As followers of my blog will know, I’ve been playing with some crackle effect mediums over the past months. Well, Cosmic Shimmer have brought out their own to compliment their new paint range, and I’ve finally got hold of some to try. Alongside, I’ve also played with their new Chalk Paint, and some new MDF shapes and floral stamps I’ve been sent to play with this month for my Design Team projects.

This week: Cosmic Shimmer Craquelure. This is a two step crackle medium, both layers go on slightly milky and dry clear. The base coat goes over the colour you wish to be cracked (in this case Antique Linen Distress Paint). The top coat forms a clear crackle, and can then be rubbed over with the crack colour (in this case Mulled Wine Matt Chalk Paint and Vintage Plum Gilding Wax. Where I didn’t get the top coat thick enough, the wax caught more (see top right), but the rest was a really lovely, random crackle. Loved it!

You will need:
Creative Expressions Singles Stamp Set: Lily Spray
Creative Expressions Winter Flowers Unmounted Stamp Set
Cosmic Shimmer Matt Chalk Paint: Mulled Wine
Cosmic Shimmer Gilding Wax: Vintage Plum
Cosmic Shimmer Craquelure Set
Cosmic Shimmer Acrylic Drawing Ink:
Soft Moss/Meadow Lime, Chestnut Brown, Clover/Summer Haze
Cosmic Shimmer Embossing Powder: Silver Shine Metallic / Blue Maroon Aurora
Cosmic Shimmer Specialist Acrylic Glue
Foundations A4 Card: Coconut White / Milk / Amethyst
Pronty MDF Heart 13cm
Ranger Distress Paint: Antique Linen
Ranger Perfect Medium Ink Pad: Clear

1. Paint the MDF heart with two layers of Antique Linen Distress Paint and allow to dry completely – remember to cover the edges with this and following layers.
2. Add a layer of the Cosmic Shimmer Craquelure base coat and allow to dry.
3. Add a layer of the Cosmic Shimmer Craquelure top coat – make sure you have an even glossy layer and don’t work the layer too much with your brush otherwise you will move the base layer about. Allow to dry, and you’ll see the crackle effect develop.
4. Once completely dry, wipe over with the Cosmic Shimmer Mulled Wine Matt Chalk Paint so that it goes into the cracks. Wait a few moments before wiping over with a barely damp piece of kitchen paper to remove the paint from the surface, but keep it in the cracks. Allow to dry.
5. Finally, rub over the heart with the Vintage Plum Gilding Wax, working it into the cracks and bare areas, before buffing with a cloth.
6. Now stamp the double stem lily stamp twice onto the Coconut White card using Perfect Medium and then emboss with the Silver Shine Metallic embossing powder.
7. Paint the lilies using the Acrylic Drawing Inks, softening edges with a clean water brush where necessary.
8. Fussy cut round the images and mount them onto the heart using foam pads.
9. Stamp the sentiment from the Winter Flowers set onto Milk card and emboss with the Blue Maroon Aurora embossing powder.
10. Mat onto the Amethyst card using the Cosmic Shimmer Glue, and stick onto the heart with the same glue to complete the project.