Hey Craft Buddies! I’m back with another fun and easy sublimation project. Today, I’m excited to part one of a two-part project with a garden party theme. We’re making garden buffet markers and a gorgeous sublimation trivet – all without the need for a sublimation printer! Instead we’ll use Artesprix sublimation paint, markers, and ink pads.
Get Ready to Craft with Artesprix Sublimation Paint
Let’s focus on the trivet first. This piece of art combines simple tools and techniques that anyone can master, ensuring a fun creative process. For this project, we’re diving into the world of sublimation without a printer, using Artesprix sublimation paint, markers, and ink pads.
I’ll give you a written breakdown of this project. You can also watch it come together in the video below.
Starting Your Sublimation Journey
I started this project with Artesprix’s sublimation paints, using just three colors: brown, orange, and yellow. You’ll need a paintbrush, a piece of paper or paint tray for mixing, and a printed pattern on regular paper – remember to print it in reverse to match your design’s direction. I’ll include a link to download the honeycomb pattern that I used. With these materials, we began our sublimation adventure.
Painting Your Honeycomb Design
Using small dots of paint, I started with orange, covering selected hexagons in my honeycomb pattern. To avoid overpowering the yellow, I focused on blending the two colors lightly as I went along. This step is a very chill and laid back family activity – even my daughter joined in on the fun, proving it’s a perfect project for kids! (Actually, I’ve used all of Artesprix craft sublimation items with my children with awesome results.)
Once finished with the orange, I moved on to yellow, carefully filling in my chosen areas. Seeing the colors come together was incredibly satisfying. Believe me, if I can do it, anyone can!
Creating That Perfect Sublimation Paint Honey Hue
Mixing brown with yellow sublimation paints, I crafted a golden honey color, perfect for the drip effect I hoped to achieve. Adding more detail, I used a black Artesprix sublimation marker to trace around each hexagon and the honey drips, giving the design depth and distinction without needing a sublimation printer printout.
Final Touches with Bees and Heat Press
For additional flair, I found some bee stamps in my collection. They’re the perfect size for my project. So using my black Artesprix ink pad to stamp on the buzzing bees. These, combined with my sentiment printout, added that extra charm to our sublimation project.
Once I had everything prepped, I cleaned my trivet with a lint roller, positioned my assembled design, and crafted a sublimation sandwich, using protective paper to catch any stray ink. The magic happens using a heat press set to 400 degrees for 105 seconds. After a successful peek test, our vibrant and lively trivet design is permanent – the perfect craft to brighten any space.
Step-by-Step Process
Let’s break it down a little bit more. Keep reading for the materials, supplies, and steps to complete your trivet.
Materials and Supplies
- Artesprix Sublimation Trivet blank
- Sublimation paint
- Black sublimation marker
- Sublimation ink pad (optional)
- Printed honeycomb pattern on plain copy paper
- Heat tape
- Protective paper
- Thin paint brush
- Cup of water (to rinse brush)
- Paint pallet or scrap paper
- Lint roller
- Heat press or home iron (no steam, highest setting)
Creating Your Sublimation Trivet
1. Print out your design on regular copy paper. Be sure to mirror the design.
2. Use the sublimation paint to paint your design however you like
3. Use a black sublimation marker to outline the parts of your design
4. Optional: add additional elements to your design using stamps and a sublimation ink pad
5. If adding a printed sentiment, add it to the design. Be sure that it is printed on a sublimation printer and that it doesn’t overlap with any of your other elements or the tape (like I accidentally did)
How to Sublimate Your Trivet
1. Clean off the trivet using a lint roller or lint-free cloth
2. Place your design, face down, onto the white side of the trivet
3. Use heat tape to secure the design to the trivet
4. Create a sublimation sandwich using protective paper in this order (bottom to top)
- Sheet of protective paper (very bottom)
- Trivet (white side up)
- Colored design (face down)
- Another sheet of protective paper (very top)
5. Take your entire sublimation sandwich to your heat press and press at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 105 seconds
6. Before removing the design from the heat press, lift a corner of the design to see if it transferred well. If it did, you are done. If not, replace the protective paper and repress for a few more seconds.
7. **The trivet will be hot, so use care when removing. A heat glove works.
8. Remove the tape and design to reveal your project.
Additional Ideas for Artesprix Sublimation Paint
The cool thing about crafting is that there is no wrong way to craft and always more than one way to get things done. One thing I did for this trivet I even splattered a bit of water color from the paint brush to add some fun to it. Here are a few things that might work for you:
- If you don’t have a heat press, you can use a handheld press, like a Cricut Easy Press
- You can also use a home iron. Set it to the highest heat setting and do not use any steam
- If you use a handheld press or home iron, a pressing pad will be very helpful
- You can decorate your trivet without a pattern. Feel free to experiment painting out full designs
- It always helps to trace around the trivet onto a sheet of white copy paper with a pencil before starting to design
- Experiment with other sublimation media like ink, markers, and even pre-printed sublimation sheets
By the way, did you spot my little mistake? Check out the top of the “l” in the word “pleasant”. I accidentally overlapped a small piece of my tape over it. So the tape acted like a “mask,” covering over that top loop.
I wanted to share that with you so you see that mistakes happen, but they don’t have to ruin your project.
If you make a sublimation trivet, I’d love to see it. Share your creations online and tag me. You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube. I am EJsFunCrafting everywhere.
You can also explore other inspiring projects on the Artesprix website.
Now go make something fun!
