Mica colorants are so versatile. They add a beautiful shimmer to projects like bath bombs and lotion. You're not limited to DIY bath and body either - micas can be used in resin casting, encaustic painting, and model painting. We asked a few people in our office to share the creative ways they use micas. Find inspiration below.
Playdough and slime
Like most parents, Nicole with our research and development team is always looking for ways to keep her daughters entertained. She decided to make playdough for Stasia, 10, and Anabella, 7. It's a mixture of flour, oil, salt, cream of tartar, and water. Nicole customizes it with micas and fruity fragrances like Apple Sage. Stasia and Anabella love Snowflake Sparkle, Queen's Purple, and Red Mica especially. Nicole uses those colors for slime as well, which is a mixture of glue, baking soda, water, and contact lens solution.
Nicole is now known as the "playdough fairy" at her daughters' school - the teachers reach out to her whenever kids need more to play with.
Encaustic painting
Amber, vice president of content and product development, is always trying new crafts. She does embroidery, knitting, origami, weaving, screen printing, and rubber stamping, to name a few. One of her favorites is encaustic painting, which involves mixing heated beeswax and color and applying it to canvas. Amber then uses a blowtorch to add an interesting and often unpredictable look.
She uses Bramble Berry pigments to color the wax and then dusts on mica as a finishing touch. Her favorite is Pewter Silver Mica because it adds dimension and a hint of shimmer.
Painting models
When Leigh started as the vice president of fulfillment and operations a few months ago, he was excited to experiment with new colors. He's been painting models for tabletop and role-play gaming for 20 years - it's how he unwinds after long days.
Leigh mixes micas with a glossy or matte medium and paints it on models. For this dragon wing, he used Plum Dusk, Caribbean Blue, and Evergreen Mica.
Resin casting
Rachel, a member of our fulfillment team, has been trying a few crafts lately. The newest is resin casting, which is a technique that's similar to melt and pour soap. She mixes resin and hardener together, splits it into 3 cups, and adds mica. In this case it was Plum Dusk and Mermaid Blue Mica.
She swirls the colors together and pours it into a silicone mold. In 24 hours, they're ready to unmold and enjoy. So far, Rachel is loving the results and she plans to try the technique with other objects like planters and hearts.