Monday 20 July 2015

Christmas Bauble



Hi there! Antony here... well we don't like to think about it... but Christmas for us crafters is already here!
So the project for this post will show you how to make your very own unique Christmas Bauble.


The products I have used for this project are:- Pinflair Glue Gel, Pinflair Glue-it, Pinflair Pearl and Clear Pearl Wands, Pinflair Dark Green Buff-it, Pinflair Ice Diamond, Acrylic 2 part Bauble and a fir cone!
You will also need a paint brush and a non-stick craft mat.


Step 1 Before you start to do anything make sure that your fir cone will fit inside the acrylic bauble. In this project I used a 10cm wide bauble.



 
Step 2 Using a palette knife I scoped out a small amount of Buff-it craft polish and put it onto a non-stick craft mat. Then using a paint brush I added some water to the Buff-it polish and started to paint the fir cone with it. You will need to keep adding water to the Buff-it when it starts to dry out.
Continue to paint the fir cone until you have covered it all. Leave to dry for about 20 minutes.


 
Step 3 Use the Pearl colour Pearl Wand to add pearl drops to the inside of both halves of the acrylic baubles. This will give the illusion of snow! Leave to dry for about 45 minutes to an hour. Normally the Pearls will dry within 10 minutes on paper, but will take considerably longer on acrylic or glass.



Step 4 Using the Pearl colour Pearl Wand start to add faux snow to the fir cone. You may need to do this in a few steps, allowing the Pearl Wand decoration to dry in between holding and moving the fir cone. Once finally finished leave the fir cone to fully dry. An hour should be about right.


Step 5 Now start to decorate the outside of the acrylic baubles, this time using the clear Pearl Wand. The clear Pearl Wand will go on milky, but will dry clear. I placed the pearl decorations exactly where I had decorated them on the inside. Again allow 1 hour for drying time, or until the pearls turn clear.

Step 6 Using Pinflair Glue Glue squeeze some glue into the bottom of just one of the acrylic baubles and then position your decorated fir cone onto the glue. Leave this to dry for at least 3 hours.


Step 7 Finally after everything is dry shake a smallish amount of Pinflair Ice Diamond into the same half of the acrylic bauble as where you stuck the fir cone. Use Pinflair Glue-it glue all round the edge of the bauble then place the two halves of the bauble together, making sure that you line up the baubles hanging hole.


Step 8 For a finishing touch and a way to hang your decoration use some ribbon and thread it through the baubles hanging hole and finally make a bow and attach it to your decoration.

As well as making a unique Christmas tree decoration these baubles would also make a fantastic gift at Christmas as well.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Antony




Thursday 9 July 2015

Creating a Design on a Canvas Bag



Hi there Antony here for my first post. This is a fun little project and you can use any stencil to achieve a unique look all of your own. The painted effect you see above may look difficult, but it’s easier than you may think. The products used on this example are Pinflair Liquid Buff-it and Viva Decor Diamond-Tex glitter paste for fabric. The Liquid Buff-it paints can be used on fabric as well as wood, polystyrene, clay and cardboard.
The colours used in this example are:- Antique Gold, Gold, Silver, Ice Blue and Caribbean Blue.
We have also used a Cheetah stencil and Onyx colour Diamond Tex glitter paste.
Other things you will need:- Palette knife, Stencil Glue, cotton bag, some paint brushes, a foam applicator brush/sponge and masking tape.

Step 1 Firstly place your cotton bag that you wish to decorate, on to a flat surface. Mask off an area using masking tape. In the case of the example I have masked some squares. Make sure the masking tape is stuck down well.
Now using a foam brush or sponge start to dab firstly the Ice Blue Liquid Buff-it and then the Caribbean Blue. After you have dabbed on the colours slowly remove the masking tape.


Step 2 Now take a stencil, in this case a beautiful cheetah. Apply Pinflair Stencil Glue to the reverse of the stencil and let the glue dry for about 15 minutes. Once dry de-tack the glue by simply placing you hand on the glued area and lifting it off. Repeat this a few times.
Now place the stencil in the middle of the four blue squares. To really press the stencil into position I used an old brayer... it worked a treat!
Next I used a palette knife to apply the the Onyx Diamond-Tex Glitter Paste through the stencil.
Leave the Diamond-Tex for about half and hour to 45 minutes for it to dry. 


Step 3 Paint on the Silver Liquid Buff-it using a fine paint brush making sure that you keep within the stenciled area. Because the Diamond-Tex glitter paste is slightly raised painting
within the area is quite easy as the brush is almost guided a long. Leave to dry for about 15 minutes and then apply the Antique Gold Liquid Buff-it. 


Step 4 Now go over with the Gold colour Liquid Buff-it and let it dry. Finally to achieve the graduated effect from one colour to another, use a paint brush that has really short
bristles. Apply a really small amount of paint onto the paint brush and using a circular motion gently apply the paint over into the colour.




Step 5 Keep gently applying the paint in small amounts until you get the soft graduated blend of between the colours.


I also used the same technique to create a wall art canvas. The cheetah was done using Liquid Buff-it but for the background I used different colours of Pinflar Buff-it Craft Polish.


Remember to clean all paint brushes and stencils used with Liquid Buff-it and Diamond-Tex  with warm soapy water straight after use.


Tip:- if you haven’t got a short bristled paint brush, make your own by cutting down the bristles of an old one, the brush hasn’t got to be good to achieve the blending of the Liquid Buff-it colours.

Until next time, Happy Crafting!

Antony