'Patriotic Pin' by Jill-Marie aka Bean
Design Team Member

**Having at one time been head over heels involved with tole painting I, of course, have every color of acrylic paint ever thought of. Once I moved on to inks and other fun mediums, my paints had been relegated to a back shelf to gather dust on the cute little bottles. Every so often I would pull a couple of bottles out for a kissing technique on dominos, or to add fine lines where a pen just wouldn't cut it.

I had just finished doing such a technique when I was thinking about what to do for the upcoming Americana theme for LAWofGP. With chin in hand, I sat at my worktable eyes roaming every little nook and cranny for inspiration.
I must admit, living in Canada does not give one the most ample opportunity to acquire Americana themed goodies. Working at 2 o' clock in the morning does not help either. I have found most store owners do not like to be woken up at that time because one 'absolutely has to have' a particular embellishment to finish their project. We live in a very small town and all of the store owners are listed in the 25 page phone book, much to their eventual dismay.

My eyes swept across the bottles of paint numerous times before the little light bulb called 'idea' finally began to form. Why not use acrylic paint?
I already know it adheres to a prepared domino surface. I already know that the colors won't run when sealed. In fact, I already know that acrylic paint and dominos go hand in hand in many ways. And, hark! I happen to have 3,457 bottles right at my fingertips. Tossing caution, and numerous other objects to make reaching my neglected paints easier to reach, to the wind, I began my project.
They aren't big, but I think that they reflect everything needed to convey the message 'Americana" quite well. As I had two thoughts and couldn't make up my mind on one or the other, I did what most sane domino artists would do ... I made both.

So, here they are, hope you enjoy them and hope it gives you another perspective when you cannot run out and purchase what you need, to utilize what you already have. Chances are, you will be quite pleased with the outcome!

Supplies:
Domino
Delta Acrylic paints: Liberty Blue
Dimensional Fabric Paint by Plaid: Red, White
3" 1/8" copper self adhesive tape
Pin back
Toothpick
Antiquing gel
Glue
Krylon Sealer, Matte finish

Directions:
Sand domino lightly to give it some tooth.
Basecoat entire domino with Liberty Blue Delta Acrylic paint & let dry.
Using red & white 'Dimensional' fabric paint by Plaid, make your stripes for the flag.
Put 5 - 7 dots of white 'Dimensional' paint where stars should go and using a toothpick, pull the star points out until you are pleased with their shape Let dry overnight.

Rub a minimal amount of antiquing gel over entire front of pin, making sure some stays in the creases between the stripes.

TIP: if you do not have antiquing gel, you can use watered down umber brown paint and wipe with a soft cloth.

Wrap a 1/8" strip of self-adhesive copper tape around middle of domino to separate stripes from star section.
Leave edges plain.
Add pin back with glue.
Seal with Krylon Matte spray, two or three light coats will do.