Accents by Ranger

Today I wanted to share a project I made using the Accents line from Ranger which includes Glossy, Matte, Sepia and Crackle types. All of which are non-toxic, acid free, dry to a hard, transparent finish and work for loads of different applications. Something you may not know is all 4 of the accents can be used as an adhesive in addition to their other applications!


Today I want to introduce you to all 4 of the Accents. Next week I will show you how all of these bottle caps came together on one finished project. You might be thinking all four accents on one project?!?!? You'll see, it all comes together in the end ;)

Now, some of you may be familiar with Glossy Accents, the original three dimensional gloss medium offered by Ranger. Like the name states it dries to a high gloss finish. Unlike some other gloss mediums Glossy Accents is a thicker formula holds it's height quite well. Additional coats may be added after previous coats have dried if desired but one application usually works well for most situations.

Dry times vary depending on how thick your coating, humidity & temperatures. Usually 2 - 3 hours for a single layer application. The bottle caps took a bit longer because I get a little Accent Happy and squeeze out quite a bit. LOL!!

Another cool thing about the accents is that you can embed items in your projects. Here I have embedded Beaddazzle's beads into one of the bottle caps. I like to do this a couple ways.

The first is after you're done filling the bottle cap with the desired accents, sprinkle the beads (or other embellishments) right on top. Let dry. When it's completely dry you can shake off any excess beads.

The other way is a bit more time consuming but it yields amazing results! Place your background image down first, add a thin layer of accents and let dry. Now, add a 2nd element to the design. This could be a piece of ephemera, photo piece, etc. again, cover with a layer of accents & let dry. Continue to build alternating layers of design elements and accents. When you are finished the piece will have amazing depth that will be worth the time it took to put it together! I like to use this technique with frames or larger bottle caps that will accommodate the layers of accents. Just something to keep in mind ~ the accents do build up quickly once you get 3 or 4 layers.


The next accents I'd like to share with you is Matte Accents. If you're used to Glossy Accents this is going to be a huge shock to your system - LOL!! Matte Accents when dry looks like the object has been dry embossed. Check out the bottle cap to the right. It is the exact same line of paper used in the other bottle caps but the Matte Accents totally changes the look. It reminds me of pattern paper that has been layered under a sheet of vellum! Oh just think of the possibilities!!!







If you like the vintage look then you are going to LOVE Sepia Accents!!! This accent gives a brown aged look to whatever you apply it on AND has the same glossy finish as the original Glossy Accents!! The best of both worlds :) If you know me, you know how much I LOVE vintage things so this is probably my favorite of all the accents.

One thing I really love about Sepia Accents is the thicker the layer the deeper the color. You can apply a very thin layer for an almost honey finish. Add a bit more for amber, sepia, even a weak coffee tone may be achieved! I used several different bottle caps with this accent on the finished project showing a few of the various tones you can achieve.

The last of the Accent family is Crackle Accents. I have posted about this particular accent before. If you would like to check it out it can be found here: Crackle Accents. Another very fun accent to experiment with. The results are amazing and you never get the same look twice which is the really fun part about it. It's always a mystery to see the finished crackle.

So, now that you've seen them individually what do you think? Fun huh? Well, just wait till you see the finished project when they all come together. I promise you'll want to check out Monday's post...in addition to the project I'm going to hold a little posting prize for a few lucky people. You could win some of your own bottle caps!!

Till then, take some time to ink, scrap, craft or just relax!

BTW, are you remembering to take a photo a day? We're on day 18 you know!