Rubber Stamping Dominos

Ancient Egyptian Artifact Shaker Box Domino & Pyramid Box by Leigh Snaith-Brunton - The Sharpie Domino Queen, Design Team Leader

The story behind this ancient artifact... I've loved anything Egyptian for as long as I can remember and I'm a huge fan of the movie Stargate and the TV series Stargate SG1. I imagined this strange pyramid box being discovered at a dig or discovered on a distant planet. The unusual shaker box found within has archeologists mystified....now let your imagination take over.

To make the Shaker Box start with a new/shiny domino. Stamp the King Tut image (Personal Impressions) onto the domino with coal black Ancient Page dye ink (ClearSnap) and heat set with an embossing heat gun. Colour the image with various Sharpie markers using my Sharpie Domino Queen technique. For more information on my technique please go to my website at http://www.velvetpawcreations.com

To make the shaker box frame cut 4 pieces from a length of square balsa wood (local craft store). Take measurements from the top of the domino and cut the balsa wood to size (I used a small saw but heavy duty scissors will probably work too - just be careful and wear safety glasses etc). Sand away the rough edges and wipe clean with a damp cloth. If you wish to paint the wood then now is the time to do it and let it dry. I decided not to paint mine for this project.

Seal the surface of the domino with a generous coat of Judikins Diamond
Glaze glue - apply it with your finger for a smooth application and to help prevent air bubbles. Also make sure you don't shake the bottle because this causes air bubbles to form too. If you do get bubbles then just pop them with a pin before the glue dries. While the glue is wet select an Egyptian brass charm and place it on the domino. Then place the wood pieces on the domino to form the shaker box frame and put aside to dry. The glue does double duty by sealing the domino surface and gluing on the components.
Once dry fill in the spaces formed by the wood frame at all 4 corners. I used quick drying light weight spackle but an air drying clay or some white glue will do the trick too. Cut a piece of stiff acetate for the window of the shaker box. Place the microbeads inside the shaker box and apply a line of Aleene's Fast Grab glue all around the wood frame and adhere the acetate window to the frame. Put aside to dry.

TIP: I collect all sorts of clear plastic cut from the containers of store bought items. But if you haven't got a collection already on hand then printer or copier transparencies will work too.

Once the acetate window is secure it's time to apply the clay to form the outer casing of the domino. I wanted the look of ancient clay, impressed with hieroglyphics and ancient Egyptian carvings, so I used an air drying paper clay called Hearty Clay (Super Lightweight Modeling Clay by Venture Craft). Remove small quantities at a time from the packaging because the clay does start to set up quite quickly, and keep the opened clay inside a bag to prevent it from drying out. To make sure the clay adhered to the domino I first smeared on some Aleene's Fast Grab glue and molded the clay around the domino shaker box. I worked the clay in a random fashion for an uneven, cracked look to the surface. Once the entire shaker box is covered press the clay onto the surface of a black inked Hieroglyphics rubber stamp (source unknown). The uneven surface of the clay prevents a uniform impression of the hieroglyphics which gives the shaker box the worn look of time. Put aside to dry. To further enhance the ancient appearance stain the clay with brown antiquing gel (Delta CeramCoat Antiquing Gel). The thickness of the gel and the amount of coats you apply will determine the final appearance. I also further stained the clay with terracotta and chocolate brown dye inks.

To make the Pyramid Box start with a square paper mache box and a pyramid shaped box. The pyramid shaped box I used is actually the really cute box that shower caps come in at the Luxor in Las Vegas ;-) Another handy tip is KEEP EVERYTHING! You never know when you'll need it. Place the pyramid box on top of the square lid and pencil in it's placement. Also pencil in where the lid comes down over the base of the box on all 4 sides. Then in the same manner as above, apply a layer of air drying clay to the pyramid box and the lid of the square box. You don't need to put the clay on the base of the pyramid box because it will be glued to the lid and you only need to go up to the pencil lines on the lid where the pyramid will sit. Impress the Hieroglyphics into the pyramid box and the lid and stain in the same manner as the shaker box. Once everything is dry adhere the pyramid box to the lid with Aleene's Fast Grab glue and put aside to dry.

Cut 4 panels of Ancient Egyptian imagery for the sides of the box - I used some pictures from an Egyptian calendar and attached them to the box base with Aleene's Fast Grab glue. Line each section up with the pencil line (drew previously based on the positioning of the lid) and then trim the excess away from the sides and bottom edge. Finish off the edges (which also helps prevent the panels from pealing at the seams) with a line of
Aleene's Fast Grab glue, making sure the glue covers the edges of the panels. Once dry stain the glue with dark chocolate brown dye ink and rub off the excess ink with a piece of kitchen towel. Stain the entire box, picture panels and inside of the lid with the antiquing gel and rub off the excess with a piece of kitchen towel and allow to dry.

Glue brass Egyptian charms to the pyramid with Aleene's Fast Grab glue and fill the box with beach sand. Place the Shaker Box Domino inside and put on the box lid and you're done!