Get more from Mixed Media Supplies !

           Hi friends, this month for my DT posts Shalini sent me 2 mixed media products Whipped Spackle and Glass Beads Gel which were quite unfamiliar to me.

          I was plagued with something all of us as crafters go through at one point or the other ......un-certainity and self doubt! The reason for my confession is because  I recently read a comment by a crafter that she had spent so much on craft supplies but was unable to actually make anything as "craft classes" were expensive. Now this comment somehow touched me deeply . Being fortunate enough to attend a class is awesome but sometimes the affordability issue, concerns of whether it is really worth it or as in my case time constraints and other commitments may be a big hindrance to attending classes...but you shouldn't actually let it affect your own individual creativity from blossoming! 

          Now back to the products I am discussing ...Whipped Spackle and Glass Beads Gel are two media there is hardly any material online at this point so I had very little to guide me on how to use it. I felt uncomfortable about committing "mistakes" but then this is Art....there are no mistakes!! And I hope all the new crafters out there take this message...there will always be something new to learn..do not be afraid to experiment on your own and a special word to all the perfectionists out there[ myself included!]....It is OKAY to be imperfect now and then in ART and CRAFT !

Whipped Spackle  On its Own + Stencil

In my last post on Whipped Spackle I used Whipped Spackle embossing powder on Whipped Spackle [ loved the glamour embossing powder lent it] and also experimenting and colored with gelatos[ which I didnt like].Here showing you how gorgeous it looks just as it is.

whipped spackle

You can actually smear on Whipped Spackle  with your fingers or knife and it will hold its shape but I had a few old stencils I tried it with

whipped spackle

Love the crispness of the stencilled Whipped Spackle !

Whipped Spackle + Distress Inks & Acrylic Paints

Whipped Spackle 

I used a tree branch stencil with Whipped Spackle and once it was dry ,painted on it with distress ink [ smear the stamp pad on plastic / craft mat and dip your brush in it and paint like you normally would]

If you want a very vibrant color you can actually layer on paint on the Whipped Spackle and it will take it all without flattening/ smearing.

Altered heart

Since I was experimenting I did layer on several coats of not only distress inks but also regular acrylic paints in many areas of the Whipped Spackle branch and flowers

Resin Fairy

The cracks on the gessoed cardboard surface were made with distress crackle paint.

crackle

And here is the altered heart [which was originally the cardboard base of a cake]

Altered heart

If you want to want to know more about the supplies/ techniques I used to make the altered heart do drop by my blog later [Cards Crafts Kids Projects]

Whipped Spackle + Alcohol Ink

If painting is not your cup of tea and you want a quicker way to add color add inks to the Whipped Spackle !Here I experimented with yummy alcohol inks.

Alcohol Ink

Put whipped spackle on a plastic lid and added a drop of alcohol ink [ a little goes a long way with these vibrant alcohol inks]

Alcohol Ink

Spread the yummy looking icing [whipped spackle] on a stencil

Stencilled

Made it smooth with a plastic knife and lifted it to get beautiful crisp texture a beautiful pale green color.

Stencilled

Whipped Spackle + Glitter

Tried mixing in glitter with the whipped spackle...but that was a failure as the glitter got completely masked

Glittered

But sprinkling glitter on the Whipped spackle while it was wet was a success

Glittered

After shaking off the excess glitter...I got a beautiful shimmer on the bamboo.

Glittered

Once it was dry I used a tiny brush to brush off the excess glitter from the area between the design.

Getting Different Looks using a Palette/plastic knife

Flat

Texture media like Whipped Spackle  act like icing...you can smooth-en it with a knife to get a flat surface

Ridged

Or lift up the surface using your fingers or knife to get a beautiful ridged surface The best thing about it is that once dry the ridges don't get squashed...I put this box upside down and not a tiny part of the design got squashed!

Glass Beads Gel

beads gel

Glass Beads Gel is another cool texturing medium which has tiny translucent glass beads embedded in it

beads gel

Properties of Beads Gel and How to Use Beads Gel

• Looks white when you take it from the jar
• Dries absolutely Clear
• You can apply it to multiple surface like glass, metal , wood, paper on its own - no need to use any other glue
• You can use a plastic knife, brush or your own fingers to smear it
• You can use it on a stencil 
• You can Paint over it
• On drying it reflects the colors of the surface over which you used it

Sharing a few project ideas and experiments

Beads Gel with Stencil

I placed a Lord Ganesh stencil similar to the one I demoed in the Spray Adhesive tutorial over an alcohol inked background card stock and smeared beads gel over it

beads gel

Its a very quick process...once you have a flat / peaked surface which you like lift off the stencil and you get a cool image!

beads gel

What I found was that if you want it to dry quickly use a thin layer. If you use a thick layer it can actually take upto 2 days to dry clear!

Lord Ganesha Hanging

My stencilled Lord Ganesha reflects the beautiful hues of the alcohol inked background I had created on metallic gold card stock!

Here is a glimpse of the Ganesha + Handmade resin Goddess Saraswati Wall hanging [something ethnic for a change] ...full details of which I will share later on my blog.

Glass Beads Gel and Intricate Stencil

Here is the same butterfly stencil which gave such a beautiful crisp texture with Whipped Spackle in the altered heart project above not giving as cool/crisp design with beads gel ...the lime green color of the beads gel butterfly is a reflection of the mowed lawn distress ink I used on the background !

Glass Beads Gel Smeared

box

Here is the box lid I had stencilled a Bamboo design with Whipped Spackle earlier. Added some Cheery Lynn  grass die cuts and smeared beads gel over it  [seen in white]

 Here is the closeup of the smeared beads gel before it dried

 And here is how it looks after it dried [ average drying time 12 hours]

The beads gel looks gorgeous  doesnt it ?

beads gel 

And here is how the box lid looks with a multitude of materials including homemade resin fairy , Whipped Spackle , Beads gel , actual pebbles, thermocol balls , Metal charms , Crystal flowers ..

Altered Box

Painted Glass Beads Gel

In the altered heart shared above I used a leaf stencil to apply beads gel and painted over it with green acrylic paint

glass beads gel

It was too vibrant for my liking so camouflaged it partially by adding a handmade clay rose and Heartfelt creations leafy branches over it !

Altering Embellishments etc with Glass Beads Gel

This is a plastic Christmas ball decoration [can be seen in this post : Paper tree tutorial ] which I put on a bottle and coated with beads gel ...doesnt it look literally yummy!

My altered bottle got a new funky bottle cap! You can use the same idea to create cool  flower centers or and unique embellishments for your projects!

Glass Beads Gel Jewelry

Glass Beads Gel Pendant Making

You may have seen my tutorial on how to use glass cabochons and make beautiful Pendants [Glass Cabochon tutorial ] ...here is another fun way to use make pendants using Beads Gel this time- Cut a pretty paper [I used the tiny rose design from the cover of a DCWV stack] and stick it to a metal pendant base using Modpodge or glossy accents

After allowing it to dry scoop some glass beads gel and heap it on the Pendant

Glass Beads Gel Pendant Making

You can really heap it on or just use a thin layer like I did on this pendant base

Glass Beads Gel Pendant Making

On drying [ took approx half a day] this is how yummy it looks!

Glass Beads Gel Pendant 

So I hope friends you dont restrict using a particular product just for what its in vogue for but experiment with it and make your own little crafty discoveries!!
Supplies
Whipped Spackle 
Stencils 
Distress Inks
Resin Kit
Glass Beads Gel
Glossy Accent
Mod Podge
DCWV Paper
Distress Inks, Alcohol Inks
Pendants ,Charms
Glitter
Dies : Heartfelt creations Classic Leaf , Cheery Lynn  grass , Cheery Lynn  butterfly  , Spellbinders Beaded Oval, Spellbinders Floral Oval ,Spellbinders Aster, Lifestyle crafts Circle, Memory Box clouds