BasicGrey CHA-W 2010: Cappella Canvas

When it comes time to share my trade show projects and I know I will be planning them out to post over several days, I can never decide whether to share my favorite project first or save it until last.  This time that turned out easy, since I have two favorites- one gets to be first and one gets to be last.  I have six projects to share and will be posting one each day until I share them all.
Let me say, this new line, Cappella is absolutely 100% what I would design a line like if I had the graphic design skills and artistic ability to design paper.  It is packed full of colors that I love, shabbiness that I love, bit of vintageness that I love. . . simply put, I absolutely love this line.  It really pained me to cut into it.
I actually go to do two projects with it for the show.  The first is a canvas with words that are very important:

This project combines lots of layers and textures and tons of foam adhesives square, which you know I just can't create without!

On the "do" letters I had a fun discovery.  I painted the raw chipboard letters with Shimmerz new Pearlz paints.  They gave the letters a really cool silvery metal look.  I decided that I decided I needed some glittery bling, so I painted a layer of Shimmerz Blingz over the Pearlz.  It looked great but the more I looked at it, the more I decided it needed shine since there were several epoxy elements on the project.  I grabbed my Glossy Accents, but since I was going for the vintage distressed look, I grabbed the Crackle version.

As the Crackle Accents started drying, I noticed that it was flaking up.  Evidently, because Shimmerz paints are water based, the crackle pulled some of the water out and kept it from binding normally.  I had a definitely "oh, no" moment because the letters were already stuck on the project and the last d and o I had in that size.  As it flaked up I noticed that what was left was pretty cool.  It looked like rough metal.  It was still glittery like, but not really shiny.  The Crackle Accents also took on a silvery opaque color.  Some bits of the crackle came off, but others hung tight so I left it as it dried and decided that it was a very happy oops result.  The blue letters were already blue but got a light coat of regular acrylic paint to give them some variation and then a coat of Crackle Accents.  No weird reaction for it, just yummy vintage crackle.

Another fun touch was my experimenting with the paper flowers.  I wanted them to have a sparkly and shiny finish instead of the mat paper finish.  I first brushed on some Shimmerz paints with a stipple brush and then painted each flower and leaf with a coat of Mod Podge.   The end result was sparkle, light shine, and almost a waxed or plastic look that looks very pearly.

Okay, enough photos and talk about this one!  Be sure to check back tomorrow to see my next BasicGrey piece!