Lino!

Screw Twilight. I don't have the review ready that I promised. I spent the weekend buying gifts and eating my hopelessly burned peanut butter cookies instead. I also messed with my blog layout and tried to not headbutt the screen while messing with codes in seemingly random fashion. So this is what it looks like now.

Then I started a new little project...

I am starting a little lino carving!

I don't know how to carve linoleum, but that rarely stops me from doing things. I did some lino prints when I was a kid I think. And then one or two in highschool (or was it university?) Whatever, I touched lino block some time in my past.

I usually use softoleum (or soft-kut) for my stamps and fabric prints, which is way softer and easier to use. But its hard to get small detail. I wanted to try something new. And lino seems so much more grown up for some reason.

I also have the dullest lino cutter ever made by human hands. Its so crappy. They never have the size of blades I like at the art supply store. Why do they hate me?

So I have been warming the lino block under my bum (Hey, warming it helps you carve it!) and then carving teeny lines, which will be the guide for the deeper lines. I should be finished the carving by the year 2010.

Jingle Bells...

I am fully switched into Holiday mode now.

Halloween flew by the fastest I can ever remember. The party, the candy *groan* and the crow candle holders we bought for our mantle. (If we had a mantle...)
I was an Indian (inside joke as I am actually a "Status Indian" which is an official Indian in Canada...) The mask was not part of my costume. Haha

I had these plans to stock up for the holiday season but found I sold out of most of my "stock up" before Halloween even hit!! I have to re-stock up again. I do have 10 scarves made and ready to go...Like this one I listed today.I am sure they will go fast. The reason I listed this one first is that I really wanted to keep it for myself and my willpower is WEAK. I will make myself one at some later date...

So I am officially not accepting any more custom orders, because I am too busy. How freaking cool is that??? :-D

So from now on its on. Christmas hardcore. Its funny, I don't even care about Christmas! I mean, I like eating good food and giving and getting gifts and seeing my family, but Etsy has put a new focus on Christmas. I bet by the time it arrives I will hate it. :-)

So, how many days until next Halloween??

Scarves!

Hmm, what can I print on? What can I print on......?Scarves! Much better than T-shirts, as they are one size fits all. Plus summer is almost over and those Fall days are coming... I made three, as a test (I do alot of testing I guess...) I printed on the "wrong side" of the fabric because I thought it would be cooler to have the print on the inside. If I make more I might print on the "right" side as jersey curls up a bit at the edges...

I see a whole bunch of these in my store in the future, I have some ideas for new stamps....Its kind of time consuming, depending on how dense I make the pattern. This Moz one progressed a bit faster, as its more spread out... I timed how long it took me to make them by watching Martha Stewart. (I often forget to actually time my work, and then have to guess if I am working for like $3 an hour...) All three of these will be going into the shop today or tomorrow. I have to fight not to let myself keep the Moz one. or all of them.Rocko the Cat helped me a lot by laying on top of the huge mess that is my printing table. His body is on t-shirts (not for the shop, don't worry) and his face is on a painting. ARGH!!

Damn! Then he has to go and look all cute and fat cheeked and I forgive him (again and again...) Jerk!

*Goes to de-fur the studio....*

Two Colour Printing!

Test batch of two colour stamp prints!

After making the two colour printed skeleton bag, I wanted to try more! So I carved up some second stamps to coordinate with some of my older designs...

They came out really rough and worn and splotchy, which I love. I printed the images with white ink, heat set them then printed over with black ink. I didn't have registration marks, so they are all a little off. I think it reminds me of graffiti. The ones on cotton worked much better than the blended fabrics. But then, doesn't everything?


I took this little batch of tests and made up a little batch of triangular pouches.

Its cool when your "tests" actually work out and can be made into something to sell (or keep!) I am going to start listing these pouches on Etsy starting tomorrow.

I had a helper who tried to eat any threads that fell on the floor all day....Then he runs when I try to pull them out of his mouth. But you would never know by this pic what a pain in the rear he is. Aww.