Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Tutorial #1 -Layering

Many of you have been requesting a glimmer mist tutorial on my backgrounds. So, here it is!!
I decided to do a Halloween background for today's first installment of glimmer mist tutorials.

This is the new Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist Halloween set that will be released soon! It comes with 3 beautiful new colors and a spooky cat stencil!! That blue/purple color is called Raven. And, it is my new fav!!


A few basics you should know. If you don't want to get messy, wear gloves! Otherwise, most of the color will come off your hands with some soap (Dove is great) and water. Some colors are very stubborn....like reds. So, if you have an important function to go to later...wear some gloves.

Always shake your glimmer mist really well, to mix up that gorgeous glimmer that settles to the bottom of your bottle:
[make sure your cap is ON when you are shaking it!]

If your nozzle gets clogged, remove the nozzle and set it in a cup of warm water. While it's in the cup of water spray it into the sink (or somewhere wipeable) and clear out the nozzle. Make sure you spray out any excess water before you place it back in your bottle.

The type of paper you use will affect the look of the glimmer mist. You can use basic cardstock or watercolor paper. (As well as many other surfaces, like chipboard, wood, etc.)

If you are going to do a lot of layering, I suggest watercolor paper. It doesn't have to be fancy. For this tutorial, I used one of those cheap watercolor pads that Michael's sells for $1 during the dollar days sales.

Always work over a wipeable surface! Or lay down some cardboard.

For layering, I start with lighter colors first.
You can hold the bottle farther away from the paper for a finer, more even spray.
I like to hold the bottle about 8" away. Sometimes each bottle nozzle differs. So, it can be a surprise. That's the nice thing about the mist, though...remember, it does NOT need to be perfect!

Here, I sprayed the paper with some Jack O'Lantern:


Next set your stencil down on the paper. You can use the Tattered Angels Glimmer Screens, doilies, flowers, chipboard, anything you want that will create a mask.

Then spray with a darker, contrasting is best, color.
Here, I sprayed OVER the screen with two colors, Raven and Haunted Shadow:

When you first spray the mist, it looks dark. It needs to absorb and dry before the glimmer really shows up! So, don't get discouraged.

While I am working on a piece, I always have an extra piece of cardstock to flip the wet side of the stencil on to. This will create a negative (reverse) image.

Carefully flip the wet stencil over. Do not move it once it's down. Then gently press down all over the stencil, to get all that glimmer mist to soak in to your paper.

Here, I used a piece of Neenah 80lb, just so you can see the difference of the glimmer mist on cardstock vs. watercolor paper.


I then used my small scroll screen. I set it down on the corners of the paper and sprayed with Mimosa:

Again, I flipped the wet stencil over:

This is what the negative image looks like:

At this point, you may want to let your paper dry. Either with a heat gun, or air dry for about 10 minutes. If your paper gets too saturated, the colors will bleed into your masked area.

I also like to blot with tissue. If I spray and I get big drops, I use the blot technique. It has beautiful results. You can see in my final picture what I am talking about.

I also used the scroll in the bottom corner and sprayed over it with Purple Pansy. And, repeated the negative image process onto the extra piece.

I like to add more colors for contrast. Here, I added some random sprays of Jazz Blue. I held it really close to get those big drips and I also unscrewed the nozzle and flicked some glimmer mist onto the paper (careful this is a messy trick):

[you can click on most of these pics to make them larger]

Next, I took a chipboard star and sprayed over it with Coffee Shop (my all time most reached for color!) This also creates a gorgeous sparkly star you can reuse!


I then decided I wanted some more orange in it, so I went back over some areas with the Jack'O Lantern...notice how if you use a light hand, it won't affect your image:

Notice how the colors have become more vibrant and sparkly now that it's dry!?!

Once you are happy with your background, cut it and dirty up the edges. Here, I used Versamagic in Eggplant:

So, now you have a background to work on!!

I like to do full sheets (like pictured at the top of my post) and then cut them into smaller pieces I can use on my cards.

If your paper is warped, you can leave it in a phonebook (make sure it's dry first) over night, or use your heat gun to warp it back into shape, or if you are going to mount it to another piece of cardstock, that will usually be enough. I've even heard some people iron it. But, I haven't tried that yet. I'm too afraid I'd scorch it! I'm not good with irons! :o)

I'll have another glimmer mist installment soon!! If anyone has requests, I will try my best to accommodate them!