Embossing Masonite Tutorial

I thought I would show you a fun way to emboss/UTEE Coffee Break Design Masonite Cut-Outs. I learned this technique from Bianca Mandity who also created a fabulous bracelet that I will share with you soon. For this project, I started with some Skeleton Keys and Crowns in Masonite. Masonite is so great because it's so durable! You can even bake it in the oven, which you will see!

.............................................................................................. First, I embossed one of my keys using bronze ink (just for fun) silver embossing powder, and a tiny sprinkle of aqua embossing powder. I was hoping for a nice "patina" look. I found it better to let my heat gun heat up a bit, and then blast it with the gun at close range. The powder did want to blow around a bit, but plenty stayed put. While it was still hot I sprinkled more and then heated again with the gun. You can do this as many times as you need too.

............................................................................................... The key was very sparkly when it caught the light. So as you can see, you can easily emboss the Masonite. I loved the key as is and you can certainly stop here, but I wanted to take it a step further!

............................................................................................... I covered a few of the Masoite Cut-Outs with vintage paper, and colored one with Copic Markers. All of these pieces will darken quite a bit once we cover them with UTEE (Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel)! You could also use a clear embossing powder for this part, but the coverage won't be as thick.

................................................................................................ I put all of my pieces in a plastic lid and completely covered them with UTEE. You want a nice thick layer so this was the easiest way.

.............................................................................................. Gently lift them out of the lid and put them on a metal baking sheet lined with tin foil and then wax paper.

............................................................................................... For this next step you can use a toaster oven or a standard oven. I used my standard oven. I preheated the oven to 340 degrees F and set the pan on the rack. I turned on the light, and it was WAY too much fun watching the UTEE melt. It only took about 4 minutes. What I LOVE about UTEE is that it basically self levels and creates a beautiful glass-like dome, similar to resin but in MINUTES. If you miss any spots on your pieces simply sprinkle on more UTEE while they are still warm, and put back them back in the oven. The second melt will only take a minute or so since the pieces are already warm, and again, the pieces will level. Repeat as needed.

...............................................................................................And here are my final pieces! The UTEE makes the paper underneath somewhat transparent. The small crown is a bit dark in the photo, but it has a beautiful tie dye look when the colors catch the light. Double click on the photos for a closer look! Just look at all the fantastic colors!

............................................................................................. And the key, oh so beautiful! I might have a hard time using this one in a project. I may just hang on to it for a bit.

............................................................................................... Maybe just add a silk ribbon and keep it as necklace! The Masonite Cut-Outs are great for jewelry projects too.

SUPPLIES USED:

UTEE (clear)

Coffee Break Design Masonite Cut-Outs

Paper

Other Embossing Powders

Oven

New Skeleton Key and Crown Cut-Outs!

I'm really excited to share these new Coffee Break Design Cut-Outs with you! Gorgeous Antique Skeleton Keys and Crowns available in masonite, chipboard, or stencil board!

These keys in masonite almost feel like the real thing! They are just about the right size too. Imagine how cool these would be with some metallic embossing powder or faux metal paint! I'm in love. I'm getting ready to post a fun tutorial I did with these!

You can pick up your Skeleton Keys and Crown HERE.
And don't forget about the ATC Frame Contest! Over $150 in prizes! You still have over 5 weeks and I'm paying special attention to getting ATC Frame orders out ASAP. Most people in the U.S. are getting them in about 4 days. We've had several orders, but you still have a great chance to win. The Cut-Outs and Frames work great together.

ATC Frame CONTEST - $150 in Prizes!

In honor of our extended line of ATC Frames by Coffee Break Design, and my desire to see lots of art, we are having the biggest contest ever!

The Rules:
1. Create up to 3 ATCs using our line of ATC Frames. So you can have 1, 2 or 3 entries. Each ATC must contain at least one frame. And yes, you can use any of the older frames too.
2. Email your photos to retrocafeart@gmail.com subject: ATC frame Contest. Please do a separate photo for each ATC. Files between 200 -300 KB preferred. I will post these photos on our Facebook page in a special album as they are received. Please include your full name in the email.
3. Deadline is June 1st. This will give you plenty of time to get your frames and create!
4. We love our International customers and you are welcome to play (be sure to give plenty of time for your frames to arrive in the mail)!

The Prizes:
1. One winner, which will be selected using a random number generator will win a $100 gift certificate to Retro Café Art Gallery! Yes, you heard me right! I’ll be using the photos in the Facebook album to create the number system.
2. A SECOND winner will win a $50 gift certificate to Retro Café Art Gallery. Myself and a small panel of judges will pick our top 5 favorites which will be posted to the blog. Then YOU will vote for your favorite by leaving a comment!
3. ALL players will receive a special digital collage sheet created especially for this event just for playing, so everyone WINS! If you post and play, you will get $6.50 in digital collage sheets which more than covers the cost of shipping your fabulous ATC Frames! :).
4. There must be at least 6 entries for the contest to take place. In the event that there aren't enough entries, all contestants will be given a prize!

Spread the Word and get a Gift:
1. If you would like to help spread the word about our contest, you will get our Beautiful Birds 1 Digital Collage Sheet free as a Thank you! (if you already have this sheet I will substitute if I can verify it in the system). One sheet per person, though you are welcome to post in multiple places with great appreciation.
2. Post about this contest on your blog, Facebook, website, etc. and link back to THIS post. Email me at retrocafeart@gmail.com and show me where you have posted, and I will email you your digital collage sheet! So even if you don’t play, you can still win! Feel free to use the button above, though it’s not required.

I can’t wait to see the amazing art! This will be so much fun. Here is what I created. Check out the tutorials below if you need a place to start.

* An ATC (Artist Trading Card) is a piece of art the is 2.5" x 3.5". The frames are already the correct size so you are all set. *

Check the Facebook album periodically to see the entries. I put my cards in just as a sample.

ATC Frame Tutorial

I had so much fun playing with our extended line of ATC Frames, that I thought it would be fun to share.

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For the first ATC, I started with our Gothic Arch Frame (Stencil Board Material) and the coordinating ATC Base. I first stamped it with a permanent black ink and then outlined the edges of the frame with a permanent marker. You can also ink the edges, but I find the marker to be less messy :). Copic markers work nicely too. While the frames can be painted, they also look cool natural.
...............................................................................................Using a sponge brush (I love these because they don't leave brush strokes) I painted the ATC base with yellow acrylic. If you are impatient like I am, you can speed up the paint drying with a heat gun.
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Next, I stenciled on some birdies using the Small Flock Stencil.
.................................................................................................. I wanted to add some blue to the sky so I added a light wash of aqua using some watered down acrylic paint on a paper towel. Once that was dry, I used a lovely lady from the Medieval Magick Collage Sheet and attached her to the base with Mod Podge. I love Mod Podge (matte) and use it for just about everything!
.................................................................................................At this point I attached the ATC Frame to the ATC Base with Mod Podge, and then as a final touch I painted a small Chipboard Bird Cut-Out with the same aqua paint and then layered it with a unpainted Masonite Gear again using Mod Podge.
................................................................................................. And here she is!
.................................................................................................. For this next ATC I decided to use the 4 Pane Window Frame in Chipboard. I knew I wanted to go with a shabby cottage style for this one.
.......................................................................................... I quickly painted the frame with some aqua paint, and then after that dried, I brushed some white on top of the aqua to give it a "chippy" look.
.............................................................................................For the background, I decided to use a Masonite ATC Base. Yes, you can mix and match! I painted the base hot pink, and then added some white rub-ons. I cut out a doll image from the Hello Dollie Bodies Collage Sheet and then attached her wiht Mod Podge. I just attached the whole doll and then cut away where she hung over the base. Easy.
................................................................................................... I wanted to attach some cream mini paper roses and thought they needed a bit of color so I sprayed them with my airbrush system. Since the roses are paper, you can color them with ink, misters, markers, paint, etc.
........................................................................................................ I attached the frame and roses with Mod Podge and then added a glittered K sticker outlined with a fine black Sharpie to make it pop. These would make a fun personalized gift. And since the back is wood, you could glue on a small picture hanger and hang them on the wall!

................................................................................................ For this last ATC, I decided to go with a Chipboard Fancy Frame Style 1 and a Chipboard Base.

........................................................................................... First, I lightly painted the pieces with a cream acrylic.
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I wanted to go for a grungy look on these so I added some brown ink (I just smeared it around with my fingers) and then added some Gloss Mod Podge with a sponge brush for texture. I sprinkled some green embossing powder on the pieces and then embossed for a "mossy" look.

When I was visiting Maryland I had the opportunity to visit Edgar Allen Poe's grave site, which inspired this piece. It was quite Moss covered.
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Using a Poe image from the Poe Collage Sheet, I doodled on it a bit with a fine Sharpie and stamped around the border. I roughly cut him out. I doesn't have to be perfect, just big enough for the frame.
........................................................................................... At this point it was easiest to glue the image face down in the frame so I could see exactly where it was going. And then I glued the two pieces together with Mod Podge.
......................................................................................... I used little office clips to clamp down the piece while it was drying.
............................................................................................ Using some of the new Small Wings (Bat Wings in Stencil Board) I colored them with my black copic marker. Because the stencil board is smooth, it colors with copics very nicely!
....................................................................................... Finally I attached the wings and an unpainted Masonite Gear. I stamped a few swirls around the edge of the frame. I purposely stamped on a paper towel first and then on my piece for a more worn look.
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I hope you enjoyed that! I know I did. If you would like to play with some frames of your own, you can find all 28 HERE! And please feel free to use any and all of the above tips in your creations. Have fun! xoxo

New ATC Frames and Wing Cut-Outs!

I'm really excited to announce that Coffee Break Design has added 25 new ATC Frames and Windows to thier previous line! You can buy then individually HERE or in sets! We've been working on these for a while, and I'm so happy to finally share them with you.

The Basic Shaps include: Heart, Shrine, Simple House, Coffin, Rounded Square, The Original circa 2009 Square, Gothic Arch, and The Original circa 2009 Oval! This next set, Fun Shapes includes: Tree, House, Butterfly, Bird, Holes, Starburst, Star, and Curtain Window. Speaking of window, we know you love the Original Coffee Break Design window circa 2009, so we added more! 2 Panes - 8 Panes, you are sure to find one to fit your needs.
And last but not least, the Fancy Frames!

The best part is, all 28 come in high-quality Masonite, Chipboard, and Stencil Board at very affordable prices. See them all HERE.

In other exciting news, WINGS!

Bat Wings (my favorite!), Angel Wings, Butterfly Wings, Bird Wings, and more.

Available in SMALL and LARGE and they all come in three different materials. The Gears and Birds also come in all three materials!

I cannot even tell you how much I'm in LOVE with the Bat Wings! These will be awesome for Halloween.

Find the fantastic Wing Cut - Outs HERE. Don't forget to check out the CONTEST we are having with the ATC Frames. You could win $50-$100 gift certificates to Retro Cafe Art Gallery.

New Facebook Page Giveaway!

I just moved pages on Facebook since they won't let you modify a name once it has a certain number of "likes".

Please "Like" the "new" page HERE! At the end of the month I will have a GIVEAWAY drawing for an awesome piece of jewelry (or art supplies if you prefer) for everyone liking our new page. xo

Nichos Back in Stock!

The latest Nichos shipment has arrived and they are gorgeous! These three are my favorite, however there are 38 styles to choose from! But better hurry if you want first pick, some of the styles have very limited quantities. You can see the Nichos HERE.

And don't forget, we carry No-Prep Metal Paint, perfect for the nichos!

New Keepsake Frames!

I'm really excited to announce a new site category called Keepsake Frames! In this category you will find the Flip Frame Acrylic Kits created by Coffee Break Design in 2004! And now you can get them online! There are 4 fantastic styles.

This one is my favorite, because it can be filled with 3-D objects once assembled! The possibilities are endless: candy sprinkles, watch parts, glitter, spices, charms, images, and tiny train people just to name a few.

We are also carrying these fantastic metal and glass frames. As an added bonus you will receive 2 card stock inserts to make your art-making a snap! Available in several styles. Coffins, squares, rectangles, houses, and more!

Of all the metal and glass frames this one is my favorite. It's basically a tiny shadow box and of course I had to fill it with a 1 inch Frozen Charlotte!

See all the Keepsake Frames HERE.