BOXING WITH TINCAN (*sorry about the weird layout - cant figure the fix)

My dearest Chairman Mau has a shop in the Drakensberg (KZN, South Africa) called Living Art Gems at Thokozisa Centre near Champagne Castle and Cathkin Peak and if you love interesting places filled to the brim with handmade crafts and crystals and gems and if you find yourself in this area– this is the place to go. (Shop 6 – Thokozisa)

The Chairman knows a  win-win situation – he gives me a set of these blank boxes and says that I can decorate them whichever way I felt like to sell in the shop.  

Oh what manner of joy is this?

I am kept entertained, blissful and thrilled at the chance to colour like a 4 year old who has just discovered paint and by distracting me like that – he wins double, as by default I am  less prone to be bratty and maybe that serves the purpose of me being a little more manageable for him. 
Chairman also scores by getting some more craftsy things to add to his shop inventory.

I used a bunch of different colouring tools on these boxes .

I primarily used Ranger Alcohol Ink to colourwash the boxes. Tim Holtz gave me the great idea of putting drops of alcohol into a palette and letting that dry then using a blender pen with blending solution or in my case a water brush filled with blending solution to pick up some of dried colour to stain the bland boxes.  You get really bang for buck that way – you really would be surprised at how far that one drop goes when stretched out with alcohol.

I also coloured on them a bit with alcohol based Permanent Markers and I used Sharpies and Bic Markers – oh horror go the elite crafters with their Copics and Spectrum Noir sets. 

To be truthful, there are a lot of things I do with ordinary common kids craft supplies that are not the exclusive craft inventory that are sold as essential elite craft supplies. Like the other day I saw a kit of regular run of the mill glitter branded with the label of that lady with those TV Shows in one where she makes things and the other where she fires people and it was priced at nothing short of extortion! I was like no wonder the lady did some time in the Big House!!!! I can get the more of the same thing in the kids craft section for a 100th of the cost.


I did crumble and order me a set of a set of 36 Derwent Inktense Pencils – oh my – can a pencil get any awesomer??? I have been wanting them for ages.  They are highly pigmented and move like watercolours when “wetted” and they dry permanent.  Not only that but you can also draw on canvas or fabric with them.  I think they rock. I colour-painted on the boxes with these sweet babies too.

I stamped on the boxes at first with Stazon, but my black Stazon ink pad is so dried out and non-usable that I gave that up after a few not so fresh impressions.  Bring out Ranger to save the day – the Archival Ink worked like a freaking dream.  Ranger is the one brand that I dont ever have buyer’s remorse or frugal-attack over.
 

I am not paid by Ranger nor do I get any stuff from Ranger – so this review is purely based on my experience of their consistent quality, versatility and ease of use within their product-line.  Their inks and dyes and things last forever.  I have Distress Ink pads that sat with their lid off them for about a month that are still juicy and vibrant. 


Archival Ink, is not as sticky as Stazon but you can pretty much stamp onto anything with it, and if you heat-set it – you get a semi-permanent impression.  I never ever wash my boxes or cards or tags – so I dont need them to be as permanent as the pyramids. Ranger Archival Ink is my go-to ink if I want an impression that is hardy.  So while I did go on a rant about that lady’s glitter pack earlier, I dont mind spending money on the Ranger line, and I do make exceptions about buying more exclusive supplies when they perform above and beyond the call of duty.


I am not sure the Chairman knew that when he gave me those boxes to mess around with, that it would be a true game changer and that life as we know it would irreversibly shift.  I have decided that all I want to do in life, well at least for the next few weeks is paint and stamp on boxes.