Hi Antony here, for this weeks post I
thought I would take a look at one of the many cartonnage kits
available from Pinflair Creative Crafts. So as it's nearly Christmas I thought I
would decorate the Christmas Sleigh using Viva Decor Chalky paints
Christmas Collection, which are also available from Pinflair.
Now I will be honest I can't really paint that well. So the very first time I used Chalky Paints I was a bit concerned as to how the end result would look. However I soon found out that you really don't need to be able to paint that well as the end result is meant to have that shabby, aged look. In saying that the paints are very forgiving and seem to give a great finish anyway!
So for
this weeks project I shall be using the large Christmas Sleigh, Viva
Decor Christmas Chalky Paints, Pinflair Bookbinding Glue or Glue-it
glue, Pinflair Buff-it craft polish, Christmas themed stamps, a piece
of wax from a candle, a soft wide paint brush and some sandpaper.
Step 1 Firstly take 2
of the main body parts to the sleigh and using Pinflair Glue-it glue
stick the two parts together. You may see from the picture that I
have dispensed the glue a little way in from the edge so that when I
stick the 2 parts together and apply pressure very little glue
squeezes out. Repeat this process again for the other side of the
sleigh.
Step 2 Next I painted a
thin coat of red chalky paint onto the sleighs main body, but not the
sleighs runners. Only paint one side of each of the 2 sleighs. Whilst
that is drying paint the other sections to the sleigh, remember only
on one side.
Step 3 Once the paint
has dried on the main body of the sleigh turn it over and draw round
the piece of cardboard that will form the long side of the sleighs
carriage. Then paint all round it, again apart from the runners.
Step 5 Now using a
piece of wax from an old candle rub over the red painted area in a
random fashion. Once you have rubbed the wax over the surface, rub
over with a paper kitchen cloth until it is slightly shiny. This wax
will act as a resist for the top coat of paint. Now give everything a
second coat of paint, but this time use a different colour. In the
case of this project white. Don't worry if the second coat isn't
perfect, it won't matter. Leave this to dry for at least half an hour.
Step 6 Using some fine
sandpaper gently sand over the all the surfaces. Sanding lightly will
then reveal some of the red paint. Rub too hard and both the white
and the red paint will be removed. Make sure you remove any paint
dust before you move onto the next step.
Step 7 Next I used a
Christmas themed stamp and inked it up... so to speak, with blue
chalky paint. Once loaded with the chalky paints I stamped over the
painted surfaces. Again this can be done in a random fashion and
don't worry if the stamping is not perfect... it won't matter. Place
a sheet of copier paper over the sleighs runners so that you don't
stamp onto them.
Step 8 If you want a really aged look you can lightly rub over the stamped areas with sandpaper too.
Step 9
Using a very small amount of paint on a foam brush, brush round all the
edges of all the shapes that you have painted. This will create a nice
soft border.
Step 10 Using Pinflairs
Glue-it glue start to construct the carriage. Once all stuck together
paint the inside. In my project I painted it blue to co-ordinate with the stamping on the outside of the sleigh.
Step 11 I next painted
the sleighs runners using Pinflair Gold Buff-it craft polish. To do this
take some Buff-it out of the pot using a palette knife and put it
onto a non-stick craft mat. Add a little water to the paste/polish and then
using a paint brush paint the runners of the sleigh. Light brush strokes are the best and just be sure not to overload the paint brush. Leave it to fully dry for
about 20 minutes and then polish with a dry kitchen cloth.
Step 12 When all of the
elements are fully dry start to glue everything together using
Pinflairs Glue-it glue. Ensure that when applying the glue you only
put glue on one surface. That way not too much glue will squeeze out.
When you glue the different pieces together ensure you hold them
together for at least half a minute. The more glue you use the longer
it will take to dry and ultimately stick.
Step 13 If you want you
could add further embellishments from your own crafting stash such as
netting ribbon, buttons or even a few die cut shapes using your
festive dies!
Once you have used the Chalky Paints you will want to decorate everything in the house with them. As well as heavy duty cardboard as used in this project the paints will also work on MDF, wood and even glass. The only difference when painting glass is that you will need to clean the surface with an alcohol solution and then dab the paint on rather than brush it on. Also the drying time is a lot longer, but whatever you do, don't try to force dry it as the paint will crack!
There is one thing for sure... you will soon be hooked on using these paints!
For those of you who attended the Jo Channon Workshop/Dabble day on 1st of November 2015, here are the samples that we took there with the heart shaped back and heart button embellishments added to the sleigh.
Until next time, Happy Crafting!
Antony
