BubbleTechnique

SAMPLES: Two lovely samples ready to view.

SUPPLIES:
*Shallow dishes
*dishwashing detergent
*dye reinkers - blues, greens, and purples
*straws
*Sculpey III - white, translucent, and tan
*Realistic stamps of shells, fish, or other sea life (Fred Mullet stamps
would be good for this)
*Metallic rubons - walnut (color kit 3)

INSTRUCTIONS:
The directions I used for this technique came from "The Crafter's Recipe Book" by Jessica Wrobel. I changed a bit here and there. To start off...put of a couple of squirts of dishwashing detergent in a bowl.
The book says the ratio should be 4 to 1 (water to detergent). I'm sure I didn't use that much. Use less and add more if you need it. To color the water I used dye reinkers. No exact measurements....just until you get a color you like. You will need a bowl for each color you use. Then put a straw into the mixture and start blowing bubbles. The straw I used was one of those plastic ones that come in a water bottle....so it was a little wider in diameter than the usual straw. I'm not sure if this makes a difference or not. Now lay your paper on top of the bubbles for a few seconds. Lift it off and lay it flat. Let any bubbles on the paper remain until they pop. As for the paper, I used glossy and matte CS. I liked the glossy better, but try both.
The book says to let the paper dry in between colors. Being the impatient person I am...I tried it before the paper was dry and got.......nothing....no new bubbles. What I did next was to add a few drops of reinker to the top of the bubbles and tried again....lots of bubbles. Do this the way it works for you. For dye reinker colors, I wanted an ocean effect so I used blues, green, and purple. You can also add brighter colors...red, yellow, and orange. A fun technique....great with the kids!
Next class....sculpey embellishment.
Here are the directions for the sculpey piece.
Condition the clay by kneading it in your hand. It shouldn't take too much effort - I think Sculpey III has gotten softer. Mix equal amounts of white and translucent. Basically I pulled the pieces and then folded them over....they don't need to be thoroughly mixed together. The white and the bone together give an effect that looks like bone. Then I took a small piece of the tan....Place it on the white/translucent mix
and pull it (like taffy). Fold it to the back and pull some more. Repeat until you get a marble look. Roll the sculpey in a ball. Flatten it with the palm of your hand. Decide which side you want to use...One side will be smooth, the other will have lines from your palm. I used the palm side. Stamp into the sculpey with your stamp uninked. I used Judikins shell and a seahorse from Fred Mullet. Bake at 260 for 15 minutes. When the piece has cooled, rub walnut rub-ons in the stamped part. Wipe off excess. Mount to your card with heavy duty double-sided tape.

That's it....any questions?