Multi-Tasking @ Old Raven

Well, here it is the end of May already – man, that went fast.  

How do you like the picture of Bells above?  This dog is way too smart!  Every morning she picks this corner of the bed to lay at knowing that as I straighten the sheets and bed cover that sooner or later I’m going to notice how cute she is with her rose-printed hood and her innocent expression.  Of course, lovies must ensue ’cause there’s just no way of ignoring that look.  

But besides happily spoiling my dog…what have I been doing to make the month go so fast?  Let me show you a few projects I’ve had going simultaneously.  First up…I went sourcing outdoors to replace a craft supply I had run low on.

Wow…cool…a wad of old wire.  Actually it’s true, but a bit more than that.  Many of my craft projects fall in the “Mixed Media” or “Altered Art” categories and one of my favorite crafting supplies is rusted wire.  Many crafters use rusty wire in their art but where do they get it?  Well, you can find some rusty wire at craft stores, it usually stinks because of the chemicals they use to “rust” the new wire and the “rust” is just as likely to come off on your hands as to actually stay on the wire.  My wire is authentic wire rusted from decades spent in weather ranging from broiling sun to being buried under snow for months.

This bundle came from a ranch that was homesteaded in 1874 and that ‘patina of age’ that you see on this wire is real.  If you’re looking for genuine, aged, rusted wire…follow the link… Genuine Antique 13 Gauge Wire

I’ve had quite a run on my Kitten Knobs this month, too, so restocking inventory is (still) in progress.  20 more knobs are in the works here.  I’ve already sanded and prepped the wood knobs and painted three coats of ivory acrylic paint.  I’ve fussy cut 20 little tiny Vintage paper kittens and edged each one with a coffee brown felt tip.  The next steps are to glue on the kittens, one per knob, and then two coats of triple gloss sealer will finish each of them up.

There’s nine different kittens to choose from (sorry about the glare).  They sell separately so you can mix and match whatever combination you like.  These are great for the nursery.  This link will get you to my ‘Drawer Knobs and Pulls’ category where you can see all my handmade knobs.  Drawer Pulls & Knobs

My calligraphy supplies have also been flying out the door this month.  One customer purchased a large selection of Antique nibs and some storage tins.  I barely had those in the mail to her when she sent me a convo (Etsy’s in house email) that she had been looking through my ‘sold’ file and came across my Book Style Nib Storage.

I had made it over a year ago and when it sold I had good intentions of making another but I got sidetracked and it was forgotten.  She asked if I could make her one…no problem.  I setup a Private Listing and got to work…I made one for her and one to replace the sold shop stock.

The ‘book’ is made out of corrugated cardboard which, as it turns out, has the perfect construction to slide a nib into.  You can see that this book will hold lots of nibs, too.

I used art papers made from my collection of Antique calligraphy ephemera including the cover of a Spencerian Penmanship book and pages from an 1800’s Stationary shop’s catalog.  The book and it’s pages fold up nice and neat – protecting those tiny little nibs within.  It makes traveling with your nib collection easy, too.  Here’s the link Nib Book-Style Storage

And that’s a wrap!  I’ve got to go finish up those kitten knobs.  Stay safe everyone, and be kind to the other guy… we’re all a bit scared, frustrated and confused. – Kriss