Using Mica flakes to color an image

I'm going to show you a really fun technique to try with this month's kit using the Mica flakes. It's a bit more involved than just using it like glitter, so be prepared to roll up your sleeves and have some fun!!

You'll need these items:

Mica flakes
Stamp of your choice or a black and white image (I used my Prima hybrid digi-kit for my image)
Clear adhesive (I used my Xyron machine)
White cardstock
paintbrushes with soft bristles
Kraft knife (if you want to cut out an image)
Transparency sheet



The first thing I did was choose an image that I wanted to use on my layout--I used a Prima digi-frame and printed it out onto a 3M transparency. Feel free to use whatever image you'd like for this technique! You can stamp an image onto the transparency, just be sure to stamp it on the ROUGH side of the sheet.
After printing the image onto the transparency, I ran it through my Xyron to add adhesive to the back of the image--


don't worry if you don't have a Xyron--you can use any clear adhesive on the back of your image!! Just turn the image over and start adding your adhesive! (Be sure to give it a good, clear coat)


After peeling off the backing of my frame,

I starting adding (on the sticky side of the image) the Mica flakes to areas that I wanted color--using a smaller brush for the smaller areas on the frame


For larger areas that I wanted color, I used a larger bristle brush and swirled the Mica onto the image--


I added different colors to give the frame a bit more "oomph"--


After adding the Mica flakes to the areas I wanted, I gently shook out the excess onto a paper towel and attached the image onto a white piece of cardstock:


Now, for my image, I wanted to create a frame for this photo of my son, but you can use whatever image you want!!
I trimmed the frame from the cardstock and used my craft knife to cut out the frame where my photo is going to be. I inserted this photo of my son hugging a tree--

Now I have a beautiful frame that highlights this photo on my layout--

See how the Mica flakes just melt onto the image and really make this frame "pop"?

I hope you enjoy trying this with your Mica flakes and can't wait to see your creations in our gallery!!

Happy Scrapping!!

~~Kary