Tag Tuesday - Grid Tag + UHU

I haven't participated in Louise's Tag Tuesday in ages and I've really missed it! I think doing a quick tag is a great way to get your artistic juices flowing.

For my grid squares, I cut up a background piece I'd made awhile back using the Background Smoosh Resist technique from the Feb/March 2009 issue of the Technique Junkie newsletter. If you look closely, you'll notice that I also used the Drywall Stitching tech from the April/May issue and if you look really closely you will see that I used the Painted Mesh tech from the Dec/Jan 2008 issue.

To put the whole thing together, I used my trusty classic purple UHU glue stic. UHU is my favorite brand of glue stick because it really sticks! I am a diehard glue stick fan because no other type of adhesive gives enough 'open' time for me to move my pieces around. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I need to be able to adjust!

Did you know that every month the nice people over at the UHU blog give away free samples? All you have to do is promise to use the sample in a project on your blog. Head on over to snag a sample of UHU Twist and Glue - I'm excited to see how this works with things like ribbon and other embellishments. Tell them Shelly sent you! :)

Stamp credits: Oxford Impressions and Innovative Stamp Creations

UHU Chalk Pastel Background Tutorial + Tag Tuesday

A few months ago I posted a skinny that I made using a technique I came up with that uses UHU Envelope Glue Stic and chalk pastels. I promised that I would post a tutorial, and now I'm finally getting around to it! Here is a link to the original post if you'd like to see the first piece I made using this technique. It's super easy - anyone can get great results with very little effort.

Thanks to the wonderful people at the Glue with UHU blog who sent me the fantastic Glue Stick to play with. Now, let's make some art!

What you will need:

Chalk pastels in colors of your choice
UHU Envelope Sealer glue stick
Tag or card stock
Sharp knife
Baby wipe
Heat gun
Finger (very important!)

Step One: Using your knife, lightly scrape across the surface of the chalk, covering your tag with a fine layer of chalk dust.

Step Two: Using your finger, work the chalk into the tag.

Step Three: Take the UHU Envelope Sealer and drag it down the length of the tag in several places. You want a few fairly light streaks - don't cover the whole thing.

Step Four: While the glue is still wet, scrape another color or two onto the tag.

Step Five: Again using your finger, start to blend the chalks together. You will notice that they adhere to the glue streaks, creating lots of texture.

Step Six: After you've blended your colors, take a baby wipe and lightly swipe it across your tag. This will further blend the colors. Be careful not to over-wet your tag. If you do, you can dry it with your heat gun and redo the glue and chalk steps.

Step Seven: When you are happy with the look of your tag, dry it with your heat gun or set aside to dry completely. The chalk should be fixed at this point, but if it isn't you can spray your tag with a fixative.

Finished product (make sure you click on the image to see the larger view)! Stamps are all from the By the Sea plate from Oxford Impressions. All elements were adhered using the UHU Purple Glue Stic - of course, what else would I use?!

Thanks to Louise and her Tag Tuesday challenge. It gave me just the inspiration I needed today!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial - make sure you let me know if you try it out so I can take a peek at your creations.

Theme Thursday - 2 x 4s

Fun new theme at Theme Thursday - 2 x 4s! I have never tried this size and it's really fun. Stamps are from Oxford Impressions and the little fairy is from Lisa's Altered Art. My background is the glue stick/chalk technique that I posted a couple weeks ago - I will try to get a tutorial posted in the next few days!

Created Byhand Challenge + UHU Card Sketch

This week's Created Byhand challenge is to use alcohol inks ink your artwork. I had come across this by Thealie while browsing through blogs and thought it was fantastic. Unfortunately, I don't speak or read French! A quick cut and paste into Babelfish gave me a general idea of what she'd done, so I hunkered down in my studio to see what I could come up with.

The translation basically said four things - gesso, Cuttlebug, alcohol ink, and embossing powder. I guess that's as good a launching point as any! Maybe that's how all challenges should start. Just list three or four things and let everyone figure it out, lol! For me that meant scraping gesso onto a piece of chipboard (more cereal box scraps) until it was well covered. Then I used my new Adirondack alcohol inks in Red Pepper, Butterscotch, and Meadow (part of my winnings from the Ranger group challenge!) over the top. When it was fairly inked up I spritzed it a few times with alcohol. It was seriously cool looking by that point! Next, I put it through the Cuttlebug, hit the high spots with Versamark and embossed with gold ep.

After I had my background, I decided I would use it for the Glue With UHU November challenge. If you haven't been to this blog yet - get over there! They generously offer free UHU products in exchange for participation in their monthly challenge. This month I chose the original UHU glue stick and Mary Anderson's card sketch. UHU glues sticks are a staple for me. I have tried everything out there and I always come back to my UHU! It seems to be the only glue stick that is long lasting and doesn't give out over time. It's always dismaying to come across a piece of art that has fallen apart a few months after you've made it. With UHU you know that your art will last for a long time!

Stamp credits: Innovative Stamp Creations.

Glue with UHU - Saunders Aluminum Box

I was lucky enough to get one of these Saunders Aluminum boxes from Alyssa, a designer on the Glue With UHU blog. I had so many ideas for what I wanted to do - I ended up setting it aside while I finished up a slew of design projects. I'm really glad I did because, in the interim I discovered stamping on Grungeboard! I pulled the box out today and immediately knew the direction I would go.

First, I covered the top with a piece from an old Algebra book I bought a couple weekends ago. After that, I inked the visible metal parts with Ranger alcohol inks in Espresso and Butterscotch. Next, I inked the top with Corduroy Distress ink. I stamped various images from I Brake For Stamps new Grunge sheet (LOVE these stamps!) using Black Soot and Corduroy Distress inks. I Stamped the two men (from an Oxford Impressions sheet that is no longer available), and the watch face (also from Oxford Impressions) on Grungeboard using black Archival ink. I inked them with Corduroy Distress ink and cut them out. I punched a hole in the clock face and added a idea-olgy gear and spinner. The key is also Grungeboard - it's painted with silver acrylic paint and tied with a piece of vintage twill tape. Vintage buttons and a strip of metal measuring tape finish it off. I really love doing masculine things like this - I plan on giving it to my husband for him to keep his pens, memory sticks, etc in.
Check out the UHU blog - they have lots of fun stuff going on!