Crackle for CVCC

I am often asked what is the difference between the DecoArt crackle mediums so I thought I would take the four that I use most and give you an explanation of each one. Each of my coffee cups on this media board have been crackled with one of the four and the board itself and the saucer are a double up (see below). So four products and five outcomes. This was a brilliant opportunity to have fun with crackle so thank you Evelyn for the fabulous theme, which is the new challenge over at Country View Crafts Challenge Blog.

Crackle Paint

Fast-drying Crackle Paint crackles as it dries naturally to create an eggshell pattern in just one step. Apply with a soft brush over a sealed surface and as the paint dries, it will begin to crack, showing the base colour underneath. The size of the cracks are governed by the thickness of the application - ie the thinner the paint is applied the smaller the cracks and the thicker the application the larger the cracks. White Crackle Paint is tintable and can be coloured with up to 20% of the media fluid acrylics or can also be painted. It is also available in black.

1. Base colour - Raw Umber. White Crackle Paint

Crackle Glaze

Clear Crackle Glaze is a fast-drying, acid-free topcoat that will crackle as it dries to create an eggshell pattern in one step. It should be applied over painted, sealed surfaces, its clear finish allows details and colours to show through and it is self-levelling. Apply with a soft brush and again the the size of the cracks is governed by the thickness of the application. Once dry, the cracks can be antiqued with Media Antiquing Creams, apply your chosen colour, let it dry and then wipe back with a soft damp cloth. You can also stamp over it.

2. Base colour - Medium Grey Value 6.  Clear Crackle Glaze
Antiquing Cream - white

Crackle Paste

Dimensional Crackle Paste is a white paste that creates an eggshell cracking pattern as it air dries. It can be used alone or as a stencil paste. It can also be used with a palette knife to build texture, and will give bigger cracks with thicker application and shows the base colour underneath. Media Crackle Paste can be tinted with up to 20% Media Fluid Acrylics or painted with them.

3. Base colour - Paynes Grey. White Crackle Paste through a cracked stencil

Weathered Wood crackle medium

Weathered Wood is from the DecoArt Americana range  Apply this medium after base coating with the colour you want to appear through the cracks. Top with the final coat of paint and it will crackle almost immediately as it dries to create an eggshell pattern, giving a vintage, distressed finish. DecoArt advise that you let this product dry naturally but I have had good results by drying it with my heat gun and heat drying the top coat of paint too. You can also change the way the cracks appear by painting the top coat in different directions. Take a look at Andy Skinner's video here.

4. Base colour - Dark Grey Value 3.  Weathered Wood Crackle Medium

Top Coat - Titanium White

Mega Crackle
Mega Crackle is achieved by combining two DecoArt mediums, weathered wood and white crackle paint. Really large cracks can be achieved with this technique as can be seen on this media canvas board and yes it works on canvas too. See how it is achieved by watching Andy's video here.

I used the same technique on the saucer too.

Here they are all together.

I distressed the cups .....

.... found a quote I like and typed it out on media paint distressed card  (this saying could definitely be me lol) ......

.... and stamped and stencilled and sealed the background with ultra matte varnish .....

...... and finally completed the project.

I hope you will be able to stop by the Country View Crafts challenge blog to take a look at the fabulous projects from the rest of the team and maybe enter one yourself.

For now have a fabulous week with whatever you have planned.


hugs Brenda xxx




Products for this project

DecoArt White Crackle Paint DecoArt Media Enhancer - Clear Crackle Glaze DecoArt white crackle paste DecoArt Weathered Wood crackle medium Sizzix Bigz Die - Tea Time by Tim Holtz DecoArt Mixed Media Fluid Acrylic - Raw Umber DecoArt Mixed Media Fluid Acrylic 1oz - Medium Grey Value 6 DecoArt Antiquing Cream - Titanium white DecoArt Mixed Media Fluid Acrylic - Paynes Grey Tim Holtz Layering Stencil - Shatter DecoArt Mixed Media Fluid Acrylic 1oz - Titanium White - See more at: http://www.countryviewcrafts.c Tim Holtz distress ink pad - Ground Espresso DecoArt Media Enhancer - Ultra Matte Varnish Tim Holtz Cling Mounted Stamp Set - Zigzag & Diamonds Stamp

InLinkz.com

Road trip card

I got the new TH vintage cars stamps recently and lo and behold a couple of days later the amazing Pamellia from My Little Craft Things posted a fabulous shabby vintage car card which totally inspired and motivated me to get my stamps inked up straight away. I stamped the whole set and the new newsprint background not quite sure where I was gonna go with this one but after watching Pamellia's video I knew I wanted dimensional layers. I love the new vintage designs but once I was into the card making process I realised all the cars faced the same way which is a little disappointing when trying to create interest, so I got out an old Crafty Individuals stamp and used that too.

I was also inspired by my great friend Astrid who the very same day had a post about using up 'old stock' that has collected in the craft room and not been used, so out came some old paper stacks.

Tim's new cog thinlits came out to play too giving me some more of the masculine feel and interest .....

.... a street name, number plate and clock from a Tim stash ....

... and some washi tape build the collaged and dimensional look.

The background has been dipped in pumice stone DI and all of the papers have distressed edges inked with ground espresso.

I quite like the look and the effects and huge thanks to Pamellia and Astrid for inspiring me and helping me get my mojo back.

I always appreciate your visit thank you for taking the time to stop by.

hugs Brenda xxx

MIxology news and CVC workshop news.

Well if you saw my Face Book post last Wednesday you will already know my exciting news. The amazing Andy Skinner has asked me to be one of the teachers at Mixology in Coventry on the 19tyh and 20th November this year and I am still pinching myself as it's a dream come true. I will be sharing the day with the fabulous Mark Gould so that he and I will both do two half days each. Now I'm here to tell you that the booking is open for this retreat but I believe that sales are going really fast and if you wanted to come along you need to get in quick to see if there are any spaces left. (Click the Mixology link above).

I just got to get my head round a project and there are lots of ideas floating about, so that's good seeing as my mojo has been missing for a few weeks and half a day brings the potential down for me to overdo things too.

At the moment I am working on my Country View Crafts workshop project for July and on Saturday created this grungy, shabby crackle using DecoArt weathered wood medium with their chalk paints and media acrylics.

This is going to be a beach hut project so you can see it's pink, shabby with touches of vibrant colour but still weathered and vintagy. I'll let you see more when I've finished it.

Thanks for stopping by and for all the lovely comments you leave me.

Have a great week.

hugs Brenda xxx

Stencil challenge at CVC

The stencil challenge at Country View Crafts is still running and you have till the 31st to get as entry in and to join in the amazing blog hop. I have made one of my 5 x 7 media boards as my second DT sample using two different stencils on the background.

It all began with a dot stencil and texture paste ....

... some decoart paints spritzed and dried ....

... another stencil with acrylic paint .....

..... and a focal image and rusted frame.

The flowers were left over from my reverse canvas workshop and went will on here. You can also see a couple of other elements tucked in - a fleur de lys and a Paris clock.

Thanks for stopping by, I will be back in half an hour with some news I announced on Face Book last week and a sneak peek of a new technique I have called weathered shabby cackle wood that I will be teaching at my CVC workshop in July.

Have a great week.

hugs Brenda xxxx

Shabby vintage burlap panel

Ok so I've started getting back into designing and making at last, would you believe prior to making this small burlap panel on Sunday I had only made one project since before I went on holiday and that was five and a half weeks ago, eek how did that happen?

I found the panel in one of my ikea box units and the background had already been done with what looks like white gesso, torn TH paper with a gesso wash and some crackle paint through Tim's stars stencil.

The small star echoes the background and is an altered gem using decoart media paints and the vintage photograph is a free download I keep on my PC ....

 .... I used alcohol ink on a fragment to help make the face the focal point of the project.

 The quote is stamped from Simple Sayings ....

..... and hemp string tied round to add more interest.

 

I almost forgot the torn snippet of the brown card vintage lace.

Yay, I'm back in the saddle and starting to get the bug back again.

Thanks for staying with me and for popping by.

hugs hugs Brenda xxxx