Discover the Sculptor In You!

One of the questions a blog poster asked me last month was “What in the world can I do with sculpting foam and how does it work?” I had to laugh when I read that question, because Sculpting Foam comes in a tiny little container but it poses a big challenge for a lot of people. I’ll end the mystery right now—and also let you in on cool ways you’re going to love using this unique product.

First, let’s talk about the material: it’s positively addictive to play with. It’s squishy yet smooth, bendable but it also tears neatly, and even when it’s dry it keeps a soft resiliency. You can stamp on it, change its color with ink, and shape it into just about anything. When I play with Sculpting Foam, I feel like a six-year-old again, making long snakes between my hands or piling little balls of it into snowmen… but I can also get great grown-up results, too! Check out the projects I’ve included with this post—see what a gorgeous, dimensional, even subtle addition the foam makes!
Read on to learn some easy tips you can incorporate to get the same fab foam looks on your layouts and other projects!

Roses:

• Roll Sculpting Foam™ in an Exclusive Inks™ pad to dye it. The longer you roll it in ink, the darker the color will be. Once the outside of the foam is coated you have to continuously fold the foam into itself to mix the color throughout.
• Rose center: Roll a long thin tube of Sculpting Foam™; approximately an inch and half long. Flatten the tube to the shape of a shoelace and roll it up to create a spiral.
• Rose petals: roll Sculpting Foam™ into small balls and press flat. Frame the spiral center rose with two or three small petals, and then gradually increase petal size toward the edge of the rose.
• Attach the petals at the base of the rose and curled them at the top away from the center. If the rose becomes bulky, you can cut it at the base with micro tip scissors to create a flat bottom that is easier to adhere.

Cupcake:

• Dye the Sculpting Foam™ by rolling it in an Exclusive Inks™ pad.
• Cupcake top: stamp and cut out a cupcake top on cardstock (I used an image from the Cupcake Sprinkles, D1336 My Acrylix® stamp set). Cover the stamped image with dyed Sculpting Foam™.
• When the Sculpting Foam™ dries, push brads through the entire piece using a piercing tool. (Be careful not to crack the Sculpting Foam™ when it has already dried, so handle the piece carefully without bending it).

Stars:

• Dye Sculpting Foam™ by rolling it in an Exclusive Inks™ pad.
• Roll Sculpting Foam™ in an Exclusive Inks™ pad to dye it. The longer you roll it in ink, the darker the color will be. Once the outside of the foam is coated you have to continuously fold the foam in on itself to mix the color throughout.
• Shape the stars by rolling the Sculpting Foam™ into small balls and flattening them to the size and shape of a quarter (just a little thicker).
• Mold them into a star shape by pinching the ends to a point with your thumb and pointer finger. There isn’t really any secret to doing this, you just need a little practice.

I like to let my Sculpting Foam pieces “breathe” overnight before adhering them to my project—hey, you can’t rush art, right? This will ensure the element is dry and ready to complete your project. Ready to try it on your own? I hope these fun (and easy) ideas inspire you to give Sculpting Foam a go. You’ll quickly discover that you don’t have to be Michelangelo to create a masterpiece (much better than snakes or snowmen!).