nerd style...

I decided to start a blog. I’m quite sure my Myspace friends are no where near as enthralled with my Artsy Crafty comings and goings as I’d like them to be… At least here people can choose to read my blog if they are at all interested. I start so many projects; I thought it’d be nice to have a place to archive them all.

Its Art and Craft fair season again. And I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m pretty damn excited. With no ridiculous boy drama to distract me this year, I’m on full steam ahead. All last week I’ve been clipping vintage ads and painting craft wood. After experimenting with a few different techniques, I’ve finally found the perfect decoupage combination. Glue sticks + Golden Matte Medium. It blows Mod Podge out of the water. No more shiny, wrinkly disappointments for me! Now I have to go back and try to salvage some of my old pieces. I’ll probably end up stripping them and starting over. I’ve made about 20 new plaques in the last week and I’m running out of old magazines. It’s time for a road trip to an antique mall.

The other day I made my first attempt at resin(ing). I mixed about 4 tablespoons worth. Poured a couple different designs into my mold and then quickly botched my work with a mess of glitter. Yes, I definitely need some sort of teeny tiny spoon so that I can evenly distribute the glitter and not end up with mounds of glitter atop my resin-y goodness. I popped all kinds of little trinkets into my resin molds. Unfortunately not all of them turned out as expected. I was over anxious and blew my (glitter) load too soon. It’s a good idea to let resin gel before adding glitter. I know that now. That invisible barrier really does a world of difference.

I made my first bottle cap magnet out of some left over resin, a little glitter, and a skull and crossbones sticker. I was extremely impressed with the result. I seriously put no effort into it at all. I picked a bottle cap out of the box, flipped it over, shook some dusty glitter into it, popped a sticker in, and filled it with resin and presto. Since it came out much better than the molds, I’m considering scrapping that idea all together and focusing on the bottle caps. I took a crack at a few new designs and I'll find out tonight if they're a success.

So the rumors are true, I can’t stick to one project… It’s definitly A.D.D. I can’t focus on one project without my mind skipping around to 40 different prospective ideas. Last night I kept picking up bags of beads and inching towards the oven. The memory of the awful fumes I encountered on my last plastic melting experiment quickly made me turn on my heel. Of course, it’s only a matter of time before I start melting plastic again. I think I'll hold off until Fall; it's far too hot now to work in a well ventilated space.

I pulled my craft bag out of the closet last week and completely cleaned it out and reorganized it. I put all my paints, glitter, stencils, and glues in individual ziplock storage bags. It really makes it a million times easier to access everything now. But how I wish I had a workshop. My living room closet is stuffed full of plastic totes, bins, toolboxes… and I’m running out of room to store the stuff that should actually occupy that space. I need more room.

I’m currently looking into applying for a table at several different Art & Craft fairs. I’m so disappointed that a party I am really looking forward to attending has been moved to the weekend of the Portage Park fair. I still plan to attend the fair, but I will not have a booth. The party is going to be up North in Lake County somewhere and there is no way I can participate in the fair and make the party. My main option right now is the DIY Trunk show in November. Hopefully I’ll have my logo so I can get some cards and stickers made before I apply.

I'm going to run for now.

Ayms

Stay tuned…I’ll post my current projects as well as some finished projects later on tonight.

Wanted, ASAP!
Buddy to take Daytrip to Antique malls.
Someone to draw/design Kitschy Bitsch logo.

Supply Wish list:
Tiny spoon
Squeeze bottle for resin distribution
Old Comic books
Pinup art
Woman’s magazines circa 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s
Mat board
Paper cutter
Tiny trinkets