DIY || Screen Print Jig

In college I took a summer "Alternative Methods in Printmaking" course that was, by far, one of my favorite classes ever.  My professor was a grad student who happened to be a kick ass roller derby chick with a unique style and encouraging spirit.  One method we didn't cover, however, was screen printing.  I've always wanted to learn, constantly reading up on home setups and even backing a Kickstarter fund for Screen Printing On The Cheap. So when it came time to design our wedding invitations, I knew I wanted to try my hand at it.  What better time to jump start my learning!

Thanks to inspiration from Handmade Weddings, I set off to make my own screen print jig that was small enough to use at home but also mobile in case I needed to take it to the studio.  I had already purchased a screen from Michael's so I knew I needed my back board to accommodate it's size but also allow for bigger screens if needed.  A Google search brought me to these hinge clamps since none of my local hardware stores carried them.  That's all I needed to get started.

Word to the wise, you'll need to create an inset in your back board to allow for the screen to lie flush.  I used MDF which was an easy material to chisel, but you may want to keep this in mind when choosing your material.

That's it!  The hardest part, or should I say most time consuming, is the actual screen set up since it requires several steps with dry time in between.  I'll share more on that process soon!

Wedding Planning || Handlettering

Planning a wedding is no small feat, even one as small as ours.  From the beginning, I knew I wanted to be very hands on, doing as much as I/we could do as possible.  Sure, it could be due to that small control freak quirk I have going on.  But more than that, I've looked forward to the opportunity to learn new printing and hand lettering techniques for our save the dates, invitations, menus, etc.  It's also put a little spark in my etsy shop goals. 

Being behind a desk all day at work, it's nice to get away and flex my creative muscles as I doodle the plans for our wedding details.  We'll be screen printing our invitation package and menu boards so I've been prepping files to bring to our friend's shop this weekend to have our screens flashed.  I've also (half) built a small jig that will allow me to print easily at home or really anywhere.  More on that another day.

That pencil doesn't lie, it really is the very best mechanical pencil.  Ever.  Ricky Ricardo can attest; he's eaten two already.  Go get yourself some and thank me later!

I'll keep you posted with more wedding planning details soon as we're just 3 short months away from the big day!  Yikes. 

DIY || Office Desk

For as long as I can remember, I've loved making.  Whether it be food, art, or projects for my home, I like the process of creating and the satisfying end result.  I'm also mildly obsessed with power tools although I may sometimes look like a monkey humping a football trying to use!

Enter my latest DIY creation, our office desk.  Josh and I needed a desk for our office and instead of buying something that would have set us back a pretty penny based on our requirements, I decided I'd make it myself.  We wanted a desk that spanned (nearly) the complete 12' width of the front facing wall so that we could both utilize the desk at the same time.  The plan was to support the ends of the desk with IKEA tressels from my work bench and in the center install a file cabinet sort of storage unit.  I probably should have measured the tressels first because as it turns out, they are a few inches too big for our desktop.  No big deal for now, but I may invest in hairpin legs later to make it more presentable.

About the before image...I have no excuse.  This room was just a hot mess!  Without a desk to use, the office was useless and quickly became the go to spot to throw things that didn't have a designated home yet.  Now that the desk is installed, things are looking much better although still in progress.

I gave myself a weekend to get the project complete and was quite proud that I met my deadline.  While this post is not meant to be a step-by-step how-to for building a desk, since I'm sure my dimensions will differ from others', I hope this shows how simple and completely doable this project is.  With just a weekend for time, $100 in supply costs (lumber, stain, screws, and liquid nail), and a few supplies I already had on hand (polyurethane and tressels), I'm able to actually use my office for more than hopeless storage.  Hooray!