New stencils and stuff!

At long last, my order from Joanne's came in. It felt like I was getting so much more than I actually got, or maybe that is the memory of how much I spent. Since, my studio section of my studio apartment is still in disarray. I am not the most active organizer. I tend to do it in small bursts. That means there is still no work surface, so I cleaned off my tv tray and had a go with some of my new supplies.

First, I have to say the Crafters Workshop templates were AWESOME! I started out with the 6"x6" size, since it seemed to make more sense to me right now. The bigger ones will follow eventually, they are that awesome. I am trying to figure out the angel policy thing. When it says you are allowed to create "x" number of images for sale, do they mean the number of times one can use a given template/stamp in any original piece of art you use that product in, or does it only refer to when you make the same thing several times. For example, an original design can be recreated a number of times when someone makes greeting cards. Is that what they mean? It makes as much sense to me as the last couple of questions probably did to you. I figure I ought to get the copyright/fair use thing straight before I make something and try to sell it. I am not looking to be hassled.

I also got a few daubers of distress inks, a few stamps, and a few containers of acrylic ink. The distress inks were very nice. I stamped with the walnut stain color. I frankly used as much as I thought I could get away with on one page. Somehow it seems to work. It is a beautiful mess. The most interesting thing on the page, however, wasn't one of the many new supplies. It was the set of homemade stamps I made. I have had a couple of keyboards bite the dust. With my computer/tv set up, it gets knocked down a lot, so tings happen. I tend to get the cheapest Apple keyboards I can find, which are reasonable. When I inevitably kill them, I take them apart for parts. Not to build a new franken-keyboard, but to eventually use in an art project. This is the first time I followed through. The frame for the keys is a big grid of Xes. I thought it would be cool to use configurations of them to stamp with, so I cut that bit apart and pulled out a couple of shapes that appealed to me, and glued them to some cheap Dollar Tree crafts sheets and cardboard. They worked beautifully. I also have a single one waiting to be mounted, and the rest of the part can be taken apart and mounted as well, melting down the Xes a little so they have wider edges. But I am not feeling ambitious enough to do that quite yet. I already have the mess of organizing supplies, making the art journal from paper bags, and backing up all my hard copy dvds to deal with. I figure I have enough to chew on for right now. 

My experimental art journal page. This is what happens when I test my new stuff out. My new letter stamps, the crackle stamp (I am going to love that!), a black gelato, a damask stamp, a damask TCW template, a couple of blops of acrylic ink, all colors of my new distress ink,  my homemade glimmer mist, and a couple of homemade stamps. Whew!

A close up of my page, with the homemade stamps that created the "X" images. Plus, you can really see the glimmer in this shot. Oooh...ahhh.

I also made a couple of black and white backgrounds. They are the image of perfect-ish symmetry. I seem to have customized my damask template by bending a couple of parts, making the page like a wallpaper/Rorschach test combo. Still, I like it...and the imperfect houndstooth. That one just makes me happy...and a little dizzy.

I love the chicken wire template. The small size makes the part that makes this design look like wire very subtle, so it looks like honeycomb. Very cool!

The houndstooth of hell! I guess i went a little heavy in spots.

My Rorschach sheet, I mean damask. Even though it is very girly, damask really appeals to me.

This weekend, I will be winding down my dvd project and moving my dvd tower to its rightful place, as an organizer for my art supplies. I will put the dvds in storage and finish my organization so I have room to work. Then, I will iron those paper bags and trim them, and lovingly craft them into a couple of fabulous art journals. Who am I kidding? I am pretty sure I will finish the dvd project. I will probably get absorbed in YouTube videos and/or some of the movies I have downloaded, since I haven't watched them in years, but the rest is probably not going to happen. It doesn't hurt to aim high...