It has been a year since my last post. I’m returning to my blog to record my crafting experiences.
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Feb17
May31
My last little order…
won’t be my last order! I love stencils and stamps from PMartist Studio.
This order contains the Gauze stencil I’ve been wanting for quite a while. I’m a big fan.
There are also 4 foam stamps. They are hard to see, so I’ve borrowed Mariah’s (M’s) photos:
This last stamp, “Water,” was designed by Eddie Reyes of EddieMakesArt.
All the other designs are “in house,” which usually means they were designed by Brad Rushing, Mariah’s husband. I really think Brad should credit himself like the other designers.
Each order also contains PMartist’s calling card, a sample of Patricia’s (P’s) fabulous gel prints, and a mini stencil. This one looks like a cluster of bubbles!
They are very generous at PMartist’s Studio!
May30
Crafting Meets DIY
I installed a new shower head, today!
It was so easy!!!
First step: put a towel over the drain. This is to keep tiny parts from going down.
There were no tiny parts in this installation!
Second step, unscrew the old shower head. (Lefty Loosey) This one easily unscrewed with one hand.
No tools were needed. I should also mention that I didn’t need a ladder, either. I don’t recommend for other folks, but my husband’s grab bar allowed me to balance while standing on the side of the tub.
I didn’t get a photo of step three. I’ll see what I can find on line.
The pipe that led to the old shower head should have the remnants of (usually white) plumbers tape on the screw threads. I took an old toothbrush and cleaned as much of that and old mineral build up off as I could. I then rewrapped the threads, snugly, with new plumbers’ tape. The new shower head even came with a tiny roll!
Step four: I screwed on the new shower head attachment. (Righty Tighty.) I was able to get it tight enough with my bare hand. Still no tools!
Step five: The new attachment is handheld, so I had to attach a hose. Both ends looked identical so I tried one.
Step six: I attached the new shower head to the other end of the hose.
I chose a magnetic attachment, so it “hopped” right in place!
And it works!
There’s a small push button on the back of the head.
It’s for redirecting the water flow through high pressure openings in the top of the head. It will be a great help in cleaning the tub.
I thought better of trying to photograph that at work!
May29
Gel plates
I hate cleaning them. There’s got to be a better way. Thinking…
May28
A Bloody Mess
No, it’s an acrylic paint gel print. The stencil/mask I used is Bramble Branches from PMartist Studio. It was supposed to be green branches on a red background.
The design is unrecognizable because I used too much paint. I tried to remove some of the red with a cotton swab, and it seems to have made matters worse.
It does bring back memories of a horror movie from my childhood. It was one of the first ones in color, and I think it was called, “Island of the Doomed.”
There was a large tree on a tropical island that would send out tendrils at night that would suck the blood out of people. In the end, when they chopped it down, it was a blood bath, not unlike my gel print! Maybe I should give it the axe!
Look! I found it! I was 11 years old. I can’t believe I remembered! I’ll have to watch it again!
May27
Better Brayer Cleaning
I had old chunky white paint hardened on my brayer with no Murphy’s Oil Soap to soak it in. I remembered Tim Holtz saying recently that you could use hand sanitizer to remove acrylic paint. I rubbed some on my brayer, let it sit a couple of minutes, and started rubbing it with a paper towel. I could tell the white was coming off the green layer underneath, but then a strip came off (shown above.)
I kept applying and rubbing and in some cases, whole sections would peel away. I could use just my bare fingers.
It was getting late and aa large section was being stubborn. I applied a thick layer of sanitizer and left it to sit over night.
This morning, I found that the only thing that happened is the sanitizer had evaporated and the stubborn spot would not budge.
I set back in to applying, rubbing and peeling and finally got the brayer as clean as new, even the ends! The End 🤭
May26
Cleaning off the dungeon desk…
and don’t you think it’s time?!
My workspace is shrinking!
May25
A New Artist to Follow
I found him on Substack. His name is Paul Wang. I think he’s in Vietnam, but his posts are from all over the world.
Paul Wang calls himself a traveling urban sketcher. He posted this water color/ plastic wrap technique 3 days ago.
I also found this creative workout from June 3 to be very interesting. It’s called, “No More Monday Moos.” I have no idea what that means, but I’m looking forward to more of this man’s art instruction.
May24
Shutterstock Time
Talk about a rabbit hole!
It’s almost time for my monthly Shutterstock subscription to roll over again. If I don’t choose 10 images to download, I lose them, and my money.
The problem is not finding 10 images, it’s choosing 10 images. The one above inspired a new collection category, “Color Combinations.”
That search took me down and around the rabbit hole! I chose the following image because it’ll make a great greeting card:
I check to see the artist’s name. This one is by Marish. I clicked her name to see what else she has that I might like. Down another hole. I found lots I like, but only chose two more:
Now, that’s only 4. I had chosen some others, earlier. Currently, though, my eyes are glazed and burning. Maybe I’ll share the others in a future post, maybe as part of a collage! I have purchased the licenses.
May24
Warning!
Black diamond dots are hard to see!
I think I’ll avoid them in future purchases!
May22
TV Crafts
Not crafts sold or demoed on tv, crafts that are good for doing while you’re watching tv. Knitting, crochet, kumihimo, and simple sewing are good ones if your pattern is easy. Embroidery requires too much attention. Conditioning small amounts of polymer clay by hand is a good one. Dotting can be done. I don’t know about tatting or weaving.
I do know about color coding musical notes. It can be a tv “craft.” It all started with this book:
It comes with colored stickers you can apply to keys. This is my cheap keyboard. I have a nicer one in Charlotte. This one is the cheapest one I could find with good ratings. The battery connections don’t work and I was heartbroken till I found an AC adapter in the very bottom of the box. I got it to practice on when I’m home in Millers Creek. The keys are small for children, but I have small hands. It sits on the vanity in my daughter’s/guest room. I think it was about $45, and has a bunch of settings and a decent sound. I put the stickers on the keys.
I’ve written about this before, but now, I color my sheet music lead sheets to match. I can do this while I watch tv. If I do make a mistake, I use colored pencil and I have a Ticonderoga eraser. They are the best!
