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This week's challenge is Northern Lights. This technique uses Pearl-Ex powders, rubbing alcohol and Perfect Paper Adhesive to produce really cool backgrounds.
For directions and samples, click here.... http://www.usartquest.com/gallery/nlights.html
My attempts didn't look much like the ones on the website, but they still turned out cool. The sample I am posting is done on white glossy paper, not black glossy as stated in the directions. I did some on black glossy and they are much more vivid like on the website. I posted the one done on white glossy to give you some more options.
Still pending as of Monday at 10:15 CST: Gallery at Splitcoaststampers
Here are my tips based on my experience. Please share any helpful hints that worked for you.
Protect your worktable with newspaper. For mixing, I used little plastic condiment cups. I used a popsicle stick to scoop out a "tip-full" of pearl-ex. Added about 1/2 teaspoon of alcohol and about the same amount of Perfect Paper Adhesive (PPA). Stir SLOWLY!!! the alcohol and the PPA don't want to mix together very well and if you stir too fast, you will splash it! I used more PPA than the directions indicated.
Perfect Paper Adhesive is a white glue. You can find it at Michael's and other craft stores in the adhesive section. You can try using Elmer's white glue instead, but I had a LOT of trouble getting elmers and the alcohol to mix together (think oil and vinegar).
When you upload, please put TLC31 in the keyword section when you upload, and then post a link to your card here in this thread.
If you are new to the challenges, please feel free to do this one or ANY of the challenges at any time. There is no time limit. They are not races to see who can do one first, nor are they contests of any sort. All the challenges are simply to provide inspiration and to get us STAMPIN' !!
__________________ Beth
You are braver than you believe,
stronger than you seem,
and smarter than you think.
~Christopher Robin~
Last edited by showmestamper; 04-11-2008 at 12:45 PM..
Reason: fixing the link
I don't have any of these supplies so I'll do an older challenge.
Me too, so I'm thinking on last weeks challenge or one I haven't done yet.
Beth my fifteen year old granddaughter was very impressed with salted backgrounds. She was making a card for a friend but got side tracked watchig the effects of the salt and water. She didn't want to try it, just watch it.
I'll be watching to see what everyone comes up with.
I want to play! :mad: I guess I'm going to have to go with Susie and Rox on this one. I don't have any pearl ex or some of the other things. It's a very neat challenge. Maybe later on I can come back to it when I have more supplies.
Laurie, the consistency of the mixture is pretty runny. Adding more PPA will make it thicker. Try it runny first, you can always add a little more PPA to thicken it up.
Everyone, let us know what consistency worked best for you when you try it! Like I said, my attempts didn't look much like the samples on the website, so I'm ready to hear what worked (and didn't) for you!
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DANG IT! I went to 2 stores today and couldn't find the adhesive! :( Where on earth do you get black glossy paper? Hmmm. It's too bad, this looks REALLY neat! Thanks Beth!
I did a card with this technique a few months ago, and I used a very small amount of elmers glue then with a popscile stick scoop some pearl-ex into the glue. It's not to thick, or watery, jsut use a small amount of everything. Hope that helps!
DANG IT! I went to 2 stores today and couldn't find the adhesive! :( Where on earth do you get black glossy paper? Hmmm. It's too bad, this looks REALLY neat! Thanks Beth!
Black glossy paper: I found black glossy paper at a small stamping store we have in my city but I have also heard that you can brayer white glossy with black ink to get a fairly good alternative.
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Ok.... First of all, I used Elmer's glue and it worked fine. I didn't know what to expect and didn't want to make a lot, so I used 1/4 tsp. each of glue and alcohol. I just sprinkled the pearl ex in and mixed. Kept adding more till I got the color I liked. I used a small, old paintbrush (#2) and pounced the colors on. I used non SU! pearl ex and 3 colors: Sparkling copper, antique copper and aztec gold. It really lightened as it dried, so I went over it again until I got the depth I wanted. When it was dry, I stamped French Script on it with Close to Cocoa, (Classic ink) BUT it didn't want to dry... had to speed it up with the heat gun. The technique itself was easy, but deciding what to do with the finished piece was hard. I'm not gonna go into it on here, but if you read my description on my post, you'll see how I ended up with what I ended up with! lol I tried another small piece of paper, but this time I used regular, not glossy cs and I used crumpled up plastic to pounce it on with. That piece looks much more like Beth's example. It has a much softer look. It's really a small piece, so I don't know if I'll use it for anything. I'll probably try this technique again, but with different colors and a totatlly different theme. I REALLY liked the way Beth's turned out! Thanks for the challenge Beth.... this was really a neat technique! I just uploaded it, so I'm sure it's still pending:
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I made something, but didn't have the adhesive suggested, so used Mod Podge instead. I don't know about the formula, but I got a very pretty result. I added Glassy Glaze on top. I think it would be a great cuff bracelet! I did another on shimmery white paper and used Crystal Effects on it. So pretty. I haven't made anything with it yet.
I didn't have the glue either....so I used Lumiere instead and really like the results I got. I stamped black words over it and then for the picture, I stamped it in gold and then over that in black. I think for the next one I will use some lighter colors or lighter cardstock on it as this came out very dark.
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Well...it took me the better part of the week to come up with the supplies for this, but I did it! I did two cards. On one card, I used glossy black (white with the black brayered on as Julia suggested) and the other card I just used the white cardstock. I am putting both cards up here. The mixture I used was the same on both of them. I pretty much followed Beth's instructions exactly, but then at the end I took a clean sponge and dipped it directly into the pearl ex to add some additional punches of color where I wanted it. This was much easier than I expected and the backgrounds are so cool in person. Wish they translated better on camera. Oh well. Thanks for the fun idea, Beth!
Here is one from me. It combines TLC31 and SC40. Fun technique that makes beautiful backgrounds but rather messy. I was then alittle stumped regarding what to do with the background.
This technique is very messy but does result in beautiful backgrounds. However, I find it challenging to then work out how to use the backgrounds so that I don't cover them up. I made this background (along with the other 2 'Northern Lights' cards already posted) on Wednesday and it took me a few days to work out what to do with this lovely background. I really like how it turned out in the end. This is really my favorite of the 3 I made.
Here are 2 more that I made this afternoon. This time I used rubber gloves which helped a little. I used copper, gold, red and interfence green Pearl Ex for these cards. I love this Nonsequitur 'Cranes' unmounted sheet too. These backgrounds look wonderful in person.
How funny! I got this packet of neutrals, and it had glossy black paper in it. I said to myself, "What do you do with glossy black paper?!". So until this challenge it's been hiding away...great to have a technique with pearl ex, I've had mine for months and only made one other card with it. This one's a bit dark, and it's a little hard to see the rose...oh well. Oh, and I didn't have the ppa, so I used clear acrylic paint...worked just fine, I think.
Thank you Jus Colorado!! As you suggested I inked by brayer with black and went over a white glossy paper to make it black and here's my card: Gallery at Splitcoaststampers
I too had a hard time trying to figure out just what to do with it once it was there ... very neat technique, though. I ended up putting several coats of UTEE over it and then embossing flowers in white detail on top of that. I really like the way it came out. As for the rest of the card, it took me about 80 different ideas before I came up with one I was okay with.
Thanks for the challenge, though - this one might make stamp camp this month.
I am new to the group and I am so glad I came across this challenge. I just uploaded and I guess my photo is pending approval. This technique was so fun and super messy...My fingers are still blue from the Pearl Ex. :p
I also didn't have the supplies so I went to Michaels and bought some PPA..both matte and gloss. I was going to get some anyway for other projects similar to this one. One thing I didn't get is a Krylon leafing pen.
I didn't go by the measurements from the link provided...I just added a little alchohol, pearl Ex, and glossy PPA, and stirred it until I got the consistancy I liked...not to runny not to thick. I spooned the mixture out with a paint brush (same brush on all three colors) on white glossy card stock in random places. I didn't want to use the paintbrush for blending so I took another peice of glossy card stock and smashed it down on the pearl Ex surface. I kinda liked the results.
It's always nice to know that there are other alternatives for glue Elmers Mod Podge, and Lumiere.
TLC31 - light up your night...
