Playtime with UTEE!

Hello from Magpieheaven where I've been flapping experimental wings and altering!!! May's beautiful matchbox here inspired me to take my first look at the great challenge over at Altered Eclectics and to have a go at 'altering' a humble piece of cardboard packaging! I should like to enter it for the 'Altered Eclectic Anything Goes Challenge'.

 I had always wanted to have a go at using UTEE, but I thought I needed a Melt Pot. However, a chat with my helpful and craftily experienced friends on Twitter soon put me straight. With many safety warnings ringing in my ears, I sallied forth with heat-gun and glistening UTEE grains. And did I have fun!

I started tearing layers from my piece of cardboard. Then out came my favourite Fresco paints. I was going to indulge myself with my greens and blues.

I used Nougat at the centre, blending into Antarctic, Lake Wanaka, Space Cadet and finally Inky Pool at the very edge. I added just the merest hint of Hey Pesto to give a translucent hint of green. I then stamped over with Artistic Outpost text from Birds of a Feather in black Archival and three Lynne Perrella crowns (LP011) in Wendy Vecchi Cornflower Blue. I then added some Grunge Paste Chicken Wire stencilling and some blended Treasure Gold in White Fire, Green Amber, Aquamarine and Classic.

Now it was time to play with UTEE. I don't know if the photos will do this justice, but I really loved the results of this 'play'! I die cut an oval of Paper Artsy Smoothy card and painted it with a similar blend of colours as those on my corrugated card. I then stamped the image from LPC)12 on it in black Archival and heat set. Now with the wise words of Lesley Ebdon ringing in my ears to 'Be careful, if you touch, it's like hot jam', I coated my image in Versamark, sprinkled it with clear UTEE and - holding my oval with craft tweezers - heated from underneath. When one layer had cooled, I added more Versamark and sprinkled and heated again. The colour was subtly changed and I loved the way that this was beginning to  an resemble an enamel miniature - one of my favourite things! It was getting late, so I didn't want to experiment with more layers. I just added a little gold UTEE around the edges. I then die-cut some leaf shapes with a Paper Artsy die and coloured them with Antarctic and Hey Pesto, stamping Lynne Perrrella images on in Cornflower Blue. I used Clear UTEE on these too, edging them wIth some Shabby Blue Frantage. I painted a little resin rose with some Antarctic and then Treasure Golded with Aquamarine with White Fire. I took two Prima butterflies and painted with Paper Artsy Frescos and then sprinkled UTEE while they were still wet.

Lesley had described how she liked to put UTEE'd pieces in the freezer and then crack them. I was too impatient and it was the early hours so I just twisted and folded and created the impression of slightly cracked porcelain.

After a night's sleep I returned to my altered cardboard and decided it needed more. I recently saw a wonderful idea on Alison's Bomber's 'Words and Pictures' for making 'wordy' embellishments with those little glass nuggets you can use in flower arrangements. Luckily I had some and a beautiful Christina Rossetti poem.

I fixed my nuggets with some Heavy Gel Medium when I first got up and then went out for the day with my daughter in Rochester where she studies Fashion. In future I will give the page a wash of paint to add colour, but this was my first play with the idea. It didn't stop pouring as we wove our way through the quaint little high street, but the day was bliss -  a lovely lunch, a trawl of charity shops for anything 'vintage' and lots of laughter. That evening I was able to add my finishing touches. My altered canvas was beginning to capture the theme of raindrops, I think!

I added some punched out leaves and roses covered in Treasure Gold too! When I covered my leaves with the UTEE, I made a little drip over the edge. I love to watch drips slither from the tip of leaves or the spokes of an umbrella on a wet day!

Now I have my altered cardboard on a little easel above the mantelpiece. It reminds me of a lovely day in the rain with Matilda, my daughter.

Thank you so much for dropping by Magpieheaven today. I hope that whatever you do and wherever you are, you have a lovely day!