Twas The Night Before Christmas

Hello Lovelies!

December is such a special time of the year and boy oh boy... is my Team is getting ready for Christmas... :) Their inspirations are truly breathtaking so make sure you stay with us every Monday & Friday as usual!

Sanda's ornament is a total mixed media magic! Do not miss the video tutorial so you can see step by step how this magic happened! :)

“Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…”

I don’t know about you but I simply love Christmas.

Each year I enjoy creating my own cards, cookies, ornaments, you name it and this year makes no exception.
When I started working on this angel ornament, so many wonderful memories of my past childhood Christmases came rushing to my mind...

The heavy snow that covered everything in a glistening white blanket and transformed all the surroundings in a story tale realm. The carol singers. The smells of the house, a lovely mixture between home baked Christmas cakes and the fresh pine scent from the fir tree. The cheerful sleigh rides in the frosty air. The real candle lit Christmas tree…

Everything was filled with love and the magic in the air was almost tangible. I guess this must be where the inspiration for this angel ornament was born…

I started by winding some wire around a bulb (to create an attachment for the embellishments I will add later) and then coating everything with several layers of Heavy White Gesso. I dried each layer with a heating tool.

Using a plastic piping bag I spread White Sand Texture Paste and while the paste was still wet I sprinkled some Art Stones.

After drying, I sprayed the bulb using homemade Mica Powder shimmering spray and left that to dry.

In the meanwhile I started working on the angel skirt.

Using Finnabair Fabric (fine cotton), cheese cloth and lace, I cut pieces in different sizes and dipped them in Sculpture Medium. After squeezing off the excess I covered my bulb in pieces of kitchen foil and arranged the fabric and lace on top, manipulating them to create lovely folds. Left everything to dry completely (this will take a few hours).

The kitchen foil will support the fabric while you’re working the drapes and the Sculpture Medium will stiffen it, helping the fabric to keep its shape.

Separately I gessoed a few skeleton leaves, dried them and then added gold accents with Art Alchemy paint and glued Gold Leaf Mica Flakes using Soft Matte Gel.

To create the top of my angel ornament I used several Mechanicals and a resin angel that I glued down with Heavy Body Gel. This gel is utterly fantastic! The bond is quick and so strong! When I use this gel I know with certainty my elements will stay in place forever!

To texture the angel’s halo I used Glass Glitter applied with 3D Gloss Gel, Snowflake Paste and Art Stones and Mini Art Stones.

I have painted all the elements before assembling the ornament using the most wonderful paints ever, the Art Alchemy Metallique and Opal Magic! Oh my, they are so, so YUMMY! :)

I also added a layer of Gold Crackle Paste for good measure.

After I painted the angel, I coated her in several layers of Clear Crackle Paste, waiting for the paste to dry after each addition.

In the end, because my little angel looked a bit too dark and I thought it wasn’t standing out enough against the halo, I covered her with a layer of Sculpture Medium (a lovely ivory colour), gave her some rosy cheeks and finished everything with another generous coat of Clear Crackle Paste.

And here's the back of my angel:

I hope you’ll enjoy this project and that you’ll feel inspired to create your own wonderful Christmas ornaments.

Here is my video where you can watch my creative process. Have fun!



Have a wonderful day, xoxo
Sanda

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