Today's topic is misting! And, while I'm featuring Mister Huey's Mists by Studio Calico, the technique is pretty much the same whatever the brand. You can even make your own mists, but if you're an instant gratification girl like m'self, sometimes it's fun to just collect a whole bunch of pretty colors and get right to it! Mister Huey's comes in a fun and hip range of colors, including metallics, and an opaque white that looks AWESOME on dark card stock colors!
One thing I would advise, no matter what brand you're working with, is to shake the bottles from side to side and avoid shaking them up and down; if you're working with a mist that has any pearlescent or shimmer added to it, it can clog the nozzle.
It's also a good idea to wear an apron to protect your clothing, just in case you get a little (over) zealous. *wink*
I almost always have a box laying around from a recent shipment, so I keep one for misting--I like the ones with fairly deep sides, because then I can plop it right on my work desk and not worry about any over-spray getting onto my work surface.
I often toss a piece of white typing paper into the box to test and see how the colors look--sometimes, the actual color doesn't match the bottle label. Also, if there's any clogging going on, I know right away and won't have ruined my project. A few "test" pumps also helps reduce "splotches" or blobs, and allows me to see how close or far away I need to be to get a finer mist. Generally speaking, the further away, the finer the misting. I don't mind the blobs, tho and tend to think they look artsy. *grin*
One thing I wanted to mention is that you can use stencils to create patterns onto your project with the mists, and you can also use masks, and even stickers or the negative part of stickers, punches and die cuts to create masks and stencils!
It dawned on me that the negative portion from this sheet of stickers would make an AWESOME large scale honeycomb/hexagon pattern, so I peeled it away carefully and tapped the palm of my hand against the sticky side so the oil from my hands would reduce the tackiness; I wanted just enough for it to hold on the paper, but still be removable.
Into the box it went. Initially, I gave it a light dusting, keeping a little further distance--roughly 16-18", and then I came closer, to get more intense; I don't mind having a few blobs, as I've mentioned.
I'm kind of impatient, so I took a clean paper towel and blotted away the mist that was still wet on the sticker sheet so I wouldn't make a mess when I removed it from the paper. After removing it, I stored the sticker on a recycled piece of acetate from some packaging; this "mask" won't last forever, but I'll probably be able to use it a few more times, at least. Cool!
It's not uncommon for a mist to make the paper curl--some cause more curling than others and depend on how heavily they are applied, how wet, etc. I found that if the paper curled, I could hold onto it with tweezers, continue drying it with my heat tool, and applying heat on the back and the front seemed to work well and reduce the curling. When it's dry, you can also place it under a heavy book overnight and that ought to do the trick. If you're patient. And not at all anxious to zoom on to the next step. Like some peeps I know. *insert rolling eyeballs*
It made a great patterned paper for this "Bee happy" design! YAY!
I also played around with some red mist--Overdue on kraft card stock. I concentrated the color towards the upper left corner--SO FUN!!! I was also able to stamp the little jet airplane over the top with Archival black ink--it's possible if I used a non-permanent ink that the misted areas would "resist" stamp ink, so it would probably be a good idea to test that before trying it on an actual project.
See the little flair sticker? I've always wanted to put those on a card--this is the first time I've gone and done it! They are *uber* fun! I punched a partial circle, 1 1/8" size for the flair to nestle into. Such a great look! I think this makes a great up-lifting (OK, sorry for the pun) masculine design! :)
Thanks for stopping by! I hope this encourages you to play with mists--they are TONS OF FUN!!!
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SUPPLIES:
STAMPS: Technique Tuesday Birds & Bees; Hero Arts/Studio Calico Airmail
INK: Archival Black, Adirondack Sunshine Yellow; Versamark
MISTS: Custard, Overdue (I think both of these particular colors are retiring, so you may wanna snag 'em while you still can--they are AWESOME!!!)
PAPER: Neenah Solar White, Sweet Corn Card Stock, Kraft, Black; What's Up 6x6 Pad by Basic Grey
TOOLS: EK Success Circle Scissor Pro, WR Memory Keepers Corner Chomper (1/2" radius), 1" & 1 1/8" circle punches
EMBELLISHMENTS: What's Up Flair Stickers; Black & White Baker's Twine; Off-white Twill Ribbon; What's Up Title Stickers by Basic Grey
OTHER: White Embossing Powder; Black & White Diagonal Piano Stripe Washi Tape (from my collection); 3D Dots; Jenni Bowlin Memo Quilted Stickers (the negative part)
