Tag Archives: Mini Books

Crafting

Halfway done.

Leave a comment

I currently have 50 mini watercolor paintings. Painting every three days or so is working. Some are blah, some are okay, some might actually be decent.

The first two mini albums. The upper one has 24 pockets and the lower has 26.

Another view of the albums.

My studio is quite crowded. I’m thinking of putting the drafting table in the shop’s free area and bringing in another folding table. The drafting table is a couple of inches too high and can’t be adjusted any lower. Plus I need another flat surface more than a tilted surface. I have a couple of easels if I need paintings tilted.

I covered up the logo on my lab coat. The kitty patch adds character to a nice cover-up for messy crafts.

I’m rather messy when I’m painting or crafting. Actually, I’m rather messy everywhere. The only two places at home that are not messy are my bedroom and the bathroom. My house is a little short on storage space. People in the 1920’s didn’t have a lot of possessions and no one since has upgraded the storage. My need for storage is for craft supplies and yarn.

I cleared out my Craft room at the house to make a bedroom, but it turns out I’m trying to stuff way more things than I have room or storage for into what is actually a smaller space. I can’t go as high up with the angled ceiling since I can’t use the end wall without blocking the stairs. I have a desk against the half wall, but can’t go higher because then I can’t reach the light switch for the area.

I did not plan very well. An alternative is to get rid of the dining table and chairs and move the crafty stuff to the living room. Another alternative plan is to move two of the tall bookcases from the living room to upstairs and then move the craft tables and their attendant storage pieces to the living room.

At any rate, I have too much stuff and need to weed some of it out. Hey Makerspace— incoming!

Crafting

I didn’t realize how long it was between posts.

Leave a comment

I’ve been having a devil of a time with the shop light in my studio and the concrete wall. Even though the light weighs less than 5 pounds, the double-sided tape I was using wasn’t strong enough to hold it, in spite of the claim of holding up to 10 pounds. I used double layers of the tape and the light fell down,

I added an extra layer of tape and the light stayed up for two days. Finally, I bought a different brand of tape which is rated to hold up to 38 pounds. The light fell down. At no point had I removed any of the prior strips of tape. I bought another roll of heavier tape and applied enough to create a 4-strip deep layer and added several more of those thick layers to the back of the light. It hasn’t fallen yet. Yay me!

I like the light. The two led panels tilt down so I have bright light on my desk. There are six outlets and two USB charger ports. It’s working quite well now. I’ve been spending most of my time at the shop. The internet has been wonky so I haven’t posted from there.

I made a book to hold the paintings I’ve done so far. The paintings slide into the pockets. The idea came from a woman on YouTube named Joke Hardenbol. Even though I don’t speak Dutch, her instructions were easy to follow. I left a like and a comment on her channel.

By the way, the light is still on the wall.

Bookbinding, Paper Crafts

Very disappointing class Tuesday evening.

Leave a comment

I mentioned I belong to a maker space where I am what we call an Area Captain. I am responsible for our Craft Area. This area deals with various crafts such as sewing, knitting, paper-crafts and others. I am responsible for orienting members to the area, training or checking them off in the operation of our sewing machines and other equipment, plus doing the basic maintenance of said machines.

I also teach classes in the use of the heat press and its attachments, book binding, origami, and printmaking. Other members teach things like fabric flower making, sewing, how to use the embroidery machine or the vinyl cutter, as well as some book binding and origami. We often do one-on-one teaching and problem solving of knitting, crochet and weaving projects. We have painters, costume makers, costume designers

Tuesday evening was Paper Crafting night and I was teaching how to make zines. For those of you unfamiliar with them, zines are tiny publications made from one sheet of folded paper. The zines I was teaching people to make were to be decorated with rubber stamps, markers, and pictures and text from Readers Digest Condensed Books, magazines, and other papers.

Only one person showed up. I showed her several samples that I had made and one that I had bought at Zine Fest. She made a very nice start, but decided to leave early, so I don’t have a picture to share. Next month, I’ll won’t be able to hold a class, but I’m hoping that one of our origami enthusiasts will take over that night.

Bookbinding, Craft Fairs, Paper Crafts

I’ve been so busy, I forgot I have to maintain a blog.

Leave a comment

This is what happens when I take on too many projects at one time. I need to schedule my time and try not to do so many projects at once. Prepping for a craft show, taking two classes, dog-sitting a dog with anxiety, knitting, weaving, and just generally losing control on my time is getting almost nothing accomplished.

There are other things that are scheduled like hosting a weekly event, teaching a monthly class, attending a couple of weekly meetups – not Meetups – that go on. And I have all sorts of paper planners and scheduling software that could make things easier, but I still can’t keep organized. Yes, recurring events are on the calendar, but apparently, I need a daily schedule, even for things like “do the dishes” and “clean the bathroom” and “take the pills that are saving your life” since I still manage to occasionally skip a dose.

I used to make lists and that’s what I need to start doing again. Make a list of everything I want to accomplish one day at a time. Thanks for reading. I’ll let you know how it goes.

These are some of the items for the craft show. Junk journals, a folio, and an explosion book.

And May the 4th be with you,