L-UHU-ck of the Irish

Remember the samples I showed earlier this month that you could receive from UHU? Luckily, the gals at UHU sent me a small journal, since I had such a hard time making the Valentine box last time.


For the front, I dyed a book page with two colors of Ranger color wash, then added the shamrock and green paper they sent me.


For the back, I cut up a playing card to place over the colored background that I also added gold leafing pen to. I love the rabbit with the clover.

I also made a book mark using the rest of the supplies they sent me. You can see my UHU write up here, as well as pictures of what the other design team members made from their kits.

And you really need to see what Carol Anne of Carol Anne's Boutique did with the box that UHU sent her. Her box is out of this world. I was blown away when I saw it last night. Stop by and let her know how beautiful her box turned out. Of course, using one of her freebie images she offers to her blogging readers made the project even more special. If you like vintage, you're going to love her box.

Today's blog is one I found during the OWOH giveaway. In order to visit many blogs and still keep some semblance of a life, you really can't stay very long at any one blog. However, Adventures in Mixed Media was one I specifically wanted to revisit. Jennifer Pearson Vanier, who lives in Canada, has an eclectic mix of posts, loves to search for vintage materials, is redoing her studio (and shares some fantastic photos, too), takes her readers on shopping trips, and fixes some pretty decent meals along the way. She also makes ATCs which she often throws into the mix. Her posts are easy to read, fun, and have nice photos to accompany them. I really enjoy reading her blog, so think you will, too.

Do you UHU?

Would you like a free sample of UHU glue? How about a small box or journal to decorate for St. Patrick's Day, along with the items needed to decorate them? If so, UHU is providing these samples this month. Go to the UHU web site to learn the specifics.

I not only snagged the above photo from the UHU web site, I also copied the rules for getting a sample:



"Here’s the stuff were sending (remember a box or a journal - we’ll pick and send out randomly while supplies last). Want some UHU luck? Here’s the drill:

-You must be an active blogger in the U.S. or Canada.

-You must promise to post your project/review and abide by federal guidelines that we’ve sent you the UHU and project materials in exchange of your honest (good or bad) review

- let us know via email or a comment on the blog when your project is posted. Linking back to the UHU blog is very much appreciated.

- Send us an email and remember to include your mailing address and blog url. We’ll send out on a first-come, first-served basis.

-If you’ve received a sample before and haven’t sent your review to us - let us know before you ask for more UHU please!"

There you have it. I hope to see your project on your blog soon. I just received mine this weekend and will be working on it soon.

Today's blog is by my hero Halle. Thanks to Halle at Halle's Hobbies, because of her capable help, I was able to get my comments numbered, at least sort of. The numbers start over again after 200, which is the number allowed on each page. But this was a tremendous help, and Halle did a fine job of finding my code and fixing it for me. Since Halle's OWOH giveaway ended at midnight, I didn't violate any self imposed rule that no one who was in the OWOH giveaway could be my blog person of the day. So hats off to Halle. Thanks for making my giveaway counting so much easier.

UHU January project

Back in January (sounds so long ago), UHU sent samples to the UHU gluers, as well as a number of people who requested a sample of the glue of the month.

We were to decorate one of these cute little boxes, also included. Although we were provided a template, I popped the seam on my box and cut the pattern from one of the sheets of paper I was sent.

I had a ton of trouble with this project. From the looks of things on the UHU site, I was the only one, but I suspect it was because, as I have said many times in the past, I am craft knife challenged. I simply don't find it easy to use an Xacto. So I got out my scissors and cut the heavy cardstock. Needless to say, I had a ton of troubles trying to fit the cardstock to the box, which included bending the cardstock in the proper places, even though I scored it.

After awhile, I gave up in frustration and would have scrapped the entire project, had UHU not expected me to provide a working sample.

I finally did about the only thing I could think to do. I got out some tissue paper, slathered glue stick (not the sample of the month) all over the box and went from there. I used some of the paper UHU sent to make the little hearts, which I glued to both sides of the box.

Then I had problems photographing it. I never did get a good photo of it, but this was the best of about 40. I sure hope my February project goes easier!

In the spirit of taking you to different blogs, and those not part of OWOH, today's blog is a fellow UHU gluer, Jessica. Jessica is a scrapbooker whose blog really lives up to its name: So Completely Random.

Another page in Hands and a handy tutorial

I was pretty happy with this spread, even if I did make a mistake by adding the Zig pen dots around the image. Not liking the outcome, I printed out the sentiment and continued with a silver ink background for the computer generated words. For the page background, I used red, orange, and white checked tissue that I thought looked rather like the 50s or 60s, where I suspect these gals still live.

When I scanned it though, I thought how plain this spread looked, so decided to do something about it.

I have tons of white buttons, none of which are the same design. So I decided to alter these to match my red and orange paper. All you need are the following materials:

UHU tac or other tacky non-permanent substance
Craft sheet
Sharpie permanent markers, colors of your choice (or any permanent pen of your choice)
Old buttons, any color, any style

Instructions:

1. Warm a bit of UHU tac in your hand. When warm, roll in a ball and lay on the craft sheet.
2. Place desired button over UHU tac and press until the button stays in place.
3. Using your favorite permanent ink pen, color each button, being sure to color the rim.

Alternative: Using a gel pen, draw squiggles, dots, or other designs in the button once you have laid down the base color.

Now I'm really happy with this piece. I think the buttons are the perfect addition to this mid-century modern spread.

Magnets for UHU web site and getting there

I decided to post the final image at the beginning, so if you aren't interested in how I got here, you can close my blog for the day. There will be no tutorial on gluing images to the glass pebbles, nothing about the magnets that go on the back. To see what I did, you can go to the UHU site and check out what I did there. On the same post, you'll see Halle's incredible photos of her magnets, or check out her blog post a few days ago and more glass bead/pebble inspiration from her here and here.

Instead, this post is about photography and the trials I went through just trying to get a decent photo to send to Sarah and Rose at UHU. I don't keep a diary or journal, as I have said before. This blog is the documentation of what I did, what I should have done, and what I didn't do.

Although I trashed about 55 other photos, a couple before I decided to photograph these on dark blue paper, I never got what I wanted. This one above was taken using my Landscape button on a cloudy day with my Ott (full spectrum) light as the light source.

Next I tried to photograph them using the flash. That didn't work!

Now I've switched to the Tulip button. See how the background looks washed out?

To make sure I wasn't shaking, I propped the camera against the table (since I was too lazy to find the tripod). The background lightened even more. Again, these were without flash, using the Ott light as my light source.

Can you believe it? My "old" camera that I've decried over the past several years I've had this blog, took the best images, although the color is wonky, since the snowman's background is blue and he is white as . . . . To further complicate things, the size of the picture is still small, even if you click on it. It isn't going to get much, if any larger than it is right now, although the photos (shown above this one) you don't want to see will enlarge nicely.

I finally got fed up with the cameras and chose to scan the pieces. Now I love that new scanner, but the colors of the snowman and tree were not that good in it, either (the first photo of this post) and the background, which is the same dark blue cardstock I used in the photos, turned out brown. I even tried color and balance corrections in Photoshop, but that only darkened the scan.

You would have laughed as I chased those little babies around the scanner. The domes on the pebbles kept rotating, making it difficult to line them up the same. However, I found a possible solution to that on Lisa's blog. Check out how she colored some, so I think it might steady things for photos and scanned objects, too. Of course, I suspect she has a fantastic camera to go along with those gorgeous close-ups.

If anyone can give me some advice on my camera, please do so. Could it be the capability of the camera, or the capability of the operator? I love taking pictures and I hate it when I go to a blog and the photos are less than pristine. But I certainly empathize. If nothing else, I have certainly given it my all.

My revised UHU clipboard

I've never made a secret of the fact that I sometimes get things wrong. So I decided to revamp my UHU clipboard. Although I finished covering it awhile ago, I wanted to show how I did it and what I turned it into.

To cover the clipboard, I used UHU STIC. I covered the entire piece using a piece of lovely paper gifted to me by Donna of Findings Art.

You can see I completely covered the clipboard, carefully cutting around the metal clip.

I decided to add a piece of rick rack using the UHU permanent glue roller. I began by measuring the rick rack by folding it around the clipboard, then cutting, leaving a tiny tail.

The idea is to place the glue roller onto the rick rack. Be sure to get good coverage and press well. This could take a few minutes. Don't glue too far ahead, and press firmly as you go.

I used a drop of Twist & Glue to adhere the edges of the rick rack together.

I held the completed piece together with the tail still intact using a clothes pin until it was dry. When the Twist & Glue was completely dry, I cut the excess rick rack away, making sure both ends of the rick rack lined up properly.

I decided to not add alcohol inks to the metal clipboard because I don't want added color to distract from the piece. It now hangs on my wall and has become a piece where I can display art.

Here it holds the piece I made and showed yesterday. It will now hold weekly art that I make for inspiration, or a prototype for a swap. What better way for an artist to use the clipboard than a design or display board?

If you live in the US or Canada and have an active blog, be sure to go to http://www.gluewithuhu.com/ for your free Saunders clipboard and this month's sample: UHU Glue Stic. Tell them Bleubeard and Elizabeth sent you, then have fun decorating your own clipboard. When you've finished, be sure to send a link to your blog, so we can see how you used your clipboard.

My new clipboard from UHU

I decorated this clipboard yesterday. I first applied the black and white paper, then added the red ribbons. It's no secret, I don't have a lot of ribbon in my stash, so I had to scrounge for ribbon. Originally I planned to use red alcohol ink on the metal clip, but decided I would use ribbons.

I might change out the ribbons before I use or give this cute clipboard away.

It's official

Have you been to the UHU blog? If not, hop on over and see the two new Gluers who will join Jessica, Maggie, and myself as the faces of UHU in blogland. A big huge congratulations to Deanne and Halle. Please visit their web sites and leave each a congratulatory message. I can't wait to see what projects they will be offering in the next few months.

Talk about a tough choice. If you don't believe me, check out the non-winning entries here. Each of these artists are winners in their own right.

Also on my blog is a new (to me) feature that I've admired on Mar's site since forever. It's a blog list and I can set it so it provides a picture of your first blog photo each time you post. It's on the right and I've filled it with names of bloggers who I follow their art on a regular basis. I still have a few more to enter, but for the most part, it's done. I'm tickled. I'm finally getting my computer tweaked with programs that will actually run on something besides Win98. Enough of my elation and excitement about my new blog feature. You can still see my LINK list, which takes you to other of my favorite sites. I'll be updating soon, because I was just playing around yesterday to see if it would actually work.

So that you won't think there's no art today, Rob and I are making textures in PHOTOSHOP (YEA) since he's making Avitars (virtual people). He showed me some examples and showed me how I can digitally incorporate my backgrounds by turning them into backdrops, clothing, and accessories.

I scanned a background I had posted previously (http://alteredbooklover.blogspot.com/2009/10/day-in-my-life.html) that turned out to be the next to the last picture that day. Yep, it's the orange one. I call this one Borg Barbie and it's hard to imagine, with only a couple or three clicks, the orange turned to sinister. Click to enlarge. It really is better up close and personal. It was made using various filters. Unfortunately, Rob was more interested in showing me things I never dreamt I could do in Photoshop using my OWN backgrounds.

Again, more filters, the specific instructions/clicks of a mouse lost in random chaos. After a bit of sleep, I plan to play in this new medium until I can make some more stunning backgrounds from an orange background.

Again, let's give a big UHU welcome to Deanne and Halle and please don't forget to show your appreciation by leaving a comment on their blogs.

The search is on for a UHU Gluer

Would you like to be a UHU gluer? Here's the skinny, according to the UHU blog:

"Bloggers interested in becoming a UHU Gluer must:
1) Have an active blog where she/he posts regularly about craft projects (Craft diversity is great - any and all specialties are invited and encouraged!)
2) Must be in the U.S. or Canada - our program can only send samples to these places
3) Must be willing to use and promote UHU for projects on your blog and this gluewithuhu blog and encourage more folks to check out this blog and use UHU."

If you qualify, please go to the UHU blog and send Sarah an e-mail by or before September 10.
The gluers (myself included), along with Sarah and Rose, who both work for UHU, will pick FIVE finalists.

Each of the five will receive this autumn themed craft kit, along with four types of UHU glue. Finalists will be required to use the above materials, but may also use materials they have on hand as long as they do not spend any more than an additional $10 to complete the challenge.

Finalists will send photos of their projects which will be posted on the UHU blog. The new UHU Gluer will be announced the first week in October. The new Gluer will pick the free UHU sample for October and highlight a project on the UHU blog using it. ANY and ALL STYLES are welcome.

TIP: Those of you who read my blog are more than likely altered artists and might feel the materials they have to use are too "scrapbooky" or not your style. Well, I have to admit, if I had to use these pieces, they wouldn't be my style either. However, you can always paint the scrapbook paper, color or sand the buttons (even stick them inside crushed bottle caps), and dry brush gesso over the papers. No one says you can't alter the paper and the other materials you will receive. Use your gel pens, oil pastels, watercolors, fluid acrylics, glazes, or even fabric to change the feel of the piece.

I'm not sure how I'd handle the scarecrow, but I believe I'd find a cabinet card or magazine image and cut the head off the scarecrow and replace it with a more "vintage" image, then mount it on a sheet of vintage sheet music and go from there. So don't be turned off by the materials. They can always be altered to YOUR style, and you can use those found objects you've been saving for just this project.

Remember, though, you MUST have an active blog that focuses on artistic endeavors and live in the US or Canada.

Play day to relax

I've been working on several projects lately, and most are nearly finished or already completed. I had to take a day and recuperate, so made some backgrounds on Wednesday. It gave me a chance to try out my new red metallic paint I got at JoAnns with a 40% off coupon.
Here are the supplies I used:
Purple and red metallic paints
Butterscotch and bottle color washes (not shown)
Water
Mixing containers
Paint brush
Various papers, deli wrap, and two sizes bubble wrap
Craft sheet (to protect my table)

I began by rolling a piece of UHU tac in a ball, then applying it to the craft sheet.

I adhered the deli paper to the UHU tac so the paper wouldn't slip when I was painting it.

I placed some red and purple acrylic paint in the small cups, then dipped my brush in the water and wet the paper slightly.
Next I applied the paint to the various papers.

I sprayed the color mists on other papers and added paint to some of the papers I'd sprayed with color mists.

I got really carried away with making these backgrounds. In fact, I couldn't stop. And to think I used only four colors. This is less than 1/3 of the pages I made.

I scanned some of the pages, but didn't hold them down, so the dark on the pages is from them not being flat on the glass.

Now, before you ask, my friend Kathy accidentally left some of her Sizzix dies when she was here for our play date. I took advantage of a couple of them and turned my lovely hand painted papers into hearts and flowers to be used at some future date. It was a fun, relaxing day where I didn't have to think about composition or design principles, or hunt for that perfect embellishment to complete a spread. To see the true beauty of these, click to enlarge.

A Red/Yellow Birthday card for Norma

I was lucky that Norma's birthday is next month, so I can send her a birthday card along with the two Red/Yellow spreads I made for our one-on-one color swap. I decided to carry the red and yellow theme through to her birthday card. This is one side, which I decorated with wrapping paper, rick rack, and a computer generated message.

This is the back side and the colors are very true because my scanner does a super job with color. I used more of that plastic yellow "paper" I used on the chopstick spread and scrapbook sticker letters. The empty space?

I left it for the birthday charm I wrapped and placed in a baggie, held onto the page using UHU Tac.

Second side, second Red/Yellow color swap spread

Remember those three UHU products I used yesterday? Well, I used the same ones again today in creating the back side of the fortune cookie spread.

I continued the fortune cookie, Asian theme on the reverse side of the fortune cookies. I used a fortune cookie photo that I colored using red and yellow alcohol inks, as I did with the Chinese word.

I began the piece using some really cool paper that Kat gave me. It doesn't tear and is sort of plastic like. I used the Twist and Glue to adhere it to the backing. Since this wasn't really paper, I knew Twist and Glue would hold it, even if white glue wouldn't. And, I knew I wanted a glue that I could spread completely over the entire surface, thus preventing bubbles in the piece. Twist and Glue did both.

I used the UHU glue roller to attach the Oriental paper and the genuine fortune I painted yellow. Boy will this product spoil you. You get such good coverage with it, and nothing that hangs over the edge. It's perfect for that fragile paper (such as newsprint or magazine images) that will buckle when you use "wet" glues. And it's FAST. No waiting for anything to dry, and no holding something down until it is attached on all sides.

I used E-6000 to attach the chopsticks, but I had a problem. If you've ever used E-6000, you know it works great for holding heavy pieces, but it takes a long time to dry. Normally, you could just lay the piece down and allow it to dry. But, I couldn't lay the spread with the chopsticks UP because the fortune cookie side was too dimensional. In fact, I had a hard time holding it up long enough to get a good photo, thus the white gesso lid you see in the background. I couldn't place the chopstick side DOWN because E-6000 and that slippery paper moved the chopsticks as soon as I laid them on the table. To correct this problem, I put a tiny bit of UHU TAC under each chopstick. The TAC held the chopsticks in place until the E-6000 dried and will help keep the chopsticks in place, too. In fact, I defy you to find the TAC. The nice thing about it is it molds so well to the shape you need.

I still have a tag to make, then these will be in the mail to Norma.

A Red/Yellow spread using UHU glues

It’s no secret I’m hooked on UHU glue. I’m now a UHU "Gluer," but I’d still be hooked on two wonderful products: UHU Twist and Glue, and UHU TAC. Since I’m working on a one-on-one color swap project, I decided to show how useful these products can be. I also decided to try September’s UHU sample, the UHU Glue Roller, something I have never used before.

Let me begin by saying my friend Norma LOVES dimension. She sent me a "Forest Floor" color swap spread that has a large cookie cutter attached to it. And if you look around my studio, you’ll see lots of her art, including the tree that now lives at the bottom of my art display. Since she likes dimension, I decided to make a piece that includes a fortune cookie that you can add wishes to and store them until they come true. I didn’t have to give a lot of thought as to how to attach the fortune cookie to the spread, since I wanted it to hold and stay on the page, but would also allow Norma to remove it at will. This was, in my opinion, a "no brainer." UHU TAC is the perfect answer for this, so I rolled a small amount in my hand until it was warm, then placed the small ball on the fortune cookie and attached it to the plastic container I cut to hold it on the page. You can see from the photo that it doesn’t take a lot of TAC to hold this fortune cookie in place and believe me, I’ve shaken and even dropped it, and the TAC still held.
The fortune cookie kit was sent to me by Belinda and the instructions came with it, along with the ink pen and the blank fortunes. The instructions were printed on glossy paper, so I got out my red and yellow alcohol inks and went to town.

Then I began the assembly. I started with some really cool paper I had left over from my Asian altered book. I attached it with Twist and Glue, a wet glue I love because, although it is wet, it doesn’t warp or seep through the paper like white glue does. It also holds very well. In fact, I also used it to affix the fortune cookie and its holder, as well as the stack of blank fortunes, to the page.

It took a bit longer to decide how I would attach the chopstick holder that I decided to place the ink pen into. I decided to see if the UHU Glue Roller was up to the task. Since I’ve never used a glue roller before, I had no idea what the glue was like. Let me tell you, it worked GREAT. I was surprised at how easy it was to dispense the glue, how well it held, and how there was absolutely no mess. Now I’m sure that’s no surprise to those who use glue rollers, but for me it was an eye opener. I am now in love with this product, too. Nothing like getting a sample to open up new possibilities. In fact, I went overboard and used it to attach the instructions. The only thing I didn’t use UHU glue on was the "Wish" in the upper middle. I used a pop dot because I wanted it to sit above the page a bit.

Finally, I used one of the blank fortunes and wrote "Red/Yellow Wishes" on the front and "Made for Norma by Elizabeth, October, 2008" on the back. After I photographed it, I realized I should have placed it in the fortune cookie before I attached it, but it also gave me a chance to test the UHU TAC.

The TAC did it’s job perfectly and, after placing the wish inside the fortune cookie, I was able to place the fortune cookie back in its holder with no problems.

Come back tomorrow to see how I decorate the back side of this one. Let me tell you, it isn’t going to be flat like the back of the other spread!!

My altered clipboard and UHU Twist & Glue

This cool clipboard is the monthly sample you can get at UHU if you qualify. They don't give these samples to every Tom, Dick, and Elizabeth, so be sure you read the guidelines and make sure you qualify before requesting a sample.

The UHU Twist & Glue is not part of the UHU October sample giveaway, but since I'll be using it on this project, I decided to show it in the same photo and critique it at the same time.

But, check out the features of this mini clipboard:
1) The board is made from 100% recycled or recovered materials. You know that recycling scores at the top of my list.
2) The clip holds up to an inch of paper. That means I can also use the clip to hold down smaller embellishment elements I've just glued. The large surface will be able to cover more area than a clothes pin or small clamp.
3) Hole in the clip for hanging: a real bonus when horizontal work surfaces are a premium.
4) Made in the USA and assembled by adults with disabilities in Mississippi. As an adult with a physical disability, I wholeheartedly applaud Saunders (the parent company for UHU glue) for their wisdom in participating in programs of this nature. Also, as a former quality engineer, I can assure you that my clipboard is superbly assembled.

It's probably no secret that I participate in a lot of swaps. I sometimes have three or four swaps going in any one month. How do I keep these swap dates straight? I have a small datebook calendar that I keep near my computer. When I join or post a swap, I write down the due date and name of the swap in my little calendar. But I have nothing in my studio to remind me of the due date, and I find I don't look at the datebook very often when I'm in my office. Since I felt I could use this to keep my swaps organized, this is how I used it.

The first thing I did was clean the clip with rubbing alcohol to remove the fingerprints and dirt. Then I got out my alcohol inks (Pinata brand) and classed up the clip a bit.

For the back, I used some hand painted paper. I didn't want to leave the back undecorated, but I didn't want to embellish or collage it to the point where it wouldn't lay flat on my work table or hang flat on a wall.

I spread the UHU Twist & Glue on the clipboard because the specs tell us that this all purpose glue can be used on wood, paper, and cardboard, along with other materials, so I felt it was the perfect glue for this project. However, this was the first time I ever used Twist & Glue, and I squeezed out an amount I thought was sufficient and used a faux credit card to spread it.

Boy was I surprised. I needed about a third of what I thought!! I was able to glue both sides with the amount I thought I needed for one side. This is a really economical glue and a little goes a LONG way, yet produces complete coverage. So be sure to use about half or a third of what you think you need. This is very powerful glue.
I collaged the front of the clipboard and documented what this clipboard will hold: prototypes, sketches, due dates, and schedules. Even though the clip photographed a bit dark, you can see the true colors of the clip at the back.
However, this view better represents the true colors of the front. I can't wait to put my new clipboard to use. Please let me know what you think.