Hello crafty friends!
I had so much fun teaching how to make my distressed shimmer crackle letters in
my workshop, I thought I would share
a quick tutorial on the technique!
Supplies:
~ G.C.D ChipArt
chipboard alphas (I purchased mine at my LLC Whim So Doodle for $6.50 awesome
deal!)
{i am in L O V E with
these letters, you will see me use them again for sure}
~ Perfect Pearl Mist
{Heirloom Gold} by Ranger Ink
~ Distress Saint {Walnut
Stain} by Ranger Ink
~ Distress Crackle Paint
{Picket Fence} by Ranger Ink
~ white acrylic
paint
~ Stickles glitter glue
{Platinum} by Ranger Ink
Tools:
~ hot glue gun
~ scissors
~ heat tool
~ paper towels
~ spray bottle (i used
my Mini Mister by Ranger) with water
Step 1
paint a quick base coat
of white acrylic paint on letters and dry with heat tool
this is just a base coat so don't spend a lot of
time making it perfect we are just going to cover it up. I think it makes
a noticeable difference when using the white crackle paint to start
with a white base. if you paint directly on the chipboard your white crackle
can have a grayish/brown tone. we want a nice bright white.
Step 2
paint your letters with white crackle paint. set aside until you see small crackles forming around the edges. once you see crackles you can heat set the paint with your heat tool until dry
Ranger's crackle paint allows you to control the size of your crackles by the thickness of paint you use. for these letters i wanted a smaller "tighter" crackle so i used a nice medium layer of paint. if you can see the chipboard your paint is not thick enough. by nature i tend to paint with a light hand so when i think i'm done i add a bit more and it's perfect!
Step 3
using the edge of your scissors randomly scrap off some of the paint around the edges for a weathered look
if your paint isn't dry you may take off more than you want…
Step 4
prepare to work quickly! have your water mister and Walnut Distress Stain at hand
{you may want to work on a Craft Mat or newspaper for this}
spritz a paper towel
with water and set near your work area
work one letter at a
time - spray letter liberally with water, quickly rub the Walnut Stain over the
letter and wipe off excess with paper towel. you should see the stain soak into
the crackles and edges where you distressed. this step is to highlight the
crackles.
the more water you use the more Stain you will be able to remove.
repeat the process to
keep adding color to the letter until you are satisfied, dry with heat tool
...whew... almost done :)
lots of steps, I know but it's worth it!
Step 5
spritz your letters with
Perfect Pearls {Heirloom Gold} for the shimmer top coat. dry with heat tool
Step 6
use your finger to apply
Platinum Stickles to the edges of your letters. set aside to dry and admire
your beautiful distressed shimmer letter!
i don’t recommend heat setting Stickles, it can bubble into a sticky mess.
{p.s. it was super hard to get a great photo showing all the detail and shimmer on each letters, guess i need to brush up on my photo skills..... you must see them in person!}
Hope you enjoy this technique and try it yourself!
Keep It Crafty!
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