Crazy for Colour !

Hello Everyone!

At Anything But Cute this month the wonderfully talented and lovely Branka is hosting our challenge, which is 'Crazy for Colour'.  To celebrate the Springtime we would like to see you create a mixed media project using Vibrant Colours.  It can be a tag, a card, an art journal page or anything else, just as long as you use vibrant colours!

I decided to give an old air freshener bottle a make-over.

I absolutely love the 'faux crackled glass' technique that both Wendy Vecchi  and Tim Holtz use and I thought it would look beautiful using some vibrant colour!

The first step is to wash the glass well in soapy water, rinse and dry thoroughly - as any oil or dirt will affect the outcome.  Cover the whole piece evenly with Ranger Glue 'n' Seal (Matte).  Leave to dry naturally.

Coat well with Ranger Clear Rock Candy Distress Crackle Paint.  Try to make it a fairly even coat, you don't want big blobs of paint as these will be more likely to chip off later.  I find it best to leave this to dry overnight, I never use a heat tool when doing this technique.

When it is dry you should have some lovely big crackles!

Now for the fun part!  I use an old pizza box as a 'spray booth'.  This part is messy.

I used Mermaid Lagoon Distress Spray Stain (you can use alcohol inks too if you prefer) to cover the whole of the piece.  It doesn't look great when you first do it, the stain seems to 'pool' in some of the cracks but don't worry, it will look great when it is dry.  Leave it to dry naturally for a couple of hours at least.  Don't be tempted to use a heat tool, natural is best!

Next up is the flower.  I used a mixture of Red and Orange DecoArt Media Misters (the colours are really vibrant), mixing them in a separate bottle and I just sprayed the whole flower.  The flower came as part of the air freshener set and is made of a very lightweight material which took the colour beautifully!

Now, for the most important step (in my opinion).  I covered the glass with a coat of Ranger Glue 'n' Seal, this time in the gloss finish.   At this stage you will feel like your colour is lifting from the glass, Distress Stain is water based and will react with any liquid you put over the top, but just keep applying it in small gentle strokes.   I left it to dry thoroughly and then applied a second coat.  It gives the glass a lovely glossy sheen and it protects the crackle from chipping off.  I would not recommend washing the glass but a gentle dusting from time to time should not dislodge the crackles.

Another view of the finished pieces.

If you have not tried the technique before, I hope you will now!

So, if you feel inspired to go 'Crazy for Colour' then please do join us at Anything But Cute, we would love to see you join in Branka's wonderful challenge.

As always, thanks for looking and I hope to see you again soon!

Hugs, Anne xx