#techniquethursday - crystal effects


Today's technique is really all about the use of one of my favourite go to products - Crystal effect.  The is a produce which has so many uses.  It adds shine and dimension to images & accents.  It can be used as a glue.  It can be a base for glitter.  It's really a versatile product that you can use to change the look of a card in minutes.

For my project today I took a simple card that I made a few weeks ago of stamped heart images.  I wanted to give this card a little lift.  To add something to mak it look more than just stamped images.  To give it some dimension - but subtly. 


All I did was take my crystal effects and slowly apply a layer over the heart image, keeping it within the stamped outline.  It's a little bit like colouring in with a liquid paint.  Crystal effects is quite thick so it will only go where you place it.  It won't run, however I have learnt the hard way that it's important to leave you card flat while drying if you're using a lot of it.  

Here's a picture of the finished card & a close up so you can see the shine.



I decided to add crystal effects to all the hearts on my card, but you could easily vary this by only adding it to some or adding glitter over a few hearts to mix it up.  You can also wait until your first layer dries and add a second layer if you want a stronger impact in terms of dimension.

I love using this product.  If you look over my past cards you'll see it pops up time and time again.  I think it's because I love it's subtlety and way of adding to a card without overpowering it.  If you haven't used it before why not give it a go today and see what a difference it can make to a simple stamped image.

Sally

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