Oxidizing Copper with Ammonia

Materials:

• Deep plastic container with lid
• Small bowl that's at least an inch shorter than the plastic container
  
• String
• Tape
• Scissors
• Ammonia (you can get this at most grocers)
• Piece of copper jewelry
  
  
  
  

Step one:
Measure out three pieces of string that are about 4 inches longer than the width of your plastic box. Lay them onto a piece of tape about a 1/4" apart from each other. Affix the tape/string to the inside wall of the plastic box, about a 1/2" from the top. Just be sure that you have enough room to set your piece on the strings with the lid on.
















Step two:
Tape the other ends of the string to the opposite side of the box, making sure there's some tension in them. Apply a few extra pieces of tape to both sides to make sure they stay in place, the ammonia fumes can weaken the adhesive over time.















Step three:
Place your piece of copper jewelry on the stings and make sure they're steady. Adjust any loose strings and add some tape as needed.


















Step four:
Remove the copper pieces and make sure they're clean. Then fill your small bowl with about an inch of ammonia. Be prepared, this stuff is strong and stinks. Slip the bowl of ammonia into the plastic container underneath the strings.
















Step five:
Replace your copper pieces on the string and put the plastic container's lid back on. Set it aside and check in every hour or so. It will take a few hours, but the copper will turn a rich dark brown, black, or even a deep verdigris color depending on how long you leave it in there. Have fun experimenting!

















Extra thoughts:
By playing with the type of wire you use and the length of time you leave your piece in the box, you can achieve some pretty interesting results. These earrings were made using raw copper wire for a base and the ear wire itself, but the wrapping was done with a coated, non-tarnish copper for a nice contrast. The piece was left in the fumes overnight, creating a dark green patina.

Embossed Book Plate Stickers

If you're anything like me, you're pretty much obsessed with books. You read them one after the other, discuss them with strangers on the internet, arrange your furniture around book shelves and lend them out to people you know so that you can discuss the book with people you know instead of strangers on the internet.
Ahem.

Of course, if you truly loved a book, it's a bit nerve-wracking to lend one out. If many of your friends enjoy lending out books, ownership can easily get jumbled. That's why I'm going to teach you how to make your own self-adhesive book plate. These are thin stickers that have been stamped and embossed to make them look a bit more elegant, while still being thin enough that they don't fuss with the way the cover of your book closes. Perfect for paperbacks! I'm going to make mine with a kitty stamp. Because I love kitties about as much as I love books. Yes, I'm probably a crazy cat lady. And I like it.

First, you're going to need a full sheet of label paper. You can find this at most office supplies stores, or at onlinelabels.com You're also going to need:

• A stamp, approximately 2 1/4" square
• Ink, preferably slow-dry
  
• Embossing powder
• A heat gun or hair dryer, a heat gun is best
• A little dish to catch the excess embossing powder
• Decorative scissors (optional)
• This PDF: Save me

Step one:
Print out the above PDF onto your label paper, if your printer doesn't allow for borderless printing select "fit to page."

Step two:

Ink up your stamp and give it a good press into the ink pad, then move it over and carefully press down in the center of one of the squares on your label paper. Use the lines on the paper to make sure your stamp is as centered as possible.


Step three:
Remove the stamp quickly and set it aside, lift straight up and do your best not to twist it or otherwise smudge the image. While the ink is still wet, sprinkle with the embossing powder. I usually cover the whole image thickly and tap it down lightly with a finger to make sure it sticks. Allow it to rest for a second. Count to 20 in your head if you're impatient like me.


Step four:
Lift up your paper and carefully dust the excess powder off into your little dish. Gently tap the side of the paper, and blow on it to make sure all the loose bits come off. Check to make sure there isn't any remaining powder in a spot you don't want it. Lay flat.


Step five:
Turn on your heat gun. Give it a few seconds to warm up. If you just wave it at the paper right away the lukewarm air will blow the embossing powder around before it melts it. When it's hot, hold the paper down with one finger in a corner, and hover the gun about an inch above your stamping. The paper will warp slightly, but this is okay. It will flatten out later.


Step six:
At this point you can go one of two ways. You can keep stamping/embossing your sheet until the whole thing is covered, or you can cut this one out with your fancy border scissors cutting just inside the black lines on the paper.


Step seven:
Once you've made and cut out all your book plates, stack them and let them sit with a heavy book on top of them over night. This smooths out the paper and gets rid of any leftover warping from the heat gun.


Ta-da! You're all finished! You can also buy the kitty book plates I used as an example in my BarefootFae Etsy shop, packaged all purdy and ready to go.