March Product Spotlight: Molding Mats!

This month we're so excited to be showing off our ColorBox® Molding Mats!!!  Not only can ColorBox® Molding Mats be used to stamp images, they can also be used to make a custom Rollagrpah style stamp wheel with our Memory Essentials® Get Rollin' Jumbo Wheel and be used to make an impression on just about any moldable surface.

Our Creative Team can't wait to share all the unique techniques that ColorBox® Molding Mats present so let's get down to crafting!

Expert Clearsnap Blogger Jean Okimoto starts us off with a quick project featuring the versatile ColorBox® Molding Mats & Washi StyleTape!

ColorBox® Molding Mats are deeply-etched rubber mats you can use for stamping, texturizing and printing.  I love the three contemporary patterns on the Game Board Mat stamped on the bright Salmon, Green and Blue Scotch Expressions Tapes.

Snap the ColorBox Wicked Black Archival Dye Cartridge into the Jumbo Rollagraph Handle.  Attach the mat to the adhesive-covered Memory Essentials Get Rollin' Wheel.  Snap the wheel into the handle. Remove the cartridge lid and press the tab to move the cartridge towards the wheel.

Lay 3 strips of tape adjacent to each other on a smooth cutting surface (like a glass cutting mat).  Rotate the wheel to being inking it - then roll the design onto the tapes.  Let the ink dry then cut it into 1/2"

strips.  Here are some of the other molding mat patterns and Scotch craft tapes - I'll be using them on other projects soon:

Diecut a card of white cardstock using the Sizzix Circle Flip-its Die.  Attach strips of tape to the circle.  Attach leftover bits of tape along the right edge.  Diecut "hi" from Sour Apple Cardstock with the Memory Box Large Typewriter Lower Case dies and attach them to the flip side of the circle.

Stamp a bunch of these while you're at it - mixing and matching the mat patterns with the Scotch Expressions Tapes.  They're great for quick cards, tags, collages - any surface you can tape!

Creative Team Member Sabrina Alery shares a handmade clay brooch featuring texture courtesy of ColorBox® Molding Mats

Molding mats are great for adding pretty texture to clay! This handmade brooch base was made with a simple salt dough recipe, impressed with the Crackle Molding Mat, baked to harden and then painted with Crafter's Inks. I used Limon on the base and filled in the cracks with the Crafter's Ink bottles in Aruba. Embellish as you wish and add a pin closure to the back. It's a fun accessory to liven up your spring jacket!

Look for a video tutorial on making similar beads of your own coming to the blog soon!

Supplies:

Colorbox Molding Mat - Crackle Background

Colorbox Crafter's Ink - Limon, Fire

Colorbox Crafter's Ink Mini Bottles - Aruba

Creative Team Member Suzanne Austin shares how the deep etched rubber of ColorBox® Molding Mats creates a crisp stamped image, perfect for embossing a clean and simple card:

I've used the "Leafy Border" Molding Mat" here not to make a molded impression but as an actual stamp!  I'm not a stamper, and 99% of the time when I do stamp, it's usually without a block...so this was perfect!  Although the Molding Mat isn't mounted, I was still able to lift a very clean and crisp image!  I used a Top Boss "Clear" Embossing Ink Pad and Top Boss "Clear" Embossing Powder to achieve the tone on tone look on the base of the card. 

The flower was created using a Hampton Art stamp and ColorBox Archival Dye Ink in "Wicked."  I stamped the image three times for layering-adding a brad and jute string. I finished it off with a bit of shimmer using Smooch Spritz in "Vanilla Shimmer."   The greeting is a Design Adhesive (Many Thanks) that has been embossed with ColorBox Mix'd Media Inx Embossing Powder in "Black;" the edges were inked using ColorBox Fluid Chalk Ink in "Creamy Brown." The molding mat image adds a lot of impact to the simple design of this card!  

Clearsnap Supplies Used:

Molding Mat "Leafy Border"

Top Boss Clear Embossing Ink Pad "Clear" 

Top Boss Embossing Powder "Clear"

ColorBox Archival Dye Ink "Wicked" 

Mix'd Media Inx Embossing Powder "Black"

Design Adhesives "Many Thanks"

ColorBox Cat's Eye Fluid Chalk Ink Pad "Creamy Brown" 

Smooch Spritz "Vanilla Shimmer" 

My Blog

And finally, we have Creative Team Member Megan Aaron's take on using  ColorBox® Molding Mats with molding paste and ColorBox® Pigment Ink!

I masked off a strip on the front of this card and applied a thin layer of modeling paste. Then I inked the molding mat with Limited Edition Pigment ink in Turtle and pressed it into the still wet modeling paste. The striped strips are stamped with a Hero Arts stamp and Limited Edition Pigment ink in Indigo. The sentiment is from the Stamps of Life and also stamped in Indigo. 

We hope you're inspired to try ColorBox® Molding Mats!!