Twinkling H2Os from Luminarte/Creative Imaginations are luscious little pots of pure pigment infused with sparkly flakes of mica. Essentially watercolors, they can be used on any porous surface with stunning results!  The key to using them successfully is spritzing the pots with plenty of water. After a few minutes, little craters will form in the pots, and that’s where the magic happens! The water releases the mica and it pools at the bottom of the crater creating a creamy, richly colored paint with lots of sparkle.  While you’re working with the paints, be sure to keep spritzing them with water to keep them liquid.

A wide variety of mediums will work beautifully with H2Os. Experiment with papers like the “Paint It” line of products from Luminarte/Creative Imaginations, watercolor paper, or old book paper. You can use ribbons, paper flowers, tags, Washi tape: the possibilities are endless!

An art journal is a fun way to explore the possibilities of these paints. It’s easy to make your own with just a few simple materials. I made this colorful journal with a 12 X 12 Paint It from Luminarte/Creative Imaginations, 6 Paint It sheets cut to 8 ½ X 11, and some 1.25” white silk ribbon from May Arts painted with Twinkling H₂Os.

To create a 6” X 9” journal with pockets:

Score the 12 X 12 Paint It sheet at 9” from the top.

Score the cardstock at the 6” mark vertically.

Fold up the bottom and secure the outer edges with clear packing tape.

Cut a slit in the tape with scissors or a craft knife to reopen the pockets in the front & back inside covers.

Fold all 6 of the 8 ½ X 11 Paint It sheets in half to create 12 pages that are 5 ½ X 8 ½.

Use clips to secure the pages to the inside of the cover as shown.

Punch holes through all the layers at 1” from the top and at 1” from the bottom in the fold line with a Crop-a-Dile or other paper punch. Punch the pages and cover individually if you don’t have a punch that can go through that many layers at once.

Thread the painted 1.25” white silk ribbon through all the holes starting from the outside and tie a secure bow on the spine of the journal. Be sure to leave plenty of extra ribbon so you can add more pages if you wish.  {I used Snapdragon, Sunflower, and Ocean Blue H₂Os to paint the ribbon. Paint about 1/3 of the ribbon with a different color, then scrunch up and set aside to dry.}

The vibrant colors in my H₂Os set made me think of a peacock. I wanted to use that image for my cover art, so I printed out a coloring page with a simple line drawing of a peacock onto a piece of Paint It cardstock cut to 8 ½ X 11. This is a great option if you are like me and can’t draw! Just download the coloring sheet and resize it with your photo editing software to 5 X 7. I printed out 2 copies so I could have an extra one to use for practicing with the paints.  I found the printable coloring page at The Coloring Barn.

For the most concentrated color, be sure to dip into the crater and scoop up the thicker pigment. For a lighter wash of color just add more water to your brush and use the watery layer of paint on the surface. Remember to keep spritzing the paints with water! I used a white gel pen to add dimension to the beak and under the jawline of the peacock. Trim the artwork to 5 X 7 and add it to the front cover of your journal. The H₂Os pictured here are Ocean Wave, Sunflower, & Mallard.

The flower for the cover was made with May Arts Ivory Taffeta/Iridescent/Wired ribbon using a similar technique to the flowers I created for the Blooming Twinkle Garland. Use a paint brush to add Snapdragon {Purple} H₂Os to the completed flower. Paint the May Arts Ivory Faux Suede Leaves with Mallard {Green} H₂Os for a stunning depth of color and texture! Add the completed leaves and blooms to the cover of your journal.

Use the inside pages of your journal to document your experiments with H₂Os. Be sure to record the colors and types of materials you use and notes about techniques and results that you want to remember. Your journal will serve as a valuable reference for future projects.  I’ve been playing with these May Arts Ribbons and Twinkling H₂Os combinations:

White Leaves + Mallard {Green}

Ivory Satin/Pleats + Hot Cinnamon {Red}

White 1.25” Silk Ribbon + Ginger Peach {Orange}

White Crochet + Ocean Wave {Blue}

White Sheer/Looped Trim + Snapdragon {Purple}

For the tags and paper flowers I used the colors above and Sunflower {Yellow}

Thanks to May Arts & Creative Imaginations for an amazing blog week! For a link to a download of this project be sure to visit Serendipity Vintage Studio. Happy twinkling everyone!

Blog post by: Kimberly Jones