I used Maya Road chipboard scrolls and Perfect Pearls Patina collection - the green and gold. (Gorgeous!) (Yes, Perfect Pearls & UTEE IS amazing!! Now, I just used clear & pearl for the examples I shared but you don't have to stop there! Mix it up...try adding Perfect Pearls to colored UTEE! Mix different colors of Perfect Pearls into Clear or Pearl UTEE... The combinations are endless!!)
At first I didn't believe you that the PP-colored UTEE would cover totally, so I covered my first piece in pigment black ink instead of the Perfect Medium. I quickly discovered that you were right (of course!) and left that extra step out and only used the Per Med from that point on. (Told ya so - LOL!!!)
I mixed pretty much according to your directions and got a great result. I even used the same kind and size of plastic cup! (recycle, reuse - *grin*). You don't need a lot of the PP to mix and I really liked that. I started out with a pretty small scoop on that cool small spoon thingy and that worked great! (Yep, a little dab 'll do ya!)
I embossed my first layer. Now this is where I ran into trouble. I tried repeatedly to heat the piece with one hand using my heat tool and then use my other hand to sprinkle little bits of the EP (UTEE / PP mix = EP). The EP kept flying all over me, my table, the container I was using to catch the EP and probably even the cat. But I am stubborn so I kept trying and, yup - I kept making an even bigger mess. Not pretty... and now I was getting frustrated. So I went for a walk with the dog, came back and decided to let the piece cool in between layers of EP and THEN ink it up with Per Med, coat with the EP mix and emboss like normal. Success! I still have a mess, but it wasn't as bad. (But, frankly, this is the major issue I have with working with multiple layers of UTEE - it seems like no matter what I do, I always end up with a mess and then I have a gritty work surface for a week afterward, ya know? And tips you can give here?? I really hate that!) (O.K... here is where I thought I'd add some info. I never add more Perfect Medium or Embossing Inks. When you are heating, work in small areas even if you have a large piece you're working with. I like to either start from the left side or right side, it doesn't really matter. Once you have the UTEE melted in that particular area, turn your heat gun away from the chipboard piece, sprinkle on additional UTEE - just a little mind you - and turn your heat gun back on the UTEE. You're never going to get away from them completely but this should take care of most of the "fly-aways". Continue turning your gun away & sprinkling until you have the desired thickness. Move to your next section (which should be pretty hot since it's right next to where you were working) and repeat. As long as you keep your UTEE pretty hot the UTEE granules you sprinkle over the top should almost melt as sprinkle them on.)
OK - now I had about 3 layers of the EP mix and that is where I like it generally so I was ready to get the whole thing molten and press my poly stamp. Here is where I had another moment of doubt. (I am a willful child - I admit it! lol). I looked at the molten UTEE, then I looked at my stamp and I thought - oh man, that is going to stick and I will never get that out. So, I coated my poly (and regular stamp for the second piece) with Per Med and THEN got my piece molten and pressed it in. (ROFL ~ doubting Sally!! I promise, I've done this prob. close to 100 times about 1/2 & 1/2 on rubber & acrylic and it's never harmed any of the stamps! Stamping onto the PM pad won't hurt it though.)
I let it sit for way longer than a minute. This was one place I did NOT doubt you for a second. LOL So, after 5 or even 10 minutes, I slowly peeled the rubber off the piece and Viola!
My first piece had a section of smooth where I didn't press the rubber in well enough. I reheated like you said and pressed again. The second time turned out great!
The second one went a little faster now that I knew (sorta) what I was doing. This time I used a wood mounted stamp (Judikins background flourish stamp) and I liked the result better. That's the one where you can see the pattern really well.
Next I did the whole process on a large, flat wooden heart. All went great up until the stamp pressing part. I used the Judikins stamp here, too, but even the second time when I reheated and pressed the stamp in, I didn't get a good, deep impression. It looks really faint. I gave up b/c I need to go to bed, but I will try again tomorrow. I pressed really hard the second time, but still no luck. What do you think? Maybe I didn't heat the UTEE up enough? (I'm sure part of this is the fact that you're using a wood piece to work with. It absorbs some of the heat and cools the UTEE much quicker than if you were working with a piece of chipboard. For this project you're going to need quite a thick layer of UTEE and really heat it up a long time so the UTEE almost slides off the heart. Have the stamp ready to go and at the same moment you take your heat gun off of the heart press the stamp into it. With a thicker coat & longer heat time it should work pretty good.)
Last, I edged with Rangers Archival black solvent ink for nice a grunge look and definition.
(and here are her results!! Pretty darn cool I'd say!!)
Thanks Phinny for sharing your experience of Stamping in UTEE!! If anyone else cares to send me their experiments, comments or questions I'd be happy to post them here!!
Be sure to check back tomorrow as I'll have another 4 for 1 and a preview of next weeks Ink Stained Sketch!!
Have a great evening everyone!!
Those chipboard flourishes are awesome Phinny!! And I just loved the narrative and your answers to her questions!
ReplyDeleteI had planned to try this technique last night, but ended up scanning photos instead...so I'm glad you were able to address some of Phinny's issues so I can avoid them!
THANK YOU Phinny!!! Your flourish are beautiful. The narrative is most helpful!!
ReplyDeleteNow I have a question--is this pretty forgiving stuff? If we get to the 2nd piece and get Phinny's feeling of not quite liking the result...it can be reheat, more UTEE added like you suggested and embossing...am I correct in that thinking??? Thanks!!
Yes, it's extremely forgiving!! Anytime you don't like something you can reheat, add more UTEE, re-stamp, etc. Your heat gun will work wonders...not a mistake you can't fix with it!! :)
ReplyDeleteHey - that turned out to be a really cool post, huh? Thanks for the compliments. I'm glad to be a guinea pig. Seriously - I LOVE the effect of this deep embossing with UTEE and the colors and the texture so it's worth it. I'm gonna practice some more, too, so I can really use this to take my projects to the next level.
ReplyDeleteKAREN - I watched the Paper Wishes webisode on their electric frying pan version where the thick EP melts by being in the pan (on a craft sheet) and I actually think that has some possibilities. I saw Judi from Judikins do something similar making a pendant and she used a toaster oven to melt the thick EP. So, like most techniques, there are multiple ways to do it so it's a matter of finding what works best for each of us, huh? RONI - have you seen any of these other methods? They are a lot slower, that's for sure, but perhaps less messy? I don't know 'cause I haven't tried them. All I DO know for sure is that Roni's technique works GREAT and I have the results to prove it! (*grin*)
~phinny
Oh, my attempt to do the deep embossing was such a failure! I have more respect for Phinny now that saw how tough this was! Even with all the tips from Roni, I had major problems. I'm wondering if part of the problem...or all of it was because I tried it on coated chipboard. I probably should have sanded it first. Everytime I melted the UTEE with my heat gun, the melted UTEE would move in waves and leave bare spots! It was so strange...almost as if it were alive. And when I did the stamp embossing, it looked nothing like Roni's or Phinny's. I would try the toaster oven, but I can see it all going up in flames!!
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, and I also had major amounts of UTEE blowing all over the room! I could see a coating on my carpet! I heated it on the floor because that was the only available outlet I had for my heat gun where I could apply pressure to the stamp on a hard surface.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll try it again with a smaller, solid chipboard piece (I used a small frame the first time) and sand the chipboard.
Gorgeous scrolls--I love them. I've been playing with PP and UTEE using the techniques in Julia Andrus' book Paper Transformed. I don't think she showed mixing the PP in the UTEE, so I'm going to try that too.
ReplyDeleteAs for a way to contain the mess of UTEE projects, I use a large acrylic box frame (get mine at Michael's) with a craft sheet and scrap paper as liners. Just pick it up and dump the mess when you're done.
Oh man, I'm thinkin I'd set my house on fire if I tried it in the oven or a toaster oven!! I'm not so good when it comes to appliances & embossing. I once tried to set my fingers on fire using the toaster ;) LOL!! I try to stay away from things like that now.
ReplyDeletePhinny that is just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteAw... thanks, fuzzy.
ReplyDelete(I LOVE you avatar pic! fuzzy white dogs - they're the best, huh? *smile*)
Karen, it should work on coated chipboard...I'll give it a quick try today and see what happens. Maybe I can offer some suggestions for you to try.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what they of embossing gun do you have? Try the tips I suggested on the Embossing Gun post. It may help.
Both of these examples are so pretty!
ReplyDeleteI do a couple more things with the deeply embossed items - I usually deep emboss in black, which shows best - after the chipboard has cooled, you can color with pearl ex - just dab or brush or swipe across the surface. The black lets the pearl ex really show up. I seal these items with a quick spritz of spray sealer to be sure the surface is durable. The other addition I make started with a product from Suze Weinberg called Putting on the Glitz, and is basically glitter glue, so the other Ranger stickles work, too. After you have made that nice deep impression, use the glitter glue applicators to fill in certain areas of the image you want highlighted. You can run your finger over it and just smear it if you like. The glitz applicators have a nice pointy tip to get into tight corners. Let this dry and it is really pretty, too.
You can also use the tiny hole-less beads, but you have to provide the glue IF you wait till the UTEE is cool to apply. You can drizzle the beads or another Suze product called BeaDazzles into the UTEE while it is still molten and then you won't need glue. I think that works best with the clear UTEE because you can see through it to these inclusions you've added.
If you add pearl ex while the UTEE is molten, you can use a toothpick and swirl it through the UTEE and marbleize the UTEE and the pearl ex together. No sealant is needed if pearl ex is added to molten UTEE.
Be careful of your fingers; molten UTEE will burn!!
I know I sound like a Ranger and Suze commercial, but we are talking about UTEE!
Her web site is
Suze's site
if you want to see her products. Her first book is excellent; I don't know about the others. You can price better at other places on the web, too.
Other inclusions can be added, like foil, and there's a few products from US Art Quest that work - this is her link:
US Art Quest site
I have ordered from them before, too. You can add mica flakes or gildenglitz. She sells UTEE product and pearl ex, too. (She has videos on her site, too.)
I guess you are familiar with the Flex that can be added to make the UTEE not quite so brittle? You can add it in and make all kinds of jewelry with shrink plastic and/or with chipboard and the UTEE. Suze had a spot on one of Carol Duvall's shows where Suze was making pins (broaches) with UTEE and deep embossing. You add pin backs or ear ring wires or jump rings for pins, ear rings, or necklaces. They are light weight and can be very attractive. You can also just glue them onto your cards or pages. (She has some video on U Tube, too.)
You can also make seals with that same technique to use on cards or pages. If they are to be mailed, even with the Flex, you should protect the seal as it cracks when it goes through the auto sorters.
You can also melt UTEE and pour it into moulds and allow to cool. This makes great embellishments. I broke down and got a melting pot, but for years I did it the hard way - sprinkle powder into the moulds and melt and add powder and melt and add powder. That works fine; it just takes time. (I use a Heat-It; oops, another Ranger product!) I tried the polymer clay moulds and they worked okay, then I found this lady from Australia, Krafty Lady, and her moulds that work super well. After Midnight Art Stamps is the US distributer for her moulds. This is their link:
After Midnight site
Look for the Krafty Lady art moulds. They have tutorials up to show you how to use them and what to make. Some of their stuff is gorgeous. They actually don't use UTEE; they have (another) Australian product called OPALS embossing enamel. I bought a jar of their clear, called Franklin, and it worked just like the UTEE.
Another product useful for coloring UTEE is called Finger Jewels. These come in 4 different sets and have 7 colors in a set. They remind me of Rub and Buff but much smaller packaging, less smell, and more colors. I have purchased them from this lady - (BE WARNED: her site has music.)
Wacky Wagon site
She also lists more inclusions - Ultra Effects, Glitter, Roxs Metallics (Judi-Kins product), Enchantments. You can use anything that will not melt.
Sorry to go off topic of deep embossing; hope the info is of interest.
Zanne
Hey, Zanne. I'm right there with ya! I've used the melting pot, the molds (both kinds), the PP swirled with a tooth pick, the Flex, and the inclusions. So your comments are right on and thanks for the links, too.
ReplyDeleteI think Roni is showing one technique that is pretty quick and easy but has amazing results. You just pointed out that there is so much MORE you can do, too, if you want to. I personally LOVE the effects of UTEE so I've tried more things. The great thing is that you can take it as far as you want and make even more cool and amazing things, right? Well said!
Hi Zanne ~ wow, great info! Yep, you can do all those things and more. This is just the first time I've really shared anything UTEE related on my blog (just 6 months old) so I wanted to start out with something that most people could try with very few specialty items (Flex, Melt-Pot, Inclusions, etc.). Some people shy away from techniques that take lots of "extras" if they are just trying something new.
ReplyDeleteI have lots more projects I'm planning on sharing down the road using UTEE using lots of the goodies you mentioned :) Hope you'll stop back and check em out!