Posts filed under 'Craft'
Was going to do books and documents then I realized how long the documents document was and decided I didn’t want to write a book about books. I’ll do that some other time.
I’m blatantly stealing from resources available on the website of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and augmenting them with my own experience. Please keep in mind I live and work in an arid climate and have nominal hands on in a humid environment. Also, these are guidelines. Please consult with a trained conservator for items that need serious help.
The AIC has brochures on caring for a variety of treasures.
A few things to keep in mind as you are looking at where and how to store and display your treasures:
- If it was once living it needs to breathe. If you don’t want to be there, neither does it.
- Light is hard on documents and books. It fades the ink and degrades the paper and other binding materials.
- In a perfect world things are stored at 72 degrees and 50% relative humidity. In real life try to avoid radical changes in temperatures and humidity.
- Plastics that you can smell are off gassing, this is damaging to documents. Many places sell plastic page protectors that they say are acid free, and they are correct; but it’s not acids you are worrying about with plastic, it’s all the other chemicals involved in the process.
Documents
Tape bad
Clean hands good
Light bad
Support good
Don’t use pressure sensitive tape on documents. This includes Scotch, masking, duct, and binding tapes used to repair circulating books in some libraries.
Wash your hands often when working with paper items. I use Ivory soap. Whatever you use make sure it isn’t perfumy or lotiony. You don’t want any kind of residue on your hands. You can use lotion after you’re done playing with old things.
Light is hard on documents. It fades inks and paints and degrades paper. Items that are heritage, or you would like to keep for more than a few years, should be displayed out of direct sunlight and harsh artificial light. Use UV shielding curtains, window film and frame glass to help protect displayed items.
Items that are being stored should be supported in storage. If you only have a few items they can be gently stacked on each other. With more items use an appropriate box.
Items in storage should be stored individually. This can be in their own window mat board, folder, envelope, or polyester enclosure.
If items are going to be handled frequently they need to be stored in a manner where they can be viewed without being touched. Polyester encapsulation or high quality page protectors are good for this.
Resources
Here are some resources. Even though these items sell to professionals and carry high quality items some weird things still slip through, so think and ask questions before buying anything with too grandiose a guarantee.
AIC Brochures http://aic.stanford.edu/library/online/brochures/index.html
Supplies
Hollinger http://www.hollingercorp.com/
University Products http://www.archivalsuppliers.com/
Gaylord Brothers http://www.gaylordmart.com/listing.asp?H=3
Metal Edge http://www.metaledgeinc.com/
Light Impressions http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/
Archival Methods http://www.archivalmethods.com/
Talas http://www.talas-nyc.com/
Conservation Resources http://www.conservationresources.com/
Inner Armor http://www.innerarmorind.com/Mainframe.htm
Paige Company http://www.paigecompany.com/
And no matter what the chicky at Kinko’s says, DO NOT LAMINATE anything you care about and want to last. Lamination is for bookmarks and posters in the kid’s rooms.
September 17th, 2008
I haven’t written in days. I can’t. I’ve tried but I just can’t. It won’t come. I have an idea for an ending but I can’t get it there. I sit down in front of the computer and nothing happens; nothing good anyway. Oh my Bob I suck.
But apparently “Oh my Bob I suck” is not a valid excuse for not writing. So here are some that might be:
I have writer’s block.
I have writer’s cramp.
I’m sleepy.
I’m hungry.
I’m thirsty.
I’m drunk.
My pen ran out of ink.
My computer ran out of electricity.
Dirty Jobs is on TV and I must watch it, um, to study it as research … for my main character … yeah, that’s it. Research.
Telemarketers wanting me to donate to the Fraternal Order of Police called and broke my deep concentration.
My cat had a hairball attack that left me emotionally scarred.
My horoscope said today is not a good day for creativity.
It’s raining.
It’s too hot.
It’s too cold.
I have to take my pet rock for a walk.
Mei spel chek brocke.
What’s your excuse?
July 28th, 2008
I’m too tired to write a coherent post, but the comments are over 100 and inquiring minds want photos, so here’s one for you. Yes, that is our own darling Scope in Oregon with CMS! It was a wonderful surprise.
I think everyone survived, but it was a lot of work having that much fun. I don’t mean the cooking or housework, because that was all done by kind helpful CBs. I mean meeting friends that I’ve never seen before, and talking and laughing and hugging and talking and laughing some more, sometimes until two in the morning. That’s work! I loved it.
And yes, we did make it to Powell’s. In fact, I’m a little puzzled about that bookstore. When I walked in, I heard an announcement over the loudspeaker:
Attention! If there’s a minister or a wedding officiator in the store, would they please come to the Information desk in the Gold room? Thank you.
What the heck was that about? A woman was 9 months’ pregnant and suddenly realized that she really, really needed to get married right now because her water just broke? A man who got the love of his life to say “yes” and now wants to rush to the wedding before she changes her mind? It’s one of those things that you have to wonder about.
Too tired to write more. Later!
June 23rd, 2008
I checked the schedule, and unless I’m totally confused (which is entirely possible) I’m not treading on any toes with this post. I need help. More so than usual.
I’m doing something wrong, I must be.
So here’s the thing.
I wrote a post on Cranky Fitness, the blog where I spend a lot of my non-CB time, about how people could win a free bicycle simply by leaving a comment. Lots of people read the post; I can tell by the sitemeter statistics. About 1% of the people who read the post commented.
The conclusions I’ve drawn from this are:
1. No one wants a free bike that’s valued at $400.
or
2. My writing was too busy being trying to be interesting and creative, which obscured the essential point of the post.
Frankly, I find #1 hard to believe and #2 damn depressing, considering I get paid to write.Granted, what I’m paid to write is dull, technical, and so far removed from creativity that it might as well be accounting, but it is, technically, writing (albeit technical writing). I know that I wrote this post in a hurry and whilst trying to fend off a migraine, but still — a free bicycle? I must be doing something very wrong.
So what am I doing wrong? This is a blog filled with people who are discerning readers and writers. Surely someone can gently and kindly give me an educational kick up the backside on this one.
The post in question:
Stay young and win money, bicycles & stuff
April 17th, 2008
I have a very active fantasy life and recent conversations on this blog have made it even more active than usual.
I also like to prowl eBay and buy lottery tickets.
As I write this the PowerBall Multi-State Lottery is 91 million dollars, 46.7cash payout, and I have a ticket. After this investment of $1.00 turns itself into a winning ticket, I take the cash payout and pay taxes I figure I’ll have around 20 million dollars. A nice, simple to manipulate number.
Here is what I’m going to do with some of that money.
$775,000 is going to buy this http://tinyurl.com/6k8vzd
I found it on eBay, doncha know.
5 BUILDINGS 14 ACS CENTRAL KENTUCKY- FORMER BOARDING SCHOOL
- approximately 14 acres +/- in Millersburg Kentucky approximately 25 miles northeast of Lexington on Highway 68
-The property was formerly Millersburg Military Institute which was founded as Millersburg Male and Female Seminary in 1852.
-All buildings are fully furnished.
-ADMINISTRATION BUILDING has 10,032 total square feet, built 1852, 3 stories, with 2 apartments
-WOMACK MCMONAC GYMNASIUM 31,438 total square feet has fully stocked weight room and basement rifle range
-MILLON HALL dorm building 14,151 total square feet 2 stories, basement and 38 dorm rooms
-MESS/DINING HALL 8,976 total square feet has basement, library, work shop
-RANKIN HALL classroom building 19,354 total square feet has 12 classrooms, 2 stories and basement, 26 dorm rooms.
-The grounds include a football/soccer field.
What’s going to happen to it after the purchase? Well….
I figure it will take 5-10 million for renovations. I would be willing to bet the water and electric need updated. There will also probably be asbestos abatement, roofs, heat and tons of other things that fall into disrepair over the years and need updated, repaired or replaced. But that’s just the basic, make it habitable and usable stuff. After that comes the fun part.
The dorm building will be reconfigured. We’ll have cozy rooms for one or two and big rooms for a crowd. No more dorm room metal bunks with thin mattresses, the beds will be comfy and most will be made of wood. The bathrooms will be nice but serviceable. The hallways will be painted something fun and will have plush carpet.
There will be wireless internet all over the property.
There will be writer’s workshops and retreats.
There will CB get togethers and Cherry get togethers and it will be used by all of our favorite authors when they want to have fan gatherings.
And we will beg really really really loud and Her and Him will come and play with us since it only 1.5 hours outside of Cincy.
There will be alpacas and merinos and other lush fur babies. There will be classes on spinning, and dyeing and many of the fiber arts.
There will be bartending classes, big porches, lazy dogs, and cabana boys.
There will also be the bail fund so we can ensure that every CB can be at every CB meet.
What other classes should there be?
April 15th, 2008
I promised I’d devote this post to gardening questions and answers. Meanwhile I’m putting together my composting presentation for Tuesday PM. Of course the one I found out in the ethers didn’t quite meet the needs of my audience; so I’m adding and subtracting.
Here’s the most important thing you need to know about composting: 4 Basic Ingredients:
- 1 Part GREEN stuff, such as kitchen or garden wastes, fresh grass
- 1 Part BROWN stuff, such as hay, shredded leaves, wood chips, shredded newspapers
- A little BLACK stuff, such as soil, manures, compost, fertilizer (instead of compost)
- A little WATER
Put it (at least a total amount that’s a 3′ X 3′ X 3′ pile) in a place you can watch over occasionally to water if it dries out. Turn it. Use it after it cools off.
So now it’s your turn!
April 6th, 2008
** I have not decorated for Christmas- the only thing I have up is the wreath Marcia made me
** I’m typing one handed because the dog wants attention, and it’s either type one handed or spend all afternoon getting bumped on the arm by doggie nose
** I have a very good friend whose mom makes the most extraordinary fused glass jewelry- I’m giving pieces to people for Christmas-
** One of my co-workers has a thing for mid-century modern- for Christmas I made him and his wife these stacking trees http://thesmallobject.com/stenopad/wordpress/?p=822- I changed mine a bit and made them out of fuschia, tuquoise, and purple figured felt and closed them with velcro instead of sewing them into cones- he looked at me mighty odd when he opened his gift and had a stack of felt half circles but when I showed him how they worked… He’s thinking they may stay out all year
** I helped a young lady (10) craft her mother’s gift last weekend- it was fun, especially since it was the first time she’s ever made fudge
** I had three young ladies (8,6, and 4) over Sunday afternoon and we decorated cinnamon ornaments with glitter, made Shrinky Dinks, and drank hot chocolate
** I am helping another young lady (12) make gifts for her family this weekend. I’m still not sure what we’re going to make but I’m sure it will involve Shrinky Dinks, sewing, and being messy.
** It is turning into a handcrafted Christmas for me. I think I like it. Okay, I know I like it. It’s fun. Things are done with the specific person in mind. And no one else has anything quite like what I’m giving.
Wow, started this post all “woe is me” and “I’m not doing Christmas this year” but I guess I am. Just different than I have in the past. This seems like the start of a good tradition.
Are any of you crafting for the Holidays? Or buying hand crafted from others? And more importantly from my point of view how do you feel about hand crafted gifts? Are they caring? Cheap? Lazy?
And if you need a source to buy handmade I suggest etsy
December 19th, 2007
No matter where I’m going, you all seem to be with me. Marilyn, from WODE (Write off the Deep End) and now an honorary CB, picked us up on Thursday morning and it seemed the laughter started right away. Did you hear us holler and wave as we drove past your place, JenT?
We found a mascot for our trip and named her in honour of GP. She’s not burnt but she is Sienna
Spiders represent connections and creativity while orange is the sexy, creative colour. And every time the bells ring, another CB is published. We hit a lot of bumps so you should all expect fantastic book deals any day now.
As soon as we got to the hotel, we dropped our bags and headed to the mall. I needed a new dress as there was a burn mark in a very eye-catching place on the one I’d brought for the dessert party. As it was one thousand degrees in NJ, we compromised on that need and raced back to go for a swim. in a heated pool. indoors. Until we were asked to leave because they wanted to close it for the night. Sheesh. We weren’t hurting anyone splashing around in there.
We needed margaritas to cool off while we waited for RSS to pull in. Me, Scope and I raised a toast to McB as is our tradition while Marilyn begged the bartender for a Kiss on the Lips (peach schnapps, mango juice and grenadine). There was much squealing and hugging when RSS joined us in the bar. Then her phone rang. McB wanted us to toast her with margaritas. I saw Me’s face drop with shock and excitement which kinda threw me. Until I heard McB’s voice over my shoulder. Oh. my. Bob. The shrieking scared the other people in the bar.
Our darling McB had come to cover Scope’s back in person. And every time she posted on the blog over the weekend to say she was in the bar waiting to hear how we had done in our interviews, she really was in the bar reading a book and sipping wine. It wasn’t decorated right, and the jukebox didn’t play our favourite tunes but she didn’t lie to you either. Merely misdirected.
We closed the place that night, but snuck out before the security guard who loved, loved, loved, romance, romance, romance, came along to escort us from the room. He was a hoot, and never seemed to sleep because I saw him at all hours of the day and night (no I didn’t sleep much either)
We started the day with a swim then went for brunch at Panera before the conference started. No, Jenny was not there. We looked. We also forgot to post from there although we discussed it several times. Bad CBs!
Despite the fact that the conference started badly as far as the editor/agent appointments went, the mix-ups were straightened out and everyone had an appointment. I was gifted with a free pass, straight to request as my chosen editor didn’t attend the conference. You’d think I would have danced across the room and saved myself the stress, but I signed up for an agent appointment as well.
We went our separate ways more or less for the workshops. RSS and I attended Susan Gable’s excellent workshop - Story Superglue: Make it stick with readers. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before, but the approach struck a chord.
From there, Marilyn and I went to How to fine-tune your pitch with Jessica Faust from Bookends. Marilyn and I had worked on hers in the car so she shared it with the rest of the workshop. Jessica thought it was “perfect” and asked to see a partial. That was a thrilling moment for Marilyn who was attending her first conference,after taking eleven years to complete her manuscript. Persistence pays off.
We met a lovely woman who Marilyn invited to join us for dinner. Barbara took us all in stride, and contributed a fair amount to the hilarity. I’m not sure why she didn’t join us for dinner the next night…
As you can see from the photographs we had our priorities.
The table was wobbly which resulted in far too much spillage of precious liquid so Marilyn attempted to fix that.
No luck but we sure couldn’t stop laughing. Nothing but good times. Aren’t those lovely glasses?
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We took them all home with us. They may reappear in later photographs.
We raced back to the room to dress for the Golden Leaf Awards Ceremony and dessert bar. Aren’t we all beautiful?
Sadly my critique partner Brenda Harlen didn’t win but Marilyn and I posed by the fountain with her anyway.
The three of us have been members of WODE for a very long time. These women, along with Kate who was unable to attend the conference, have been instrumental in my writing. I like how we all glitter.
As the bartender had promised Marilyn a Kiss on the Lips, we all trooped down to the bar for a nightcap. We ran into an author who told some Bob and Jenny stories that none of us believed. Now, we know The Cherry and the GAM are multi-dimensional and have a broader existence than the one we are aware of, but some of that stuff sounded so out-of-character that it caused much discussion for the rest of the weekend. It’s interesting to me, not her, how different people perceive actions and reactions.
Breakfast was early the next morning so we headed off for an early evening. I think it was after one am before we fell asleep but hey, four CBs in one room makes for some interesting discussions. Besides, RSS says I’m nice to sleep with. She’s willing to give me references.
People are tense for Saturday morning breakfast. RSS and I were re-writing our pitches at the table while other people interacted. I only remember part of Karen Robards‘ speech because I was focused on my upcoming appointment. I do remember it was good, peppered with funny stories about kids, flying and how she got started in the business. Oh my bob I laughed at the recitation of her first reading. She might not have known much about the business when she started, but she understood the need to get the book written and out there. Fascinating woman.
I missed the first workshop of the day because I was running around trying to help one of the speakers find the conference co-ordinator. It seemed like the right thing to do. It also gave me a chance to hug RSS and wish her luck before her agent appointment. Priorities. Then I ran into Me and Scope so more hugs and good wishes before I wandered off to practice my own pitch. I met Marilyn coming out of her agent pitch - a request of course - and pumped her for information as both Me and I (try saying that aloud in front of writers) both had appointments with that agent. “She wants to know about you, and makes constant eye contact.” Invaluable advice. Turns out Ky was a good icebreaker as she’s a dog lover, has three of her own. My new improved pitch wowed her and she asked to see the first fifty pages.
Lunch was a far more relaxed meal than breakfast. Sherrilyn Kenyon’s luncheon address had us sobbing in the aisles. Persistence, persistence, persistence. ” I am the best writer in the room and I deserve my dream.”
I had every intention of taking a nap during the first afternoon session but I met Kathryn Smith and her hot husband in the elevator. After a discussion about the romance writer’s documentary shown on Bravo in Canada, she asked if I was going to her workshop. I explained my need for a nap and went in search of McB for Scope. I locked myself out of the room after reading McB’s note about the bar. She gave me Scope’s notebook and sent me on my way - to Kathryn Smith’s workshop. There was no way I could just slip in and hand Scope her notebook then slide back out. I’m glad I stayed. The woman writes great emotional love scenes.
The agent panel was full of conflicting information. One loved cookies and gimmicks, several hated them. Several thought you could write a lousy query letter but a brilliant manuscript and vice versa while others thought the quality of the query reflected the quality of the manuscript. Apparently the editor panel in the previous session had raved about fantasy romance as the new up and coming hot genre.
The conference ended with a literacy signing. While waiting outside the ballroom, Marilyn, RSS and I were interviewed by romancenovel.tv - an online channel devoted to romance novels. One of the questions was about authors we hoped to see inside. Most of our answers involved authors whose workshops had resonated with us. Kathryn Smith, Judi McCoy, Nancy Herkness, Brenda Harlen, Susan Gable, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Eileen Dreyer and several others.
All that book buying was exhausting so we darted down to the pool to relax before dinner.
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It’s a good thing McB has strong toes. The pool was four and half feet deep. She’s only four foot, seven so most of the conversations took place with her on her tip toes. She almost drowned when she laughed - which was often.
Dinner was a long delicious affair in the hotel’s steakhouse. Virginia Kantra and Brenda Harlen shared their experiences as published authors, giving pitches and how to navigate the industry. We also laughed, toasted each other and shared the wonder of being together. I’m not sure how RSS got a reputation for being quiet. If she sat on her hands, would she be silent?
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I love her enthusiasm and performances.
By the time we left the restaurant the after conference party was well underway. We found Scope down there pounding back the beer with her friend Nancy. A room full of wine, margaritas and chocolate sang its siren song. We headed back up there where we poured wine into the margarita glasses and reviewed the weekend. I tried to post to the blog but McB’s battery died just as I hit send.
We were so silly and very little of it was a result of the wine. We were drunk on CB power. Our shovel pins had fortified our nerves throughout the editor/agent appointments. McB’s surprise presence had reiterated the lengths to which we are willing to go for each other. All of you were mentioned at one point or another. Heck, Me’s agent interview was with JenT’s agent, not that any of us knew that before she asked Me about the shovel. Lou and her DH were in our thoughts all weekend. GP’s math got us out of a couple of scrapes(McB didn’t drown in the pool) and Wapak’s generosity in Dayton was still being marveled at. We also talked about getting together on the west coast because now that Bob’s out there, a CB meet with as many of us as possible is a requirement.
As the wine flowed and the silliness continued, the conversations kept circling back to the Bar and Grill. Mary’s “Friends don’t let friends blog drunk” was practically a mantra and one we did not heed. I’m not sure how we got to the idea that blogging naked would be a bad idea too. But suddenly we were shrugging into our robes and heading to the business center, giggling and shushing each other all the way. We were happy. We didn’t hurt anyone. And we missed all of you so very much. While Marilyn and Scope slept, the rest of us toasted the CB Bar and Grill.
You’re all invited to McB’s in December to help trim the Christmas tree. We’re starting a new tradition. And then she’s making us bake cookies for the exchange. She might need a bigger kitchen.
And that’s my long winded report about CBs taking over New Jersey.
October 10th, 2007
It’s September. Which means next month is October. Which means it’s almost Halloween. And I need to figure out what my costume is going to be. It has to be something work safe. Something comfortable. And something that I can make from things I own or can easily acquire since I live in a small town which no Cherry Bombs ever visit.
Some costumes from the past include:
A potted plant- khaki pants, green turtleneck, a flower petal headband, and for the pot- a circle of irrigation tubing held waist high with green suspenders that had a tube of brown cloth that hung down and tied at the ankles
The ocean- made a scrub shirt from ocean print material, wore a headband that had killer whale bobbers on it, and made attached pin backs to plastic sea life and scattered them all over me
dust bunny- bunny ears, black jeans and black turtleneck accented with cobwebs, spider rings, baby powder, and a stray sock or two
lady bug- black sweat pants, red sweat shirt with black felt circles sewn on the back, and antennae
This year I’m thinking I want more of a play on words (okay, I really, really, really want the flamingo costume but I can’t see anyone taking me seriously when I’m trying to tell them how to care for their heirlooms or that their child shouldn’t be playing with the plow and beet knives if I’m wearing that.)
My brain has been on other things- All I’ve come up with so far is:
Deviled egg- white shirt, big yellow circle, maybe with a little paprika sprinkled on, with devil horns and devil tail
Holy cow- white sweat suit, black spots, angel wings, and halo
I really want to do a One Night Stand- box decorated to look like a small side stand- head through the top, lamp shade, beer bottle on the side, alarm clock, string of condoms hanging out of the top drawer- but not too work safe
CMS- I have some great ideas for baby costumes- will the kid be here by then? Jack-O-Lanterns are always good for little ones, no matter how divine they are- also lambs, Oompa Loompas, and puppy dogs
Please- I’m begging here- don’t make me do either of those- help me come up with something fun, interesting, and inexpensive.
Daytoners, thank you, thank you, thank you! I have the postcard from the four letter state and my book signed by him and her- y’all are the bestest!!!!!!!!!!
September 18th, 2007
now, i’m not saying we should do another CB writing exercise together (i’m liking the old one, personally), but we’re running out of room and i didn’t want to put a blank post (though bob knows we wouldn’t have any trouble with that). but i just ran across this exercise and i think it would be a good one for writers, since most of us at one time of another have fallen upon a cliche that shouldn’t be in our story:
Choose an object and write down the ten most obvious words you’d use to describe it. (ex: rose= red, thorned, sweet-smelling, etc). Then write a paragraph describing the object without using any of the ten words. (ex: The rose’s petal fell gently off, and Katherine watched it with sick forbearing. Johnathan had given her that rose. Just one, instead of dozens. You only need one to see the beauty in it, he had said, and she had nodded, because she could. The way the color crept from the tips down, fading into the the thick stem. The color of blush, with just a hint of fierceness at the tips, as if all the color had been contained right there at the edge of each petal, and there was a slight leak. She inhaled the scent now, and it was still there, even as another petal fell. It made her feel a little bit better- maybe Johnathan would be kind to her again.)
so anyways, back to mary-beth….
Update:
blame MCB. (and just cause, lori too). i was going to pick a couple of objects and write out the ten adjectives, but i couldn’t think of the ten adjectives. seriously, for rose, i got up to seven (red, thorned, sweet-smelling, pretty, thick-stemmed, delicate, bouquet) before my mind went “no”. so never mind that. seriously, stick with mary-beth. she just got a beer-smelling kitten. go with that.
September 14th, 2007
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