Zielinski Shirts: Part 2

Alright friends, are you ready for the screen burning? Now that I have access to a big fancy exposure unit I know I am! Today will even include some videos! Here we go.

I started off with a rather adventurous trip to Kinkos that involved the store running out of transparencies, the apathetic Kinkos guy dropping my hard drive (it's alive), and me locking my keys in my car at Office Depot. It was very worth it though. Very worth it indeed.

Once I had my transparencies I headed to the darkroom to burn some screens! I decided to try two different screens. One design was based off a spray painted stencil and the other was plain text. I wasn't sure the spray painted one would work, so I wanted a plain one just to be safe.

Here's a quick video of the burning process. I'll explain how it works after that.

While this video is pretty awful, what it shows sure isn't. This is how it works. The surface of the table is glass with UV lights underneath.

You set your transparency and screen on top of the glass and close the lid, which is made of a rubbery material. There are a couple clamps on the front of the unit that you tighten. Then you turn on the vacuum and the lid is sucked down to hold everything in place.

Then you turn the lights on for about 2 minutes and you're done!

When the burn is done you rinse the unburned emulsion out and you're left with:

This!

I didn't like the way the spray paint screen came out, so I've decided to use the other one that looks like this:

I forgot that this transparency had a little paper strip on the end, so I got a line burned into the screen. No worries, I just patched it up with a little more emulsion.

Now I just need to print the shirts and then let the True/False festivities begin!

Zielinski Shirts: Part 1

Remember how I showed you how to clean a screen last week and promised (I think I may have pinky promised) that I would show the rest of my business card making process later? I lied. For time and other reasons I didn't end up screen printing the cards, but they're still pretty cool. I'll try to do a quick demo on what I did do later in the week.

Anyway, all is not lost on the screen cleaning pursuit. I've been commissioned to screen print some t-shirts for the documentary Zielinski (website here) that's playing at the True/False Film Festival this weekend. I got the design from co-director (and instructor at my college) Chase Thompson today, so the process is about to begin!

Before that happens, please enjoy this trailer:

So, tonight's task was cleaning another screen. This is one I've been putting off for a long time. See, this is the screen I used for my first print and the ink I used turned out to be oil-based. Oil-based ink is okay, but it's a nightmare to clean up. As you might have heard, oil and water don't mix, so in order to clean it you have to use mineral spirits. I've had this screen sitting around with oil-based ink dried on it for months for one reason: I was scared of the mineral spirits. The bottle warns that it is toxic and you should have protection for your skin and very good ventilation. Since I didn't have these things while living in the dorms I left it alone. Now I have latex gloves, a hospital mask, and a bathroom with a vent. Let's get to it!

It's a good look for me!

Since I was gloved up and making a huge mess I wasn't able to get pictures of the scrubbing process, but I assure you, it's not particularly fun. The mask smells like hospital (surprise surprise) and some fumes still get in. I'll just say I'm going to avoid oil-based inks as much as possible.

I got one quick shot during my glove change.

When I finished I waited for the screen to dry while enjoying a delicious frosting and graham cracker snack.

Yum, yum, yum!

Once the screen was dry I spread a nice new coat of emulsion on it. I attempted to get a video of it my headbanding my phone to my forehead, but surprisingly enough, my forehead doesn't see what my eyes see. You'll just have to trust me on this one.

That's it for tonight. I'll be back tomorrow with the burning process and the awesome exposure unit. I double pinky promise this time.

Thanks for reading,

Alie

Let's Clean a Screen!

Finally another post. I won't pretend they're not going to be few and far between for awhile. I'll be finishing up my senior film project for the next month and a half, but after that it'll be craft central!

Fortunately, part of the senior film project is making posters, postcards, business cards, etc so we have a little something to do here. In anticipation of this year's True/False Film Festival this week will be about business cards. For me, making a run of the mill business card wasn't an option. Instead, I will make tiny business card-sized notebooks with my information screen printed on the front. Hopefully people will use it to take notes at the fest and remember me. Maybe they'll even want to hire me! (fingers crossed)

Earlier today I got a couple transparencies printed at Kinkos so I can burn my screen tomorrow. I didn't have any screens free, so I needed to clean one.

The process started with a screen I'd burned previously, a bottle of photo emulsion remover, a scrub brush (mine is shaped like a potato), and a bathtub. If you have a tub with a sprayer use it.

The first thing to do when cleaning a screen is to get any ink off. If there is any ink left on the screen it will likely become permanent.

Next, get the screen completely wet on both sides. If you don't have a sprayer just splash it until it's totally wet. Then pour a nice even layer of emulsion remover on the screen. Scrub it around a little with your brush (a toothbrush will work, but it'll take longer). Then let it sit there for about 30 seconds or so.

At this point you'll turn the screen on its side and scrub it. This is the first time I'd used this particular remover and it is awesome! Lightning fast! Scrub it until no more ink comes out. If you need to, rinse the screen and put a little more remover on then scrub again!

My screen after one scrub down.

Once you have all the emulsion off, spray the screen with your sprayer. If you don't have one use the hardest spray you can get your hands on (garden hose sprayer in the summer, in the winter you might put a bathing suit and shower shoes on and use your shower, but be careful! I've never done that!). You should end up with a nice looking screen like this!

Be sure to hold your screen up to the light to make sure everything is gone. The gold ink on the screen in this picture is just stain from the last time I used it. As long as nothing is blocking the holes it'll be okay. In the end I had a beautiful screen ready to be put back to use tomorrow!

Ta da! Note: My remover is Chemical Consultant Inc. ER/35. If you have a different kind make sure you check for specific instructions. This is the process I've used for all other removers I've used, but I can't guarantee there aren't some out there that are different. You can also use diluted bleach, but it takes awhile. My bottle was $15 and it's definitely worth it!

I promise I'll be back tomorrow or Tuesday with the next step of my business card process. Pinky swear.

Thanks for reading,

Alie

Up and (almost) running

The new name has been chosen, the shop has been opened, and now it's just waiting for me to post a listing! It's time to get things up and running!

Last time I asked for opinions about the new shop name and thanks to my mom and Aunt Kim the shop is called "Mouse Tail Embroidery". I opened up the new store and created a separate email account for the shop. I even found a free app that keeps track of sales patterns and sends a weekly update straight to my (new) email! Anything that keeps things organized easily is good in my book.

After the initial business tasks were completed I got to craft again! Since I already had an idea in mind for Mouse Tail's banner, I got right to it. I combined the concept of the name with the kind of products I make. And here's what happened: (By the way, these are just crappy preview pictures. My camera battery is dead and I'm in the process of moving, so the charger is... somewhere...)

I'm going to take an outdoor picture around sunset when the natural light is beautiful. Then I'll crop it to fit the banner and get it on the shop!

The last few days have been dedicated to creating the first item I'll list. I thought it might be nice (even if only for my own sake) to start with something related to the shop name. I recently decided that stores charge way too much for cat toys, so I made my own. It's infinitely cheaper and, best of all, it's handmade! So I made a set of colorful mouse cat toys to list as soon as I find my camera charger.

They even have little bells inside so they make a tiny noise to keep the cat interested. My little Daphne loves her new mouse toys!

When I finished these four mice I started thinking about the process and saving time. When I started on the mice I traced the same number of shapes in each of the four colors and cut them out. Then I went through and stitched the ears and eyes into each mouse. I only finished and stuffed the four I needed and then decided to wait on the rest. I can save time by having one set finished and ready to ship, but I won't waste time and materials (my most expensive are stuffing and bells) making mice that may not sell.

It's important to keep organized, so I set up all the materials I need for mice:

(The stuffing is in its own bag)

and put everything in a handy little bag for later:

Hopefully I'll find my battery charger soon so I can post these mice and see if my new methods are good ones.

I hope everyone is having a lovely new year. Thanks for reading!

Alie

The name game

Happy New Year everyone!

Actually, it wasn't until I typed that greeting that I realized how appropriate this post is for the time of year. I've been reading articles about sales, business, and Etsy shops and I've decided to start fresh. My current shop houses kind of a mess of products and isn't very unified. There's some photography, some embroidery, and a random piece of something now and then. So I'm going to start up a new shop with a clear business plan, a cohesive creative feel, and (today's task) a new name.

I'm bad at naming. I love it, but I'm very bad at it. I went through about 10 possible names for my new cat before landing on the one I've had in mind for years (Daphne). As of this post (or at least this paragraph) I haven't chosen a name for my new shop. I'll share my research and thought process with you and hopefully come to a decision. I know I had a post about names awhile ago, but I'm going in a new direction this time. Let's get going...

So, what do I need to consider:

1. What do I want in my shop name?

• I know I want my shop name to be personal. I'd love for it to reference something I loved in childhood.
• I want it to reflect the kinds of products I'll be making. Something about stitches or embroidery should be in there.
• I don't want it to be super girly/cutesy.

Keeping those things in mind, here is my list so far:

-Two Hippopotamus Embroidery (a Frasier reference)

-Mouse Tail Embroidery (I envision a mouse whose tail spells the shop name. And a mouse tail is kind of like string, right?)

-Papple Pooce Embroidery (This is a shout out to my favorite book as a kid. I read all the words with "p"s because I thought it was funny. This one is apple juice...)

-Felt Forest Embroidery (I use a lot of felt)

-Felt Maze Embroidery (Going with the felt thing. I envision a maze a la Highlights made of felt spelling the name.)

2. What do buyers want in a shop name?

According to an Etsy article from a few years back these are some things to consider:

• It should be easy to remember and spell. I think that rules out Two Hippopotamus...
• Less is more. Use fewer words that flow well together. Etsy gives this example: “JessicasDesigns” works a thousand times better than something like “beaddesignsbyjessica.”
• Avoid trademarks. I'm good on that one.
• Make sure your name reflects the kinds of items you sell. Since I make fun things out of felt a fancy name written in a fancy script wouldn't be ideal.
• It doesn't hurt to include what you make in the title. Yay! I thought of this one on my own!

Here are a few more tips from Entrepreneur.com. Some are more geared toward more traditional businesses. The Etsy clientele is a bit different.

• If your business name tells your customer what you do you'll have less explaining to do.
• The name should appeal to the kinds of people you are targeting. This seems really obvious, but it's almost so obvious you forget about it.
• The name should conjure happy thoughts or memories.
• I'm including this one just because it's kind of funny. Don't use "Inc." after your name unless you are actually incorporated. No kidding...

At this point I've only narrowed down my options a little. I do have a favorite, but I'd like to hear what everyone else thinks. We have Mouse Tail Embroidery, Papple Poose Embroidery, Felt Forest Embroidery, or Felt Maze Embroidery.

I'd love to hear your opinions or new ideas!

Thanks for reading,

Alie

Ps- Sorry there aren't any pictures this time! And to give credit where credit is due, here are the links to the articles: Etsy's article and Entrepreneur.com's article

And we're back

I made the mistake of starting a craft blog the week before finals leading into Christmas. In the next week or so I'll be doing a photo revamp. Every successful Etsy seller will tell you that good photos are about the most useful thing you can do for your shop. I'll get researching soon and keep you posted.

For now I'll share my Christmas crafts.

I embroidered tea towels for my mom. My cousins call her Aunt Yummy because she makes delicious desserts.

My brother Ryan got an Ina Garten inspired apron. (A shent is a shirt-tent. Ina wears one always. It's usually denim.)

And my crowning achievement was for my brother's partner Matt. His immense Golden Girls knowledge means he needs his own felt Golden Girls. He's been holding them in front of his face and saying quotes all day.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Good News and Inspiration

Happy Sunday everyone!

Good news! I sold my first item on Etsy last night. Yay!

More food pillows to come!

We're continuing with a bit of inspiration from The Mouse Market on Etsy. I love food and I love tiny things, so this shop is amazing. Better yet, for my Columbia friends, it's local! I have a couple pairs of earrings from her and I love them. I'm just blown away by her ability to make realistic textures. What's not to love about tiny food?

Get ready to be inspired!

We'll start with this chocolate mousse cake. Can I just eat it right now? Wow.

She's creative with her food items too! Fluffernutter sandwich? Yes please!

If you've ever worked with polymer clay you'll be impressed by the texture of that bread. I'm just amazed.

I'm channeling my grandma here. She says she only likes chocolate in the form of german chocolate cake. Those crumbs are astounding!

It's pizza, right? No. It's clay.

Waffles! Yum!

That icing is perfect. That looks like a real cookie!

And this isn't food, but it's seasonal. Happy Hanukah friends!

I hope you're as inspired by this as I am. I'll be back with photoshopping a banner design this week.

Thanks for reading,

Alie