A Bit More Glittering

I've really got into this glittering lark, so as well as stamping & glittering some more images, I thought I'd share with you how I did them, what worked, what helps and what to avoid. You won't be able to avoid looking like you were at Ground Zero when a Glitter Bomb went off, so you'll just have to deal with that, :) .


I stamped up a batch of images, using Staz-on onto Transparency sheets.  Stamping onto these is a bit tricky, its very easy for the stamp to slide on the slick surface. What to do really depends on how bad the slide is, and your image. Simplest solution is to just wipe it off with Staz-on cleaner & restamp. If its not too bad, you can live with it, as you'll cut out the image later, so it may not even be seen. 
As you can see, I've not only stamped out Medallions- there are a lot of stamps that will lend themselves to this technique.

 

Most have been done in Black Staz-on, but these ones have been stamped using the Staz-on Blue, White & Pink.
These are an old Elusive Images set, which I believe is retired now.




So, you've got your images, the next thing you will need is a clear drying white PVA type glue. It has to be clear drying, so make sure to check for that. You also need some way of applying it, and there are a number of fine tipped applicator bottles available, as well as extra fine add on nozzles.You can see the bottles at the back of this pic, which are the ones I have been using, and also the add on very fine tips at the front. Recently I bought some by Woodware, which come as a three pack, and I really like these. For a start, the plastic the bottle is made from is really soft, meaning it doesn't take much pressure to get the glue to come out.  Important if you are going to do a lot of these, or have mobility problems with your hands.

They have a normal sized nib, an ultra fine that fits over the top, and a pin to seal.My pack cost me three quid, which is a bargain. Some places charge that for an ultra fine nib!

Last, but by no means least, you will need glitter. Ultra fine glitter is available from pretty much anywhere, and since the boom in nail art, you will find a fantastic array of colours cheaply available on E-bay. You can get Barbara Trombley's Art Institute Glitter, which is available in a stunning 400 colours- but it is dearer. I've bought a lot of mine at the Hobbycrafts NEC show, from Glitter Magic, and also E-bay.



This medallion is also an old Elusive Images stamp. I've glittered the central 3 patterns, and will put it aside to dry. Its better to do this sort of thing a bit at a time, letting areas dry between colours. This is the glittered side, and as you can see it doesn't look like much. Neither does the reverse!

But, once its dried, it looks quite stunning.
 It doesn't matter, by the way, which side you glitter, the stamped side or the reverse. Just make sure you always glitter on the same side, lol. In case off accidentally glittering the wrong side, scrape it off with a bit of scrap card, and wipe over with a baby wipe to remove all trace of the glue.

Useful tip here, don't try to apply glue from a sharp corner or point. You can bet it will pretty much always blob. Instead, apply the glue in a more open area and either push or drag the glue to the point with the fine nozzle, or a pin. Also, when you put your glue bottle down to apply glitter, lay the bottle on its side. That way you will reduce the amount of times you need to shake the bottle to keep glue at the tip. Shaking mixes in air, and then you get bubbles in your glue. Which you need to pop with a pin, or push off the visible part of the design.

With a regular design like this Medallion, always work in one direction. Doesn't matter if you work clockwise, or anti, just always go the same way. Its easy to get disorientated with these, and you end up with the colours in the wrong order on one side or another!
 So, first off apply glue to one section, and its useful to hold the image up to a window, to see if you've got right up to the edges, or left any gaps.

Next, dump a pile of glitter onto the glue. Let it sit for a moment or two, so more glitter sinks into the glue. Then tip it off onto a scarp sheet of paper, ready to return to the jar.









Continue with the sections you are going to use this colour in, being careful where you rest you hands & fingers!

Put them aside to dry. I find generally this takes under a couple of hours, especially if I lie them near a radiator. The glue has to dry by evaporation, as the transparency won't absorb any moisture from the glue, as paper would.

This is why I have a few sheets of images on the go- I can just swap from one to another as they dry.

A sheet of medallions with the first colour in each.


 
  The same sheet with a second colour added.














As I said, you don't only have to use Medallions. This Oriental Screen with Butterflies lends itself to this perfectly. The stamp is available as part of a sheet from Non Sequiteur (available from De Stempelwinkel).
 To glitter the butterflys, I placed the glue alongside the butterfly body, then dragged it out across the wings in streaks.

When sprinkled with glitter, it means I can get a two toned body effect.

 
 I do all the butterflys the same and put them aside to dry, doing the second colour when the first is dry.








I thought these Guitar images, Dimension Stamps, would be good for teen cards.

Final tip- what do you do about all the stray glitter that ends up on your desk, instead of back in the pot?
Take a brush, and sweep it onto a sheet of paper.

Then create your own custom glitter mix! All the glitter that I gather off my desk up goes into this pot.I started this pot when I first bought loose glitter in little plastic bags. The inside of the bags was still coated in glitter after I'd emptied it into pots, so I gave the bags a good rub, and collected it all onto paper. Poured it into this pot, and I've gradually ended up with a sort of Rainbow Black mix.
I also put a dab of glue on top of the glitter pots, and sprinkled it with glitter, so I could see what colour was in each pot, rather than having to lift every pot out of the box to find the colour I wanted.

I shall gradually be glittering these over the week, so I will post pictures as they are finished & dry.