I have been “gone” for a while … but not idle!

I hate it when that happens. I had just finished uploading the last photo to this blog when … pouf! It all disappeared … had to start all over again. So … I decided to do this in a Word document and then copy and paste to the blog page.

As I was saying before I got interrupted by a glitch in the system, I cannot believe all that time has gone by since I blogged last. I am so embarrassed. Not that I have been idle.

Summer came finally and with it nice and sunny weather. It was even really hot a couple of days during July and August, to the point that I had to turn on the AC, which I usually don’t need.

A couple of weekends ago I was sitting at home reading a book and decided I needed to go do something productive, so I gathered my supplies and started to make textured plates to use for frottage and monoprinting. What was going to be a few plates, turned into quite a few. It is so much fun and addictive too.

Here are a few photos for you to see what I’ve done. These first ones were done on foam core board that I purchased at the dollar store. They were cut to size using an exacto knife and a ruler on a cutting mat. Then I used stencils and modeling paste. Tape the stencil to the table (not to the foam core board) and cover any areas you don’t want to use. With a craft knife, apply modelling paste evenly. Lift the stencil carefully and with the knife – on a paper towel – clean the excess paste and return to the jar to be reused. Wash the stencil right away with warm water. Blot dry with paper towels.

These ones were done using a mini glue gun. I found it easier to use the mini glue gun than the regular one. It gave me a thinner line and it was easier to control. The ones with darker lines are the ones that I marked first, thinking that it was going to be easier to follow the design. Not sure that was true. Again, the foam core board was cut to size. In this case, most of them were cut to about 3” x 4” or a bit larger, as I wanted to use them with the magic foam blocks.

And here are the magic foam blocks, 4 of them, stamped on both sides. If you’ve never used them, they are simple to use and again, you can create anything you can think of. They come in 3” x 4” x 1”, 4 to a package – I purchased mine from Amazon. They are very easy to use. You just need to heat them with a heat gun and press to any surface that has a texture. To create a texture, I created the glue gun plates that I showed you above. But it is easy to use with anything that has a texture, such as leaves, doilies, lace, thread and yarn, buttons, elastic bands, twigs, etc., etc. etc. you get the idea. Press a few seconds until the objects get imprinted and lift. Voila! Stamp ready to use … If you are not happy with it, heat again; the image will disappear and you can start again.

The one with the keys was done placing keys on the table directly, keeping in mind the space I had.  These keys were a gift from my friend Lisa.  Once I had a placement I liked, I heated the block and pressed it to the keys.  That simple!

You can even stamp the sides! Endless possibilities.

These last ones were done once again on foam core board using self-adhesive shapes and letters purchased at the dollar store. You can also find more variety at stores like Micheals and Walmart. They come in all sizes and shapes.

Now I get to use them. I will be spending some time this weekend – it’s supposed to be cooler and rainy – monoprinting. I will show you some results of this exercise soon.

Hope your summer has been good. In the meantime, keep creating!

Ana