Moonshadow Mists?

[jfugina]

So, has anyone received their moonshadow mists yet? I got one with the swirlydoos kit yesterday, and I haven't mixed it yet. I plan to soon, just to see what the consistency and effect really is. But in the meantime, I did some other experimenting.

After watching some videos where it was used, it seemed like one might be able to get the same effect with PearlEx. So I did some mixing last night. Considering I have a set of at least 30 PearlEx powders, I figured it was worth a shot. And the effect was cool. In a mini mister, I mixed two scoops of PearlEx (the spatulas that came with the mixer), and then put about an eyedropper full of gum arabic in there, and then just enough water to have something thin enough to spray. The mister was about 1/2 full at this point.

I made up an interference violet spray, and it spritzed well, and painted well (just dipping a paintbrush directly in the mister). I need to empty another mister before I can try a more solid color. I'm also anxious to see if it separates overnight and can be re-mixed easily. If it works, I might have about 30 moonshadow-like colors already in my collection.

I'll update this thread when I mix up the real moonshadow mist, and then I'll mix up some PearlEx mist in a similar color and post photos. Whether it would ultimately pass as a substitute, I don't know. But it certainly was fun to play with! And now after several years of owning them, I have a use for all that PearlEx powder.

[Sharonv]

Looking forward to hearing more on this, Julie.

I have some diff powders, interferences and other ones, and no idea what I brought them for or what I use them for.. Maybe I can try this. Mind you I noticed some have gone lumpy etc...

[mpizzazz]

I've done mists with pearl ex before but didn't add the gum arabic. I want to try that. I will be looking forward to your further experiments with it all.

[jfugina]

I read somewhere that PearlEx doesn't tend to stick to anything without a fixative. So I figured if I put it in a mister with just water, it wouldn't stick once it had dried. And I think I saw on the Club Scrap board someone recommended gum arabic as a fixative, and I'd picked some up a long time ago, but never used it for anything. I've mixed perfect pearls with water (and water-based dyes) and that works just fine, but pearlex doesn't seem to work the same way.

Anyway, since mists seem to be all the rage, and I sure as heck don't have the space for a whole new collection, I figured I'd experiment. I'll post after the kids are in bed with photos of my continued experiments.

[jfugina]

OK. I mixed up the Moon Shadow (Moonlit Mulberry) and it's cool. I do love that it came dry, and therefore didn't ruin my clothes when I took it out of the package (ruined a perfectly good shirt when the smooch spray came last month - I touched it and I guess the cap wasn't on straight) .

I have three scans for you. I couldn't get the stuff to photograph well at all. The shine just freaked out my camera. One is the mist I made last night. The mica powder had separated, but a quick shake and it was good as new. It's a pale green if you look at it straight on, and then shimmers to purple when you move it. Pretty, but too subtle. So I added a few drops of Club Scrap hybrid ink from a reinker - amethyst. Much happiness. The color is consistent and the shimmer is beautiful.

Next I sprayed the Moon Shadow, just to see what colors I'd need to try to get close. It sprays a light brown, but has burgundy hints to it, and the shimmer part is definitely on the reddish side.

Next I started with a mister with walnut stain distress ink (reinker). The brown was pretty dark - tea stain would probably have been a better match, but I don't have that in a reinker. Then I added Blue Russet PearlEx powder. No gum arabic yet. And the effect was about what I expected. Brown spray that shined red when moved. And, when it dried, it didn't seem like the mica powder had any trouble sticking to the paper. Though I could easily rub it around with my finger after it was dry.

Lastly, I added the gum arabic. It seemed like the mica somehow distributed better - I got more of the russet color, and it was dispersed more evenly. Though admittedly that could just be due to lots more shaking.

One other note: I sprayed a piece of glossy cardstock with the home-made mist before the gum arabic, and when it dried, the ink stuck, but I was able to dust the powder off with barely a touch. It stuck better with the additive, though still not perfect.

At any rate, whether I got something usable out of the deal is anyone's guess, but I had a lot of fun with the experiment! And with about 15 reinkers and 30+ PearlEx colors, I should be able to get just about any color combo I want.

[Monica]

Very pretty! I have way too many Glimmer Mists, and probably every Memory Mist color CS sold, but haven't really experimented with making my own reinkers. Hmmmm.... might need that 40% off coupon for Michael's after all.... must have some of those Ranger spray bottles to try this!

Monica

[mpizzazz]

Thanks for doing that experimenting, Julie! They look really good.

[mpizzazz]

Julie,
Is your gum arabic a powder or a liquid? I have a powder and hadn't thought of sucking it up with an eye dropper. On the jar, it says 1 part gum to 4 parts pearl ex then add water to desired consistency.

[jfugina]

Mine is liquid. So I have no idea if I have the mixture close - it was just a guess. Given that my gum arabic was liquid, I'll bet I could have used more than I did to get it to all stick together.