I like to wrap my Christmas gifts in pretty cloth. That way the wrapping is functional and can be used instead of wrapping paper that just ends up in the garbage.

Most people enjoy the novelty of a second small gift with their gift. Especially if they know I created the finish on the cloth by hand.

When I have finished printing with my lino stamps, I clean off the sponge roller on a piece of white cloth. I can create bold stripes or checks this way. The fabric is striking on its own, or as the base for more prints. It is a way to use up the leftover paint in the sponge, rather than washing it down the drain.

Have YOU ever used fabric for gift wrap?

#wrapyourgiftsinfabric #easytechnique #textilesurfacedesign

When I was teaching full time, a friend came to me one day and begged me to take this shoe off her hands.

Her husband had bought a brand new pair of shoes, and her ridge-back pup had eaten the top on the second day he had them. She asked me to add the shoe to my printing basket so that she could be rid of the damning evidence.

She returned to the store with the remaining shoe to find a replacement pair in the hope that her husband would not notice, and her pup would be spared the scolding. She had the single shoe in the trolley, when she turned away to look for something on the shelf.

When she got back to her trolley, it was gone. Some store merchandiser likely thought it was a sample from a shelf.

It was an unlucky pair of shoes that did not last a week.

More than a decade later, it still serves me in my printing basket.

#printingwithfoundobjects