Carte a Jouer #13

Just made the background for the next challenge and I am so happy with the end effect that I had to write about the process here.
PRINCIPLE OF THE CHALLENGE: http://carteajouer.blogspot.com/

Thème : Oiseau Topic: Bird
Technique : Fond coquilles Technique: Bottom shell

I covered the playing card with white gesso and then with a roller applied random spots of glue over the surface. I broke some egg shell and rolled it over the glue until it stuck. Next I painted some brown Winsor & Newton Ink over the whole surface. The ink was absorbed at different rates into the egg shell and gave some dark patches and a variety of lighter ones. To give it some shimmer I sprayed it with "Wheatfields" Glimmer Mist which gives it an iridescent green finish, the texture is fantastic on this card. I just noticed what looks like a tiny bird on the right hand side of the card just below the middle. Now it is ready for embellishment. I stamped a bird and painted with felt brushes and covered with crackle accents so that the finish would reflect the cracked egg shells. The flowers are stamped on a separate piece of cardstock, embossed with clear powder and then painted with Lumiere paints. Again I glazed these with crackle accents. The edge of the card is finished with gold leaf pen.