Transcribed from the Artesprix Blog of the same title: June 25, 2022.
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Hi! I’m Chelsea Rose, a mom, military spouse, baker and previous art teacher! I’ve been leaning on my dishwasher more now that I have two kiddos and I’ve been hoping to get a “clean/dirty” dishes marker for awhile. Using a door hanger blank from Artesprix, combined with these cute Stamp Anniething stamps from the Kawaii Cuties line seemed like a perfect combination for us. Did you know Kawaii means cute in Japanese? I love my new kawaii clean dishes door hanger with iron-on-ink, there’s even macarons on it!
What is Iron-on-Ink?
Iron-on-ink allows you to create designs on a template that you then activate with heat to fuse the design to the blank. A “blank” is a substrate coated in or made of polyester. Artesprix has markers, stamp pads, stamp pad refills (like vials of ink) and even acrylic paint made with iron-on-ink! The colors are vibrant and the quality is professional. Use code SUBLIMATE for 10% off your order with Artesprix.
Materials for this Dishes Door Hanger with Iron-on-Ink:
- Artesprix Door Hanger
- Artesprix Stamp Pads (Brown and Black)
- Artesprix Stamp Refill (Brown)
- Artesprix Marker 10 count
- Artesprix Acrylic Stamp Block
- Stamp Anniething Kawaii Cuties
- Mixed Media Paper
- Protective Paper
- Heat Resistant Tape
- Paintbrushes
- Plastic Sheet
- Pencil
- Heat Source: Home Iron or Heat Press
Step-by-step Tutorial for a Kawaii Clean Dishes Door Hanger with Iron-on-Ink:
Step 1:
First, gather your supplies and trace your blank on paper with a pencil! Pencil will not interfere with your design (do not use pen or the sublimation markers!). Then, trace both sides so you can have a clean and a dirty side for your dishes door hanger.
Step 2:
Love using the new gray marker for the outlines of some of my stamped objects. It was perfect for the three-tiered dessert tray and the macarons from Stamp Anniething. So so kawaii (cute)! Look for the design process on my youtube!
Step 3:
Next to fill in the designs, I used the markers but mostly in a watercolor application. Drawing the ink on plastic or another non-porous surface lets you achieve more muted colors.
Step 4:
For the dirty side, make it “dirty”! Here is where the brown refill stamp pad ink comes in super handy. Drip out a drop and add a bit of water and you can splatter it onto the dirty side. Set the water cup in a bit of it and let it create a drink ring. Have fun with it! This will help my family know which side is the clean side at a quick glance.
Step 5:
When adding words to a sublimation project you need to mirror the text! One way to do this is to write what you want “correctly” on the back of your project. Put your design over light and see through it to trace your mirror text on the ink side.
Step 6:
Tape your design to the blank. Using heat resistant tape is imperative so you don’t have melted plastic and sticky goo on your project.
Step 7:
Use Artesprix’s siliconized protective paper and sandwich it around your blank and your design. This mainly protects your heat press and equipment from the iron-on-ink. Make sure the design is on top of the blank – so that the heat touches it through the protective paper. If you don’t have Artesprix’s brand, butcher paper or parchment paper can work, just make sure it can stand the heat! I will say, that the Artesprix protective paper is professional quality for the home maker and I’ve been
Step 7:
This project presses at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 90 seconds. To double check the recommended press times go to Artesprix’s directions site.
Step 8:
Peek test! Be careful – the blank is hot! Try to peek without letting the tape unstick, that way if the project needs more time, your design is still perfectly lined up – no ghosting!
Step 9:
Big reveal! Love how the faux dirt marks came through, don’t you?
Step 10:
I recommend pressing the “clean” side next so that if there are any mishaps with the back side, that side is the “dirty” side and it’ll likely be easier to hide! If any color got on your protective paper sandwich, do not re-use. The color will sublimate again and move from your protective paper onto your blank where you didn’t design it to go!
Step 11:
After your kawaii clean dishes door hanger with iron-on-ink has cooled, find a way to hang it on your dishwasher. Here in Japan, a dollar store type place called Daiso has a wide array of hooks with different connection points. 100 yen for a magnetic hook is the right call for me! But you might like a hook with suction cups, or to incorporate flat magnets on both sides of your hanger. I’d love to hear what you choose.
In Conclusion
Using stamps with iron-on-ink is such a “kawaii” cute way to customize your projects with a design that will last. Check out more from StampAnniething. The new gray colored marker works great to have lighter outlines from the stamps. Combining stamped outlines with the watercolor effect using the stamp pad refill ink or the markers is my favorite way to stamp. Oh, and this clean dishes door hanger is already inspiring my four-year old son to keep us on track in the kitchen!
Another project of mine using the watercolor technique with the Artesprix markers is here. If you want to get more inspiration for your sublimation and crafting journey make sure to join the Artesprix facebook group! And if you want to see what I’m up to in Japan – come follow along over on instagram. Thank you for reading!
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