Creative Expressions,  Mixed Media

Cosmic Shimmer lustre fabric paint, Tote bag

Hello!
Today’s post is fairly picture heavy as I talk you through how I used the fabulous Cosmic Shimmer Lustre Fabric Paints to decorate a canvas tote bag. You can pick up the canvas bags from most art & craft stores these days, but why not try a painting a plain tea towel/cushion cover/pillow case, because once you have painted and ironed over the paints with a warm iron, your design is permanent…just think of all the possibilities.

Along with the paints, I used two new floral clear stamp sets by Creative Expressions. I have really fallen for these stamps, they are so pretty and versatile and am really looking forward to showing you what else can be created with them.

Shopping List

Cosmic Shimmer Lustre fabric paints – Golden Lime, Sea Green, Atlantic Blue, Summer Sunrise, Moroccan Rose

Cosmic Shimmer Sparkle Fabric Paint – Silver Shine

Creative Expressions Wild Flowers A5 clear stamp set CEC781)

Creative Expressions Summer Meadow A5 clear stamp set (CEC780)

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Step 1. Prepare the tote bag for painting by ironing, and inserting a layer of cardboard to separate the two sides.

 

mix shades of green
Step 2. Onto a palette/acrylic block,  mix up 3 shades of green using Golden Lime and Sea Green lustre paints.

 

ink stamps with paint
Step 3. Take one of the fuller grass like stamps onto an acrylic block, and ink up using the paint.  Stamp multiple times using a combination of the three shades.

 

stamp darker paint to front. Maintain a good mixture of stamp shapes for interest
Step 4. Introduce a second stamp with a very different shape, and continue stamping with the green shades. Keep a good balance of the colours and shapes across the canvas.  Consider keeping the lighter colours  in the background, and the darker colour to the fore to create the illusion of dimension.

 

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Step 5. With Sea Green paint select a third stamp (again with very different features) and begin stamping in the foreground of the composition. Using Golden Lime lustre paint, and a ‘grass like’ stamp, begin creating the canopy of a tree.

 

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Step 6. Introduce floral stamps and colour. Use Moroccan Rose lustre paint and a wildflower stamp to add just one or two images.

   

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Step 7. Using Summer Sunrise Lustre paint, stamp the single flower stem over the lighter green images.  The paint dries very fast, so it is fine to stamp over images already on the material.
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Step 8. Add extra colour that will tone in well, mix the lustre paints to create a new colour. To create a lilac, mix together Moroccan Rose and Atlantic Blue. Taking the stamp to this paint continue adding more floral elements to suit.

 

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Step 9 To link the tree canopy and meadow below, paint some birds free hand using Summer Sunrise paint between the two areas.

 

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Step 10. Remember to place stamps in warm soapy water after stamping to allow the paint to wash off without problem.

 

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Step 11. When all the colours have completely dried, take the Silver Shine Sparkle fabric paint, and randomly paint a single flower head across the whole picture.

 

tote bag
Step 12. As the sparkle paint dries the mica pieces really come to the fore and transforms the flower meadow into a magical fairy glen.

I hope I have intrigued you enough to have a go with these paints. Honestly they are so easy to use, and this was the first time I have tried a project like this. Because of the texture of the paints, they are perfect to use with your stamps, so you don’t even need to be confident free hand painting.

Please click the link below to see what the other members of the Creative Expressions Design Team have been creating
CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS BLOG

I have entered this into the Take it Make it challenge over on the Craft Stamper blog

Many thanks for joining me today, hope to see you again soon.

claire

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