Monday 16 June 2014

The staple gun's day out...

It was my birthday last week, where I set aside all shoulds and oughts, and do just what I want to do (for most of the day, anyway!).

This year I was struck with a sudden urge to peruse a charity shop for a flat picture frame, rip out the staples, glass and back board, and turn it into a screen printing frame:


I've been meaning to do this, like, forever! (as Girl would say...)


I also found one of these in the shop, which was a bonus.


My very own twisted-cord-making-device!

Then of course to test drive my new screen, I needed to make a proper printing surface. Staple gun, wadding, calico - check.


Large piece of chipboard? Not to hand, no. So off I went again, to the DIY shop to buy some board, then on a whim I popped into another place on the industrial estate and persuaded them to cut it to size for me, for the small fee of £2.40. Genius! Quicker than asking Mr G to do it, by several weeks at least...

And so a "few" staples later....


Ta da!


I even glued an extra cutting mat onto the back. How snazzy is that?! Happy Birthday me!*


Unfortunately life has now got in the way again, and it's back to the shoulds and oughts with no time to test it out - but at least I can now screen-print things when I have the time to play again! Meanwhile, it is a handy portable ironing board just for textile stuff, and I've even broken out the "extra" table space on my desk to use it:



* This wasn't all I did on my birthday, a large quantity of strawberry meringue and Prosecco was also consumed but I couldn't take a photo of that as it didn't sit still long enough.


8 comments:

  1. Belated Happy Birthday. Sounds as if you had a great day.

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  2. That's a very constructive way to spend a birthday!

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  3. Sounds like a special day. Birthday greetings!

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  4. Sounds like a good birthday. If ever you need a larger print table then try the insulation foam, cover it with plastic, add a layer of felt and then pin a drop cloth to it.

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  5. Happy birthday! I love screen printing but don't seem to have a screen any more - what 'fabric' did you use to make the screen part?

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  6. Sounds like a very productive birthday.

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  7. Glad you had such a good day. I've got the print board but what an excellent idea to stick a cutting mat on the back! You inspire me to up my collection of screens from one to at least 2 or 3 ;)

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  8. You're a clever girl....obviously a divergent thinker! Glad you had a good birthday; strawberry meringue and prosecco sounds perfect to me.....

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