Thursday, March 8, 2012

Playing With Rocks

I've received a lot of interest in the romantic rock paperweight from my "Busy" post.



It's been pinned, and I've received emails about it.  Funny how something so simple speaks to us.  I used the Splendid Transfer method (found on my sidebar) after rubbing the surface with a little gesso. You can read about gesso on my sidebar as well.  That's it.

That wasn't the only one I made, and I kept it.  I also did something similar to a broken piece of marble.




I used an Eiffel Tower image.






Like I said, it was a broken piece of marble.  I have quite a few pieces like this.  Even broken, they have great charm, and I can't toss them.












Now it sits with another little rock, and my chippy lavender filled urn.





Here's a beautiful image I transferred to a round piece of marble.  VISIT my ETSY shop HERE to find the image.




Going to play with more rocks, and work on some furniture.


UPDATE:
Here is a breakdown of how I transferred the images.

  1. Clean the rock
  2. Gesso is not necessary for the transfer here, it just adds tooth and depth.  You can use watered down white paint.  Let it dry.
  3. Use a "Splendid Blender" pen by Chartpak.  Other blender pens don't have the same chemical composition, and won't work.  Check out "Splendid Transfer" on my sidebar for more info on the pen.
  4. Make a laser, toner based copy of the image you want to use.  Ink jet copies don't work.
  5. Place the copy face down on the rock.
  6. Rub the pen over the image, while keeping the paper stable.  If it slides around, you'll get a blurry image.  Press hard till the image transfers.
  7. Make sure you have lots of ventilation when using the pen.

There are other ways to transfer images, but, this is how I did it with the rocks.







Sharing With:
Thrifty Decor Chick: Before and After
Savvy Southern Style: Wow Us Wednesdays
Between Naps on the Porch: Metamorphosis Monday
The Girl Creative: Just Something I Whipped Up
The DIY Showoff: DIY Project Parade
Homemaker on a Dime: Creative Bloggers
Under The Table and Dreaming: Sunday Showcase
Funky Junk Interiors: Saturday Nite Special
My Romantic Home: Show and Tell Friday
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
The Shabby Nest: Frugal Friday
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating: Flaunt It Friday

60 comments:

  1. I love these Rosemary! What a great idea! I need to go scavenge some broken marble...Thanks for sharing!!

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  2. So simple yet so elegant.I love it.

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  3. The broken piece of marble is one of my favorites! They're just lovely!

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  4. You play with rocks so well Rosemary! Love them!

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  5. You play with rocks so well Rosemary! Love them!

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  6. Who could imagine such adorable pieces of art from rocks, lol. Really nice.

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  7. You ROCK the rocks Rosemary.

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  8. This really is so simple yet so pretty, Rosemary! What a great classroom project! I, too, need to find some "good rocks"! Thanks for the inspiration!"

    Nan

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  9. GREAT IDEA! And so easy! Thanks for stopping over and leaving me such a sweet comment on my tea towels. I'll be following. :)

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  10. they are very neat I've never seen anyone else do them etsy has a lot of crochet covered rocks (?) but these are so much more elegant

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  11. My goodness, rosemary! You're a genius! The smooth pebble with the lady is so lovely. Simple and clever and lovely.

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  12. Hey Rosemary I posted my bathroom with your towel rack in it..I know you don't follow me but come by and check it out..Thanks again my dear friend..Hugs and smiles Gloria

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  13. Gosh Rosemary,

    You remind me of me!! I can't hardly throw the bits and pieces of anything away. If I order something that has a pretty ribbon on it I recycle it or if I find a pretty card I am always thinking of what I can do with it.

    Somethings are just to good to toss!!! Great idea on the marble!

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    1. Sounds like me - I save everything - my friends can't believe what I use! Right now I have a "wire spring" (from a used notebook) soaking in water to get all the paper off of it. I use this wire for crafting! I'm crazy, I know. xoxoxo

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  14. The marble and the rock are both delightful! :)

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  15. As long as you don't throw them, Rosemary! : ) I love that image ~ it is so soft and romantic looking. I thought of you today while out at an antique mall. I came across two small frames similar to those you find {and that I got in your giveaway} but they had pictures on them already. I wondered, if you paint that, can you then transfer another image on the piece? If so, I might have to look for them my next time there and pick them up.

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  16. I love them both Rosemary! Will you be selling that lady rock perchance? Put me on the list of peeps who want one OK? *winks* FAA! Vanna

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  17. Those are so pretty. I have got to try doing some transfers.

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  18. I LOVE these!
    I am always thinking of new ways to use and re-use things. I did something very similar with broken tiles.
    Thanks for inspiring us!
    Elizabeth

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  19. These are really great. I can see why they were noticed.

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  20. Once again, you amaze me with your creative genius, Rosemary! :)

    xoxo laurie

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  21. I have to say I would have never thought about that!

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  22. Oh Rosemary you do have the gift of turning something so simple into a piece of art and beauty. Thanks for inspiring me.
    Peggy
    pjhdesignsoneofakind.blogspot.com

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  23. brava Rosemary...bellissimo ho gia' usato il trasferimento, ma non avevo mai pensato ai sassi , grazie per le idee che ci dai........

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  24. You really are soooo imaginative Rosemary...I'm impressed by these and think they'd look lovely in my garden as well! xo wendy

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  25. Hello Rosemary,
    I love your romantic rocks! As a rock collector, you have certainly given me some new ideas for the rocks that won't be going in my display. Love your ideas! Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful weekend.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  26. Your rocks rock! Have you ever used the citrasolve transfer method? If so, how does that compare to the pen?

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  27. Hi, Rosemary. These projects are beautiful. I especially love your lady portraits. They are stunningly romantic!

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  28. Oh my goodness these are soooo cute! Good for you and thanks for sharing!
    Elisa
    home sweet nest

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  29. These are beautiful! I have, er HAD a nice bag of flat stones waiting for a few projects. I think DH filed them. Dang... they would be perfect for this. Really, really cool. :)

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  30. They look great.
    I've been working on rocks all weekend (before I seen this post) amazing how all us crafters think up some of the same stuff. And here I thought I was original :0) My aren't like yours, btw yours are beautiful. I'll be posting mine later this week.

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  31. Love this project! You make everything so beautiful! :)

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  32. Eu amei a sua arte e explicações...Obrigada por compartilhar gentilmente seus conhecimentos com todos..Parabéns pelo lindo trabalho.

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  33. This is so awesome. I want to try it.

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  34. I loooooove this idea but since I am new at this could you "baby step" me through the exact process? I sure would appreciate the help.

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  35. I loooooove this idea but since I am new at this could you "baby step" me through the exact process? I sure would appreciate the help.

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  36. This looks like a fun project, but I don't see the instructions that were promised. You just say you use Gesso. What do you do after you apply the gesso to the surface????

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  37. This is such a good idea and i will try this, but my problem is, I live in Austria, Europe and there is no company who sell those Splendid Blender pen by Chartpak.
    Most US Stores does not deliver to Austria. Any Ideas where to buy this pen in Europe? thanks

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  38. I can't find your sidebar to check on the transfer information. LSO WHERE CN i FIND THE PEN?

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  39. How do I do step 4? Is a special printer needed? Or is there a place that I can have the photo copied?

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  40. Will these images be permanent? I love this and must try!

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  41. Thanks for the post. You can also use lighter fluid instead of the pen.

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  42. Thanks for sharing ... How do you protect copied images on rock? is there a special clear coar you would use in form of spray?

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  43. You can buy a big bag of these "egg rocks" at Home Depot for $9.99.

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  44. I love this idea! How permanent is the image after transfer? Do you recommend using a sealant?

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  45. Keep up the creative work, Rosemary. Thanks for sharing.

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  46. I always knew there was a reason I love rocks . . . . now some of my favourites will be stupendous. I would not have been able to throw away the marble either - it's glorious. Thank you so much for the tutorial :-)

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  47. How very nice to see! :) Stones are impressive! I do ornaments similar to yours. I use a different technique - decoupage. Please see - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004933608458
    Greetings from Poland ! :-)

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  48. I am wondering where you can get marble slabs to do this project!? Let me know! Thanks (:

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  49. Love this project ....can I buy images to transfer? Also....can you share the recipe for homemade gesso??? I went to farragoz and couldn't access it.

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    1. Becky, go to my Etsy shop for images. It's located on the right side. Farragoz is a paint course. You have to be a student. You can also buy commercial gesso for this.

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  50. Oh I just love this.. I have held onto broken sample pcs of granite from my last building project.. I cant wait to try...thank you

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  51. What would you suggest for putting pictures on black slate? Would this process still work, or does it require light-colored rock?

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  52. You keep referring to your information in your side-bar. I have refreshed three times, there is literally NOTHING in the side-bar.

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