I'm waiting for the new cutting mats to be delivered. I had everything pulled for the embossing folder folders, but imagine my surprise when I went to my storage cupboard and didn't have any 12" x 24" mats. Spit. Well, I did, Cricut brand, but they don't play well with the Silhouette, I'd have to figure out the correct placement. I ordered some knock-off mats (Nicapa), half the price of the Silhouette brand and I've had good luck with the 12" x 12" mats. These should arrive today, they're "out for delivery" via UPS.
So, last year I got a package of Grafix shrink film. I had plans, but never got around to implementing them. Geez, they've sure dropped in price this past year. Oh, well, what I have here should last me a lifetime. Unless I start to make really cool things with it and sell them in my online store, that still only carries catnip. (This year's catnip is loving this weather, even if I don't.) There is cheaper film, but this stuff is inkjet printable on both sides. And the hair was growing wild up my butt.
Yeah, the proverbial wild hair. I gots it.
Ideas rolled through my brain and I figured the easiest to start with, would be a bookmark. So, yesterday, I picked out five digital paper files (you can find these lots of places, I get mine on Etsy: they are graphic backgrounds that you print out). Not having used the Epson R1900 for a couple of months, I went with the newer Epson. What a mistake. It isn't made for this type of material and I ruined at least four sheets (at a buck a sheet, that's not cool). The bottom inch and a half on them has an ink distribution problem. Too much (major drippy spots) and not enough coverage. There were expletives. I didn't throw them out, I can use them for smaller projects, but for bookmarks, I need most of the sheet, seeing as when you bake them, they shrink up about fifty percent.
So, I started up the R1900. And dealt with the normal ink problems that occur when it's not run for a while. I had to use a syringe to suck the ink into the cartridge on some of the colors and ran the cleaner three times. I think because I'm used to this it wasn't a big deal, but it was time consuming. Anyway, once I'd finished getting it ready, I mirrored one of the images I'd printed on the other printer and printed that out. I was happy with the result, so I did the same thing to the other sheets, then did five fresh sheets.
Then they had to dry. These sheets are plastic and don't process the ink like regular paper.
Then I opened up the Silhouette software, designed a bookmark. Then what would the bookmark say? I found a cute little verse and put that on the bookmark. I want to try the We R Memory Keepers Foil Quill for the text. (I got mine from Swing Design for a good pre-order price earlier this year; HSN came out with the same kit for thirty dollars less and Swing Design matched their price.) I got out the Quill, chose the shrink paper I wanted to use and a complimentary foil color.
By that time, it was too late to do anything else, like get the machine out of the garage and connect it to the computer. And then it would have to be baked and I'm not doing that in the house, I'd do it on the patio with the little toaster oven I got for crafting. I didn't want to get started on something and not be able to finish.
I'm looking forward to sharing pictures.
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