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It might not look like much but after three weeks, I’ve finally figured out how to make my silicone mold! Luckily, it’s a reusable tool – not a product – so I only have to do this once for every shape I want. This one is for cookie(waffle)-paper!

I’ve been up to lots and lots of artisan trials. Lots of waiting for things to dry-expand-harden-etc. Figuring out that the things I want are deemed impossible or unavailable or non-existent – but not giving up. I’ve yet to see any results of the past 3 weeks. It’s both exciting and frustrating at the same time.

Neon!
I want to make a series of neon cloth notebooks. After some research I found that there is no such thing as neon book cloth. ‘Whatever’ I thought, ‘I’ll make my own’. So I watched several tutorials and found the most cost-efficient way to make my own book cloth. All I needed was some methyl-cellulose (which, coincidently, is the same thing as wall-paper glue) and tissue paper. I’ve tried it. It’s not all that difficult.
So off I went – to the fabric market – to find some neon fabrics. I was told that there’s just no such thing as neon linnen or cotton. Yet everywhere I go I see these t-shirts. Cotton-polyester blends and so on. I want that fabric, (thin, non stretch, non shiny) but I can’t find it anywhere. I might go see if I can get a stock of the T-shirts for a reasonable price. Or I might put the idea on the back-burner. Or I’ll try the shiny silk I got. I don’t know yet.

Silicone!
Ever since I started making my own paper I’ve been looking for a way to make reusable shapes to watermark/emboss. Basically I want to make my own rubber stamps but with holes in the backing to let the water through.
After a lot of research I figured out that I could make my own mould putty-type of silicone clay that would air-harden into a flexible silicone ‘stamp’. I figured I could just press a non skid pad into the silicone while drying to keep all the shapes in place. But that doesn’t work. Silicone doesn’t adhere to rubber or plastic or fabric or anything else water pervious I could think of. And there is no silicone glue. Silicone just sticks to other silicone. So now I’m trying to find a way to make a flexible backing sheet out of silicone. I’m currently waiting for a sheet of silicone to dry that I made around an iron beads base board (to get the water-holes). If that works I’ll press the shapes onto that and hopes that all hold together!

Paper-making frames!
I’ve been making many paper frames in many sizes. Painting them is a pain. But it’s necessary if you don’t want them to rot. It takes a few days because the paint takes a long time to dry and it requires 2 layers on 4 sides. But now – they’re ready!