SBI-tips, tricks & ideas

Looking for ideas on additional uses for some of those fun tools and mediums you have? Look no further, here are some helpful tips and ideas for uses.

We love to share our ideas with you, and we hope you would share yours too. Just email us if you discover another use for something we have or have a tip that you would like to share we will be sure you get the credit for it.

• Masque Pen
• Crystal Lacquer
• Color Crystal Lacquer
• Liquid Applique (puffs when dried)
• Metallic Rub-ons

Masque Pen Tips:  Drying takes about 20-30 min. to air dry. Not recommended for heat gun drying, it seems to peel off easier and more precise when air dried. Because the tip is fine, you need to make sure you put the lid back on immediately after using it.  Also if you get some dried liquid on the tip, do not pull at the tip because you can pull it right out of the bottle.  It is ok to peel the dried fluid and clean it just don't pull at the tip. Don't pull up when you are peeling the dried  masque pen, it has more of a tendancie to pull the paper off with it.  Try to RUB not PEEL.  Put your finger down on the dried masque and rub it off just like dried glue. Make sure whatever you used to color (ink, chalk, etc.) is dry before rubbing your masque pen off. Ideas: It will work with inks, chalks, alcohol inks, even crackle paint.  I don't recommend it with metallic rub-ons they don't dry enough to not rub them off when you rub off the dried masque.  Use these to do a mosaic (use the pen as your faux grout line).   What a cool product. Stampers, and artists love the stuff (and even a few scrappers have put it to use)...

Crystal Lacquer Tips:  Drying takes about 15-30 min. to air dry. Not recommended for heat gun drying, it will get cloudy and bubble if not done properly. Safer to just air dry.  If you just purchased your crystal lacquer and are having trouble getting it to come out make sure you cut the tip down to the line, make sure you have removed the stop inside the bottle. Occasionally, during shipping, a drop might get into the screw top of the bottle making it really hard to unscrew and remove the stop inside the bottle, if this happens carefully use something like tweasers to pick away at the dryed lacquer, and keep working at trying to unscrew it. Persistence is the key here.  Ideas: Apply over stickers to create a 3-D and glossy look.  Use with glitter. Apply crystal lacquer and sprinkle with the glitter it will hold like you wouldn't believe.  Use with markers. Color something like a rub-on or a die-cut with markers or color pencils and cover with crystal lacquer. It enhances the colors. Need protection. It is great as a protectant (not a word, but you understood me didn't you) if you have something that is flimsy or needs to be protected. Adhesive. Got something that just doesn't want to stick? Add a dab of crystal lacquer and chances are it won't go anywhere.    Crystal Lacquer is like a superhero. It protects, it adheres, it 3-d's, and it makes it glossy. That's a whole lotta love out of one bottle..... Great for keeping that pesky glitter in it's place. Simply put the crystal lacquer down and sprinkle the glitter over it. Having trouble getting something to stay on your page dab a little crystal lacquer on it. Crystal lacquer acts as a very strong adhesive.

Color Crystal Lacquer Tips: Pull the yellow lid straight off the tube, try to avoid bending the tip of the bottle. If you bend it to much the tip may come off or split. If that happens you can easily repair it by rubbing a little lacquer on it, or E6000 glue (available at craft & hardware stores).  Just add a bit with straight pin and let dry. Ideas: blue looks great as water. color in flowers. add over stickers. The same as thing as clear crystal lacquer, except with a translucent color. This is a great product to use when you need a little color, but want to see through it enough to not lose sight of what you are coloring.

Liquid Applique (puffs when dried) Tips: it can be dried immediately after applying, however if you are somewhere you can set it aside and give it time to cure before drying you will get better results. sticky? Nothing to worry about sometimes when you dry it right away it is clingy.... It doesn't hurt anything it just clings.  Tricks: Remember that liquid applique takes on the appearance you give it. Meaning, if you swirl it while applying it will give you a completely different look then when you do lines or when you dab it. Don't be afraid to experiment on a scrap paper to see what application technique to use to get the look you want.    For example when we do hair we do it with lines to give it the appearance of strands of hair (leave some space between strands).  Ideas: Grass (after you apply it as grass and dry it use a darker green                ink pad and just tap it onto the green applique to add a few darker spots and more depth to the grass) Santa's beard Snowman Snow Snowman scarf (if you apply the liquid applique in a circle motion when you apply it, it will make the scarf look croche,.t). Hair on all of our little kid paper piecings, or stamps. Hair on animals - die-cuts or stamps. slippers on our little kidz stamps. hair on die-cut people Leather/suade album cover. Just squirt brown liquid applique all over a chipboard/board book then wrap your finger with saran wrap and swirl the liquid applique all over making sure you have full coverage. Then lightly dab your finger here and there to get a little dimension. The one thing you do not want is to have a perfectly even surface the nooks and crannys help give it the great appearance of leather. When you are done with that let it sit overnight and use your heat gun to dry it the next day.  Use it on chipboard or die-cut flowers to give them a really cool dimensional look.  My favorite tool to use. It puffs when you dry it..... Love it.... love it... love it..... so much texture and personality from those little tubes. Don't be hung up on using the white we have ideas for all  the colors of the rainbow.

Metallic Rub-ons Tips & Tricks: Use it on textured cardstock for best results. When using a smooth surface rough it up first so that the metallics have something to cling to. Ideas: We love the look when you cover your embellishment with clear embossing powder and then rub it with metallic rub-ons. Make a metal tag by using black textured cardstock, stamp it with a  phrase stamp cover it with clear embossing powder and dry then rub the entire piece of cardstock with gold or silver metallic rub-ons. Fun fun fun, a little grim never hurt anyone..... (yep I made that up just now - such talent haha).... This tool is fun because you can apply it with your fingers, or with pom poms.... NEW USE:  updated 8/19/08 If you have a Cuttlebug use your metallic rub-ons over paper that was run through your embossing folders (it's awesome). My favorite is the script embossing folder with the gold metallic rubbed on....

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