Playing with Chunky Glitter

 

 Some people like glittery shoes and bags and some don't. If you do, I bet that sometimes you probably get a hankering for BIG CHUNKY SPARKLY glitter to make a really dazzling fashion statement! Recently I did some experiments with a couple of brands of chunky glitter and I wanted to show you the results. 

A friend of mine who was clearing out her closet donated a pair of very nice DKNY leather and Lucite wedge sandals in a neutral shade. The broad top band looked like a great area to experiment on, and its width gave me room to do some stark geometric blocks, which are so in right now in black and white.

Of course, being just the tiny bit contrary, I chose black and silver. First I painted the base colors of Metallic Silver and Neopaque Black, then I started researching super-chunky glitter. I easily found "Biker Babes Funky" on the Dazzlers page at ArtGlitter.com. 

Finding black glitter was more of a challenge. Destiny and I have tried out several brands and types of glitter (including vintage glass shards that 1. Bled black color into our clear glaze, and 2. Was so heavy it dripped and sagged down the sides of the shoes: not a pretty sight!).  None of these black glitters actually sparkled, though -- I guess because black doesn't reflect light. But we did find a brand at the craft and hobby show last winter that looked promising. It was called WOW! by American Crafts. 

I mixed a small amount of each of these -- about 3/4 tablespoon -- in a half-bottle each of our clear Glitter It Glaze Base, and stirred well. First I did a test patch on a scrap of leather. They looked pretty good, though the black still didn't sparkle as much as I hoped.

I patted the glitters on with a fan brush, one color at a time. If you've never used our Glitter It Glaze before (with or without our own brand of glitter), you know that it looks very cloudy when it first goes on. When it dries, though, it's perfect. I like to use two or three coats because if you brush it on too heavily, it will sag on vertical surfaces (until it dries), like the sides of your shoe. 

The final touch was to do something about the thin beige sole attached to the Lucite wedge. I got out my new bottle of Pinata Ink in Metallic Silver and went to work with a tiny brush. (I blogged about how to do this in an earlier post.) Ta da! No more boring beige sole.

Here's the final result, side by side with the "before." Any questions about mixing your own glitter with our clear Glitter It Glaze base, email me.