DIY: Make Your Own Enamel Dots for scrapbooking

Hi everyone!  Amy Kingsford here, with another fun DIY to share with you!

Some of you might know me as a digital scrapbooker, but lately I’ve been finding my way back into paper scrapbooking. And in addition to my somewhat unhealthy obsession with patterned papers, I’ve recently become smitten with enamel dots.

These little beauties are such a fun way to add pops of color and dimension to your pages–I found myself wishing I had them in every color!  And after a bit of research I soon found that while my pocketbook probably wouldn’t survive a one-time shop for enamel dots in every color, I might be able to make my very own!

If you spend a few minutes searching pinterest you’ll probably find several different methods for making your own enamel dots.  I tried out the following:

1. Pony Beads in the Oven – I’ll be honest, I never got this method to work out for me.  I tried several different temperatures and times and never came away with a result I was happy with and each time it filled my house with a horrible smell!  Maybe I would have had more success with the Perler beads?
2. Dimensional Fabric Paint – Though by far the easiest method of these three, I found the dimensional paint to be a little pricey and I wasn’t achieving as much roundness and dimension as I would have liked–the dots seemed to deflate quite a bit as they dried.
3. Glossy Accents and Nail Polish– This was my chosen method.  Though it was probably the most time consuming process of these three, I loved the end result and I was able to make tons of dots in every color of the rainbow (including clear) as I sat down and caught up on my favorite shows on Hulu.

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DISCLAIMER: So I want to start out by saying I’m not entirely sure how “archival safe” this process is. To be honest since I print my photos at home and scrapbook more as a creative outlet I’m not as concerned with whether a process or product is “acid/lignin free,” but if this is a concern of yours, you may want to explore a different method or at the very least avoid placing one of these homemade enamel dots directly on your photos.

 

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Supplies:

• Glossy Accents
• Wax Paper
• Backing Sheet, Cutting Board or other mobile flat surface.
• Nail Polish
• Glue Dots

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Step 1 – Lay parchment paper over a mobile flat surface like a baking sheet or cutting board.

Step 2 – Using your Glossy Accents glue, fill your wax paper with several different sized dots.

Step 3 – Set the baking sheet with your dots aside and allow them to dry for 24 hours.

Step 4 – Next select your favorite colors from your nail polish stash, or go out and purchase inexpensive nail polish in all of your favorite colors and textures–there are several brands available for less than a dollar!

Step 5 – In a well ventilated room with your favorite music or show playing in the background, paint over each of the dots with the color of your choice–some polishes may require two coats.

Step 6 – Allow 24 hours for the polish to dry and the smell of lacquer to dissipate.

Step 7 – You can store your dots on the wax paper backing or peel them up and store them in small baggies by color – the choice is yours.

Step 8 – When you’re ready to use them on a layout, simply use a glue dot to adhere your homemade enamel dots to your page.

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Here I’ve used a handful of homemade enamel dots, painted in coordinating colors, on a page about the story behind my new camera.

And here I’ve used the clear enamel dots on a page about my love/hate relationship with rain.  I think these are perfect for recreating a look of water drops on any page.

 

I hope you’ll enjoy making your own enamel dots as much as I did and I look forward to hearing about your results.

Happy Scrapping!