Magnets using Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel (UTEE)

 Hi ya everyone this is Melissa from MelissaMade here to share a tutorial using UTEE.   I want to thank Pam for letting me share with you today as it's such an honor to work with such wonderful people here at the Bug Bytes!
I have to be honest I will need to find a better method for creating these adorable magnets.  I used a tea cup lid that my hubby got me a long time ago as I didn't have any silicone cups or ice cube trays.  I didn't want to invest a ton of money because I didn't know if I would like making these.  It was fun - but it is a bit more work without the trays for sure.
First, I found an adorable image from Tiddly Inks called Flowery Wishes.  I printed the images on my laser jet printer.

Next, I cut out each flower using micro-tipped scissors.  I didn't cut them perfectly out as I wanted all the words to remain intact.

 I used Tim Holtz inks to add color to my flowers - Brick Red, Peeled Paint, Walnut Stain and Scattered Straw.

 I used my Cuttlebug and a round spellbinder die cut to cut a circle out of cardboard such as a cereal box or a backing from a stack of paper (this gives the magnet some thickness).  Layer the plates as shown.

Next, I cut a pretty matching paper in the same manner with the circle die cut.  I then layered the cardboard and the paper together using an adhesive.  Finally, I added the inked flower to the center with adhesive.

As this was happening my melting pot was heating with UTEE.

 I also grabbed my embossing ink pad - clear.  I pressed the flowers into the embossing pad - covering the whole thing.

Next I added a bit of melted UTEE to my tea cup lid and then dropped the flower into the UTEE and covered the back.

 At this point I also added the magnet to the back.  The magnet will not permanently stick but I wanted the UTEE to form around the magnet in order to have a flat section for the magnet.  The UTEE looks sort of yucky in these pics but it dries with a bit of a yellowish tint but all that swirly appearance disappears.

I let this cool and had to pry it out with a knife.  This is the part that I had no fun with.  It took some patience and once I had it pulled out the back was sort of jagged.  I dropped it back into the lid and used my heat gun to smooth the edges.  This worked fairly well but then again I had to pry it out again creating a few more edges.  At this point I dropped it into an old frying pan and reheated the edges smoothing them out. Once it was cool I added some craft glue and placed the magnet into the dent.

Thanks for checking out my tutorial - I would suggest getting some silicone cupcake holders to make this process easier.  I like pouring the UTEE - on a side-note I tried dipping the flowers and it didn't work so well.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask away in the comments section!  For more fun projects check out my blog at MelissaMade!