What's on the work table today?

On mine: loads of postage stamps! I am working on a new postage stamps handbag and the only way for me to do this is to have all the stamps scattered around me. I know this will probably give stamp collectors a small heart attack, but I can't keep stamps in neatly sorted books and folders, organized by year or theme...no! I simply stuff them into boxes and envelopes and then when I start working I keep emptying box after box and rummage around till I find the perfect stamp for the perfect spot on the bag. Sometimes I lose track of what I am doing and end up staring at the mini artworks of countries that no longer exist, extinct butterflies, scientists from different eras. It's like walking through a history museum, but in the comfort of my own home. Some stamps are still partly attached to their envelopes, a far-away address still visible, and I wonder who sent them and what was written in the letters that travelled around the world. Funny how a tiny piece of paper can have so many different meanings, don't you agree?

Image Transfer Tutorial

If like to try out an alternative for those expensive iron-on, then maybe you should have a look at this! I love this transfer technique, it's cheap, easy and fun because you can achieve different "looks": from distressed to crisp images...it's worth a try!

What do you need:

soap shavings

turpentine

a piece of fabric and a fresh inkjet print

and : a well ventilated workspace!

Get a cup and fill it 1/4 with hot water, add two tabelspoons of soap shavings and stir. Then add a table spoon of turpentine and keep stirring until it looks like this:

Now we're ready to print! get your piece of paper and apply the soap and turpentine mix to the front of your print:

Then put it face down on your piece of fabric. Press it down firmly and apply the mix to the back. The paper will become slightly transparant. The mix can be applied quite thick, as long as you are careful not to rip up the paper. I like to use my hands to rub down the print, but a spoon is very handy too, it depends of the effect you desire:

Now peel back carefully ...and there it is!

How to "set" the print

Of course you don't want your image to fade after the first wash, but please note that that transfer technique is experimental : depending on the mix and amount of soap and turpentine you will get a stronger or weaker print. There are a few tricks for settings the transfer though:

Let your transfer dry for 24 hours. Get a spraying can ( you know, for spraying or watering your plants) and fill it with 50% water and 50% white vinegar. Spray it on the transfer and let it dry. After that you have to iron your transfer on high temperature or use a heat press. Repeat the last two steps( (spraying can and ironing) a few times, but don't rinse in between. When you have done this 3 or 4 times you can take an additional step and use some varnish on the transfer The fabric will become a bit stiffer, but if you do it carfully with thin layers you can obtain a nice result. This last step is recommened for transferring on t-shirts, but if you are just making appliques or transfers that don't need to be washed frequently, you can skip this step.

Ok, that's it! Feel free to post your comments and questions here, i'll try my best to answer them!

Mirror Mirror on the Wall - Valentine's Edition

I finally found a use for the brass wire hearts that i bought on my last trip to Syria! I love how an idea can just pop up while cleaning up the crafting boxes and stumbling upon my forgotten treasures. I found these hearts in a little shop right outside the Souk of Aleppo. It wasn't even a craft or supply shop, they were selling bolts and hammers and then i saw these beauties in a box in the corner. I think the shop owner didn't even know why he had them there...they looked like they had been in that corner for the past 100 years. A good reason for me to buy most of his brass shapes inventory! Right in time for Valentine's :)

Sea shells Now here's a fun substitute for settings! I'm recycling sea shells so i can use them for making resin pendants. It actually looks like there is water inside the shell, and a little matryoshka floating in it, surrounded by rose petals ( ok, not really : it's red mica glitter, but use your imagination!). I painted the shell in bronze-gold tones so it would match the jump ring chain i made for it. I have a lot of double shells that i would like to use, if i can find a way to keep together with glue i could turn them into diptychs or portrait lockets. To be continued!