Acrylic Paint Embellishments

Want to make your own inexpensive rubber/gelly-look embellishments?

Want to use paint on your layouts without fear of messing them up?

All you need is a non-stick surface (I use a craft sheet and a silicon baking sheet) and some cheap craft paint. Here's how.

Step 1 - Cut your desired shape out of plastic packaging (does not need to be clear or beautiful), transparencies, or heavy cardstock using punches, dies, or scissors.
Step 2 - Apply craft paint (typically $1 - $3 per bottle) to your shape and spread to the edges with your finger.

Step 3 - Embed glitter, beads, fibers, etc. into the wet paint if desired. In the example below I have sprinkled coarse silver glitter onto the wet paint.

Step 4 - Allow the paint to dry, at least overnight.

That's it, cheap, easy to create gelly-look embellishments. Want a shinier finish? Simply brush gloss medium over the dried paint and allow to dry.

Try this technique freehand by squeezing the paint straight from the bottle onto a non-stick surface:

When the paint is dry, carefully peel it off the non-stick surface. You can now adhere it to a layout using your favorite adhesive. Craft paint dries flexible (this technique does NOT work with Tim Holtz's paint dabbers) so you do not need to be concerned about cracking.

If you want to create a freehand look but need to use a template, simply slide your template underneath your craft sheet. The craft sheet is just see through enough that you will be able to see the template. In this example, I am using a sheet of 12x12 paper as a template.

You can create cool looks by swirling colors together with your finger or a toothpick.

One thing to note:

If you do not use plastic or heavy paper for your shape base, you could get cracking as the paint dries. Also, do not try the freehand technique directly on a layout. The water in the paint will spread away from the paint and stain your layout.

Happy creating!