Helmar and May Arts September Challenge

Hi there!  I was one of the lucky 25 crafters who got chosen to complete a project using Helmar's 450 Quick Dry glue and ribbons from May Arts in the September Ink It Challenge.

I have to say, I have tried a lot of glue for tough projects, that have disappointed me, so I was happy to put Helmar's 450 Quick Dry to the test.  I also got to work with some very lovely ribbon from May Arts, as shown below.

I could make any crafty project I chose, but I had to use Helmar's 450 Quick Dry glue and all four ribbons I was provided - AND I had to ink all the ribbons.... So, here's my project:

First, I dyed the net ribbon with a mixture of CTMH's Barn Red reinker and a little water.   I made sure that the ribbon was saturated, then set it aside to dry.

Next, I cut apart a grapevine wreath, I found the whole thickness did not lay as nicely on the canvas as I would like, so I cut about a third out and wrapped it tight using the dyed net ribbon, cut in half.  I tied it in a bow on the side for something a little different.


Then, I started in on the flowers.  I cut each flower apart, to be sure I wouldn't ruin a flower with runaway color.  In the end, all the flowers shown were colored with my Copic markers and then spritzed with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.  These ribbon flowers are so easy to color- they take the ink really well, and I could even add the orange center to the yellow flower with no problems at all.  I added rhinestone brads by CTMH to the centers of two flowers.  After coloring the purple flower on the upper right, I also painted on some Smoky Plum reinker by CTMH to give a little contrast to the flower.

When I got to the canvas leaf ribbon, I cut each leaf off the strand separately.  Then, using my Copic markers again, I added some veins and then colored the entire leaf.  I used a gold Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels to add a little shimmer to all the leaves.

I used Olive Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist on the May Arts canvas ribbon.  This ribbon is so awesome!  It took the misting very well, and it was very easy to work with to get the look just right.

I used Helmar's 450 Quick Dry glue to start attaching flowers and leaves to the wreath.  Luckily, I read a blog post that reminded people that there's a seal on the bottle, so I quickly discarded it.  The glue comes out fabulously.   The glue worked great to hold all these ribbon pieces to the grapevine wreath.  I was patient and allowed them to set for about 5 minutes, just to be sure, but they were nice and stuck!

I added a cardstock banner using my Cricut with the words "Happy Fall" and then got to work on the canvas.

What started out as a blank canvas, like the one shown here ------>

I turned into my background with just a handful of dye ink reinkers by Close to My Heart, one of my son's leftover paint brushes and a small cup of water!  At first I was worried that it wouldn't look as I had intended... In fact, I almost got another canvas to cover with fall themed patterned paper.  BUT I waited for the ink to dry, and the colors to blend together, and I got this:  

Not to bad for a stamper, right?   LOL

To put it all together, I wrapped part of my dyed canvas ribbon around the top of the wreath, and then adhered the ends of the ribbon to the back of my canvas.  Again, it dried in a flash and is holding tight!!  I added another bit of the olive-dyed ribbon to the hanger, just above the wreath.  I love the way the variegated colors on the ribbon make it look more natural!

Anyway, there you have it!  My entry into the Helmar and May Arts September Challenge.

Happy Stamping - and inking!

Katherine