Monday, July 9, 2007

Shimmer Mist Recipe


I've been playing around with some ideas to make my own shimmery mist like the new ones on the market. I really want to have options on colors and can't see paying upwards of $8 per bottle for something I can make. Most of the tutorials I've seen for this use reinkers for the color part. I don't have those, so I improvised. First I tried watercolor paint, which does not work...too watery, not enough color. Then I remember these great shimmery Luna Lights paints that I picked up at Auntie Amy's convention last year. So, I took the little spray bottle in the picture and filled it about 3/4 with water, added 1/4 teaspoon of perfect pearls and about 1 tablespoon of Luna Lights paint. I shook it all up and got busy!

I put a plain manilla tag inside a shoe box and sprayed the shimmer mixture liberally on it. I then, dabbed up the excess water with a paper towel. I did this to both sides of the tag. I made 18 of these tags on both sides using just about the whole bottle of the shimmer mixture. You have to shake it up from time to time to keep the pearls mixed in. Next time, I will use less water and will probably use direct to paper with distress ink in a similar color first before adding the shimmer, so I won't need as much of the mist. Thanks for that tip, Isa.

I hope you'll have some time to play around with your own shimmery mist recipes. If you have success with this or some variation of it, please let me know. It's fun to play mad scientist once in a while.

10 comments:

Sandy said...

thanks for the recipe!

Anonymous said...

ooh Tami, I have 8 of these Luna Lights paint colours, but no perfect pearls- is that like pearlex powder? I may just try it and see. Looks wonderful
Sarah

K Hutchinson said...

WOW it looks so cool! I do no have any of the Luna Lights paints- but maybe I can use something else! Thanks for the inspiration!

~K

Vintage Papers said...

very cool! thanks for sharing this!

Julie Prichard said...

The perfect pearls have a binder already in the product, unlike pearl-ex. Therefore, once you use water with the perfect pearls, the mixture becomes permanent.

My recipe is not so technical...no measureing.. lol I just use perfect pearls, some water color paint if I want color into a spray bottle and shake it up.

Pattyjo said...

Yeah! I have been wanting to get some of those bottles. Not now, I am going to try yours first. Hey there girl...your my type of lady! I love to make my own. I am frequently buying one copy of something and then taking it all apart and using it for my pattern. You sure are clever! Thanks so much for the formula!

Stacy Sheldon said...

That turned out to be a totally cool color Tami!

and neat to find out it will work without the reinkers too...

TFS!

melita said...

Wow! I don't even know what products you are talking about but the final tag looks awesome!

Swamp Tulip said...

Tami - what an awesome tutorial! Thanks so much for sharing this with us! I posted a link to your blog on my blog entry today :)

Hugs,

Teresa

thimbles bobbins paper and ink said...

Tami this is a wonderful tutorial. I appreciate this information so much! I need to get into my laboratory and mix some of this up! Beautiful work!