DecoArt® Media™ Mixed Media Progam Inspired Barn Workshop

Timing is everything. I was recently organizing a tour-craft-lunch event at the barn for a group of women attending the West Coast Art Is You Mixed Media Retreat when along came a press release from DecoArt about their new line of mixed media products. I responded immediately and was sent some very exciting product to use in the craft project. I dabble in so many different types of crafts and art, and there are so many different types of materials and products to learn about, I was lucky that DecoArt not only makes excellent product, but also share lots of instructional videos and tutorials on using them. The project I designed was a Vintage Book House Luminary. We cut and assembled a modified version of my paper house template, and the craft included a battery-operated tealight, a vintage book cover and book pages, reproduced vintage ephemera, floral velvet cut from an antique drapery panel, vintage millinary flora, and several products from the DecoArt® Media™ Progam line which includes:

• Highly pigmented Fluid Acrylics in over 40 colors, plus metallics and interference colors
• Antiquing Creams that are ideal for non-porous surfaces, opaque, matte, and non-permanent, for unlimited working time prior to sealing
• A selection of texture products, each with its own special attributes, for creating texture and dimension
• Gesso and other mediums that allow for even more ways to mix and match products to create unique designs
• A variety of crackle products to add crackled finishes and texture to your art
• A selection of varnishes to fit any finishing needs, perfect for finishing art journal pages to keep them from sticking together

My favorite products from the new line include the Media Interference Fluid Acrylics that shifts in color and appearance depending upon the light, viewing angle and color of the surface on which they are applied. I used the turquoise over a vintage tobacco tax stamp that would represent a pond. The color, opalescence and sparkle was just so beautiful for water feature.But the DecoArt® Media™ Liquid Glass added the perfect final, shiny touch. It goes on milky, but dries crystal clear.And I now have a new, favorite product for decopaging- the DecoArt® Media™ Matte Medium. It’s not runny like the product I typically use, it’s creamy like my morning face lotion with a very nice satin finish when dry. And the big bonus is that coated pieces don’t stick to one another when dry, (such as a decopaged lidded box sticking closed.) There are several other uses for the Matte Media as well:

• Use as a topcoat or mix with Media Fluid Acrylics to increase their color transparency.
• Create image and photo transfers.
• Use as a barrier between solvent-based products.
• Use as a clear ground.
• Use as a spray fixative when thinned with water to prevent smudging.

The yellow shimmer mister added a really nice effect to the too-blue velvet we were using. The white fluid acrylic was used a lot during the workshop to enhance collaged pieces, even giving one little house a white-paint pickled effect.There were all levels of creativity and skill represented at the workshop and all attendees had success with the DecoArt Media products. All the pieces the women created turned out just fabulous thanks to the new DecoArt media products. It’s the most fun for me to watch attendees put their own style and creativity into their pieces. Here are some of the final mixed media assemblages.Follow the DecoArt Mixed Media blog for inspiration, and like them on Facebook for up-to-date promotions, news and creativity. I look forward to learning more about and creating many new crafts and art pieces with this wonderful new line of mixed media products.