After 23 years of marriage, I have finally figured out how to make it easy for my husband to get me what I want for my birthday. He’s not too comfortable in the lingerie department and he can’t keep track of which books I’ve already read. Although we have identical taste in home furnishings, he gets in a dither when he has too many choices. I don’t really need jewelry and I don’t wear perfume.
Pomegranate stencil by Crafter’s Workshop. |
So I ask him for tools. He positively lights up at the prospect of buying me a tool—and it doesn’t have to be from the hardware store, either. He just has to be able to relate. Last Christmas I was pleased to open a pair of rotary cutter blades and on my birthday last week I received a very nice set of paintbrushes. Thanks, Honey!
That said, I do wish he’d branch out a bit. I’ve tried sending him links to items on my wish list, but for a guy with an engineer’s brain he doesn’t seem to get the whole shopping online thing. It really would be easier though. I would just send him this list of items I’d love to have in my mixed-media toolbox:
Crafter’s Workshop Stencils. Any of them, but I especially like the ones with an all-over pattern. They are great for gelatin printing, spray painting, art journaling, and collage backgrounds. They’re sturdy, washable, and reasonably priced.
Hand-painted mixed-media pouches by Jennifer Heynen from Gifts 2010. |
TAPTM Transfer Artist Paper by Lesley Riley.
I use these to make iron-on transfers on pretty much any surface. You can print an image on them or draw or paint directly onto them. The transfer is permanent and washable.
Derwent Inktense Pencils. I already have a set, but I need more because our artist daughter “borrows” them for her own work. These water-soluble pencils come in yummy colors and are great for art journaling, especially travel journaling. Just wet the lines and blend them.
Gift Mags. OK, calling this one a tool is a stretch. But I really can’t get enough of fiber and mixed-media gift-making ideas. I keep gift issues like Cloth Paper Scissors Gifts 2010 on my bookshelf as a reference for gift-making projects all year round. These painted and embellished pouches, for example, make great graduation gifts.
I could go on, but I don’t want to get greedy. At least, not until Mother’s Day.
What would be on your wish list? Take a look at all the goodies we have in the Cloth Paper Scissors Shop and start sending those links to the ones who love you.
P.S. Seriously, what art supply would be on your birthday or holiday wish list? Leave your answer below.