a touch of fibers...

Hello my wonderful friends!

It's time for another Unity hop!

(and sale!)

 Tons of awesome stuff at AMAZING prices!

(Alfie-Heart and Soul Mouse, Dots for Sure)

About 5 years ago, I went to a quilt and fiber art expo with my mom... Let me clarify... as much as I wish I could claim to, I don't quilt. My mom is the quilter. However, she came to the Scrapbook expo with me, so I returned the favor. (after all, expos are a TON more fun when you go with someone!) Anyway, I came across a booth that was selling these FABULOUSLY GORGEOUS sparkly fusable fibers. 

Of course, I was interested! 

They ended up in my scrap stash without getting too much use for quite a while. However, I have recently dug them back out because they were exactly what I needed for a project. I fell in love all over again! I have since shared several projects using these beauties and have gotten comments on them.. So I thought I would introduce you to...

ANGELINA FIBERS!

There's TONS you can do with these fibers but here are three of my favorite...

Ok... my all time favorite way of using the fibers (and also the easiest!) is to tuck loose fibers behind something. I usually use a little tacky tape to secure it. I add them behind titles, focal images, and (as shown above) behind ribbons and jewels. It adds this unique texture and colorful sparkle. LOVE.

Now, these fibers are also fusable.  This means you can turn the loose fibers into a fabric...

Simply put some loose Angelina Fibers on some parchment paper, cover with another sheet of parchment paper, then iron. I don't have a sophisticated iron... I just turn mine to about medium-ish. It doesn't take long... 5-10 seconds. You can get different looks simply by using more or less fibers. AWESOME.

But what do you do with it now? Well, why not die cut it? Or hand cut (like I did for the heart). Or, you could use it in a larger sheet as another "paper". (for those who like layers!)

(Winter Warmth, Miss You SO Much)

Ok, for the last one, you get to use STAMPS.  (this is actually the technique they demoed at the expo that sold me!) Unity stamps are perfect for this because they are rubber, and therefore can handle the heat of the iron. PLEASE don't try this with clear stamps!!!

Place your chosen stamp on an acrylic block (this just helps hold it in place). I'm using the circled heart from the Winter Warmth kit. If you want, you can ink up your stamp with a permanent ink, but you don't have to. I chose not to for this one. 

Put some Angelina Fibers over the stamp. Make sure it is covered. You don't have to go super thick, but if you go too thin, you will lose detail... play around with how much you want to use to get the look you love.

Place a sheet of parchment paper over the stamp and press with your iron. (you can see I have it set at  around medium... No steam. Since I never put water in my iron, that isn't an issue for me. LOL!) It doesn't take long. Check it at about 5-10 seconds... you may need to hit a few areas a little longer depending on how thick the fibers are and how hot your iron is...

 When you pull it off, you will have a detailed image embossed/fused into the fibers. SO COOL!

Some stamps work better for this than others... Try to use ones without TOO much detail. Simple seems to be the most effective.

 There's lots more you can do with these fibers. I just wanted to share a fun product that I love to use with my stamping and mixed media projects.

(If you are an Amazon shopper, you can find all sorts of colors and combo packs there... you can also check out fiber art/needle craft stores.)

And you can find all the stamps I used HERE.

Don't forget---
 Leave a comment on EACH blog in the hop (including the Unity blog) for your chance to win.  The winners will be announced Monday on the Unity blog.

And go when you are done, go shop the Unity Garage Sale!

Enjoy!