Smooching About!

I've been playing around experimenting with Smooch Pearlescent Accents as quite a few people mentioned that they had never heard of these fab paints and others had bought them but didn't know what to do with them. 

Smooch Paints are made by Clearsnap, (who are better known for Color Box ink pads) and are available in 33  "to die" for colours. They come in bottles which look just like nail polish and are useful just to paint on a variety of surfaces and they will layer really well.

Here's a card I made from one of my marbled pieces of card. BTW that's not dust but the excess crystal glitter which came off the flowers!!! So don't be talking about me!!

This is the original card I marbled then I stamped a few swirls over it in similar colours.

Before starting to use Smooches they need to be shaken really well and to help keep the pearlescent effect, whilst in use, I stand them upside down in a block of Oasis flower arranging foam which is wrapped in paper because I don't like the feel of it.

Just a note; I tried my friend Jayne's Silkies paints and whilst they are beautiful pearlescent colours they did not marble on water at all as the paint sinks to the bottom of the dish.

 I originally tried Smooches at a workshop at CHA in America and loved them but found difficulty finding them in England. The Craft Barn is one of the few places stocking Smooches and the price is good too!

You'll see more of my mini book if you look back to my Feb 15th post.

Marbling with Smooches

Use 2 or 3 selected colours and dip each brush into, just, below the surface of a container of water. (Pre cut your card so a smaller dish can be used to fit the card, thus saving on paint.) 

The colour will radiate by skooting across the water into an ever increasing circle or swirl of colour. 

Change the water frequently, after 2 or 3 cards marbled.

TIP: Sometimes the colours cannot be easily seen on the surface of the water so use a light coloured container or place a piece of heavy card in the base of the water container as a contrast. 

Plastic mushroom trays are ideal to use for your water.

After dipping the brush, of one colour, several times into the water, repeat the process with 1 or 2 more colours. These can be dipped into the centre of the other coloured circles or around them..... just experiment for different results. Colours of the Smooch paints react differently, some stay in circles and some spread all over the place so it really is trial and error.

Here you'll see the purple spread into a swirl whilst the yellow formed almost perfect circles of colour.

When enough colour has been added, swirl the tip of the brush gently over the surface to disperse the paints and create a marbled effect. 

The less you swirl the less complex the finished marbling will look.

Lay card on top of the marbled paints just for a second or two to pick up the colour.

You will create lovely marbled background effects just like these.

Below.... only 2 colours were used.

Below, the blue paint stayed in small dots so I gently swept the brush through to create quirky heart shapes.

The pink and green paints stayed in circle shapes

I hope you have fun if you try this but if you have any queries, or even tips for me, just email me. 

Just a memory......

I spotted some Dicentra in the garden and it reminded me that when my DDs were little we used to call them "Lady in a bath tub" so I just had to pick a couple of flowers and look at the ladies! Memories! Anyone else ever do this?

If you pull the pink petals apart, there she is in all her glory!

Thanks to Sam who reminded me that they are also called Bleeding Hearts, inspired by the drop coming out of the heart shape as they hang.