Retail Therapy
June 26, 2009
Here are some things I've bought recently:
Totally thrilled to start making some art with this! I've been wanting a typewriter FOREVER and I'm delighted to have one that works well and looks absolutely adorable! It's a vintage typewriter from 1935 and it has been cleaned and refurbished. Because the decals are faded, I got it for a great price. Plus, it's a portable typewriter, so it's lightweight (relatively) and that makes me happy! Finally, it's a very mainstream model, so the ribbons are supposed to be easy to replace. Yay!
Old school circle punches. I find there are some sizes of circles that are too small for my current circle cutter (the fantastic and highly recommended curvy cutter). And so I decided to bite the bullet and buy some circle punches in a variety of the smaller sizes. Watch for my circle obsession to continue!
I have been playing with my new Caran D'Arche watersoluble crayons. These things are so deeply pigmented and lovely to work with! My favorite way to use them is to outline something (a circle or an object) and then scrub a wet paintbrush over the top. The colors blend seamlessly. It's awesome. They're kind of pricey, but a really good addition to anybody's art box! I bought the little box (pictured here) and someday, I'll go for the really big box!
I bought this book a while ago, but I just started reading it last night. It's soooo good! Plus, inside it's spiral bound! That's going to make it so easy when I actually start experimenting with some of these techniques! It'll lay perfectly flat on my desk. No weighting down of pages required!
I just ordered like twelve of these American Crafts D-Ring albums. Okay, not twelve. But, at least six. My poor layouts are sitting in sad little piles. I finally got disgusted with myself when I realized that every album in my house is bursting at the seams and I have a huge shipping box FULL of layouts PLUS a pile that is beginning to grow to knee height sitting on the floor. Too prolific for my own good. Sigh. I can't wait to bring some order to the chaos. If you've seen the pics of my crafty room, you know what I'm talking about!
Here are some things that I want:
It's a Flip Ultra HD Camcorder. And it is a thing of genius! When I do the videos for my blog, I use the camera built into my computer. And it does the job. But, it's certainly not particularly clear or beautiful and doesn't really do well with the lighting in my apartment. Plus, I have to be able to put the computer wherever I want the video to be coming from and I've got a big laptop. This little camera fits on any standard tripod, takes HD video and goes anywhere! I love it!
Okay, I know that this ICE Resin doesn't look like anything at all. But, I took a resin class from Susan Lenart Kazmer at the Bead&Button Show and it blew my mind!
Basically, you mix the two parts to create a viscous liquid. Then,
you pour the resin into a mold or bezel and it domes as it dries. You
can also paint paper and ephemera with it (or even Christmas lights) to preserve them. Way cool!
It's a 24x36" teflon sheet! I currently work on much smaller mat and I am dying to get my hands on this one! Though, I'm not much of a pink girl, truth be told, and I'm kind of sad that it's pink. I wish it were more neutral, but beggars can't be choosers. It's definitely in my mental shopping cart!
I've been reading about these mini photo studios. They're collapsible boxes that come with reflectors and little lights so that you can take really excellent photos in your apartment. I'd love to be able to take better photographs of some of my jewelry and other artwork. But, it does seem a little extravagant, doesn't it? Well, a girl can dream, right?!
So, what have you been shopping for recently? Do tell!