Eileen

Have you ever experienced the thrill of finding something valuable right out in plain view? A valuable antique hidden by decades of grime at a flea market? A print that turns out to be an original?

If yes, get ready to experience that joy again. If no, isn’t it about time? Let’s go on a treasure hunt through your and your friends’ jewelry boxes.

Go through your jewelry boxes and junk drawers and gather up all the loose jewelry parts you’ve been saving because they might come in handy some day. Also gather up necklaces and bracelets you never wear anymore.

Perhaps they’re dated or are missing some stones. These are your hidden treasures. Now click here to get some ideas on what you can create at practically zero cost.

Cleaning Up Your Hidden Treasures

Some of your found treasures probably need a good cleaning. Don’t dive into the task with whatever solvents and scouring pads you have at your kitchen sink. First read my article on how to treat various stones, beads, pearls and precious metals, by clicking here.

Is it Homecoming Mum Season Already?

This may seem a bit premature, but if you’re planning on making a lot of homecoming mums, you should start gathering your supplies now. By midsummer, many of the best and cleverest adornments will be sold out.

We recently helped a reader find miniature light sets with battery packs and even told her how to make her own so she could control the wire color and length. Click here for details.

Reader’s Letter of the Month

Some of the projects our readers undertake really epitomize what this site is all about. One may start with a pattern or well-tested technique, but somewhere along the way the project becomes unique.

When the crafter adds an artful touch, something new is created. Perhaps it will have added commercial value due to its uniqueness or it may be art purely for art’s sake – another rose planted in your creative garden.

Raina is clearly an artful crafter. We wish her success with this decoupage project and would love to see and publish photos when she is done. Well, that is, if it works out!

Question: “Hello! I think your site is wonderful.

My question is about decoupage. I love to draw with pastels and would like to use some of my drawings in decoupage. Obviously pastels do not lend themselves to doing this. Is there any way to seal the artwork with regular fixative sprays or something else to make them usable for decoupage? Raina”

Answer: The trickiest thing about decoupage is finding compatible materials for the various layers. Interestingly, such decoupage questions are the most common we receive at The Artful Crafter. In trying to use pastels in decoupage, you are venturing into uncharted waters and will have to do some testing. However I do have some suggestions.

Use a PVA decoupage medium like Elmer’s Glue-All or Mod Podge rather than an oil based varnish or lacquer. PVAs are easier to work with, dry more quickly and give more consistent results. Plus they are compatible with most commercial fixatives for pastels.

Try commercial fixative sprays first but be sure the one you select is water-, not oil-, based. Fix both sides of your pastel drawing. Because pastels do not dry to form a protective skin, you want the fixative to grab and fix as many of the pastel particles as possible.

Since you’ve been working with pastels for a while, I’m sure you know that the fixative will change the color of your work somewhat, usually darkening but sometimes even blending colors. You’ll want to take this into account in your testing to gauge the impact on your intended project.

If the commercial fixatives somehow fight with the decoupage medium, try the home made fixative formula below. It may be trickier to get the fine mist you need for the top surface; but the mix is definitely compatible with PVA decoupage media.

Combine one part PVA decoupage medium with five parts water. Brush onto the back of your pastel and allow to dry. Add more water to the remaining mix until it is of spraying consistency. Use a fine mist atomizer to apply two light, even coats, allowing at least a half hour between coats.

We’re so glad you like our site!

Decoupage Dilemmas

If you have questions about decoupage, we may already have the answer for you. Go to www.TheArtfulCrafter.com; scroll down to the Google search bar found on many of our pages; type in “decoupage” and select The Artful Crafter search.