Friday, March 15, 2013

Silver Leaf, a Glue Gun, and Plastic Eggs

As I said before, I don't normally craft for Easter. 

While I think this may be  my final egg-centric creation for this Easter/Spring season, 
I reserve the right to change my mind.

It all started with a glass cloche, green moss, and a pewter base.
I wanted an elegant silver objet d'art to display inside.




I really had fun with this. 
What you're looking at is a plastic egg that I "drew" a design on 
with hot glue straight from the glue gun. After the glue had cooled and hardened,
(which only takes a minute or two), I brushed on leaf adhesive size.



Once dry, I applied a sheet of silver metal leaf., then brushed on brown 
and black alcohol ink, smooshing it into the crevices of the glue. 
For a final touch, I gently wiped some of the ink off the top of the glue lines and 
smooth surfaces of the egg, using a paper towel dipped in rubbing alcohol. 
What is left is a warm patina on the egg surface and darker ink in the crevices 
to enhance the contours, mimicking tarnish. Pretty cool, right?

I could have stopped there, but I realized that some people
are glue-gun-challenged. (Yeah Amy, I'm talkin' about you.)
So I thought I'd experiment with other methods,
and gave puff paint a try. Well, let me just say, that
while it basically worked, it was by no means
a picnic, nor as effective as the hot glue.

Here is a picture of the egg with a quick design drawn using puff paint.
Three reasons why I prefer the hot glue....
A) You have to wait at least an hour for the paint to dry. 
(Hot glue is cool and hardened almost immediately.)
B) Holding the egg while drawing with the puff paint 
makes it easy to smear the design you've just drawn..... 
C) The puff paint settles where it meets the egg, taking away the
distinct crevices needed for the ink to be smooshed into, and the profile is 
also a bit lower than the hot glue. What results is much of
the ink wiped away from the lines, taking away
the dramatic tarnished effect.


Here is a side by side of hot glue vs puff paint.
Although it may not look like much,
the puff paint egg on the right
has a very soft profile, compared
to the hot glue lines on the left egg.

Now if all this sounds like a hassle for an egg design,
you could just try some 3D stickers and go from there.
Or you could attach some flexible appliques made with
silicone and mini molds. There are lots of possibilities. 
I personally liked the instant gratification of hot glue, 
and the freedom to create my own designs.

With the egg at the top of the post, I drew a quick leaf
and vine design with a pen, then followed the 
lines with the glue gun. I should note that I used a mini
glue gun with a fine tip. That was actually the second egg 
I made with the hot glue. Here is the first one.....


Since I was experimenting, I didn't want to invest a lot
of time on a design, in case the technique failed to please.
So I just did some free-form swirls and lines with
the glue gun, just to get a feel for it.


The nice surprise here is that even something
as unexciting as sloppy swirls still seems
redeemable with the right treatment.
So even those who feel artistically-challenged
can create an elegant egg using simple lines.

I know I said I was probably done with egg crafts for now,
but I may feel compelled to draw a more perfect design,
so don't be surprised if you see another one here next week.
I do like the idea that the concept can be used
on other objects, like plain candlesticks, boxes,
frames, etc. That might get me thinking about 
Christmas ornaments.....Oy, too soon.

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@MagiaMiaEtsy



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26 comments:

  1. Thanks for trying different techniques and for the suggestion that drawing a design to follow is better than free form. Hot glue means working fast, so having something thought out makes sense. I always read your posts, your artistic sensibilities appeal to me.

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  2. The eggs all look lovely to me. You really cn make something out of nothing. I'm amazed at how you matched the egg to the metal base!
    I'm sending this from my new blog mypineconecottage but still have andysattic.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Annette! Making something out of nothing is sometimes the most satisfying. I'll be sure to catch your other blog!

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  3. Thank you SuzieQ! I appreciate it when my artistic sensibilities speak to someone. I'd respond via email, but your ID isn't set up for that. TTFN, Maria

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  4. I can't believe that is a simple plastic egg....amazing what you came up with.
    p.s. yes Amy supposedly is glue gun challenged, or so she says.

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  5. Wow! This is beautiful. I cannot believe how creative you are. Blessings, Patti

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  6. This is seriously one of the most creative things I've ever seen and simply beautiful!! I'm off to share it on our FB page right now! :-)
    Vanessa

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  7. This is so unique and creative! This is a great alternative to the usual decorated eggs, and you can keep this up all year! Thanks for the comparison to puffy paint which I'm not a fan of. Sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn't.

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  8. my sweet creative and multi talented friend, these are GORGEOUS!

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  9. Very cool look! A long long long long time ago, Aleene's used to make a 3-D Tacky glue that you could use to do this. You just squeezed it out of the bottle looking like plain old ordinary Elmer's glue except it had a 3-D effect. When it dried it was clear & had a tacky textured so you could use the foiling foils that came on rolls & you pressed & rubbed it against the tacky glue & the foil came off the cellophane like paper and adhered to the glue. I made about a bazzzzilllion Christmas ornaments that way. I used gold & silver foil on white ornaments for my tree. I made a set for each of my sisters too. One set was cranberry & gold & one was pink & silver & one was turquoise & copper. I drew all kinds of designs- floral, geometric, names, initials, Indian, Aztec, Asian, etc. I hung the ornaments on my metal ornament tree to dry the glue. It was a lot of fun. I wish they still made that Aleene's Tacky glue.

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    Replies
    1. They do still make Aleene's Tacky Glue. Google it and you will find several places that sell it.

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  10. Thanks for this great idea! I saw this somewhere on Facebook and bought the supplies today! This is a big deal because I am NOT artistically inclined but deep inside I know I am. Does that make sense? I can't remember the last time I created something. I'm really excited! :)

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  11. Just found you and WOW! I love this!I'll have to start searching for all the items as I live in Holland. I'll try these for next year and thank you so much! Really Nice!! http://americangirlinholland.blogspot.nl/ ~ Lisa

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  12. Who'da thunk? It looks so authentic! Beautiful. I've used glue gun glue to make raised words and painted but this is incredible. I love it!
    Saw you featured at I Love That Junk. I had to pin this!
    Debbie :)

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  13. I'm overwhelmed by your compliments, Ladies! There's no greater thrill than to inspire you to jump in and create it yourself! Thank you for your praise!

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  14. Hello, I love love love this egg idea!! I wanted to let you know I did a post on my blog about the eggs and linked up to your blog/post. I am so inspired by your decorations, they are all so beautiful!
    Have a great day, Lori

    http://marvinsdaughters.blogspot.com/2013/03/easter-tablescape-chevron-table-runner.html

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  15. When I saw the first photo, the first thing I thought was "Where did she find that sterling silver egg?!" Very clever.

    I can only imagine all the Christmas ornaments swirling around in your creative brain. :-)

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  16. This is such a cool idea and your eggs turned out just beautiful.

    Happy Easter!

    Hugs,
    Julia

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  17. Such an amacing result, so creative!!

    Happy Easter to You

    Helle:)

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  18. What a creative, unusual idea.....I love it!!

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  19. Thank you again Ladies. Happy Easter to you all!

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  20. Crikey you are prolific! I love the way you think and put together the most awesome ideas with mundane supplies. Your artful silver eggs are gorgeous. Okay, stalking you now but in the nicest way.

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  21. What type of hot glue gun do you use?

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    Replies
    1. Hi Bethany! Mini glue gun by Surebonder, with a micro/fine tip! Thank You for stopping by! Maria

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