Thursday, March 24, 2016

Agatha Christie Poirot Steampunk Bookmarks




We're speed crafting again this week with a super easy Hercule Poirot Bookmark project. I selected this antique bronze bookmark blanks with a ruler because I thought Poirot would like the precision of it. I also thought it was quite handy. Of course, you can put any photo in these bookmark blanks, which make them quite fun. 



Materials:
  • Bookmark blanks, glass circles to fit, double sided tape dots (I purchased mine as a set on Etsy)
  • Scissors
  • Printed images
  • Black tea (only if you want to stain your print out)


Step One:
Select your image and size it so it fits in your circle, but don't cut it out yet. It will be easier to handle if you leave it in the shape of a two by two square for now. 


Here's the image I used. With any photo you print, you'll have to change the size to fit the circle.





Step Two:
If you're using an image printed out on photo paper or if you don't want the antiqued look to your image, skip this step and head for Step Three. Put your tea in a heatproof cup and put in enough water to cover the tea, but not as much as your would if you were drinking it. You want the concentration of tea to be strong so you get the color. Let it steep. Put your image in the cup and let the tea stain it. The longer you leave it in, the darker it will get. I left mine in for five minutes. Once the image dries, it will get a little lighter, so keep that in mind. Let your image dry completely before moving on.





Step Three:
Now we get to play with stickers. Take one of the double sided tape stickers and remove both sides of the backing so you have a clear circle, sticky on both sides. Place it over the image exactly as you want it. You don't get another shot at this. Now take your clear glass circle (also called a cabochon) and place it directly over the circle attached to your image. Take another ruler bookmark or just a dull knife and run it over the back of the image. This will remove any bubbles between the tape and the image. 

Step Four:
Use the scissors to cut the paper around the glass circle. 

Step Five:
Take a second double sided tape circle and remove one side of the backing. Apply the tape circle to the back of your glass circle, behind the image. Press firmly. Now remove the other backing from the tape circle and press the sticky side into the blank circle on the bookmark blank.

And you are done! 

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