
Krylon sprays Workable Fixative and Sealer
Paper towel
Drill or Dremel and a 1/16 bit
Drill vice
2 Brass eyehooks
Brass jump ring
Jewelry pliers
Various vintage jewelry pieces
Brass charms
Vintage (or new) Topaz crystal/rhinestone

So before I go on to show you my DominoART pendants I'll briefly recap how I went about altering the actual domino.   I drilled holes into both ends of the Doublecross Domino with a Dremel and a 1/16 bit.   It is best to use a vice when drilling so please take all necessary precautions when working with power tools!

FYI:  Doublecross dominoes have been out of production for years now so you will be very lucky if you can get your hands on some!  But you don't have to use dominoes to achieve the same look!  You can totally re-create my projects using any kind of wood for your pendants!   Using the 'Direct to Domino' method of applying ink, I dabbed on the Ancient Page dye inks (Sienna and Chocolate) randomly and rubbed the inks into the domino with a piece of paper towel.
I wanted to enhance the wood grain and imperfections of the domino and was really happy with the results.  Next I stained the sides of the domino with Chocolate Ancient Page and heat set the ink with a heat/embossing gun.

  

I used Jet Black Archival ink to stamp the Tulip flower panel onto the domino and heat set again.  Then I sprayed the domino with Krylon Artists Workable Fixative to ensure the inks didn't bleed when I sprayed them with the Krylon matte sealer.
I really love the 'old world' quality of this piece!

Glue the eyehooks into the drilled holes with E6000 glue and put them aside to dry.  TIP:  Note the way each eyehook faces coz you need to remember to glue them in the direction you need each one to be.  The bottom eye hook was the only one I needed to face forward so that I could attach the jewelry pendants or charms with a jump ring.

So that's how I went about altering the domino.  Now I can share all the fantastic ideas I have for the different pendant variations for this beautiful Tulip themed piece!

As I'm sure you've already guessed from my previous tutorials I like to play around with different variations before deciding on the final look for a piece I'm designing.  The following examples also give you a good idea of how you can design a piece that can be interchanged depending on what style you're going for!

Variation #1

'Subtle Elegance'
pendant featuring vintage re-purposed jewelry

 

I embellished the altered domino by adding a vintage drop pendant from my bits and pieces collection of broken jewelry.  The orange stones and topaz rhinestones compliment the colours of the domino perfectly!  To finish the look I hung the DominoART pendant from a brown suede necklace I made.  Which I think added just the perfect touch for subtle elegance.

Variation #2
'Vintage Elegance' 

pendant featuring vintage re-purposed jewelry and extra bling!

 

For this variation I kept the vintage pendant but added more bling!  I included the brass filigree fan which I also embellished with a large topaz rhinestone and strung the pendant onto a 2 tier gold ball chain for a lot more drama.  I would have adhered the charm and rhinestone to the domino with Judikins Diamond Glaze if this had been the final look I had decided on.  But I didn't coz there's more to see ;0)

Variation #3
'Elegance of Nature' 

pendant featuring a Dragonfly charm

 

Now for this variation I wanted to try out focusing more on the Nature theme of the piece.  I kept the gold 2 tier ball chain necklace and added a large brass Dragonfly charm.  I think this piece has a less formal look but still very pretty.

Variation #4
 'Violet Tulips'

pendant featuring vintage re-purposed jewelry

 

Of course I kept my favourite for last!

For this variation I took the design one step further by staining the Tulips purple with a Violet Sharpie marker.  As I applied the Sharpie ink to the flowers the Ancient Page stained domino took on different shades of purple depending on where the dye inks were darker or lighter.  I also added shading to some of the petals by applying more Sharpie ink to those areas which gave more depth to the design.

I re-sealed the pendant with another coat of Krylon fixative and matte sealer.  I then attached the vintage jewelry pendant I liked best (coz of the purple crystals and peach coloured opal stones) with a jump ring and completed the look with a the purple cord necklace I made.  To me this pendant has drama and elegance all rolled into one.  I'm an Amethyst girl so I just love this beautiful necklace ;0)

Thank you for stopping by to check out my 2nd Blockheads Design Team project!  I'd love to hear what you think of it and don't hesitate to ask me any questions. Please feel free to go ahead and share my blog with your friends ;0)

If you want to see more great projects featuring Blockheads Paper Arts rubber stamps then check out what my fellow Design Team members, Karen and Diana, are up to!

Happy Stamping!

Leigh S-B
The Sharpie Domino Queen

"The Elegance of Natural Beauty" Vintage Domino WallART - Blockheads Design Team Project Part 1

Hello Stampers!

I've been stamping up a storm in my studio and now I'm eager to share with you my first project as an official Designer for Blockheads Paper Arts!  

Stacey D sent me her gorgeous "Flowers Full Sheet 1 FL1001" to work with.  These images are original and exclusive to Blockheads and are definitely a must have for your stamp collections!  The unmounted sheet is available untrimmed or cut on cling cushion! 

I was really taken with the fragile beauty of these Flower images and wanted to design something that would capture the elegance of nature.  I was inspired by the shape of the flower panels at the bottom of the sheet to use vintage Doublecross dominoes coz of their long thin size.  I wanted to focus on bringing out the beauty of the actual wood of the game pieces which in turn enhanced the elegance of each stamped flower image.  The Wall-ART I designed reflects the simple elegance I was going for in the long linear feel of the piece which is then softened by the glow of the gold and the gentle curves of the 'S' hanger and connectors.

I hope you'll enjoy reading my tutorial and keep an eye out for Part 2 of 

"The Elegance of Natural Beauty"!

"The Elegance of Natural Beauty" 

Vintage Domino Wall-ART

Tutorial Part 1

Supplies 

Blockheads "Flowers FL1001" rubber stamps

4 Doublecross Dominoes

FYI:  Doublecross dominoes have been out of production for years now so you will be very lucky if you can get your hands on some!

Ancient Page dye ink pads:  Chocolate and Sienna

Archival Jet Black ink pad

Krylon sprays Workable Fixative and Sealer

Paper towel

Drill or Dremel and a 1/16 bit

Drill vice

8 Brass eyehooks

Gold wire

Brass jump ring

Swirl Christmas ornament hook

Jewelry pliers and wire cutters

Heat/embossing gun

E6000 glue

I used 4 Doublecross dominoes for this project and drilled holes in both ends with a Dremel and a 1/16 bit.  Whenever you're working with power tools always remember 'Safety First' and wear protective glasses and a mask.  Drilling into the dominoes made the wood burn and caused it to give off some smoke so a fumes mask would be a good idea if things like that bother you.  Always put your dominoes into a vice when drilling coz it's not a good idea to try and hold them!  You won't be a very happy artist if you drill into a finger or two!  

Before you start drilling its best to mark the placement of the 

holes to ensure they're all centered!

Now the real fun can begin ;0)  The next step is to stain the dominoes by applying Ancient Page Sienna dye ink directly to the game pieces.  This process can get quite messy so you might want to protect your manicures and wear some gloves!

There is no right or wrong way to do this.  I just pounced the ink on randomly and then did the same with Ancient Page Chocolate dye ink.  I t

hen rubbed the inks into the dominoes with a piece of paper towel.  The inks really brought out the grain and imperfections in the dominoes.  Which is exactly what I was going for.

For a richer colour I added a bit more of the Sienna and blended it gently.  This process is purely subjective and I just played with it until I was happy with the way it looked.

I then stained the sides of the dominoes with the Chocolate dye ink and also edged each one by dabbing the dominoes directly onto the ink pad.  Once I was finished with the staining I heat set the inks with a heat/embossing gun.

I used Jet Black Archival ink to then stamp each domino with a different Flower panel rubber stamp and heat set them again.  I just love the 'old world' quality of these, so divine!  I only used the first 4 of the above dominoes for the Wall ART, the Tulips domino will be featuring in Part 2!  So check back soon to see what I've created with it ;0)  

Next I sprayed the dominoes with Krylon Artists Workable Fixative to make sure the inks didn't bleed when I sprayed them with Krylon matte sealer.  It is best to spray multiple very light coats of both sprays.  The inks will bleed if you apply it  too heavily!

Glue the eyehooks into each domino with E6000 glue and put them aside to dry.

In the meantime I made the 'S' shaped connectors with gold wire and used them to attach each domino together.

TIP:  Note the way each eyehook faces, coz you need to remember to glue them in the direction you need each one to be.  The bottom eye hook was the only one I needed to face forward so that I could attach the cloisonne sunflower charm with a jump ring.  

I finished off my Wall ART with a large brass 'S' shaped Christmas ornament hook.  Here's a closer look at each domino.

I always like to play around with different variations before deciding on the final look of a piece I'm designing.  Here's a peek at what the Wall ART would look like with round jump rings as the connectors instead of the 'S' ones.

Thank you for stopping by to check out my first Blockheads Design Team project!  I'd love to hear what you think of it and feel free to ask me any questions ;-)

If you want to see more great projects featuring Blockheads Paper Arts rubber stamps then check out what my fellow Design Team members, 

Karen and Diana, 

are up to!

Happy Stamping!

Leigh S-B

The Sharpie Domino Queen