All That Glitters

 Last week, I posted a video from the Getty Museum about Making Manuscripts. Several people asked me what does one do with the gold that is brushed off and that gave me the idea of today's post.

After the gold crumbs are brushed from the work, I save the crumbs in a small jar. I don't use them for gilding as the crumbs get crumpled up and folded, but they are perfect to add to the bowl when making Shell Gold. Shell Gold is a paint made by grinding sheets of gold leaf with gum Arabic. The Medievals called the paint Shell Gold because they stored it in a mollusk shell..

However, I will show you a relatively inexpensive technique to add bling to your artwork without purchasing sheets of real gold. I learned this technique in a workshop with Jacqueline Sullivan, a calligrapher and mixed media artist.

You will need a package of gold, silver or variegated metallic flakes.  I found the flakes at Michael's

You will also need a blank greeting card, double stick tape, and a soft brush. I trimmed a little bit off the front edge of the card.

I applied the double stick tape on the bottom edge of the card. Then sprinkled the metallic flakes on the tape. Cover the tape. Don't worry if it looks messy at this step.

With the soft brush, brush the excess back into your container. You will be left with a gleaming metallic strip.

Now you can decorate the front and inside sentiment as you like. When closed, the metallic leaf will peek out from the card. Admire the beautiful card you created.

You're not limited to straight lines either. With a stencil and glue stick, you can probably add a shape like a heart. I have not used glue stick so if you try it, you'll have to let me know your results.