2016 #16 Textured Locket {by Dounia Large}

2016 Topic 16: Beads,Charms and Dangles

Hello, Dounia here from the South of France, suggesting how you could create a jewellery locket with chipboard and Grunge Paste. Intrigued yet ?

As soon as I saw the theme for this fortnight, I knew I wanted to make a locket. It is a double treat: a nice piece of jewellery and a secret inside it! For some reason I also decided to go with a subtle and classy color palette of ivory and gold. I probably felt I needed a(nother) challenge as I'm generally more an « explosion of colors » kind of gal!

At the end of this post, there is a video describing in details the process of building the locket, filling it and also making the necklace to go with it. Check it out for loads of technical information in my French accent (it's said to make everything sound sexier, you tell me?!). 

In this blog post, I'll be focusing on the actual locket and the Grunge Paste relief technique I used to decorate it as I think it's full of creative possibilities.

Step One: The base
For this project I also wanted to show you can make jewellery items using mainly things found in a « regular » crafter stash, no need for special tools or materials. For example, for the body of the locket, I needed a light but sturdy material with an already existing shape (everything I cut ends up wonky) so I turned to my chipboard stash and chose a classical oval shape. Those chipboards are quite thin so I ended up stacking 5 of them (two for the top and three for the bottom) but first I die cut arches in the inside ones to make the locket tiny secret niche. To keep the locket closed, I planned on using a small magnet and a piece of metal so I also made holes at the bottom of the chipboards to insert them. To glue my chipboard sandwiches, I used spray glue because it sets quickly and is mostly dry so I was sure the chipboards wouldn't bend.

I then gave my pieces two good coats of Fresco Finish paint in Vanilla, which is very close to the color of antique ivory. It is an opaque paint so it completely covered the patterns on the chipboard and provided a nice neutral base. 

For added interest on my background I covered all four sides with old book paper, gluing it with matte gel. For a more subtle look I used a mix of Matte Glaze and Vanilla to slightly tone down the text and finally declared myself satisfied with the background.

Step Two: The Niche

Now, onto decorating ! Even if it is hidden most of the time, the niche is an essential part of a locket and, in my opinion, should be a tiny teeny shrine to whatever you put inside. With that in mind,  it obviously needed gold. I therefore cut two arches, slightly bigger than the niche, from a gold metal sheet and shaped them with a paper stump to mould into the niche while also covering the niche and this also provides a nice frame around it. I spray glued them to the chipboard base then decorated the metal frame with patterned Ten Second Studio wheels and a fine teflon tip tool.

Step Three: Outside locket cover
For the outside of the locket, I fell in love with the pattern of the main stamp from...

Urban Snapshots Wrought Iron Plate 1

...and wanted to recreate it in relief. After trying a few different compositions on scrap paper, I committed to a symmetrical one. For more control, I applied the chipboards to the inked stamp but I was probably too careful and the impressions were not the best... No matter, I completed them with a black permanent pen. Of course I then found them too stark and did another Vanilla glaze to tone them down a bit. That's the beautiful thing with paint, you can always change your mind !

Step Four: Grunge Paste Piping
Now those black lines are mainly guides for piping Grunge Paste. I got the idea from this post by Ruth (inspired by the PaperArtsy Grunge Paste fortnight a year back), and I've been experimenting with the technique ever since. 

I wanted to stay in the Ivory color scheme and Grunge Paste is naturally paler than that so I tinted a good dollop of it with a darker color, Haystack, to somewhat match the Vanilla I used for the background. I actually was too generous with the Grunge Paste but it's generally better to make too much and have some left to use on another project than to find yourself short and scramble to make another batch of the exact same color! 

Once satisfied with the tint, I made a piping cone out of Crunchy Paper. The wax surface is perfect for the Paste to slide on and as it is sturdier than parchment paper, I feel I have better control of the flow but that's just a personal preference ! I was ready to slowly add lines of Grunge Paste following the stamped pattern. I'm not a very good piper but thankfully, Grunge Paste is quite forgiving. As it dries rather quickly, it is better to work in small sections and correct any mistake immediately. When it is still wet, using a pointy tool like a toothpick or a needle, you can easily remove excess paste, correct curves or make lines flow into one another. When it is a bit drier, when a « skin » forms on the surface, you can better shape harsher relief like peaks and even add some impressions, like the hole in the bottom dot here. I left the pieces to dry overnight before giving them a good sanding. 

On another type of project, I probably wouldn't have bothered that much but I wanted to be sure it wouldn't scratch or catch on skin. Grunge Paste is quite porous so I sealed it with Satin glaze before adding a glaze of Slate to emphasize the relief. I covered to whole surface then wiped most of it, leaving it only in the dips of the pattern. A great way to create a permanent patina effect.

Step Five: Edges
I was happy with the surface, less so with the edges. I began by giving them a good coat of Gold Fresco paint but they were still too plain. To jazz them up a little, I decided to glue chains on them. You could easily substitute that for a nice textured ribbon or some embossed metal. I glued the chain with matte gel then added another coat of gel on top, filling the nooks and crannied while still keeping the chains relief. That way I was sure the gluing would stay strong and it also reduces scratching risk and dust gathering. However, the chains were a darker gold that the metal I had used for the inside niche so I used Brass Treasure Gold to bring some shine on the raised parts. I also lightly brushed some on the edges of the backgrounds to bring all the parts together. Finally, for strength, protection and smoothness, I sealed the locket with a generous layer of satin glaze finish.

I really love this technique with Grunge Paste. It is fantastic to add controlled relief on 3D projects. Jewellery is a good example, you can make simpler pieces like a brooch or a medallion and the raised pattern instantly gives it flair and interest. You can also choose a pattern with closed shapes that you then fill with different colors or beads or crackle paste ; the possibilities are endless !

Now, the body of the locket is finished and you could add a tiny picture inside it. I went with something a bit more abstract, and also made a necklace to hang it from (from a plastic bottle). 

Don't hesitate to check out the video for more information. 

Here's is a sneak peek :

I had fun thinking ways to use my stash differently and challenging myself to a more classical palette (you can see I broke down and cheated on the inside). Hope this project gave you a few ideas and made you curious enought to try new things !

Blog : http://doudoulina.over-blog.com/

Ohhh Dounia, this is fantastic. I love how you have explained this so perfectly! And I would never of thought to use chipboard layers to make a niche-locket! The metal chain looks perfect, such and elegant piece and the grunge past piping looks amazing!! Thanks for sharing with us! ~Leandra

We would love to see how you interpret this Beads,Charms and Dangles topic by linking what you make to our 2016 Challenge #16: Beads, Charms and Dangles, on this page HERE.

All of our bloggers love to see your twist on their ideas, so please link up what you make!

All links go in the draw to win a £50 voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. The Beads, Charms and Dangles link will close 17:00 (London Time) Sunday, Sept 4th 2016. The winner will be announced 2  hours later at 19:00.