Beautiful Mermaid Birthday Decoration

By: Karen Sessions from chatteringrobins.blogspot.com

By: Karen Sessions from chatteringrobins.blogspot.com

From the designer: "This project was to celebrate my niece's 4th birthday. I embellished a number four with an underwater theme and a beautiful gem covered mermaid. By adhering Dew Drop Gems to the mermaid's tail, I created jeweled scales which made a lovely texture. The beautiful colors were created by applying the transparent gems over metallic paint which intensified the colors. Then I applied texture paste to the number four along with fish and seashells. The perfect finishing touch was to add Dew Drop Gems in different shades of blue to appear as bubbles bringing the scene to life. Let's dive in!"

Click here for the craft project

Time to CompleteIn an evening

Primary TechniqueMixed Media

Intermediate

Materials List

wooden number & mermaid
Dew Drop Gems - blue, green, yellow, purple (The Robin's Nest)
white texture paste / translucent medium (Glossy Accents)
blue & green metallic acrylic paint / watercolor paint set / paint brushes
white gel pen / purple glitter glue / liquid adhesive
embellishments: sea shells, fish & assorted sea life, glitter tulle
transparency / bubble stamp / watermark ink / embossing powder / heat gun
liquid adhesive (ScraPerfect - Best Glue Ever)
thin tip nozzle (ScraPerfect - No Clog Writing Cap)
gem placement tool (ScraPerfect - Embellie Gellie)

Instructions

Apply white texture paste to the number. Create gentle waves of texture paste to mimic the ocean using a popsicle stick. Set aside to dry thoroughly.
Paint the texture paste with shades of aqua blue & green metallic paint. Set aside to dry.
Paint the wooden mermaid with metallic watercolor paint. Use a white gel pen to color her eyes and apply glitter glue to highlight select elements of the design.
Begin to place the Dew Drops onto the mermaid's tail. Select Dew Drops to coordinate with the color underneath. Carefully, begin gluing the Dew Drops into position. Set the mermaid aside to thoroughly dry.
Adhere a piece of glitter tulle to the back of the opening of the #4. This will increase the surface area which you can attach embellishments to and will provide an extra sparkle.
Next, adhere the mermaid to the large number with liquid adhesive.
Create your underwater scene with fish, shells, & assorted sea life. Apply a transparent medium to give the sea creatures a shiny & wet appearance. When you are satisfied with the placement, adhere the elements into position.
Stamp bubbles onto transparency, apply embossing powder, and heat set. Carefully cut out the bubbles and add them in between the elements. To create the appearance of more depth, adhere some of the bubbles underneath the aquatic elements, attach some on top, and have some bubbles overlap the edge.
To complete the underwater scene, use liquid adhesive to adhere a scattering of round blue Dew Drops to appear as bubbles in the turbulent water.