ArtFest Trade-O-Rama

A few of you may remember that I made ATC's for a pre-organized trade at ArtFest . . . I posted about that here. Well, here's the cool set of ATC's from other ArtFest attendees that I got in return! Check out the cool box that Bee Shay, the organizer, pulled together to display them - complete with encrusted octopus - the theme was sea life. I pulled out a few of my favorites . . .

I also had some little trades that I made up for spur-of-the-moment trading at ArtFest - all of them had buttons like the ones from my EyesAflame Etsy shop, and some had ATC's and some had Moo Cards. And here is some of the cool stuff I got in return!

A few ATC's, a bamboo pendant with an octopus on it, some random fibers, some Moo cards, a little booklet made from a recycled postcard, and a very cool little hanging.


It's made from driftwood, and it says "listen." Can you imagine makng 20+ of these for trade? Marvelous! I wish the artist had a blog I could link to!

Now, one trade I wanted but didn't get was a wonderful little booklet of octopus facts and matching octopus button . . . created by the marvelous Beenebag of betweenassignments.blogspot.com . . . so I sent her off an e-mail and a promise of a trade, and my octopi goodness should be in the mail!

DEMO: Moldable Foam Stamps

I decided to participate in NaBloPoMo 2007 - it's not a new Polish Dance Craze, nor is it a traditional Italian noodle dish. Heck, it's not even a neighborhood in New York. No, it's just my comittment to post on this here blog once a day during the month of November.

It is possible that I will end up resorting to recitations of what I ate during the day, but I am starting with a bang - my first on-line DEMO! A NaBloPoMo Demo! I'll also be putting these up on the website - part of a diabolical long-term plan to offer ideas for quick and easy Creativity Breaks at the rate of one a month.

We'll see.

But now, you get a DEMO! of my new favorite thing - moldable foam. I am making stamps out of anything that doesn't move. Actually, the keyboard might make for a cool effect . . .

1. Start with some Moldable Foam! 3" x 4" of foam. I get mine locally at Collage on Alberta (they sell them singly for $1.00 each , or in packs of 8 for, well, $8). If you're not local, good luck finding them on the manufacturer's website (www.clearsnap.com) or googling Magic Stamp Moldable Foam Stamps.

2. Arrange the items you want to use to make an impression with - here, it's clothespins.
3. Heat the foam with an embossing tool for 30 seconds - keep it moving. And yes, it needs to be something hotter than a hairdryer - sorry!

4. Press the foam firmly into the texture objects for 15 seconds. Release! The impression will stay in the foam until the foam is reheated. Reheat the foam, and the impressions are *mostly* erased. And you can use both sides of the foam . . . yes, you can buy one foamie, make two stamps, then erase and start all over again!!!

5. Ink your stamp. I used a rubber brayer and a water-based printing ink, but use your imagination! Experiment! Basically, you just don't want the ink to dry on the stamp - you can probably use stamp pad ink or fabric paints with some kind of extender . . . you get the idea. (Note: I later used fabric paints . . . I found that it was easier to ink the foam with a foam brayer because the consistency of the fabric paint was different. Still got cool prints!)

6. Print! Just press the inked surface into the paper or fabric using firm, even pressure. Here, I printed on smooth Bristol Board. Very nice impression.

You can make a stamp from almost anything . . . Buttons

Rubber Bands

Even Corn Cobs! In fact, once you get started, it's hard to identify something that WOULDN'T make a cool stamp.

Here are some sample prints that I turned into ATCs. Still very attached to these today, but will be ready to trade some soon, I'm sure! (The ATCs shown above also include homemade stamps made from Friendly Foam glued to bits of acrylic board, an idea I got from Wendy Huhn.)

Wanna Trade?

One of the coolest things about big art retreats like Art & Soul is the chance to trade . . . artist trading cards, handmade beads or charms, inchies, MOO cards . . . whatever little creative detritus and inspirational tidbits we can make and share . . . pictured above are the groovy 2-D trades I wandered away with!

I love trading in part because it says "what you make and what I make are equally cool" and "everyone deserves some original art or at least a cool limited edition." And I love it that I get to share and see what other folks are doing - and it's such a non-threatening, non-precious way to make art! "Oh, I have these little things and I can just make them and give them away and isn't that cool!"

So, I made a few little things to trade, and did a few trades. And it's hard to do trades when you're a secret introvert, like me. I wandered around vendor night with my little box and couldn't approach anyone . . . and I tended to only trade if someone else suggested it! And then my MOO cards came in this week (after Art & Soul, but it's never too late . . . ) and I said to myself, "Well, I can still trade, right?" So, if you'd like to send me some little art trade, I'll happily send you something back! Just send it to:

Bridget Benton
PO Box 4076
Portland, OR 97208-4076

and be sure to give me your name and address! Don't have anything to trade yet?