Love Cross

Many of my friends decorate a focal wall in their homes with an assortment of crosses. They vary from big, small, old, new, tribal, Celtic, wooden, painted, mosaic-ed, and now…….. yes you guessed it! SHABBY CHIC-ed and GLITTERED!

Mixing the old world rustic with a punch of red glam is a perfect recipe for this graceful and timeless piece.

First, base coat the cross with white (Titanium White) paint twice and let dry.

Then squeeze red (Quinacridone Crimson) paint directly on the heart.  Use a brush to spread it thickly around the edges. Leave the paint shallow in the middle creating an empty heart that will later be FILLED with-GLITTER!

Use a brush to mix in the other shade of red (Naphthol Crimson) along the thick edges. Set aside to dry. Remember the thicker amounts of paint will take longer to dry. Mine took about 24 hours.

Mix equal parts of Glazing Medium with dark brown (Burnt Umber) paint. Quickly brush a thin layer over the entire cross.

Before it dries, spray water over the brown. Let it sit a couple of minutes.

Then use a paper towel and gently wipe away the water and any wet paint. This will leave you with a distressed weathered look. Repeat until you get the effect you want. If you want to apply this technique on a bigger surface, just work on small sections at a time. I suggest experimenting on a scrap piece of wood first until you get a feel for the technique.

After the painted heart has dried completely, use Designer Dries Clear to fill in the concave portion.  

While glue is still wet sprinkle the Red Kooky Ultrafine Opaque. Let dry. Tap heart to remove excess glitter onto a piece of paper. Now take the paper, while slightly folding it, pour glitter back into its container.

A soft, dry brush can also be used to dust off remaining glitter.

Brush on Designers Dries Clear to adhere the burlap around the ends of the cross. Let dry. Finally, hot glue a scrap piece of wood to the center of cross and then glue the heart on top. This will really make the heart POP-OUT! (The scrap piece needs to be smaller than the heart, so it will be hidden from view.)

Glitter has an amazing ability to capture light brilliantly…..so keep that in mind when you decide where to hang it.

Materials used:
-Art Glitter: Red Kooky Ultrafine Opaque
-Designer Dries Clear Adhesive 

-wooden cross
-small wooden heart
-strips of burlap
-small piece of scrap wood
-acrylic artist paint: white, dark brown, 2 shades of red (I used Liquitex, BASICS: Titanium White, Naphthol Crimson, Burnt Umber/ Liquitex, Soft Body: Quinacridone Crimson)
-glazing medium (I used Liquitex: Glazing Medium)
-spray bottle of water
-paintbrushes/ paint tray
-hot glue gun/sticks
-paper towels