Our friend Charlotte Carpentier, a Certified Zentangle Teacher and store owner in Southern California, shared with us this great way to use Sheer Shimmer Spritz with Zenstone. We thought it was so cool, we asked if we could share it with you all. Without further ado…
Sheer Shimmer Spritz and Zenstone
by Charlotte Carpentier
Who knew this product was so versatile? We all know it adds a bit of sparkle and shine to your paper crafting projects, but did you know it works as a fixative too? My name is Charlotte Carpentier, and I am a Certified Zentangle Teacher. One of the things I love to do is experiment with products to find applications for them in my Zentangle practice, and Sheer Shimmer Spritz is a total keeper in this realm.
My dilemma: how to fix ZenstoneTM in powdered form to black paper. Zenstone is a lovely version of a piece of carved soapstone. It can be used to shade on black or dark colored papers, and when ground into powdered form, can be used to make some interesting backgrounds for tangling (or stamping) on. The problem lies with making it permanent…it will rub off somewhat if handled too much, making the pieces fragile. Regular fixatives are simply too damp and completely obliterate it…so the finished pieces in the past have been destined to live in a plastic bubble (or page protector) for their own good.
And one day, I said…I wonder what this Sheer Shimmer Spritz will do? I figured that it had to be light spritz’s from some distance, so I gave it a quick, light misting…and wouldn’t you know it…it worked!
I use the Gold a lot, but I also like the Sparkle and Frost. The coolest part seems that it sticks more where the ink is, and makes the lines really stand out. Unfortunately, they don’t photograph as sparkly as they are in person, but I was stunned at how awesome they looked. Additionally, you can use this same effect (powdering) with chalk pastels and colored pencils. And who does not love sparkles? (And my FitBit always has some Shimmer to it as well!)
If you want to see more of Charlotte’s cool work, or check out her schedule of classes in Southern California, check out www.charkatscreativeinsanity.com or www.facebook.com/charkatscreativeinsanity. You can also stalk her on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest at CharKatTangles!