Perfect Paste ... success in the drip

5/3/2020

Your Chalk Couture products are designed to give you DIY projects that are quick and relatively easy! A key to that "easy" success is the consistency of your paste. Sometimes this consistency can make or break your final product.
Now you are wondering "what is this perfect consistency? " We are looking for a consistency that many describe as a "sour cream" or "cake batter" consistency. It's a slow drip. Check out the video below for a visual.

"That many describe as a "sour cream" or "cake batter" consistency."

When your paste is too dry it will be hard to spread on, it will dry very quickly (often giving that really distressed look). If your paste is too wet (watery), you will often end up with leaks under your transfer image.
There are a couple of reasons the paste changes consistency. First off the Chalkology pastes are chalk turned into a paste. The various colours have a range of pigment added, this pigment will affect how fast/ slow your paste hardens. White, for example, has no pigment and you will find it often needs a stir! Blue Jay & other heavy pigmented colours may be a great consistency but need a quick stir to get the pigments evenly distributed.
Second the chalk paste air dries quickly - which is awesome for our projects! This means though that as the lid is off your jar it is starting to dry it there as well.

So now you want to know... How do I fix this?! Well the good news is this is the easy part! Simply add a small amount of distilled water & stir. Start with a small amount, however if you add too much water there are two easy fixes. Leave the lid open for a little while & let the paste air dry (stir it occasionally) or add a small amount of cornstarch & stir. Distilled water is suggested as it is free from impurities (we don't want things growing in that jar!).

There are a couple tools I find handy to have on hand for quickly prepping my pastes.
1. A small spray bottle with distilled water in it. You can use one like this
2. Stir sticks- Chalk Couture has two products that work really well.
The Multi-Tool is made of the same material as your squeegees & designed to perfectly fit the inside edge of the jar. It is great for stirring & scraping all the chalk together. It also has a small end for applying chalk to your fine detailed projects .
The mini stir sticks, are sturdy and perfect size to have many on hand for a quick stir. Avoid wooden stir sticks (like Popsicle sticks) as they can wick the moisture out of your paste.

There are other factors that can affect your paste. The Chalkology paste do not like to be frozen. Unfortunately many of us live in winter wonderland a good part of our year! Sometimes the pastes freeze in shipping. Don't stress! This is fixable. Simply let your your paste warm to room temperature and then work to obtain the perfect paste consistency.
If your paste is really hard (this can happen if you haven't used it for a long time) and you just can't get it smooth and dripping by stirring. You can try the warm method. Simply microwave it for 10 seconds or less & stir. repeat if necessary. You could also try warming your distilled water & stirring.
The very odd chance you have a brand new paste you just can't get to mix properly (hey things happen) call customer service, they are AMAZING and will help!

Tips for consistency success project after project.
Store your paste jars flat, not on their sides. The pigments may leak if stored on the side.
Spritz a small amount of distilled water into the jar when you are done your project. This will put a little moisture in for the next time.
Ensure the edge & lid are clean. A nice tight seal of the lid to the jar will help stop your moisture from leaking out.
Chalk often! Okay-- that's just fun to do ;)

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