Teardrop Ink Box/Ink info

So, as I said earlier, I decided to make another little storage thing for all of my teardrop inks. Here they all are inside the lid:


I basically turned the thing upside down and pulled the bottom out so that I could see all of the colors. I think I'll do that every now and then to get a better picture of what I have, even though technically I can see all the color bits even when they're upside down as they are in the next photo, which shows how they'll actually be stored:


I put this together using Kraft cardstock as the base, which I've noticed, probably because of its makeup, I don't know, is actually a naturally stiff product. I covered just the edges with Basic Grey paper scraps on the bottom and did the top and sides of the lid. I had fun poking through my folder of Basic Grey scraps (YES, I keep them separate... sacred Basic Grey papers are not to touch other less worthy and more common products... I'm a huge paper snob that way...) and pulling out all of my Marrakech scraps to cut up and cover this box. I really like the way it turned out! I'm such a hopelessly ridiculous fan of Basic Grey that I actually can pick through all of my scraps and identify what collection each scrap is from. Oh, well.

Anyway... as to ink storage... I'll elaborate just a bit on inks. These particular inks are actually good for use with polymer clay. The reason these inks are good is because they're made up of chalk, if I'm getting my facts correctly, since they're "chalk ink". So the color behaves on the clay about like you'd expect chalk to behave. As always, it's good to get a feel for how the inks work before you try too much with them. They're about $10 a pack at Michael's and JoAnn, and you can use coupons, and they come 4 colors to a pack. Although I think all of them are 30% off right now, so bummer. But the inks last a pretty long time for how big they are, and it's a GREAT way to build up a huge selection of colors without having to spend the $7 per pad in the larger sizes. Although I have gotten some of the larger sizes of the colors that I discovered I really, really loved... such as Turquoise Gem and Perfect Plumeria.

When you see the packages in the stores, look for Dewdrop, which are the chalk inks. Not Momento, which is dye, I believe.

As always, StazOn is the perfect permanent choice for all of your polymer clay work, or for working in paper. For instance, you can stamp an image in StazOn onto a piece of paper and then watercolor because it won't run. You can also stamp it on metal or your cell phone or whatever, although the greater wear the object endures, the more the stamp will fade, even if it never fades completely.

One more thing for working with stamp pads... To get really rich stamped images, it helps to pull the ink to the surface of the stamp pad before you stamp. This is helped a lot by storing your ink upside down, keeping the ink resting at the top of the pad. Also, before you stamp, rub your stamp over the top of the pad. This is sometimes referred to as "seasoning" the pad. Once you've rubbed the stamp onto the pad, gently tap the stamp on the pad to get the ink onto the stamp. Rubbing really doesn't get any ink on the stamp--it just helps bring more ink to the surface.

This isn't usually necessary with newer stamp pads, but it can help give you richer images for a longer amount of time. It just helps you use what ink is in the pad rather than having to throw them away too soon.

And now I have a 9 year old on a broken record saying, "So what are we going to do?" "MOMMA." So I guess I need to go. ^_~

Cardstock Ink Pad Towers

Here's what I did yesterday:


I got all of these glorious brand new stamps from my Stampin' Up! party order and I just wanted to stamp away, but my ink shoebox (a plastic shoebox that previously stored all of my inks, in a big jumble) was annoying me. I started pulling things out and realizing just how many awesome colors I have that I never get to use because I don't remember that I even have them. So here's what I've done so far. I've got 1 tower for some colors and 1 tower for all of my blacks and browns and my embossing inks. YES, there's a difference between all of those blacks and browns. But I don't have to get into that right now.

I had become inspired by the idea of having a lovely little ink tower when I saw the beautiful spinny one Stampin' Up! sells for their inks. That's $55, though. And I don't have enough of their inks yet to justify that. So I figured I could try to make something for the inks I have, but didn't really get to sketching a design until seeing them in a sad jumble yesterday and becoming particularly convicted about it.

So these are made 100% from cardstock and glue (my FAVORITE glue, of course... Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive! Which not only dries fast, but dries hard, lending structural integrity to things.). I covered the edges once finished with my glorious Marrakech Basic Grey paper, which makes me feel like crying in some ways because almost all of my Marrakech paper is gone. Luckily I have this beautiful way of enjoying two pieces of it for a long time to come.

The shelves dipped a bit overnight, so I flipped it all over and put the inks in again. I think the shelves might end up just dipping, which is fine. I didn't need for it to be a perfectly structurally sound object (it is only cardstock, after all), just something that would stand and hold my inks in an easily accessible and upside down fashion. Storing inks upside down is best because it always keeps the ink at the top.

My next puzzlement is to how I'm going to store my little Tsukineko Dewdrop chalk inks. They look like teardrops. I could create a piece similar to these, I suppose, but these were a hellish amount of work and I'm not ready to put myself through that again, quite frankly. Maybe those will require a simpler solution. Something to keep them straight, but also easily accessible.

The wheels are turning now...

Coming out of it... Martha Stewart... Zakka...

Well, I seem to be coming out of it somewhat gradually. I can't quite explain what's been going on lately. Maybe it's been all kinds of things that are completely out of my control, and that gets grating after a while, of course.

I've been reading Japanese blogs. Or, rather, I've been looking at pictures on Japanese blogs because I can't read Japanese. I've been inspired by the simplicity of people's homes and the handmade things that are everywhere. I've been taking a look at my home and realizing that I can't really turn my head in any single room in my house without finding at least 1 (or 10) things I've made decorating each area. I'm realizing that even though I have a constant feeling of never doing enough, I clearly have made a mark in my home.

I've also come to something of a decision. For at least a little while, I think I will completely abandon any crafting of any kind that I will try to sell. I think I'll focus on myself, on my family, on my house... I'll try to rediscover the joy of making for what it is. It's possibly one of the best things about being human, the spark of the mind that separates us from the animals. Maybe it's part of God making us in His image. Who knows?

It might sound funny, but lately my biggest inspiration has probably been the Martha Stewart website. I love looking at stuff there. They have a whole section in the decorating area of the website dedicated to entire rooms of certain colors. GOSH, I love seeing those.

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/livings-colorful-rooms

There's the link to the beginning if anyone wants to see. I'm really inspired lately by zakka crafting from Japan. Their ability to create incredibly beautiful objects with such simplicity will never cease to amaze gaudy-just-10-more-rhinestones-and-a-pound-of-glitter-to-finish-it me.

If ANYONE out there who likes to bead hasn't checked out the Bead Fantasies (I-IV) series by Takako Samejima, you're seriously missing out.

Okay, okay..... I know what to do now. It's really helpful to have a blog to talk about these things. ^_^

Funk punk me

Well, lately I've been in a bit of a funk. It's been harder and harder for me over the last few days to sit myself down and do anything creative. I'm kind of listless. I have the desire to create, but nothing satisfies the urge. I start something, then stop, throw away, recycle, rip out, or store whatever I just started on because it doesn't seem to be the right thing.

So, whatever the heck this is about, I don't know. I mean, the feeling isn't spilling over into the rest of my life. I'm not really depressed or anything. I'm just in a creating funk.

I reorganized my craft area today and I hate it. I hated it before. I can't decide which was worse--before or after. So I'm keeping the after for a while to see if I can stand it. Why does everything feel wrong?

I have been noticing a lack of satisfaction building in me over the last little while with my crafting situation. I'm fortunate enough to have my own space, but it's a multi-purpose space and it's in our living room. This means, really, that I've got to pack up and clean every single time I finish making anything. Out of protection for my younguns sometimes (especially with those 6" razor blades you use with the polymer clay, or sewing scissors, and the like), but also out of respect for my family. I mean, even I feel like it's a real eyesore when I leave all of my crap out. I like for everything to be neat. I just wish I had enough room for everything to be neat in its own spot. Like, a polymer clay station, a sewing station, a jewelry station, a scrapping station, etc.

Oh, well. I'm not complaining, really. Just sort of trying to get to the root of my current issues with making things. I was thinking about trying to do something more expressive. Something more reflective of the inner struggle. Something actually artist-y. But I just don't really feel like it. Maybe I'll just yank something out that I haven't done in a really long time and try it out. Maybe I'll clean more of my stuff out. Ugh, who knows?

Has anyone else ever been in a creative funk? What did you do to get out of it? I'm interested to know.

Cinderella's Wish

I've got to say that my absolute most favorite thing about knowing how to make jewelry and having been making it for 9 years is stuff like this:


Our friends who live up in northern Arizona have put together this thing for girls this year whose families have been hit hard by the economy. Basically, they've gotten together dresses and shoes and gotten volunteers for hair and makeup and nails so that the girls can have some nice things for their prom night. They're calling it, rather aptly, "Cinderella's Wish".

When my friend was telling me about it, I just HAD to get in on the fun. I went through some of my stash (which is HUGE) and pulled out a ton of stuff to donate, mostly earrings, with some bracelets in there. They're expecting about 60 girls to participate this year, and this huge pile of stuff will more than cover that. I hope that every single one of them finds something they like in the pile.

This is definitely it. I guess this is the real thrill because this is where I feel like what I do actually has a purpose, you know? It's not just making random pretty stuff to sell--it's actually helping people. And even selling to raise money for something isn't as fun as this is. I just love the idea that I can help make some girl's night. Anyway, I'm thrilled! I can't wait to hear how the whole thing went!

Copier Etching!!!!

I just checked out two videos from the Guild library by Gwen Gibson. This is my life for the next week or so, I'm sure.

I'm THRILLED about the etching techniques! I've got two pieces going now as we speak, stopping only to watch the other video and eat some homemade icecream. YUM.

What do you do when you don't know what to do?

So I think I may have hit upon the true danger of being a craft polygamist. I have this overwhelming urge to make something, but no FREAKING clue what to make or how to make it.

Do I knit? Do I crochet? Do I make jewelry? Do I do clay? Do I sew? Do I make a candle? Do I embroider? Do I scrapbook? Do I make cards? Do I paint? Do I draw?

Then even these things have subcategories.

Jewelry:
Do I crochet? Do I do wirework? Do I do beading? Bead embroidery? Knotting? Stringing? Do I solder? Do I fuse? Do I yank out my resin stuff and make jewelry with that?

Knit:
Do I finish the stupid second sock I'm working on right now!? (I'm THIS close to having MSSS [Malignant Second Sock Syndrome, as described by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee in her book, "Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off"] and I think the best way to avoid it is to avoid the second sock for now.) Do I design a new purse? I have the idea in my head. Do I knit the patterns I charted this morning? I charted the phrase, "Piece of Knit", and I want to knit it into something especially pretty. (Perhaps this was an indication of the budding, beautiful mood I'm currently experiencing.) I charted a damask pattern. Do I knit that? Do I knit the scarf that was supposed to be my aunt's birthday present in January? Do I experiment more with thread knitting and finally make that stupid Micro Drive cover I've been envisioning? Do I knit a camera cover?

Crochet:
Oh, screw it. I don't feel like crocheting.

Clay:
Do I make a pin that says "Piece of Knit" on it to go on the felted purse I just made? Or perhaps some little buttons with "Piece of Knit" on them to sell in my Etsy store? I'm stuck on this piece of knit thing. I'm going to start saying it when I mean the other thing instead of "piece of crap" because this one is more satisfying. I could play more with my latest obsession: recreating Japanese food and artwork in the clay.

The truth is, I could go on and on. But I'm in such a sour mood for some reason, I don't know where to start. Nothing seems to have the potential to satisfy this urge. Truth be told, I miss my husband. I've had nearly two solid weeks of being practically alone with both of my children which isn't bad in itself, I suppose. I just want to spend some quality alone time with adults. I miss PEOPLE.

Thank GOD I'm going to Clay Guild tomorrow!!!!!

On reflection, I think I will go ahead and make myself a button out of clay that says "Piece of Knit". I'll put it on my purse. I'll make a whole series of little buttons playing on the cuss word because it's funny. "Knit Happens" "I don't give a knit", etc. Maybe I'm proving myself infantile with this whole thing. LOL. But I'm in a knitty mood, dangit! And I don't care what people think!