Adventures with mica!

I've played with various types of mica for years, mostly because they sparkle and I like that.  However mica powders and mica flakes are not a patch on mica tablets or sheet mica!
I ordered some a couple of weeks ago and have been playing.  You can see the results below:

Looks like a stained glass window

 Mica is a rock, and when it arrived it was in a relatively thick sheets (like mount board thickness).  I was surprised to discover it didn't snap when I bent it, I wobbled it and eventually took a pair of scissors to it!
When I ran my thumb nail over the edge I found it was easy to de-laminate various layers, until they became super thin. and even more flexible.

You can see some minor de-lamination in the sheet above

The piece above is alcohol ink dripped onto glossy card stock as the substrate.  Unfortunately, you can't see the reflective quality of the mica in the photo's.   I peeled off a thin sheet of mica and stamped it with StazOn ink.  So far I haven't had much luck with other inks, but that is experimentation for another day.  After stamping, I glued the mica sheet to the substrate with Glossy Accents and once dry, I cut it with craft scissors.

Reminds me of ice!

I then tried embossing it in a folder.  The piece I embossed was almost full thickness and I was absolutely stunned with the result.  The various layers de-laminated where the embossing was and turned the whole thing into a beautiful mirror like finish.  Unfortunately it was too thick and reflective to see the substrate, so I carefully peeled off a layer.  It isn't as easy to peel whole layers once they are embossed.  There is a tendency for it to split away, but you get some lovely pieces that can be used elsewhere.

Close up of embossing and de-lamination

This piece is also alcohol ink on glossy card stock, with a layer of embossed mica over the top.  The stamping was done after it was put together and I added some blue dewdrops to finish it.

Thanks for looking and back to the experimentation!

I shouldn't scare myself like this.....

I usually avoid scary movies, scary books and scary Halloween!  This week on Three Muses the theme is 'Something wicked this way comes'.  I started with a piece but it was too scary for me so I started again with the piece below.

Deciding to take a less horrific approach, I painted up some white card stock with Lumiere Halo Blue Gold paint and then stamped and embossed some skeleton keys down the right hand side using distress ink black embossing powder.

How lovely to see you darling!

Using artists canvas I painted a half a face with Golden Liquid paints.  I discovered that if I mix the paint with Windsor and Newton Matt Medium, it forms a great crackle, so I used that on the hair.  

The eye is orange with a red shadow at the top.  The text was edged in festive berries distress ink and then I dribbled cranberry alcohol ink down in a couple of spots to represent  blood.  I finished off the end of the dribble of blood with some glossy accents to make it look still wet.

  

For those who have a love of all things ghoulish and horrid, I have put the unfinished piece I did below.  The monster / ghoul thingy is a transfer technique using heat resistant acetate.  I will probably delete it from this post after Halloween because it's just not my style.  If anyone would like this postcard piece, I'd be happy to send it to you (or else my shredder!)