Fun Party Lights AM Northwest Demo
by Shirley Rufener on April 20, 2010

Hanging strings of mini lights is more then just for Christams, they
can add pizazz anytime of the year. You can even keep them up
in any room of the house. Kids especially like them to brighten up
and make their room exciting. These little custom lampshades are
not hard to make using vellum and rubber stamp supplies. If you
purchase outdoor lights they can be placed along patio or RV
covers or on awnings as the inks used are permanent.

Watch the AMNW Online Craft Video Here

Materials

~Memento water-based inkers (refill bottles) by *Tsukineko
~StazOn Jet Black and Forest Green solvent based ink pads (*Tsukineko)
~StazOn cleaner (needed to clean stamps, really!)
~Stamp !t rubber stamp making kit (**Photocentric USA)
~Optional: Imagpac unit, for extra large sheets of very clear
stamps (**Photocentric USA)
~Sheets of white/clear vellum (3-4 shades fit on one 8 1/2 x 11 or
use 12x12") Paper Accents at Craft Warehouse
~Goose neck bendable lamp with a standard 60 watt bulb
~Timer (digital is best so you see seconds also)
~Inkjet or Laser printer connected to your computer
~X-Acto type craft blade knife
~Short strings of mini Christmas lights (10, 20, or 25)
unless longer is desired
~Paper towels
~Small sharp pointed scissors for vellum and stamps
~Standard 1/4" hand held hole punch tool
~3/8" round craft punch
~Pencil AND a non-click style ink pen (such as a bik stick)
~Strong, Terrifically Tacky 1/8" wide roll of tape (clear red color)
~Thick craft (Fun) foam sheet-about 3/16" thick
~Optional but encouraged: 3+ disposable thin, fitted rubber gloves



*Tsukineko products include many types of stamp pads, inks
tools etc. and project ideas that can be found on the:

Tsukineko Website

**Photocentric Stamp !t and large Imagepac kits, accessories and
ideas can be purchased online at the:

Photocentric USA Website

Making Your Own Rubber Stamps

This is what will come in your Stamp !t Kit:

*Program CD with demonstration videos
*Software to help prepare your artwork
*Instructional pages
*Patented light sensitive sealed liquid polymer pouches: 2 medium
and 2 small (Medium packets are 2-3/4" x 4-1/4" and Small packets
are 1-7/8" x 2-3/4")
*Acrylic exposure frame with strong magnetic closure
*Special thin paper sheets for ink jet or laser printers to create your own images
*A ready-to-use sheet of designs
*A permanent Sharpie felt tip pen for fixing any light areas or specks
*Rubber gloves
*Soft scrubbing brush
*Acrylic surface with handle for stamping

*Important Note: Included in every kit is a video demonstration CD,
and pages with photos containing very complete instructions
speciifc to this unique kit explaining in detail how to create
successful rubber stamps. Please refer to these steps as the following is a
only a basic guide to the process.


1. Print the artwork (changing the contrast and the ink saturation to high) from your computer,
onto the thin paper provided.

NOTE: The pink cardstock int eh photo, under the thin white paper,
is for viewing purposes only.

TIP: For the lampshades, smaller designs are best. It is thrify to fill
at least half of a page with designs and print them all at
once. Use a paper slicer to cut the page excess area evenly, so
it will feed into your computer the second time round properly.
Check to make sure that you can not see light through the black
areas. If there are any scratched spots, "dot on" ink from the
Sharpie pen to fill them in.

2. Set up your lamp on your work surface but do not turn it on yet.
Assemble the following layers in order:
Place the black piece of cardstock (from the kit) down first, then
the bottom half of the clamp with colored edges facing up,
then your artwork, then a polymer packet. Add the top of the clamp,
magnet dots side down and press in the center of the clamp to
remove any creases in the gel.

3. Position the lightbulb centered 8" above the clamp. Turn on the lamp
shining the 60W lamp bulb on this side (forming the solid stamp floor) for 2
minutes only (timer provided).

4. Immediately turn the clamp over and let the lamp shine on the
clamp for 10 minutes, then turn off lamp.

5. Don't wait to proceed, as the gel is still hardening. Cut
through the top layer only of the gel packet plastic, just inside
the gel area with blade knife. Peel off the top plastic and discard.
Run the stamp under warm water and add a little dishsoap to
the stamp. Wash out the stamp with the brush.

6. Fill a shallow tray with about 1/2" warm water. Optional: Stir
in 1 teaspoon of de-tack salts until disolved.

7. Leaving the backing plastic in place, set the stamp packet
in the de-tack water. You can bend the lamp much closer to the
light bulb but do NOT let it touch the bulb. Set the timer for at
least 15 minutes. You will see the color of the stamp change to a
light yellow when it is finished. Remove stamp from the water
and allow it to dry.


8. Cut to trim the stamp close to the design edge, peel off the
plastic backing layer. Your stamp is ready to use.

9. Press self-stick stamp onto a similar size acrylic
block to use later on.

TIP: I store mine on a clear sheet of shrink plastic, slipped into a
scrapbook/office sheet protector and place
sheets in a notebook.

Mini Shade Instructions

Click here for full size party shades patterns

1. Cover your work surface with a disposable plastic tablecloth or similar,
inks can stain. Apply about 6 small drops of ink to a piece
of vellum randomly positioned.


Color blends I used for the three shade shapes:

A) CYLINDER: Dandelion, Tangelo & Angel Pink
B) ROUND: Dandelion, Pear Tart, & Bahama Blue
C) TAPERED: Bahama Blue, Danube Blue & Lilac Posies

2. Add the second and third color in-between the first drops the same
way. Use a disposable thin rubber glove (or small crunched up thin
plastic bag) to dab the colors together, covering the vellum.

3. Allow vellum to lay flat for about 3 minutes, then take a paper
towel and dab the colors together removing most of the ink,
leaving the color sheer like it dyed the vellum. (See green colored
vellum below). This muted effect allows your stamped
images to show up nice and clear.


4. Turn the vellum over to the backside, then using a pencil trace
the shade pattern of your choice. Trace the solid lines and
the dotted lines. The dotted lines are guides for where to fold the
vellum. Try to get as many shades on one sheet by rotating
the patterns. Do NOT cut out the shapes yet.

Stamping The Lampshades

1. Stamp your custom designs onto your shades using a black StazOn
stamp pad (or green for the leaves). This type of solvent ink is
needed to use on vellum. TIP: Be careful to press straight
down and not to allow the stamp to slide as vellum is
a slick surface to work on.

2. Allow the ink to dry about 3 minutes. If you look close at the
yellow cylinder shade (above the Color Blends) you see tiny
white dots. To make these just place the colored vellum on a
piece of Fun foam and press a large stylus ball tool onto the vellum.
Not too hard or you will pierce the shade.


3. Cut out the shade shapes
looking at the pencil lines on backside of the vellum. Punch the holes
with the 3/8" craft punch so the mini light will fit though them.
TIP: You may need to fold the top flap so the craft punch reaches
the marked hole to punch it out.

3. Fold along all dotted lines. Add the stong tape onto the flaps
where indicated. Peel off the red tape liner and press the vellum
firmly together to form the shade.


4. Press a mini light down through the punched holes (or the top of the
round shades) to attach them. Cut 1/2" squares of foam for each
shade and punch a 1/4" hole in the center of faom. Trim all of the
corners off so you have an 8 sided (sort of a round) shaped
piece of foam.

5. Press an twist an ink pen into the foam shape's hole to enlarge
it a little, then slide the faom shape over the lightbulb up to
the base of the light socket, to secure each shade in place.

6. I hung my lights with little removable strip hooks that
clipped over the coated wires.