One page was drying, another three were still not ready. So I went to the bathroom to free a piece of almond wedged between my teeth. Not a friend of floss, I use pieces of pointed wood to chase plaque.
These piece of wood come in groups that are stuck together. They are called Stimudent, and they have been around for many, many years.
The almond piece was successfully freed, and I looked at the row of wood sticks, pointed like. . .pen nibs. I had to find out if it would work.
Breaking off five of the ‘dents, I noticed they were a little shaky on their own. They needed to be stabilized on something a littler firmer. That would help me write with them, too.
Using masking tape, I taped them to a clothespin. A tongue depressor would have been a better idea, but I was out of them and Popsicles.
You can see the Stimudents on the left, upper side of the clothespin. Supporting most of the ‘dents helps them work more evenly.
This is what the pens looked like in working position. Because they are wood, the ink soaks into them quickly. You might want to spray them with a little water first. I used Dr. P.h. Martin’s Diamond Black ink, and soaked some ink up.
This will take some practice to get right, and I’m sharing the first pieces I made because I had to get back to the book. But since I can’t show you the book, I can at least share this fun with you.
Here’s the word “joy”
Yes, it’s a little shaky, but there is plenty of time to practice. It lacked color, so I tried the next one, “light” and colored in between the lines:
The color was done with Pitt pen brushes and works really well. The lines have to be drawn with a steady hand, but you get the idea. The idea works pretty well for making corner and edge designs, too.
Art supplies don’t have to be expensive, and you don’t need much more than curiosity and paper to try out new ideas.
Now I have to get back to the book.
–-Quinn McDonald has to find time to wrap presents sometime in the next 24 hours, but she’s writing a book.
This is really, really cool. I love the effect of the writing. My immediate thought was “give me some wet gesso or texture paste and I’d have fun making cool patterns with them”
I teach a class on rice paste paper, and it would be very cool, indeed, to try this on that paper. I know I’ll be doing it!
For me one of the joys of creating is repurposing something and using it in a way it was never intended
Me, too. I also use pieces of spaghetti to light birthday candles.
Love it. Thank you : )
You are most welcome.
Love those fun and unusual discoveries that we make.
Isn’t it great, Deb, what shows up in our lives?
Brilliant find! I love finding new ‘tools’ to use in my journaling. Thank you for your daily inspiration!
I’m glad you like to play!
I love that you are so creative! Everything is something else, if you only think about it. Happy Holidays!
I was a cat in another life–throw out the contents, play with the box.
i enjoy your blog so very much. You come up with great ideas-I love this Stimudent idea. And many of your entries are thought-provoking and uncannily timely. Thanks for all you put into your work. Best wishes for the New Year and great success for your new book.
Thank you so much, Ruth. It’s a labor of love, and that makes it worthwhile.