Pearly Flowers

This post is a bit later than usual because today has been a most UNcreative day -- my creative mojo (if ever I had it) went on holiday. My last post used gold leaf flakes and heat-n-stick (or sticky embossing) powder. I thought while I had that bold image stamp and the heat-n-stick powder out, I would show another technique using PearlEx powders. PearlEx powders, manufactured by Jacquard Products, is a mica powder that can be used in a variety of ways. If you wish to use PearlEx as a paint, you will have to add a binding agent, such as gum arabic and water (the Jacquard website recommends 1 part gum arabic powder to 4 parts PearlEx mica powder--add water to desired consistency). Here is a little container of PearlEx paint that I mixed using the recipe above (PearlEx, Gum Arabic, and water). PearlEx can also be added to acrylic paints, varnish, and other art mediums.

There are other ways you can use PearlEx without gum arabic, such as mixing with hairspray and spritzing onto your card stock or scrapbook page, or applying PearlEx to a stamped image that has had heat-n-stick powder applied. Here is a close-up of a bold stamp image that was stamped, embossed with sticky embossing powder, and PearlEx applied (the stamp used in this project is from the Fabulous Flowers set by Stampin' Up!):

How to create this:  Ink your image with either VersaMark or an embossing ink, stamp onto your card stock, cover with heat-n-stick (or sticky embossing) powder and heat with heat gun just until sticky (the stamped image will appear shiny; if you overheat, the image will become dull and will lose its tackiness). To color, dip just the tip of a fine paint brush into a jar of PearlEx, tap off the excess, then apply the PearlEx powder to your stamped and embossed image. I use more of a pouncing technique to apply the powder so that I get it exactly where I wish. Because you are working with sticky embossing powder, once the PearlEx powder is applied, it is there for good.

Notice there is a tiny bit of PearlEx on just the tip of the brush. You can use a variety of colors, but remember, once the PearlEx powder has been applied to the heat-n-stick, it's there for good -- you cannot blend, which is why I use the pouncing method as opposed to brush strokes. As usual, whenever you are working with multiple colors, be sure to clean your brush before going to the next color. With this technique, the PearlEx can be removed from your brush easily by either wiping on your hand or onto a soft cloth. Once you have colored your entire image, brush off the excess PearlEx with a soft cloth.

Your beautiful image is now ready to be incorporated into your project. I made this card:

The PearlEx colors that I used for this project were:  Brilliant Yellow, Flamingo Pink, Micro Pearl, Misty Lavender, and Spring Green.

For other ideas on how to use PearlEx, visit the Jacquard website. Be sure to check out the projects listed and the list of Quick Tips (be sure to check out Tip No. 11 -- who would have thought?!). I have used PearlEx on polymer clay (before baking) when creating bracelets with stamped polymer clay. I have also mixed PearlEx with Lumiere Metallic Acrylic paints (also by Jacquard) to create my own paint colors. Let me know if you have tried this or any other technique using PearlEx.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Have a GREAT day!