With Christmas just around the corner...

With Christmas just around the corner...

With Christmas just around the corner, it’s a great time to make some handmade Christmas decorations for your tree and as special gifts for teachers, friends and loved ones.
Handmade items made with love have so much more sentimental value than store bought items.
 
So, first of all, get out all those decorations and pull out the old, sad looking, scratched and past their used by date, baubles that you have been hoarding.  Maybe you have ones from a colour scheme that is soooo last year.
 
 
Give them all a good clean with some tsp to get rid of any dust and grubby finger prints, and it’s helpful to have some wire hooks handy to hang your baubles while they are drying.
 
I’ve used fusion paint on these, two coats to give good coverage.  No need to be as particular as when painting furniture, as it’s actually nice to have some brush strokes for the wax to pick up on and give some texture.
 
After the base coats, I gave some of them I gave one coat of Fusions metallic pearl or metallic vintage gold paint.  You can then make your moulds using the prima modelling material, which I have used in the videos and on these baubles, but Darwi clay is also great as it doesn’t shrink or crack. 
Glue your clay appliques in place using some PVA and be sure to cover the whole area and press lightly around the edges so the whole piece is joined to the bauble.  You can either paint over them now or wait until they are dry. 
 
If you are adding some of the knob transfers or any other transfers, cut them into small pieces as it is easier to work on the curved surface. Just hold it in place with your fingers, rub one side then slowly roll over onto the other curve and rub that part.  Don’t try to stick the whole thing down at the beginning. Remember to seal them with wax. Use a soft cloth or brush to wax over the transfers.
 
Now for waxing. It is best to leave a day for the paint to dry, but if you can’t, just be gentle when waxing as the paint will still be soft. There are so many beautiful waxes.  I love how the opal magic range changes colours in different lights, and the antique brilliance range looks different depending on whether you use it on a light or dark background.  Have fun with these.  Layer them, add highlights, blend them.  Tip for adding highlights is it’s best to leave the first layer of wax to dry for 30 minutes or so before you apply the next layer or highlights (unless you want to blend them) as otherwise they can blend into each other, and you don’t get as much definition.
 
You can use a stencil brush or a small soft paintbrush to apply your wax.  If your paint has not had much time to cure, use a soft brush.  You need very little wax, don’t overload your brush, just lightly tap into the wax.  I just clean my brushes off on some paper or chux between colours, unless I’m going to use a clear wax, then it’s best to use a clean brush.
 
I’d love to see some photos of items you’ve recycled using these products, be they Christmas decorations or other homeware items.  Lets see your pics and
Happy Painting!
WATCH THE TUTORIAL
Here’s a list of items I used when making these.
re-design with Prima Moulds in Curio Trinkets and Etruscan Accents.
re-design foil transfer in Gilded Ornate Flourishes, re-design with prima knob transfers in farmhouse delight and sweet spring and redesign with prima modelling material.
 
Finnabair waxes:
Antique Brilliance Wax – Red Amber, Lucky Emerald and Mystic Turquoise
Opal Magic Wax – Vintage Silk, Turquoise Satin, Blue Velvet and Royal Robes
Metallique Wax – Vintage Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, Old Silver, Mint Sparkle, Metallic Peacock.
Redesign Décor Wax – Blue Ice, Gravity, Milky Way
Find the range here:
 
Fusion Mineral Paint – Fort York Red, Park Bench, Cranberry, Champlain, Damask, Metallic Pearl and Vintage Gold.
 
PVA glue, stencil brush and a soft paintbrush for waxing.
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