My First Go At Being Behind The Counter

The title of this post suggests that I've signed up for an after-school shopkeeping job, so I'll put your minds at rest by saying that all I'm doing is a small-scale tombola with 4 friends. Still exciting and definitely blog-worthy, though. Particularly when you're designing and making the tombola itself and also contributing to toy sales and craft sales (see my gorgeous little knitted blue mouse below). I've always wanted to participate in the organization of charity sales like this (if you're wondering about the charity, it's DEBRA, a charity dealing with EB or butterfly skin, a rare condition where the skin can blister or even cut at the slightest touch), and I honestly can't wait to see people buy/win stuff that I donated, even if it is a little saddening at first losing them. Anyway, it's a week on Monday (9th July) so I guess all that's left to do is decorate the tombola...

My homemade tombola

- DP :)

The fore-mentioned blue mouse (sooo cute, though I say so myself)

I'm Back (Really This Time)

Apologies for the lack of posts in May, it's one of the busiest months of the school year, what with exams and the madness surrounding them. Anyway, I'll start blogging again on a high by mentioning a new craft technique I learnt today, a version of embossing called heat embossing or in Dramatis Persona language "draw it, cover it, tip it, gun it", which if done well can produce fantastic glossy designs (I've even provided a video to help you). And it is easily done well. What you basically do is sketch a reasonably simple design (do it quickly - it won't work if the pen has dried for too long) in a special embossing pen - "draw it", then pour embossing powder (available in most colours - I chose my favourite colours, red and green) all over the paper - "cover it".  Next "tip it" by gently shaking off the excess powder (only the powder over your pen marks will stay on the page) and finally "gun it" by carefully giving the powder a hard finish by waving an embossing gun over it. Oh, and if you're wondering where I get all the fancy craft stuff from, there's a handy stamp store on Bury Place near the British Museum called Blade Rubber Stamps. Altogether a much more enjoyable way to spend Sunday afternoons than doing some of the homework I've been having.

N.B. This technique only works on ordinary paper, and NOT on newspaper. I learnt that the hard way...

Embossing dual pen

Red and green embossing powder

Embossing gun

How to heat emboss - in video form!

A 3D heat embossed cube

A design I made with heat embossed cartoon eyes and stars