Clean you oil paint brushes this way.
Use paper towel to squeeze most of the fresh oil paint out of the brush with a ferule to tip pinching action. This will not work for already dried in oil paint.
Place a 1/4 oz of baby oil in a shallow plastic container, dip the brush to coat it. Do not swish it around in the baby oil, as this will cloud up the oil and you will not know when your brush is really clean.
Remove the baby oil out of the brush using a piece of clean paper towel, with a squeezing ferule to tip pinching action. Repeat dipping and pinching action, until brush no longer leaves paint residue in the paper towel and is wiping out clean.
The baby oil left in the synthetic and natural hair brushes prevents any residual oil paint left in the brushes from drying, no matter how long you leave it between paintings, and also conditions your brushes, your hands, etc.
Lego's and storing them.
Find all the Legos you have.
Separate them from there, color- red with red, blue with blue, ETC
Put them in a bin or some kind of container with the colors of the bricks that are in there.
Find a spot to put them that is easy to reach. 
Tool Kit for Scrapbooking.
Get a pair of scissors. Although this seems simple, it isn't a case of grabbing the pair already lying about the house; the scissors must be reserved only for your hobby to avoid blunting them. Choose scissors that are sharp and have a fine-tip. There are special versions for scrapping but provided your scissors are good quality, you will be fine with non-specialised ones. Mark them with a label "scrapping" so that you don't accidentally use them on anything else. You will want 2 pairs. A large pair of scissors for general cutting paper, cardstock, and chipboard. Then you will need a small fine point pair for trimming small items and cutting ribbons.
Purchase a paper trimmer. A paper trimmer is an essential part of the scrapbook artist's repertoire. You will this time and again to cut mats, backgrounds, strips and other paper embellishments in a quick, straight and easy manner. You might like to consider purchasing a small trimmer to begin with and upgrade to a larger one as you advance in scrapping. The larger trimmers clearly offer more in the way of versatility but they also cost more.
'Buy a self-healing cutting mat.' This is a very important part of your craft, to ensure that table-tops are preserved and to prevent slips. The cutting mat also protects the blade of any cutting tool used from blunting. Another choice is a glass mat. The hard surface of the glass makes it easier to cut fine exact shapes without catching the tip of your craft blade int he softer mat.
Choose a cutting blade or craft knife. You have the mat, now you need the cutting implement. Cutting blades are best in the form of a knife kit that comes with varying blade types that can be changed easily and sit atop an easy-to-hold handle. If your craft store does not have this, most art stores will have one. Given the labour that your knife will be subjected to, it pays to buy a good quality cutting tool from the outset. Look for one of the newer ergonomic handled blades. They are worth the little extra.
# Grab a paper piercer. These are useful for setting brads on a project. The paper piercer can pierce a hole precisely where you wish to place the brad. You can also use the piercer to thread yarn, cotton or silk thread, metallic threads and even to sew through.
Select quality markers. When you write by hand on your project, you need to use quality markers (or writers) that will not bleed, seep through or spoil the pages in any way. The markings that you make should also last down the decades and not fade away. So, look for acid-free, durable, fast-drying acrylic tip markers. Ask your local scrapping supplier for recommendations on quality markers.
Select quality scrapping paints. Specialised scrapping paints enable you unleash your creativity in many ways and colours. At first, buy a few basic favourite colours that you can build on later. Get a supply of different brush sizes, sponges, and stamps to apply the paint with.
Buy a solid ruler. A metallic ruler is a solid investment for a scrapper. The metal cannot be cut as you are using a cutting implement and the ruler gives a very straight edge as a guide for drawing or cutting along. A metal ruler is also useful for tearing paper. You can also find some clear acrylic rulers that have a metal edge. The best ones have "0" feature. This allows you to find the center of any edge on paper.
Get suitable adhesives. Always get adhesive products that will not deteriorate over time or react poorly with other materials used for scrapping. Adhesives that you will be likely to need include glue (a glue pen is really useful) double-sided tape, foam mounting tape and pop-dots of varying sizes. Look for the special double sided tape runners made just for scrapping. They are made in holders that make it much easier to use for scrapping. These tape runners place only the adhesive on your paper leaving out the tape backing. It is worth it to invest in a good quality tape system.
Buy some suitable starter scrapbooks.You can start with ready-made scrapbooks., but there is nothing like the feeling of creating it yourself! There are now tools that help you create your own covers and bindings from using coils to actually laminating a binding. The options are endless.
A Scrapbook Store. I'm not talking about one of the chain big box type stores. Look for a Local Scrapbook Store, affectionately known in circles as a LSS. There you will find a wealth of knowledge about how to's. The store should be full of supplies and ideas. There will most likely be classes and crops. You should also be able to find an employee or Design Team member who is willing to help you with design issues or jsut learning what to do. Scrapbookers love their craft and tend to want to convert others. Take advantage of their helpfulness!!
Do you have a great craft tip, let me know!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment