Final day of screen printing

Day 3 - Setting the design
The next step is to print the design on Acetate paper (this just looks like a clear piece of plastic). The first five printing attempts were unsuccessful. The ink kept bubbling up on the paper. We decided that it may be the paper, so we tried a different brand that was more expensive. Finally, we had the design printed. Next step is to set the screen under a lamp with the acetate paper on top of the screen. This is the process that actually converts the design to the screen. I don't think the directions ever really said how long the screen should be under the light....so we waited and waited. I guess about 2 hours in total.
After the light exposure, the screen needs to be flushed with a strong stream of water. We tried the kitchen sink but the stream wasn't strong enough. So outside we went. The garden hose worked well but it was cold.
We could tell right away that the silk screening did not work perfectly, because we could see areas of the design that were still filled with the emulsion. The Final Step is super easy, just apply the paint to the screen! Most of the design came out perfectly on the t-shirt. All in all the first attempt at screen print went OK, but definitely room for improvement. I think this will work perfecting to imprint the PURDY logo on my products.

My Etsy shop

Silk Screening - Day 2

So to recap: day 1 was spent shopping for supplies. Now Day 2: Preparing the screen
The screen printing kit contained many different bottles of chemicals. I had to mix bottle 1 with water and then add it to the photo emulsion bottle. So far so good......
After mixing the photo emulsion, I applied it to the screen. The important thing is to only apply a little bit of the photo emulsion at a time because it needs to be applied evenly.  Then you take a spatula and spread the emulsion evenly over the screen. Originally, we were only going to cover only a small area on the screen with the emulsion, but I messed up and added the emulsion to the center of the screen so that plan was ruined.  After application, the screen needs to be put in a dark room until the screen is dry. The hard part was finding somewhere to put the screen. We ended up putting it in the basement inside a Tupperware container. An hour later, which was about 9pm, the screen was still wet. So we decided to continue the project tomorrow.

Silk screening 101

Day 1 - Getting Supplies
My brother is teaching me how to do silk screening this week. He pulled up a video on You Tube to show me what it was, but it was confusing and looked time consuming. My plan was to let him do most of the setup work and I could just watch. So we went shopping, luckily he knew exactly what we needed. We tried a local craft store first, after searching the store endlessly, we found nothing.  We were racking our brains to think of an art supply store in Cincinnati. Then he said "I think there is a store on Colerain Ave, I have passed it a bunch of times, but have never been in it."  That place was great, they have tons of art supplies and most importantly, exactly what we needed. I think everyone should check out Colerain United Art and Education. It is a great place. Day 1 wasn't too productive but at least we got the supplies. Tomorrow we will be mixing the photo emulsion and applying it to the screen. Stay tuned.

A composting life

I started composting about 2 years ago. I researched composting using a large Tupperware bin instead of purchasing a container specific for composting. I really didn't think I would be able to fill it and I wasn't sure if I would like composting. I started with picking up all the twigs and leaves in my yard. The nice thing was that I was cleaning my yard at the same time. To my surprise my neighbor had a compost bin that she never used, so she offered it to me. I took her up on the offer. In the beginning, I put big sticks and all vegetable scraps in the composter. I soon realised that the sticks were not a good idea because they took up lots of space and delayed the actual composting time. I need to only use small twigs or break the sticks up into small pieces. So, in the beginning my composting was slow. After 2 years, I feel like I am a pro composter, I am even ready to get another composting bin because my current bin is always full. Since I recycle and compost, the amount of garbage that the garbage collectors pick up is minimal. Some weeks I do not have any garbage for them to pickup! I recommend composting, it rocks!

The Shoulder Bag

The front                                                        The back

This is my favorite creation. I made one for myself and I love it. These bags are all made from different types of clothing. I use a lot of old pants for the shoulder bags because the material is very sturdy. Oh yeah, it is reversible. The bag at the top has different material inside so it looks like a different bag if you turn it inside out. I would be glad to make a custom shoulder bag for you or if you want to get one of these bags, just send me an email.

The shoulder bags are $30.

The PURDY Everyday wrist purse collection

One side                                                                                      The other side

All purses are reversible, so they will go with any outfit. If you are interested in any of these products just send me an email at purdyeveryday@gmail.com

For pricing or to place an order go to my shop on Etsy.

www.etsy/purdyeveryday.com

I am also doing custom orders so if you have a favorite shirt or pair of pants that are too small or worn out, send them my way. I will recreate something unique just for you.

Climate change, myth or fiction?

The debate is heated regarding climate change. Do we have an impact on the warming climate or is it something that we have no power over? I am not sure if we will ever find the true answer, but that does not mean that we can not become a more conscious consumer. Garrett Fitzgerald, a speaker at a community meeting on climate change in Oakland said "Some of you may have seen the movie The Day After Tomorrow," he says, referring the the Hollywood doomsday blockbuster. "It probably won't be that bad. But there's plenty of reason to say we need to be cautious. Don't worry about climate change's effects on the poor cute polar bear - worry about climate change for yourself." Of course this is only one persons opinion on the subject, but his ideas are warranted. We all need to think about the effects that we have on the present and the future.
Everything that we touch is impacted in some way. So pickup your garbage, recycle, drive less; walk more, turn your thermostat down and wear a sweater. These are just a few simple things that can be done to possibly make the future a little bit better.

Rummage sale this weekend

Tomorrow is the local rummage sale at my neighborhood church. I am really excited to start rooting through other people's unwanted stuff. I have a long "needs" list for all the projects that I have planned. What I need most is clothing with unique designs on them. Other than that, I will be looking for glass bottles, a toaster oven, old records, mirrors, picture frames, old black and white pictures, and the list goes on..... I will definitely need a lot of tote bags to carry all of my goodies home.


The other exciting thing about tomorrow is that it will be the first day of taping for "THE MAKING OF PURDY - A Documentary". I am going to be documenting the evolution of PURDY EVERYDAY through all the trials and tribulations of a new company.

80 Awesome Ideas for All Your Old or Unwanted Books

This is a great link with tons of ideas for those books that are stacking up in the corner.
80 Awesome Ideas for All Your Old or Unwanted Books

Blue Circles