Silicone Mat For Crafts – The Stampin Up Silicone Craft Sheet

Are you a crafter looking for helpful tools for your crafting endeavors? Are you just starting out with stamping, and looking to grow your collection, but maybe don’t know which supplies are the most useful? Today, I’m going to share a ton of information about one little – and inexpensive – tool known as the Stampin Up Silicone Craft Sheet. This silicone mat has so many uses, and today I’ll highlight 15 different ways it can be used! 

What is a Silicone Craft Sheet?

A silicone craft sheet or silicone mat for crafts is a multipurpose tool. It is a non-stick and heat-resistant mat made of silicone that can be used in so many different ways, many of them involving adhesives and messy substances. Let’s take a look at all the different ways this silicone mat is perfect for crafts.

Silicone Mat For Crafts Video

I’ve created a helpful video with many of the ways this amazing Silicone Craft Sheet can be used. Take a look!

Next, let’s talk about some of these uses in more detail. 

Using The Silicone Craft Sheet With Adhesives

Stampin Up’s Silicone Craft Sheet is non-stick, which makes it perfect when working with adhesives. Let me share why below.

Adding Glue & Adhesive

When adding glue or adhesive such as Stampin Up’s Seal or Seal+, it can be a bit frustrating when it accidentally gets onto your work area. It can be hard to clean and sticks to everything, but if you lay a silicone mat underneath, you won’t have a sticky mess! The non-stick surface is perfect, because if glue gets on it, it easily wipes clean.

Adhering Die Cuts

These silicone mats are also great for gluing detailed die cuts. Here’s how…squeeze a little multi-purpose glue on the corner of the craft sheet, dab gently with a sponge and apply the glue to the back of the die cut. Attach the die cut to your project, and wipe the craft sheet clean! 

Adhering Vellum

Have you ever tried to use adhesive on vellum? Some adhesives work, and some definitely do not because they show through. Did you know that glue is invisible on the back of vellum, if applied in an even layer? To apply glue to the back of vellum, use the same technique described above for die cuts. Simply dab a little multipurpose glue onto the corner of the craft mat, and apply to the vellum with a sponge. You want a very thin and even layer of glue. Apply it to your project, and you won’t see any adhesive showing through! 

Using A Hot Glue Gun

Working with a hot glue gun can be a little tricky. The glue always seems to ooze out and strings of hot glue get everywhere. Next time, use a silicone mat under your work area. Any of the extra glue that oozes out will peel right off the mat, and it makes for super easy clean up.

Assembling Pieces

If you’re working with several die cuts or other pieces you’re wanting to assemble and glue together, place the silicone mat underneath. If glue squeezes out during the assembly process, the mat keeps your work area nice and clean.

Using The Silicone Craft Mat as a Palette

Another way to use a silicone mat for crafts is to use it as a palette. Why? Using the silicone craft sheet as a palette keeps the mess on the mat and not on your work area.

Mixing Ink & Water

One great way to use a silicone mat for your crafting is to use it with Water Painters. Put a dab of ink onto the mat, then grab your Aqua Painter. Mix the ink with water and paint away! You can create beautiful backgrounds or fill in stamped images with this technique. 

Mixing Embossing Paste & Ink

Have you ever used Embossing Paste? Embossing Paste is fun to use and adds nice texture to projects. But if you’re wanting to add a little color to the white paste, simply drop some paste and a couple drops of ink onto the silicone mat. Mix with a palette knife and spread onto your project! This paste can be used as a background, or applied over a mask to create a really neat pattern. There are many other creative ways this paste can be used too.

Using Wink Of Stella & Inks

I love my Wink of Stella glitter brush. It adds such a pretty glittery sheen to my projects. What’s even more fun is to add a little color to my Wink of Stella using a drop of ink from an ink refill bottle. You guessed it – place the drop of ink onto the silicone craft sheet, then pick it up with the brush and paint away!

Silicone Sheet & Pastels

Chalk pastels are another fun product to use on your stamping projects, and when I use pastels, I love to have a silicone mat for crafts nearby. One of the ways I like to use these pastels is to shave off a little onto the silicone mat, then pick up the shavings with a sponge dauber and apply the color to a stamped image. This is a fun and different way to apply color. It gives a nice glow around the image. Learn all about pastels here. 

Sponges & Blending Brushes With the Silicone Mat

Another great way to use the silicone mat for crafts is for sponges and blending brushes. Place the mat behind the cardstock you’re blending color onto. This will keep your work area free from extra ink as you blend. Just wipe the silicone sheet after use, or rinse it under water, and you’re ready for your next project.

A Heat Resistant Surface

As I stated earlier, Stampin Up’s Silicone Craft Sheet is heat resistant. This quality makes these silicone mats perfect for crafting with heat tools and glue guns. Let me share a little bit more on how the silicone mat’s heat resistant surface can be used.

Heat Tool

Have you ever accidentally used your heat tool over a surface that it should not have been used on? Or have you ever warped other tools and craft supplies while using a heat tool? Eek…I have. Here’s one more handy use for this mat – lay your project on top of it and use the heat gun over the mat. It will prevent the heat from transferring through to your work surface. Woohoo – no more ruined cutting mats! 

 Silicone Craft Sheet Allows Mirror Stamping

I love mirror stamping, because it opens the door to so many new possibilities with your stamps. See how I used the one dog stamp below to stamp him facing both directions? That’s what I mean by mirror stamping. Mirror stamping works best with a silicone craft sheet and your Stamparatus. Learn all about mirror stamping here. 

Next, let’s take a look at ways the silicone craft sheet can be used for embossing.

Using Silicone Craft Mats for Embossing

There are a few different ways the silicone craft mat can be used for dry embossing. I’ll highlight those techniques below.

3D Embossing Plate Substitute

Do you have any Stampin Up 3D embossing folders, but don’t yet have the 3D embossing plate to allow them to fit properly through your machine? Let me share how to use the silicone mat as a substitute for the 3D embossing plate. You’ll need:

• Base Plate 1
• 6×6 cardboard — the kind that comes with the Designer Series Paper Packs
• 3D Embossing Folder with Paper Inside
• Silicone Craft Mat
• Clear Cutting Plate

Stack all these items in order of the list above and run through your Cut & Emboss Machine. This will emboss your paper just as if you had the 3D Embossing plate.

Do you feel an unusual amount of resistance when trying this? If so, STOP and back everything out of the machine. How thick is the cardboard piece that you used? Try a thinner piece and see if that helps. Never force anything through your machine, because it can break! 

Embossing with Masks

Let me give a warning before I share this technique. If you are not comfortable running a tight fit through your Cut & Emboss Machine, I don’t suggest using this technique. Also, what I’m about to share does not follow the manufacturer’s instructions, so your machine may not be covered by warranty if you attempt this technique and something goes wrong. What I’m going to share with you next is how to emboss cardstock with the silicone craft sheet and a mask. This is a really neat technique that uses masks in a new way, and we love finding new uses for our products, right?

You’ll need:

• Thick Base Plate
• Thin Die Adapter
• Clear Plate
• Silicone Craft Sheet
• Mask
• Cardstock
• Clear Cutting Plate

Stack these items in the order of the list above and run through the Cut & Emboss Machine. It will be a tight fit, but never try to force something through that doesn’t want to go. Always take care of your machine first!

Wow that is a lot of uses for this one little tool! Before I wrap this up, I want to share how to clean the silicone mat in the next section.

How to Clean A Silicone Craft Sheet

Now that I’ve shared over 15 ways to use the Stampin Up Silicone Craft Sheet, let’s talk about how to clean it.

First, if there’s any dried glue on the surface of the mat, simply use your fingers to rub across it. The glue will roll up in balls and be easy to remove. The craft sheet can also be run under water and scrubbed with a soft-bristle brush. Actually in my opinion, one of the easiest ways to clean the mat is to use a baby wipe. Apply some pressure when wiping over the surface, and it will clean up like new.

One more tip – at times the Silicone Craft Sheet can be good at picking up dust and lint. When this happens, simply run a lint roller over the surface of the mat to remove lint and paper scraps. This typically picks up any and all little pieces left behind after crafting.

 

Do you think a silicone mat for crafts would be helpful with your stamping collection? It only costs a few dollars and will last a lifetime. Order using the link below!

Order Your Silicone Mat Here

Product List

I hope this post was helpful and gave you lots of information about one of Stampin Up’s most multifunctional tools. Thanks for visiting to learn about Stampin Up’s Silicone Craft Sheet!