Sleigh Bells! - December 2021 Mixed Media Kit

Hey, all! Welcome back to the Tres Jolie Blog & Happy New Year Eve, Eve!
Did you get a chance to make your Mixed Media Kit Sleigh yet? If not, I have a project idea here for you today to wrap up 2021. I really wanted to keep the paint out of all the scroll work on the sleigh, so I pulled out my gel plate to create smooth, even layers—after “dyeing” the wood!

I knew I wanted to dye the deer, so since I was doing that, I decided to toss in the sleigh pieces so I’d have options. By “options” I mean, I rarely know what I’m going to be doing when I start a project, so I have to be prepared! LOL! Check out my video to see how this whole thing came together!

Video:

 Here are some close-up photos! After the photos I have added my gel plate “recipes.” They sleigh has quite a few layers, inside and out, to get the look I wanted!

I wanted the edges of the wood to show, but I also wanted to add some color to them, so, along with the dye process, I very lightly went in with some of the Stamperia Wax from the kit to give some shine. Don’t forget to gel plate paint the end of the tabs that will be showing when the sleigh is all together!

There are two clusters in the sleigh—in fact, the majority of the inside is made of those clusters--they had the leaves, poinsettias, gifts, and ornaments already on them! (They came in the December 2018 Mixed Media Kit! I forgot I even had them!)

All I did is brush on some gel medium, sprinkle the glitter from this month’s kit, and add some excess snow paste and the pine cones from the Limited Edition Advent Calendar Kit! That was my cluster completion!

My finishing touch’s were the bells from this kit, and the Stamperia acetate ephemera (from the Advent Kit). I grabbed up the neutral stars, ornaments, & “Let It Snow” pieces from the ephemera pack, and adhered them in place with some 3D Gel. I have three bells hanging from the back with some jewelry wire, and I popped the remaining two on clusters!

Here are my gel plate “recipes”:

Outside sleigh coloring layers:

A thin layer of silver paint topped with a thin layer of red paint, then a second layer of red paint to build it up some – do this three times.

Inside sleigh & reindeer “harness” coloring layers:

1. Brush on a layer of wax, top with a layer of silver paint, press down pieces

2. Add a layer of silver paint, press down pieces

3. Add a layer of clear gesso, add a layer of silver paint, press down pieces

4. Add a layer of silver paint, press down pieces

5. Add a layer of silver paint, press down pieces and let them stay for about 15-20 minutes (I added light weight to mine using acrylic blocks to distribute the weight of the containers

6. On a non-waxed section of the gel plate (or clean off the wax from the area you are going to use) add a layer of silver paint then a layer of clear gesso, let dry completely!

7. On a clean gel plate add a layer of silver paint, press pieces on, remove and let dry

Sleigh Tracks coloring:

Four layers of silver paint

Deer coloring layers:

Thin layer of silver paint, layer of clear gesso, coating of Distress Oxide Spray (“Walnut Stain”), I only “cleaned” the gel plate off with my piece of deli paper and did it all a second time.

Thank-you for joining us here at Tres Jolie! I hope you had a happy holiday season and have a safe and happy New Year!
Stay Crafty in 2022, Friends!

In addition to items found in this month’s Mixed Media Kit and the Limited Edition Advent Calendar Kit (*from previous Tres Jolie Kits), I used:

*Folk Art “Sterling Silver” Metallic Acrylic Paint; *Darice Clusters; Prima/Finnabair 3D Matte Gel; Ranger Brayer; 8x10 Gel Press Gel Plate; Liquitex: Clear Gesso, Gloss Gel, Liquid Acrylic Inks - Titanium White & Naphthol Crimson; Gorilla Wood Glue; Krylon Triple-Thick Crystal Clear Glaze; jewelry making wire; artists masking tape