Hello Fellow Stampers :-)
I'm making a long-awaited Ask Wendy Wednesdays appearance. I promised quite some time ago, when I did this card, to provide the "recipe" for the "stampable frosting" that was used to create the fun "frosted" cupcakes. Sara Douglass (our Stampin' Up! CEO), showcased and demo'd this technique and her fun 3D "frosting" at OnStage this past April. I could hardly wait for her to share her "recipe" and run home and try it!
I've worked with this recipe a little bit, and have (as all good bakers do -- LOL), refined things a little bit. First of all, I will tell you that the original recipe that Sara shared with us makes A LOT of "frosting." Secondly, getting just the right mix of ingredients will go a long way in having a successful experience. I'll try to give you a few tips along the way; and I'll give you the recipe the way I have tweaked it (as well as the original). Basic instructions are: Mix up the ingredients per the recipe in the photo in this blog post, spread some on a clear block or plastic lid, then stamp your frosting stamp into the mixture just like your using your ink pad, and you have stampable frosting to stamp onto your project!!
Find a cup you don't mind "ruining" (although this does wash up, I would not put together this concoction in anything other than a paper cup or maybe a leftover jar you can put a lid on).
Stir the ingredients together very well (I'm using a artist's spatula here that will wash up easily).
Some things to keep in mind:
1. Add your water a little at a time; you want a thinner mixture rather than a thicker one -- I've learned this over several uses.
2. Thinner is better - it stamps better (not so gloppy); but not too thin so that you get the 3D frosting effect on your artwork.
3. Your mixture will "settle out" while you are working; you need to stir it up well before each use (i.e., transferring to your clear block).
Smear some of your mixture onto a clear acrylic block.
Use an artist's palate knife or something similar. If you use a spoon you will get too much mixture on the block and you will get the gloppy effect again.
Once you have a nice smooth mixture on the block, stamp your image into the mixture as shown on the right above.
You're ready to stamp -- you can see the image on the right has the 3D frosting on it -- which just gives a nice effect to your cupcake frosting.
Now you can add some Wink of Stella over the frosting after it has dried and it will be beautiful :-)
Let's talk for just a minute about this stamp set and how to stamp the 3-step stamping images.
When you look at your stamp images while they are still on the clear window sheet, you will see that each image has a number next to it.
You want to start "backwards" when stamping these images.
That means -- the image marked #3 should be stamped first - in the example above (far left) I stamped this in Blushing Bride.
Next, you want to stamp with the image marked #2 - in a slightly darker coordinating color - in this case I used Flirty Flamingo.
Your final image is the one marked #1 - it's the "frosting" on the frosting so to speak -- LOL
In the above image I showed you how you can stamp this with just ink -- i.e., Watermelon Wonder
and how you can stamp it with the 3D Frosting.
Now, I would probably add just a little bit more re-inker drops to the mixture to get that frosting a little bit darker,
but overall, it really does turn out nice!
The base of the cupcake (the liners I call them) stamp exactly the same way. Start with #3 first, and end with #1, each color you overlay should contrast and coordinate all at the same time with the color beneath to give you a nice effect.
Some other important tips for this project:
1. Clean your block and your stamp image ASAP! after stamping. Remember -- this mixture has paint and glue in it. You do not want to linger or you will ruin your blocks and your stamps. Use nice warm water and dish soap to clean. And you can even put them in the water / soap mixture in a bowl and just let them soak for a few minutes.
2. This mixture should last you a couple days of you seal it in a jar. Just remember that the contents settle out and you have to re-stir everything really good. It will harden and go bad over time, so don't wait too long to use it up!
I hope that helps :) Give it a try and just have fun!!! That's what it's all about after all -- and I have to tell you, I thought this was really fun and unique. I've really enjoyed playing!
Have a great Wednesday everyone!
Until Next Time . . .
