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What is Iron Orchid Designs?
Iron Orchid Deisgns, or IOD, is a small, family owned and operated business known for their unique vintage designs for the DIY home decor industry and beyond. IOD is a leader in the industry always developing new designs for Decor Transfers, Decor Stamps and Decor Moulds. They have recently pioneered a new medium, Paint Inlays.
What is a Decor Transfer?
IOD Transfers are a little delicate, need a little extra care, but are so worth it. With a little instruction, they are easy to use and add instant style to your projects.
How to use it:
Keep your transfer with its backing sheet until you are ready to apply. Keep free of dust or debris, which will interfere with adhesion. Do not allow the adhesive side of transfer to touch anything prior to application. When handling the transfer, avoid letting the adhesive side touch itself (don’t do in a windy environment). Do not store transfer in extreme temperatures or humid conditions, which can affect adhesion.
Start with a clean, dry, matte surface. If painted, make sure it’s well cured, and if you have sanded the paint make certain there is no residual dust. All of these things will interfere with adhesion. For best adhesion, seal your project surface with a high quality, water-based polyurethane sealer in matte before applying a transfer.
Carefully remove the transfer from its white backing. Slowly and carefully lower the transfer onto your intended surface, making sure that it does not touch until the placement is correct. Use small pieces of low tack tape to hold it in place.
Using the provided tool, or one of your choice, start at one end of the transfer and rub firmly to adhere the image to the surface. Do this until the entire image is transferred. You are welcome for the free arm workout as well. If any parts aren’t transferred when you lift, simply lay it back down and rub more on that portion. After it is transferred, with a clean dry hand, smooth down any bits that aren’t flatly adhered.
We recommend sealing with a water based (or not harsh solvent based) sealer (waxes created for chalk type paints also work well if they don’t contain harsh solvents).
What is a Decor Stamp?
It is just that- A STAMP! But what makes the IOD Decor Stamps so unique is their size and attention to detail. The Decor Stamps are perfect for personalizing furniture, home decor, wall art, textiles, clothing and more. Designed to be used with multiple mediums (paint, ink, embossing powder, edible gel paste), they can be combined each other or with transfers, decoupage, stencils, you name it to create truly unique statement pieces.
How to use it:
First things first- you need to condition your stamps. You only need to do this once before using it for the first time.Start by removing the acrylic sheet attached to the stamping side of the design, while leaving the stamps attached to their backing sheet. Using a fine grit sand block scuff or rough up the stamping surface. Lightly sand in one direction and then rotate the craft stamp 90 degrees and sand lightly in a different direction. This helps the mediums stay put, and not bead (which some types, like ceramics glazes, tend to do). It also will give a cleaner impression.
To stamp, hover the stamp over your project surface to line up where you want to stamp before stamping.
Once you're ready to stamp, COMMIT and don’t shift. That means, once your stamp makes contact with the surface, keep it there otherwise you might smudge or create a blurry image.
Use one hand to hold the stamp, then use your other hand to run your fingers over all the details of the stamp - apply even pressure and ensure good contact.
Lift the stamp straight up off the project surface when done stamping, again being careful not to shift.
Wipe your stamp clean with wipes immediately after use to prevent the medium from drying on the stamp.
What is a Decor Mould?
The IOD Moulds are made from food safe materials (do not use the same set for food and crafts), and can be used to transform and create almost anything including baked goods, furniture, soaps, jewelry, and more. IOD Moulds can be used with many different mediums with the two most popular being air dry clay and casting resins. One of the best features of the IOD Moulds is the micro rim which helps you to get nice clean edges on your appliqués.
How to use it:
How you use it will depend on which medium you are using in the moulds.
A couple helpful tips for air dry clay is
Dust the mould lightly with cornstarch before adding the clay to make release easy
After filling the mold with air dry clay, flip it over and immediately roll the mould back thereby releasing your appliqué
I prefer to glue the appliqués to my surface almost immediately after releasing from the mould. I use wood glue to adhere.
You can paint the appliqués while they are still wet. No need to wait until they are completely dry.
Keep in mind air dry clay will shrink some and may even crack while drying. You can fill in gaps and cracks with additional air dry clay or just embrace the imperfection like I do!
Casting resins
Always make sure to read the instructions for the resin you are using
No release agent is necessary
Casting resins give you a very crisp and detailed appliqé with no shrinking or cracking and they can be painted
Not all casting resins are the same. Some are quick set and others take 12 hours. Make sure you know which one you have!
What is a Paint Inlay?
OOOOO- I’m so glad you asked this question! Paint Inlays are proprietary technology to IOD which means they are ground breaking, completely unique and no other company makes them. They’re not a decal; they’re not a synthetic film; they’re not decoupage.
When you apply an IOD Paint Inlay, paint is physically embedded into the surface of your project. After drying, the carrier paper is removed, leaving an authentic painted design and a buttery, almost leather-like surface on your piece.
You can watch the IOD sisters explain Paint Inlays here.
You can watch my YouTube video about Paint Inlays here