And you'll never guess where....
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IN MY WALLET!
(Obviously not a wallet. Original alcohol ink art by me!)
Surprising, right? If you've been following my last few posts, you'll notice a theme - financial anxiety. I thought maybe writing about my fears, airing out my crazy thoughts might help me out of this funk. It seemed like everything I touched turned to shit and I started to not want to leave the house for fear of spending money.
Now, we all have our "thing" to make us happy, even if temporary. Mine is usually sweets, but all the donuts I've eaten this past week haven't helped a thing! I found myself walking out the back door, around the side to look at succulents and back in the front door. Stand motionless for 5 minutes in the kitchen debating what to do, and then start all over again out the back door. Hm. After re-reading that paragraph, maybe it was all the donuts giving me the jitters....
I tried doing yoga, but after 20 minutes my mind started wandering to money making ideas. I tried mid-day refresher naps, but couldn't sleep with all the mini projects on my to-do list running through my mind. I tried scheduling out my days, but even my agenda looked ugly and I wanted nothing to do with it.
I got out of my comfort zone and went to a new nursery to discuss a retail opportunity. It was a great connection made, but I felt compelled to buy a few succulents to solidify the relationship. I was really happy with the in road I made, but furious with myself at the same time for buying more plants I don't need.
(But just look at these variegated beauties I found in the back!)
I started to back-pedal and wanted to come up with some "cheap" product ideas. You know, the ones that have incredible mark ups and are under $10. Last minute add ons, that type of thing. So, I landed on the idea of Top Dressing. Which is really just a fancy way of saying cover up that clumpy mess, lady, nobody wants to see the dirt in your arrangements. So with a coupon in hand, I headed to Hobby Lobby to sort out packaging and labels. I've never been to HL before, mostly because of political reasons. I can't claim to know all the details but from what I understand they do not offer birth control to their employees. I hate that. My boss should not get to tell me what I put in my body, period. But I've exhausted all of the other craft stores nearby, so I sucked it up and went. Holy shit. Now I have a real dilemma. That place is a literal MECCA for makers. Not only that, but they've got some pretty cool decor, too. I've always wanted one of those homes that look like they could be in a modern decor magazine, but never wanted to spend the money. (duh). One of my favorite online design shops to look at was having a 50% off sale once, so I feverishly threw in all the pillows I wanted into the cart and went to check out. $200. Plus shipping. And tax. I promptly shut the computer off and quickly convinced myself guest pillows would be fine for lounging on the couch. My living room now looks like a frat house had a sleep over with the local pre-school. (Not like that, you perverts. I meant fleece blankets, plaid covered floppy pillows and a few bongs make it look like this is the first time I'm living without my parents.). I still wonder if I would have appreciated the pillows and the "look" or if they'd just have been a constant reminder of a waste of money.
Anyways, back on topic. Makers Mecca. After scanning every single aisle, I got what I thought I needed and got on line. I was fidgety though, because I had a 40% off coupon in my bag that was not applicable to anything in my arms. So at the last minute, I rushed to the back and grabbed a package of Alcohol Ink. It's something I've always wanted to try, but it's not exactly cheap. $12. Plus the fancy paper for it. Pretty steep but with the coupon, I figured it would be OK. Here's a money saving tip - don't get a basket or carriage when you shop. If you can't carry it, you can't buy it!
Have you ever heard of Alcohol Ink before? If the answer is no, do yourself a favor and google a video real quick......Ok. Back? Pretty cool, right? It's a super simple concept but not all that easy. I mixed quite a few pages of mud before I got the hang of it. This one is my favorite so far:
I like how this one came out too - I added the black drawing over the top with a paint marker:
Even the clean-up creates pretty designs!
But what does this have to do with cement pots? Absolutely nothing! Creating something, ANYTHING was what I was after. It gave me the confidence to bite the bullet and take the next big spending step for MadPotters. It seems like a new cement artist pops up every other hour, and with the influx of silicone molds available online anyone can do it. I've always prided myself on making my pots out of recyclables, but if I'm honest with myself, I much prefer the uniform look the silicone lends to the finished product. Sooooo....I dipped into my wallet again, and bought a trial sized box of silicone rubber. At ~$30 for one box, this is definitely not a cheap experiment.
My goal is to create marbled cement picture frames. I started by creating a mold box out of foam core board from the dollar store. I used to make fun of my mom when I was younger, but a glue gun is now my best friend, lol.
Once set, I then glued my frame I want to mold to the bottom of the box. I filled the entire thing with rice to measure out how much mix I would need - 4 cups. I looked at the mixes the box came with and decided I had enough. Thanks to a restaurant prep job when I was younger, I'm pretty good at eyeballing. I remembered to put a block in the middle to cut down on the amount of mix I'd need to fill the area, too. Woo.
Time to mix! Since I opened the first bottle with my thumbs, I ended up with pink sticky goo covering both hands. It's probably not necessary to say I have no photos from this part of the process.
Once I started pouring the mix into my mold box, everything looked good. UNTIL. I got to about 3/4 way full and then the glue gave out and my frame floated to the top. Epic Fail. I tried to thicken the walls around the frame with the leftover goo but I knew it would never hold cement this way, no matter what I did. Lesson learned. Glue gun is not always your friend.
But all is not lost! Sure, I spent some money I can't make back, but in the process I've learned that art isn't like anything I'm used to. I can't schedule creating like I can meetings and travel arrangements. Corporations love to not spend money on things they deem unnecessary, so we learn to make do with what we've got. The tools I needed to succeed at a desk job were very few - a computer, a phone, internet. Maybe a few special programs. I have to stop thinking in such limited terms with art. Just because I am a cement pot maker does not mean my only tools are cement and more cement!
I've spent more than I've made this week (because I haven't made any yet, lol) but I'm looking forward to a few upcoming events and most importantly, getting my hands dirty again in whatever feels good that day.
Hope your week is looking up, too!
xo
Christie
PS - anyone want to buy a really pretty paper towel? HEHE just kidding.
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