1. Mix Pearl Ex with a clear embossing powder for rubber stamp embossing. Pearl Ex in itself is not an embossing powder.
2. Interference colors work best over dark surfaces.
3. Mix 4 parts Pearl Ex to 1 part Gum Arabic and add water to desired consistency for a watercolor paint. If mixing in a plastic well palette, this mixture can dry out and become reconstituted with water.
4. Dust Pearl Ex Powders onto shrink plastic before shrinking. The powder will become embedded in the surface when the plastic shrinks.
5. Dust a polymer clay rubber mold with Pearl Ex before pressing in the clay. This is a great way to color the clay. It also makes the clay easier to release from the mold.
6. Mix Pearl Ex with the Jacquard Colorless Extender for use on fabrics. Heat set as directed on bottle.
7. Mix Pearl Ex with any clear medium to use over any surface. For example, you can mix Pearl Ex with a varnish, acrylic or solvent-based, as a coating over clay, wood, or paper.
8. Dust Pearl Ex onto any surface and then seal with a spray lacquer. Spray the lacquer out over the surface and let the mist fall onto the surface rather than spraying the lacquer at the surface. This will give you a more even coat of lacquer without spray marks as well as preventing the spray from blowing off the Pearl Ex.
9. Knead dry Pearl Ex powder into polymer clay to color it.
10. Pearl Ex can be mixed into glycerin soaps in soapmaking and wax for candlemaking.
11. Pearl Ex can be mixed into a medium and airbrushed. Some testing will be necessary to ensure that the particle size will fit through the airbrush opening

Materials

• Clear Glass Ornaments
• Jacquard Pearl Ex Powders
• Jacquard Textile Paints or Lumiere Metallics (optional)
• Spray adhesive or craft glue that dries clear

Directions:

1. Choose your adhesive. Craft glue may take a little longer, but you can get some nice effects. If time is an issue, you'll love how fast these can be done with spray adhesive.

   If using craft glue: Mix one part water with two parts glue and pour mixture into ball. Cover opening with finger or paper towel and turn to coat inside completely. Pour out excess. Let dry until glue mixture is no longer runny.

   If using spray adhesive: Place nozzle of spray adhesive close to opening of ornament and, in two short sprays, coat inside.

2. Try one of these techniques

   Iridescent finish: Put approximately 1/2 tsp. of Pearl Ex into ornament. Narrow craft sticks work nicely to get the Pearl Ex inside of the ornament. Hold fingertip or paper towel over opening. Turn and tap ball to coat inside. Pour out excess. Repeat with glue or adhesive and other colors if you like.

   Speckled Faux finish: Load a dry artist's brush with Pearl Ex. Place in ball, being careful not to touch sides and flick. Repeat with several colors.

   Antique Keepsakes: This technique works best on the larger ornaments and/or with smaller pictures. With artist's paint brush, white glue the fronts of magazine or Xerox pictures. Using tweezers, place these in the ornament. With a pencil eraser, firmly attach while removing creases and air bubbles, especially around the edges of the picture. Brush a coat of white glue to back of pictures. Let dry until glue is completely clear. Coat the inside of an ornament with one of the above finishes. As an alternative, try glueing the picture to the outside of the ornament.

3. Optional: Make any of these finishes opaque by pouring Jacquard Textile Paints or Lumiere Metallics into the opening of the ornament. Pour slowly around the rim while turning the ornament to get the paint to run down the sides of the ornament. Cover opening and turn ball to coat inside. Use one or more colors. Pour out excess, set with dryer or air dry, turning occasionally to prevent puddles.

Caution: When setting glue mixture or paints with hair dryer, be very careful not to overheat the ornament causing it to break.

1. Knead & condition the polymer clay
2. Roll out in a thin sheet about 1/4" thick. Make sure it is long enough to go around your glass. Attach to glass around the surface. Trim leading edge clean. Wrap the rest of the polymer around glass and butt and smooth edges. Trim off excess.
3. Texture the surface.
4. Apply Pearl Ex pigments (put small amounts of pigment on paper plate and apply with finger). Apply this to the surface of the Polymer in circular motion (as if applying make-up to skin). Coat the surface completely.
5. When adding another piece of polymer as embellishment or lips or feet to glass, put a small bead of cyanacrylate glue onto the primary surface. This will help bond one surface to the other.
6. Bake as per Polymer manufacturer's specification.
7. Seal final project with waterbased brush on lacquer.

Pearl Ex pigments can be blended on the surface for different color combinations. Applying water-based lacquers keeps the pigment from rubbing off. Glass and metal make the best surfaces to cover!

• Glass vase
• Pearl Ex Powdered Pigments. I've used 3 colors on each vase. Suggested color combinations:
  • Spring Green, True Blue, Super Copper
  • Salmon, Sky Blue Reflex Violet
  • Super Russet, Spring Green, Aztec Gold

• Aztec Gold Lumiere
• Black or Pearl Premo! Sculpey — 60 oz. each
• Use textured sheet of your choice for embossing I've used the Zebra Animal Print
• Clay dedicated pasta machine or something like a rolling pin to flatten the clay.
• Small foam brush

Directions:

1. Wipe the PrintMaker with a damp cloth and lay the PrintMaker on a sheet of conditioned clay on the sheet. Either run both through the pasta machine on the widest setting or roll a smooth cylinder over the back of the PrintMaker to make an even impression.
2. Apply Pearl Ex in random colors onto the sheet of textured clay.
3. Tear the clay in small uneven pieces and collage them onto the glass vase - no glue is needed.
4. When the vase is covered with clay pieces, bake as directed on the clay package.
5. When the baked vase has cooled, wash a section of the vase with a layer of Lumiere. Immediately wipe the surface with a dampened paper towel. This will lift the Lumiere off of the Pearl Ex surfaces.
6. Repeat Step 5 in sections until the vase has been entirely washed in Gold Lumiere.
7. Allow to dry and you are done!

Rubber Stamping with Pearl Ex

Pearl Ex & Rubber Stamping is a match made in heaven. Use Pearl Ex to emboss, highlight, & metallicise your cards, name tags, letters, scrapbooking, and more.

General Supplies: color card stocks, metallic card stocks, webbing sprays, Pearl Ex powders, embossing powders, stamps, stamp pads, white glue, paper cups, clear spray sealant, embossing heat tool, or clear acrylic medium or gum arabic, flat art brush, assorted color markers, comb.

Sea Horses designed by Pam Arnow:

1. Stamp bubbles in gold over front of card.
2. Stamp and emboss (see below) main design.
3. Use Pearl Ex Interference Water Color Method (see below) to paint main design.
4. Create backgrounds:
   • Metallic: brush leftover gold and russet Pearl Ex watercolor on gold card stock.
   • Wavy Blue: mix acrylic medium with Pearl Ex powder into a paste. Spread on light shiny card stock and comb.
   • Pearlized: mix Pearl Ex powder with acrylic medium and paint on with brush.
5. Spray webbing on card stock. Cut into wavy strips.
6. Cut and assemble with white glue.

Interference Pearl Ex Watercolor Method:

Stamp an outline on cardstock, using pigmented embossing ink. Emboss any metallic color or black. Color in image with permanent markers. Add some Pearl Ex to matte or gloss acrylic medium. Add a drop of water. Gum arabic mixed with Pearl Ex will also work. The Interference colors are very surprising... experiment with them! Use the Pearl Ex paint mixture to brush over the markers. Stir the mixture frequently.

Embossing with Pearl Ex Powder:

Spread clear embossing fluid on stamp pad, and stamp your design. Mix 1/4 to 1/2 Pearl Ex with clear embossing powder, (more absorbent paper requires more embossing powder). Sprinkle onto design, and raise with heat tool. Let stand a minute or two, brush off excess. If you do not have a heat tool, you can hold design parallel to an iron or hot plate (carefully!!)

Pearl Ex is extremely easy to use. Its incredible flexibility lends itself to a vast array of techniques. Your biggest problem may be deciding which technique to use. Here are some ideas to get you started:

artist: Barbara McGuire

Ornaments with Pearl Ex

artist: Marie Segal

Polymer Clay with Pearl Ex

Pearl Ex is perfect for patinas and metallic finishes.

Materials

• Pearl Ex pigments of choice
• Black Polymer Clay
• Glass to cover
• Cyanoacrylate glue (gels best)

artist: syndee holt

Textured Vase with Pearl Ex

by syndee holt

These simple glass columns are spiced up with a quick application of textured metallics — thanks to Pearl Ex and Sculpey!

Supplies

artist: Pam Arnow

Here are our Pearl Ex instructions & projects in printer friendly, downloadable pdf documents.

Pearl Ex Tips.pdf (133 Kb)

Pearl Ex Ornaments.pdf (219 Kb)

Pearl Ex Metallicised Vase.pdf (202 Kb)

Pearl Ex Textured Vase.pdf (203 Kb)

Pearl Ex Rubber Stamping.pdf (200 Kb)