DIY Metallic Paint! {it’s as good as store bought!}

Hi Friends! Sometimes it is a mishap that becomes the springboard of a great idea! Such was the case when I knocked my bottles of powdered mica eye-shadow off the shelf for the umpteenth time, this time the bottom popped off the container and let loose gobs of gold mica on my floor. I was shocked at how much product was crammed in the little pots. The pot of powdered eye-shadow are spill proof (not break-proof though!) and I figured for a buck there was a chintzy amount in there, boy was I wrong! As I scooped up the precious powder from the floor I wondered if I could make paint with it and turns out I can! Boy, was I lucky I just vacuumed before the spill so I was able to salvage most of it. On any other day it would have been mica powder,dog-hair and perler bead soup! Watch the video to see how I made my paint:

The acrylic version of the paint is very durable. I painted some tiles and the paint stuck well and was opaque. I painted on some paper yesterday, then today I bent and creased the paper to see if the paint would crack or flake off and it did not! It is great stuff and the metallic watercolor rivals twinkling H2Os! I bet you could also add watercolor to the powders for more intensely colored sparkly shades too!

Q&A: (questions from YouTubers)

What is Gum Arabic and where do you buy it? It is the binder in watercolor paints. You can get it at an art supply store with watercolor mediums. Watercolorists use it to increase gloss and transparency in their paintings.

What can I use instead of gum arabic? If you want it to be water-soluble you can try clear washable glue (the kind for kids)  or equal parts white glue and vinegar. Make sure if you ware making the watercolor version that you let the paint dry out before capping so it won’t mold.

What can I use in place of Mod-Podge if making acrylic paint? Gel medium, white PVA glue, acrylic sealer/varnish, Future floor Wax (it’s called Pledge now). Make sure if you are making the acrylic version you only make up what you are going to use immediately or store in an airtight container so it won’t dry out.

If you have any other questions you can leave them below. Thanks for stopping by and til next time happy crafting!