Getting busy with Metallic Pan Pastels!

Hi everyone!
Hope you're loving the new look blog - we're having a couple of issues with the blog feeds and Google+ so to make sure you still get all our posts and makes please make sure you refollow and sign up for the feeds - we have some amazing blog candy coming up so you don't want to miss that!

I just thought I'd share a project with you today featuring Metallic Pan Pastels - this is my absolute FAVOURITE product ever right now, the results you can achieve with card, the 6 colours and a Versamark inkpad are just stunning. If you haven't seen these yet or tried them they are really really high on my recommended list! Well worth the money and VERY versatile - you will think they are a cream like all other metallics or a wax, but they're not, they genuinely ARE the same texture and consistency as your other Pan Pastels! This means that they can be used in exactly the same way and with all the same great techniques you use normally - but with the added bonus that when mixed with the original colours they then become metallic too! AWESOME!

This really simple make was done by embossing black card with a Sizzix embossing folder then covering it with Versamark ink. Dab on a mixture of all 6 metallic colours then smooth them together with your Sofft sponge (If you use a normal sponge you really must switch to the Sofft sponges and applicators, we guarantee you will get better results!)...So smooth out the colours until you have a great coverage, then take a soft cloth or tissue and gently buff off the excess powder - this really will bring up an amazing shine! My top tip for using the metallics to give you a really great brushed metal effect... once you've finished, take one specific lighter colour and then sweep it slightly over any raised embossed areas and around all the edges. And voila! Completely looks like metal.

On this card I Also used a few die-cuts, again pressing them into Versamark first to make the Pan Pastel adhere better - if you do this you get a much more intense laydown and richer finish.

Look at the shine on the Butterfly, this blows me away every time I see it! The flowers are actually coloured with normal Pan Pastels (is there such a thing as 'normal'?) but because I used the autumnal browns and greens the metallic has completely changed the look of them and made thos look metallic too! Don't forget you can also use a cheap hairspray as you apply the colours - this will seal each layer so that you can then work on top and keep gaining a more intense and layered effect to your work.

So that's it from me today - please come back and join us on Sunday for our newly revamped Challenge!

Nikky x