How to Create the Broken Crackly Finish with Paint

Crackle Paint

Achieving the old broken paint, crackly finish
is surprisingly a lot lot lot easier than one would think. It doesn't
take a lot of skill, experience or time, and it can be applied to
almost any thing from the wall to the plate, flower pot, picture,
canvas, bowl....whatever you can think of.

Needed:

- Surface you wish to apply this faux finish to 

-Base paint color

- Top paint color

- Clear crackle-finish medium

You can find this in your local craft store such as Michaels, Joanns, Hobby
Lobby, or even stores such as Meijers (look in the crafts section).
If you are painting large surfaces such as your wall go to either the
paint section in your local department store or go straight to a shop
that specializes in paint only, such as Sherwin Williams, they will
be able to answer any other application questions you might
have.

- Paint brush

How to: 

- Take the surface you wish to work on and paint it with the base
paint.

- Let it dry completely

You can buy three different brushes or use the same brush for all the
applications but make sure you clean it properly. Unless you leave it
to sit with paint on and get hardened all you need is warm water and
soap/dish detergent to clean and a paper towel to dry your
brush.

- Once the base coat is fully dry go ahead
and cover it with the crackle medium. Make sure you
read the directions on the medium you buy as different manufacturers
might have slight differences in application process.

- When the crackle medium is done (usually takes around 30 min, but once
again read the instructions on the packaging) cover it with the top
coat paint. Make sure you don't over do it as this can make the
crackle lines get filled up and disappears.

- Let dry and voila!

- Depending on your project you
might also opt for covering the whole thing in clear
finish. 

There are a lot of different mediums and
options out there, before you start your project make sure you know
what you want, small cracks like a broken windshield, big ones
looking more like rips, spider web ones. Will your surface be bigger
(maybe you're applying it to a wall) or something small (like a
jewelry box or a plate)? Once you figure it out, or at least some of
it get your shopping shoes on and find the crackle medium that best
fits you.

Here are some examples of how a crackle
might look once completed: 

Crackle finish dresser

Hope I was of help!

Fathers Day Crafts

Many fathers have small children who, naturally, cannot afford to give them elaborate gifts so why not kill two birds with one stone? Grabbing some quality time with your child and helping it create a cherished gift for its daddy. One easy gift, and sort of a must have of all holidays, is a greeting card. With your help it is simple enough of a process to create for a child of nearly any age, and more importantly it will have them express their creative side and let them share what they might not have known how otherwise.

What you will need to create the fathers day greeting card:

- Couple of pieces of hard card stock printer paper.
- Markers, jumbo markers, coloured pencils, pens, crayons, water colours, oil paints, chalk, or any other medium your child wishes to use. Don't be afraid to let them mix and match!
- Scissors.
- An envelope.

How to create the card:

- First of all make sure the child has adequate space. A nice, flat surface, such as a table, that is big enough to contain all the crafts supplies.
- Explain to the child what you will be doing, maybe make a quick presentation for them if they are younger.
- Decide with your child what size the card should be, you can simply just fold the piece of paper in half and have that be it, or you could cut out a different size. Please make sure you supervise your child if you will be letting them use the scissors and do the cutting.
- Have them (or you can do it for them) fold the hard printer sheet in half to create the card.
- On the inside of the card, on the right side have them write a message. Since these are only small children have a standard "Happy Fathers Day" already written somewhere on the to be card, or on a piece paper for them to copy. Ask each child if there is anything else they want to write in there and then help them out with it.
- On the back of the card where a price would be and a logo, have them write "Made by: Child's Name"- As far as the front of the card goes, explain to the child what fathers day is and let them draw or paint something that they relate to daddy or what they think of him, or want to say to him.
-Now put the finished card into the envelope you have bought (unless you know how to hand make them! ) and have the child address it to daddy. Most likely you wont need to tell them anything as far as the presentation goes, they will be out there running to give the card to dad before you can blink !