Project - Stamp, Glue and Glitter an Altered CD

Tired of throwing away all those CDs you get in the mail? Use your rubber stamps, glue and glitter to create an eye-catching wall decoration or suncatcher. ~ Article by Kim M. Bayne


Butterflies on CDs (click to enlarge)

Materials & Tools List
· Unwanted CD (Compact Disk), usually received as unsolicited junk snail mail from a well-known online service
· Fast Drying Solvent Ink Pad, like StazOn Jet Black by Tsukineko< · Solvent Ink Rubber Stamp Cleaner, like StazOn Cleaner by Tsukineko
· Favorite Rubber Stamps, like Brenda Walton Dragonfly Item #990H17 by All Night Media Wood-Mounted Stamps
· White (Clear-Drying) Tacky Glue, like Sobo Premium Craft & Fabric Glue by Delta Technical Coating
· Embossing Heat Gun
· Fine Glitter in Blue and Purple, like Art Accentz Microfine Sparklerz Glitter in Sapphire and Lavendar, by Provo Craft
· Transparent Paint in Blue and/or Green, like DecoArt Liquid Rainbow Transparent Paint
· Fabric Ribbon, in Purple and Green, used to hang the CD after it has been decorated

The Steps
(CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE)

1. Select a CD to alter that you'll never use for the computer. Using a permanent black ink, like StazOn Jet Black, rubber stamp an image onto the shiny side of the disc. I selected a dragonfly stamp and stamped it three times. My design leads the eye upward to give it a feeling of flight. Notice how all the dragonflies are flying in relatively the same direction.


2. Using an embossing heat gun, heat set the solvent ink for a few minutes. Make sure you move the heat tool around often to avoid melting the disc in any one spot. Now let the CD cool down.



3. Once the CD is cooled, apply dots of glue in patterns around the dragonflies. Sprinkle glitter on top of the glue. Allow the glue to dry a few minutes then lightly tap off the excess glitter.

4. Apply liquid glue inside the wings of each dragonfly.


5. Sprinkle glitter liberally on to the tacky wings.


6. Allow the glue to dry a few minutes, then lightly tap off the excess glitter.


7. Using a small paintbrush, carefully brush off any glitter that didn't tap off.


8. Apply the transparent paint to the dragonfly's body. DecoArt Liquid Rainbow Transparent Paint creates a faux stained glass look so you'll be able to see the dragonfly's image through the paint after it dries.


9. Wait a day for the glue and paint to "cure" then tie colored ribbons through the CD hole to create a loop for hanging. See photo at the top of this page.

Project Tips
· You can speed up the drying time by using the heat gun in between steps. Be extra carefully to move the gun around or you will melt the CD.
· Choose your rubber stamp design wisely. This project works best using rubber stamps that have deeply etched bold lines.
· Make sure your CD is on a solid, level, non-slippery surface. You don't want the rubber stamp to slip while you're applying the dragonfly outline. But just in case you do experience "slippage," you can clean it up immediately with StazOn Cleaner.

Additional Reading
· Stamping with Style by Katherine Duncan Aimone
· Creative Stamping With Mixed Media Techniques by Sherrill Kahn
· Rubber Stamp Extravaganza by Vesta Abel

Product Resource Guide
· Buy your craft supplies at MisterArt.com
· Most project photos on this page were taken with a 5.0 MP resolution KODAK EASYSHARE DX4530 Zoom Digital Camera

Content copyright © by Kim M. Bayne. All rights reserved. This content was written by Kim M. Bayne and originally published on BellaOnline.com on May 14, 2004. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission from Kim.