Ask Karen - Grunge vs Chip

Hello Bloggers!

I am home from a great weekend retreat with some ubber productive scrapbookers!! :) I have taken the last couple of days to re-connect with my family and to unpack and get back in the groove at the studio!

I have gone through the retreat pictures and will blog about it tomorrow!! Today is Tuesday which means I need to post an "Ask Karen" :) So -- hear is one question that came out of the retreat.... "What is the difference between Regular Chipboard and Grungeboard."

Grunge vs Chip -> Both are great to use to add dimension to your pages and products. Grunge is FLEXIBLE (literally). It's made from a compressed paper-based product (that's all the description I can find and I fully suspect something synthetic in it :) ) You will notice a leather-like smell the second you remove it from it's blister pack packaging. Never fear - that scent is normal.. and will fade eventually. Consider it an added bonus :)

I like using grunge. The diecut shapes are easier to use than the regular chip because the "pop out" more cleanly, without breaking. I also like the fact I can do anything to it -- ink, paint, emboss, etc directly onto it in colours and patterns that I choose. Many regular chipboard pieces have a coating on them preventing the ability to alter them -- without prep work first.

Which brings me to another question asked me this weekend -- How can I alter "shiny" chipboard pieces. Well, first, they are shiny because they've been coated with a lacquer coating. The reason paint and ink comes off these chipboard pieces is because the coating acts as a resist. If you would like to change the colour of the chipboard pieces, you must first sand the coating off the chipboard. Ranger has a fabulous tool for this ... the Sanding Block. It is a refillable block that will give an even, FLAT surface to sand the tiniest, most intricate pieces. It's great to sand board books for altering too!! Gotta love that!


I have the Seasonal Grunge Diecut Sheets (one pack with 8 sheets for Christmas, Winter, Halloween and Valentines Day) in the studio for $8.99 (that's approximate 20% off the regular retail price), I also have a few more Grunge Mini Books for $8.75 and Grunge Sheets you can but in your die cutting machines too!!! ...and yes, we have Sanding Blocks! Contact the studio for more info or come in to check them out for yourselves!! Love to see you.

Just a tip -- Grungeboard takes some time to dry when inked with some inks - especially pigment inks - but they can create some cool effects. One of the ladies at the retreat inked her grungeboard with a brown pigment ink and it looked very leather/suede-like! Totally cool! So, when doing this, zap it with a heat gun to set the ink.

Also -- try something new!! Use your Matte Medium to adhere tissue paper or napkin (yes, napkin) to the chipboard or grungeboard. You can seal this with Glossy Accents to protect it and give it an epoxied look. So fun! Use your imagination- be creative!!!

Here's a video by Tim Holtz explaining Grunge too!!


Now.. I am off to get some more work done....

Look for tomorrow's retreat post tomorrow afternoon. I'm looking forward to tomorrow night's Dollar Store Club too!!! Can't wait to play with the girls.

Talk to you soon,