San Francisco Renegade Craft Fair 2015

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

 

A few weeks ago, I went to the 2015 Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco! There are multiple craft fairs around this time of year, where you can peruse and purchase handmade goods from local artisans (as well as artists and crafters from around the country)

The fair was held in the Festival Pavilion of the Fort Mason Center. This huge space was barely large enough to hold all the vendors and their various wares!

Being the stationery lover that I am, I specifically had my eye out for pretty paper goods. Here are some photos from the event!

 


 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

Real vintage stamps!

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

If I had the budget, I would have bought it–  owl touch lamp from Luke Hobbs!

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

Delightfully punny nature cards and prints by Frida Clements

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

I bought the baby owl card in the upper right corner from Ilee Papergoods!

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

Absolutely gorgeous watercolor illustrations by Cactus Club

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

Illustrated calendars and posters by The Little Canoe

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

Not entirely stationery-related, but there was a corner of the fair that was entirely dedicated to succulents and other potted greenery from Succulent Gardens

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

In addition to cacti, they also had some cards, stamps, and posters

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

I got to meet the lovely duo behind the Lettermate, a tool that is often reviewed in the calligraphy and stationery community!

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

Hilariously proper animal portraits by Berkley Illustration. I had to get an owl print!

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

Clap Clap had some pretty floral cards and nature-themed notebooks

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

Norcal pride cards and other region-based goodies by Paper Parasol Press

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

Beautiful collection at Fermé a Papier — especially loved her gold foil cards

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

September Ink had set up a mini letterpress printing station for making a DIY gift tag!

 

2015 SF Renegade Craft Fair | Owl Ink

A collection of pretty business cards I picked up from vendors I liked.

 

The whole vendor lineup of the 2015 fair was wonderful, and I highly encourage you to check out these lovely artisans!

Using Masking Fluid with Watercolors

Owl Ink | Using Masking Fluid with Watercolors

 

Every few months, my friend Claire and I get together to create art! We are still pretty new to watercolors, and try to improve via tutorials on Youtube and Pinterest. Recently, she picked up a bottle of masking fluid at our local art store. I had never used it before, so I was fascinated when she showed me how it works!

In this post, I’ll share my first art piece made with masking fluid. I’ve concluded that it’s pretty magical, and I will definitely buy a bottle for myself.

 

Owl Ink | Using Masking Fluid with Watercolors

 

Masking fluid, sometimes called “liquid frisquet” or “drawing gum”,  is a thick, opaque liquid that dries into a gummy, removable film (the closest thing I can compare it to is watered-down glue or mod podge). It is water-repellent, acting as a mask to preserve white space on your paper or canvas.

 

Owl Ink | Using Masking Fluid with Watercolors

 

Because it’s quick-drying and very sticky when dry, I’ve heard that you should only use it with a paintbrush that you don’t care too much about.

We decided to do hand-lettered quotes on top of a colorful, floral background. I chose this quote by Monet: “I must have flowers, always and always”. After lightly sketching out the quotes in pencil, we went over them with masking fluid. I learned that dipping frequently is the key to getting consistent coverage.

 

Owl Ink | Using Masking Fluid with Watercolors

 

Once the masking fluid is dry, it becomes a bluish-gray color and is very water-repellent. You can see here that the watercolor ink just beads on top of it!

 

Owl Ink | Using Masking Fluid with Watercolors

 

Here, I am adding more flowers to the piece.

 

Owl Ink | Using Masking Fluid with Watercolors

 

It’s important to make sure each of the lettered words is surrounded by color, so that the white text will be visible. I had to go over the piece multiple times to make sure the colors were dark enough to contrast the white letters.

 

Owl Ink | Using Masking Fluid with Watercolors

 

Now, here comes the fun part! After the watercolor florals were completely dry, we began peeling off the masking fluid. This is strangely satisfying, and I’d liken it to scratching a lottery ticket or peeling plastic film off new electronic gadgets. It helps to use an eraser to lift up the corner, and then just use your finger to rub the rest away.

 

Owl Ink | Using Masking Fluid with Watercolors

 

The gum rubs off like eraser shavings, and you can simply brush them off your paper. It leaves behind crisp white areas, untouched by your watercolors.

 

Owl Ink | Using Masking Fluid with Watercolors

 

Here is the finished piece! I am very happy with how it turned out, and will probably frame it up in my room :)

Materials Used:

  • Pebeo Liquid Drawing Gum (available at University Art in San Jose, or various online stores)
  • Loew Cornell 36 Color Watercolor Palette
  • Strathmore Cold Press Watercolor Paper – 140 lb
  • Assorted paintbrushes

 

I Must Have Flowers, Always and Always | Owl Ink

Review: Recent Stationery Hauls

I enjoy what Andrew does over at Minimally Minimal, in which he rates a roundup of items that he tried but didn’t write a full review post for. In this post, I rate some of my recent stationery  acquisitions!

 

Recent Stationery Hauls - Clear Document Holder

Daiso Clear Document Holder – ★★★★

These have been redesigned over the years, but they are essentially the same: a clear plastic box for storing your papers. I find them great for things that I want to keep in one place, but don’t want to hole-punch into a binder. I recently bought two more: one for storing calligraphy practice sheets, and another for transporting watercolor supplies. Four stars for being cheap, functional, and easily replaceable.

 

Recent Stationery Hauls - Washi Tapes

Daiso Washi Tapes – ★★★☆

Daiso washi tape comes in pretty limited (and sometimes ugly) patterns, but there are a few gems in the midst. On a recent visit, I was tickled to find this adorable owl one! Some of their tapes seem stickier than others, which is strange, but I won’t complain about washi tape for just $2.00.

 

Recent Stationery Hauls - Paper Cutter

Fiskars Paper Cutter – ★★★☆

I mentioned in a previous post here that I bought this paper cutter for a wedding place card project. This is one of those things that I didn’t know I needed, until the very hour that I needed it. Since then, I’ve used it for pretty much everything that involves cutting paper. Knocking off a star because the cuts aren’t as clean as they’d be if I used my Xacto-knife and ruler, but the convenience is unparalleled.

 

Recent Stationery Hauls - Mini Stamps

Alphabet Stamp Sets – ★★☆☆

I found these tiny alphabet stamps in the dollar section of Michaels, and couldn’t resist. I picked up a traditional serif set, a vintage typewriter set, and a basic sans-serif set. They are really cute, and I’ve been enjoying them in a variety of silly uses (like the teeny tiniest Field Notes that ever existed). However, they are very roughly made — the edges are roughly cut, and I don’t expect them to last long.

 

Recent Stationery Hauls - Sugar Paper for Target

Sugar Paper Collection for Target – ★★★☆

I love the black/gold/ballerina pink combo that graces all of Sugar Paper’s 2016 lineup. On a trip to Target, I picked up the small weekly/monthly planner and two document folios. I plan to use one for important documents like my passport, checkbook, and insurance cards. The other will hold small calligraphy pieces. Taking off a star because the planner already has some loose threads, after barely any use.

 

Recent Stationery Hauls - Notepad by The Well-Appointed Desk

Shit To Do Notepad from The Well Appointed Desk – ★★★★

Ana and her husband brainstormed this funny little notepad on a whim, and I love it! It’s simple, cheeky, and motivates me to actually “get shit done” — mainly because like feeling productive by writing lists in it.

Fall Wallpaper Roundup

This is quite belated, but I realized that I haven’t put out a wallpaper roundup in a while! These fantastic bloggers have released some really lovely digital freebies over the past few months, and they deserve to be shared. :)

I love how some of these fall wallpapers showcase vibrant, warm colors, while others lean toward chilly blues and grays.

Even though winter is coming up in just a few weeks, I thought I’d still share my favorites — perhaps for those like me who can’t quite let go of the rustic mood of autumn.

 

Fall Wallpaper by Saffron Avenue

Fall in Love with Fall Wallpaper for desktop, by Saffron Avenue

Fall Wallpaper by Make and Tell

Deck Your Desktop Wallpaper for desktop, tablet, and mobile, by Make and Tell

Fall Wallpaper by Squirrelly Minds

Citrine Wallpaper for desktop, by Squirrelly Minds

 

Fall Wallpaper by Proper

Botanical Wallpaper for mobile, by Proper

Fall Wallpaper by Dani Schafer for DesignLoveFest

Dress Your Tech: Dani Schafer for desktop and mobile, for DesignLoveFest

 

Fall Wallpaper by Lemon Thistle

 

Calm Life for desktop and mobile, by Lemon Thistle

Fall Wallpaper by Kat Grabowski for DesignLoveFest

Dress Your Tech: Kat Grabowski for desktop and mobile, for DesignLoveFest

DIY Watercolor Lettering Business Cards

Owl Ink - DIY Watercolor Business Cards

 

The other day, I decided I wanted to make myself some business cards! Not so much out of necessity, as most of my calligraphy projects are done for friends and family who already have my contact information, but because I simply wanted a few to pass out to acquaintances and new friends.

Since I wouldn’t be giving them out left and right, I didn’t really have a need to get 100+ professionally printed ones. I decided to make my own!

(Apologies for the poor lighting. Daylight savings has really thrown a wrench in my after-work blogging routine…)

 

Owl Ink - DIY Watercolor Business Cards

 

I started out by painting a light wash of my favorite site colors — sage green, gray, and light beige — on cold press watercolor paper.

 

Owl Ink - DIY Watercolor Business Cards

 

The trick here is to not think too much about how it looks. The more abstract and messy, the better the final effect will be! Just be sure not to over-saturate the paper with water, because then it will buckle and your cards may not lie flat.

 

Owl Ink - DIY Watercolor Business Cards

 

Using my handy paper cutter, plus an old business card as a guide, I measured and cut the paper into 12 cards.

 

Owl Ink - DIY Watercolor Business Cards

 

As you can see, each card is different! Because I don’t need very many of them, I can afford to make each one unique. :)

 

Owl Ink - DIY Watercolor Business Cards

 

I used my favorite lowercase alphabet stamp set to stamp “calligraphy” on the front of the card.  To make this easier, I used washi tape to turn the individual letter stamps into a word stamp.

 

Owl Ink - DIY Watercolor Business Cards

 

I love the vintage look of hand-stamped words. Luckily for me, “calligraphy” was just the right length for the cards!

 

Owl Ink - DIY Watercolor Business Cards

 

Next, I needed to add “Owl Ink” lettering. I did this by dipping a small paintbrush into black fountain pen ink.

 

Owl Ink - DIY Watercolor Business Cards

 

The black ink looks very rich and dark once dry, which I absolutely love. In some cards, you could even see a slight purple-blue sheen where the ink had pooled!

 

Owl Ink - DIY Watercolor Business Cards

 

Afterwards, I just wrote my name and contact information on the back with an 0.8 mm Pigma Micron pen.

 

Owl Ink - DIY Watercolor Business Cards

 

I’m really happy with the way they turned out! If you like the organic, imperfect look of handmade things, then this is a great way to produce a small batch of eye-catching business cards without going through a professional printer. If I ever meet you in person, I would be thrilled to give you one!

 

Owl Ink - DIY Watercolor Business Cards