Creating amazing mixed media texture is as simple as swiping this Sizzix paste through a stencil and heating it! 

Adding texture can be overwhelming for many mixed media newbies--and sometimes it gets us pros too! But there are some products out there that make adding texture so simple and easy that literally anyone can do it! 

One of those mediums is the Sizzix Expand Paste. Like all other products in the Effectz line, this paste is also customizable, but it is also perfectly beautiful all on its own. That's how I used it in this project. But if you want to customize it with color, simply mix in one of the many options of Creamy Matte Acrylics from Sizzix before applying it to your project. 

Let's hop into this tutorial. If you like to watch me create this project, be sure to watch my YouTube tutorial for it!

Start by painting your 5x7 canvas with the Sizzix Creamy Matte Acrylic Pain in Arctic Sky. Once the paint is dry, apply the Expand Paste through a stencil. You'll need to set your canvas aside for the paste to set up. This is because the magic happens after it has had a chance to dry. 

While your paste is drying, you can work on the embellishments. I like to pre-cast a bunch of moulds ahead of time and store them in a box until I'm ready to use them. I had already cast a Prima Marketing mould using some plaster-like moulding material. It's super easy to use and non-toxic. You may have to play with the ratio of powder to water, depending on your climate. I ended up having to add more powder to get it to the pancake batter like consistency it needs. The great thing about these plaster-type moulds is that they don't require gesso before painting. So I spritzed these with Distress Oxide Sprays in Milled Lavender and Lost Shadow to tint it.

I also die cut the Sweet Birds from the Muted Cardstock set. I cut a bunch more of the little flowers than I needed, but it's always nice to have some handy for a quick project later. The wings and the heads of each bird got an application of Distress Oxide in Speckled Egg to help highlight the texture. The Sizzix Multi-Tool Foam Blender is the perfect tool for this because of its flat surface. 

Use a small foam square and some liquid adhesive to adhere the wings to make it look like each bird is slightly lifting its wing. Then add some small gems for each eye. The flowers also got a quick press with a shaping tool for just a tiny bit of dimension. 

Once the Expand Paste is dry, heat with your heat tool and watch the paste expand and fluff up like a marshmallow! It really is so fun to watch it puff up as you move your heat tool across it. 

Now you can add all of your embellishments! The mould gets adhered with Prima Marketing's Heavy Body Gel. The birds each got 4 layers of foam adhesive to help them sit level on top of the mould and canvas. Add on nests of sisal fiber and paper flowers with more heavy body gel. 

Shape each leaf and tuck it under the paper flowers then add on the die cut flowers. Give each die cut flower a gem for a flower center and that's it! You have easy texture and a pretty project!

Until next time, happy crafting,

Adrienne

Shop the Supplies:

Scrapbook.com & Sizzix

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Below are products that I used or similar products.