Sarah Jane's Craft Blog

After sharing the  washer jewelry projects  collection last week, I had an idea I had to try. I've inked on spray paint a few times before, but I've never started washer necklaces on spray paint. I figured it would make the ink pop and provide a contrast if I let it peek through the ink. Since this was a bit of an experiment, I went through my stash of washers and picked out some dinged ones, and then I used a piece of sandpaper to scuff them up to get the spray paint to stick better. I used an all-purpose spray paint and gave them a couple of quick coats and let it dry overnight. The next day, I put down a silicone craft mat and grabbed my inks. I also got out my rubbing alcohol, a couple of paintbrushes, and a hand bulb blower . Since this was a new way to ink washers, I started inking without taking pictures. I covered the whole washer in purple ink and then came back with more ink and rubbing alcohol to get the ink to move around and create patterns. Unfortunately, the...

Over the last few weeks, I've been putting the T-Rex alcohol inks through their paces. I started out with a test of the warm and cool tone sets and continued to use the sets to try out some standard alcohol ink methods ( plastic wrap , flaming , etc...). They've been a pleasure to work with, and though you do have to watch out for the inks getting dark because the colors are so nicely saturated, they are usually in line with the other quality inks ( Ranger , Pinata ) that I've worked with. So, I decided I would try them out with a classic craft blog project-- Washer Necklaces . This would also give me the opportunity to try sealing the necklaces with UV Resin (which has been on my to do list ever since I first tried the stuff ). So I got out a few large washers (the kind you get from the hardware store) and a collection of blue T-Rex inks, some paint brushes, rubbing alcohol, and a small pan for mixing/thinning ink. I also used a lighter to help move and set the ink. The ...

I've made a lot of necklaces out of washers over the years (check them out here: Washer Necklaces ). I bought a set of small metal stamps ages ago thinking that I would make all of these great washer necklaces and keychains with inspirational sayings on them. That never happened. The box of stamps sat in my craft stash for years. Well, this week I decided to finally bring them out and give them a go. So, I played around to get a feel for them and learned a few things. You need a very solid surface to stamp on. For me, this was a concrete floor (with those peel and stick vinyl tiles on it). I thought I'd put something soft under it to keep it from damaging the floor, but washers are pretty hard, the cushion meant there was no imprint. The washers and the stamps had a tendency to slip, so I cut a little square of grippy drawer liner stuff to put under the washer to protect the floor without too much cushion and keep it from sliding. After some test stamps, I got a feel for how h...

When I was first learning how to use alcohol inks, I tried stamping ink on some hardware store washers and made necklaces. This project became one of my most popular posts. I've revisited washer necklaces many times  over the years with different techniques and sealing processes. This time, I wanted to make some washer necklaces that I would be sure to wear. So instead of testing out some crazy new techniques or mixing fun bold colors, I went with methods I knew would work and went with monochromatic color mixes so that I could actually match them to my clothes. I enjoyed flaming the ink on washers , so I set up my craft mat with a cork trivet and a small sheet pan covered in tinfoil. I got out a small jar for some rubbing alcohol, a fine tip brush, and a pipette . I picked out some larger washers from my stash and got out my alcohol inks and a lighter. I started out with some shades of blue. I dripped some ink on each half in two different shades and then lit them on fire (I r...