| There are such a variety of accents that can be used | | | | buttons? Paint them over with acrylic paint and then |
| in any type of scrapbooking project. One of my | | | | cover with gloss. You've just created your very own |
| favourite accents is acrylic paint. Acrylic paint is | | | | special embellishment! How cool is that?! |
| wonderful, because it is acid-free, dries very quickly, it's | | | | • Do you have any cardstock you never use, |
| water-based, and when used undiluted, has a great | | | | because you don't like the color or you can't find |
| opacity so you don't need much to cover things up | | | | anything to match it with? What you can do is paint a |
| with (even mistakes). You really can use most | | | | base coat of white gesso for priming. That will |
| water-based brands, but I love the kind that Making | | | | neutralize the original color of the cardstock, so you |
| Memories offers. The colors are just wonderful! This | | | | can just paint over it for a new color of cardstock. |
| type of paint can be used with dry brushes, foam | | | | You can also use the acrylic paint with a sponge or a |
| stamps or foam brushes and sponges, and as a base | | | | stamp to make patterned cardstock from plain |
| or for decoration. There are so many possibilities and | | | | cardstock. |
| here I will describe a few for you: | | | | • Acrylic paint also works well on transparencies |
| • Don't know just how to accent your photo in a | | | | and has a great 3-D effect, especially if you're using a |
| subtle manner? Frame it with acrylic paint in the color | | | | stamp with the paint. You first can stamp the paint |
| of your choice. Adhere the photo on the layout where | | | | directly onto the layout and when it's dried adhere a |
| it's going to remain (so make sure that is where you | | | | piece of transparency on top of the first stamped |
| want it), then take a medium sized dry brush (approx. | | | | image and stamp a new coat of paint slightly off to |
| 2 cm in width), dab a little paint onto the tip of the brush | | | | one side of the original stamp to give it a popping out |
| and paint along the edges of the photo (yes, on the | | | | effect. It looks fabulous! |
| photo) and onto the cardstock itself with just one or | | | | • To create special titles for your layout, you can |
| two strokes along each side to give it a vintage or | | | | use paint with stencils, but make sure you temporarily |
| rummage look. It makes a very special and romantic | | | | adhere the stencil to the page before you start to |
| type of frame with pastels and very pop art using | | | | prevent it from moving around. |
| bright colors. | | | | • If you're using a scrapbooking frame for your |
| • Instead of using ink for stamping, take a foam | | | | layout, paint or stamp it to match the layout. You would |
| brush, dab into your favourite color of paint and brush | | | | be surprised what a difference it makes! |
| a thin layer onto the stamp you want to use, press | | | | So, you can see how many ways there are to use |
| onto your layout lightly. If you press too hard it might | | | | acrylic paint for scrapbooking projects, although these |
| smudge. You have to figure out how to use just the | | | | are only a few techniques. There are so many more. |
| right amount of pressure. Practice on a scrap sheet a | | | | Be creative, be daring and don't be afraid to "dabble" |
| few times, before you go for the real thing. | | | | here or "dabble" there. A little word play... Go for it! You |
| • You don't like the color of your brads, tags or | | | | will love it, I promise! |