Whether it is jewelry or mixed media projects, my go to favorite paints are metallic and not all products are equal.

To get a good look you need to use a good quality- the metallic craft paints won't give you the depth and quality you are looking for when creating artwork that you want to stand up to the test of time.

My favorite brand is Jacquard Lumiere Metallic Acrylic Paints. They come is a wide
range of color selections to choose from. They are not extremely pricey and have a great quality.

I like to go to Blicks and select what I want, but for a full range of colors, it is best to go online.  I have purchased from Amazon, but there are many options out there.

Here are some of the pieces I have created using these paints to give you an idea of what can be done.

​

This necklace used a combo of gold and copper metallic paints.  See more details 

Blue and gold metallic paint was used  to make this necklace.  

Black and copper metallic paint was used on this shell pendant before it was wire wrapped

Here is a polymer clay pendant made using a variety of colors: blue, gold copper and black which was then given a top coat of resin to make the colors really pop!

This altered paint brush was made using metallic green, russet and copper paint.

This mini altered birdhouse used red metallic and copper paint.

This is a mixed media canvas piece that used my full range of paints to highlight the objects !

So as you can see- these paints can really add to the interest of your artwork- you should give it a try.

              
   I,  LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! this piece!
   Is that too conceited to say?
 
   Scroll below to see the slideshow
   of the details of this piece from a
   variety of angles

  I wanted to create something that 
  spoke to my feeling about my
  husband and kids and how they
  are the world to me!  

Sometimes I feel  when you tell them how much you love them, it
feels good, but since they hear it regularly, it doesn't have that power I want     it to convey.  So this piece was created to put the power behind the words.  

Its base is a shadow box, symbolic of the depth of the meaning in the artwork.
The inside interior was done with scrapbook paper which was painted, stamped and distressed to give it a vintage look.  

The focal point is an antique piece of hardware from which a protruding arm extends outward holding a heart made from polymer clay. On the left are 3 embellishments- the top and bottom are metal buttons, the center is a polymer clay created disk.  All three are painted with a blue metallic paint highlighted in gold.

Beneath the arm is the wording: "Unlocked" formed from small wooden blocks covered in tissue paper, which has been distressed and stamped with lettering.

The interior is sealed with a polyacrylic sealer to keep it protected.

The outer frame is a combination of muted earthy tones in brown and red.
The back side is covered in pattern paper that has been distressed and stamped as well.  There is a metal hanger on the back so it can be put up onto your wall right away.  

I have signed and dated this piece on the back.

Available for sale at my Etsy Shop

To some you may look at an old, used paintbrush as something that needs to be quickly trashed.  I look and think...Hmm, what can I do with this?

This Altered Paint Brush Assemblage was one of those times.

WHAT I DID
Using modeling paste, I covered the entire paintbrush with a light coat, then created a great deal of texture with a variety of  household items.  A nose was created, hardware was sifted through to find pieces to create facial features, then the entire brush was painted with a metallic palette of mostly greens, oranges, and golds.  

Wire was wrapped around the handle.  A dangle was added---a copper spiral and a wire wrapped crystal point.  The hair was colored and a picture hanger was placed on the back.

The wooden part of the brush received a thin coat of polyacrylic as a sealer.

And Volia!  No longer a piece of trash but a fun piece of art to hang on the wall.

It is available at my Etsy Shop, if you are interested in adding this to your unique collection of artwork!

Here is a fun easy mixed media project to do in an afternoon.  Make your journal writing more fun when you have a cool journal to write in.  Make one for yourself or make one to give as a gift.

 blank compostion book
wax paper
​gesso
assorted acrylic paints
distress ink
​foam brush
scrapbook paper scraps
foam board
​E6000 glue
dimensional paints
glue/water mix ( I use a 50/50 mix)
assorted paper punches
small tiles
assorted stamps
assorted embellishments
drill
​elastic bands
​

Pictured Above

• I used glass tiles from a decorative tile sheet found at Home Depot.
• Each tile was covered with blue acrylic paint.
• Each tile was stamped with a letter to spell out the word journal.  Black StazOn ink was used.
• Simple dots were placed around the tile using a black sharpie.
• The edges were painted with black acrylic paint.
• Each tile was sealed with a poly acrylic sealer.
• The tiles were lined up along the right front of the journal, then attached using E6000 glue
• To the right of the tiles, small strips of scrapbook paper were glued down, leaving space for a small dot of dimensional paint between each strip.

See example above

• Using a flower paper punch, 5 flowers were punched.
• They were arranged in a straight line, glued down, then a drop of dimensional paint was placed in the center of each.
• 2 strips of scrapbook paper were cut and placed above and below the arrangement of flower punch outs.  This was glued to the front and back.
• Dimensional paint was used to decorate the paper strips.

See photos in the slideshow above

• I had a bag of elastic cord from the thrift store, it was in there sewing section.
• Measure a length of elastic that will fit the book.
• Drill 2 holes, one at the top and one at the bottom of the front cover to thread the elastic through.
• From the inside front cover, thread one end of the elastic through the top hole. 
• Tie a very tight knot- add a dab of E6000 to keep it from coming undone.
• Wrap the elastic around the outside of the journal, then bring the end around through to the bottom hole.
• Make it pretty snug, then tie another knot.  Add a dab of glue.

Volia!
Done!!!

​Hope you had fun with this project....

Use this as an inspiration to create your own unique designs.  And of course, I would love to see what you have done.  Stop by and share your pics!

       
Reusing and repurposing materials in interesting ways to include in art work and jewelry making is something I love to do.

I have been teaching beginner's jewelry making classes at Chimayo Gallery in Perkasie, PA.

Each month we explore a different theme, and the next series coming up is Game Piece Jewelry.  Using dominos, puzzle pieces and poker chips, we will be creating some fun pieces.

Here is one of them!  

So don't throw out your kids old puzzles, instead use them to make a necklace.

HOW THIS WAS MADE

• A hole was drilled in the top center of a the puzzle piece.
• It was covered with scrapbook paper on the front and a page from an old book on the back
• Front and back were distressed with Ranger distress inks.
• They were then sealed with a polyacrylic finish.
• A dangle charm was attached.
• A necklace chain was made using beads and wire.

SO use your imagination, and make some fun pieces yourself.

Below are a few more pictures.

One of the best Fall Festivals in our local area.  If you have never attended, clear you schedule for Saturday September 24 so you can join in on the fun.

   Live Music     Local Artisians      Great Food      Beer Garden     Poets for Change

There is something for everyone.  Earthy By Design will be attending, so if you are in the area, stop by to say hello!

 Creating textured art is fun and easy!  There are alot of ways to do this, but one of my favorites is using this inexpensive alternative to modeling paste.

Joint compound!  

​Easily found at any local home improvement store- it comes in many varieites, sizes and price ranges.

I suggest working on something more heavily weighted than canvas--like a piece of wood.
Any old piece will do.  What I tend to do is go to the thrift store and look for a picture that is done on wood and cover over it.

All you need once you have your joint compount is something to spread it with--plastic knives work good if you don't have a palette knife and some tools to make your impressions or to carve with.  You don't need any thing fancy, just stuff you find around the house

Some suggestions: wood skewers, knitting needles,  plastic bowls, lids from small bottles, pieces of screen, stencils...well I'm sure you get the idea...anything that is textured that will leave an impression works.

Spread your joint compound out on your substrate, let is sit about 5 minutes then begin to play- draw, doodle, carve, impress with your stencils or tools to create your design.

NOW LET'S LOOK AT SOME EXAMPLES:

Here is a piece that is started...

It is in what I call stage one-  joint compound was spread on the wood board,  a piece of corragated cardboard was laid  in on the left side.  Some of the cardboard was covered lightly with the compound, some was left exposed.  

The texture on the left side was  done just with a plastic knife which leaves nice ridges.

RIGHT SIDE:
The top portion was first impressed with a small piece of one of those green scouring pads, then I pressed in the circles: large one was a plastic yogert container, the mid size one was the mouth of a small plastic jar, the small one was a top from a supplement bottle.

The next section the texture was created by scribbling circles with a wood skewer.
The section following that used the same skewer to draw straight lines.

The bottom right side has a small torn section of textured wall paper that had tiny bumps on it.  The compound was spread across the bottom section- then impressed deeply with the green scouring pad, another circle was pressed in, and a few lines were drawn with the skewer.  

It is set aside to dry, which can take anywhere from 24-36 hours to dry completely since it has some thickness to it. Once it is dry, I will cover the entire piece with a mix of 50/50 white glue and water- it helps to hold the dried compound on the board without any flaking off.

On this piece, the wood was first collaged with a background.

A picture was drawn on paper, then glued to the wood.  Right now the face is lightly painted in.  The joint compound was spread arond the face to create hair. The wood skewer was used again to create the hair texture.

This one is also drying. I will add the glue/water mixture once dried and then begin to finish the painting.

Once I get the piece to where I want it, I cover it with a light layer of resin to protect the compound so it doesn't flake off.  You don't have to do this step, but I would recommend sealing it for protection- an acyrlic sealer could be used.

 Walking through the local thrift store one day, I saw this ugly butterfly house that was 
yelling out- Help Me! Help Me!  

I felt so bad, thinking I'm sure there is alot of beauty underneath all that dirt and grime, and bad paint job.

I decided to come to the rescue, and took her home, not really sure what direction to go.

Do I tranform her into a piece for outdoors? Or made her into a piece to that will brighten up the indoor decor?

I decided to go the indoor direction.


The first job was to give her a really good bath- cleaning up all the dirt, sanding down rough spots, and then applying a coat of white gesso over the entire surface.

Blue was choosen as the base color- keeping it light in most spots, but slightly deeper in others.  

After that, using joint compound, I mixed up two small containers- adding pink to one and white to the other.  Then using a few stencils, the texture was applied to all sides.

Here are a few pictures of how that looks: