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Archive for September, 2009
The Impatient Crafter takes on Friendly Plastic
Friday, September 25th, 2009
Follow Margot Potter aka The Impatient Crafter as she tackles the world of Friendly Plastic Plastic.....click here
More Eye Candy from Karine
Thursday, September 24th, 2009
Karine was so excited to be featured on the blog yesterday, that she sent me exclusive photos of her latest work. In fact, she JUST made these!
Her style is so unique and fresh and a wonderful mix of media. Enjoy! And be sure to drop her a line to say hello on her blog: www.bijouxartcreation.blogspot.com
Karine speaks only french - but feel free to email and become friends...there is always google translate
Her style is so unique and fresh and a wonderful mix of media. Enjoy! And be sure to drop her a line to say hello on her blog: www.bijouxartcreation.blogspot.com
Karine speaks only french - but feel free to email and become friends...there is always google translate
Become our Fan on FACEBOOK!!
Ireland may double bag tax
Thursday, September 24th, 2009
Critics of taxes on plastic bags may argue that they have no environmental benefit, but that's not stopping Ireland's environment minister.
John Gormley said Sept. 23 that he will introduce a bill later this year that would double Ireland's tax on single-use plastic bags to 0.44 euros (59 U.S. cents).
According to this report, Gormley spoke at an environmental conference in Dublin, where he said the tax initially was met with resistance, but now has proved "hugely popular."
A spokesman for the minister said raising the tax will "ensure that there's a sufficient deterrent against people moving back to plastic bags."
Ireland was a pioneer in taxing plastic bags. It originally put a 0.15 euro tax on bags in March 2002.
Opponents of bag taxes had better bone up on reasons why taxes are a bad idea. (The American Chemistry Council has a list here).
Because once politicans settle on something that they can tax -- especially if they think the tax will actually be popular -- you can be sure that they'll keep going back to that well.
Featuring the Friendly Plastic work Karine Collignon
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Today's feature is from French Friendly Plastic artist Karine Collignon.
Karine's work is nothing short of delicious eye candy! Check out more of her work here
Karine's work is nothing short of delicious eye candy! Check out more of her work here
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Sabic Innovative Plastics staying put
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Sabic Innovative Plastics LP plans to keep its world headquarters at 1 Plastic Ave. in Pittsfield, Mass., according to this story posted today on The Berkshire Eagle's Web site.
According to the story, Sabic IP started to consider either "reducing the footprint of its facility on Plastics Avenue, leasing another building from the city, or building anew in Pittsfield" back in December, when it laid off 40 of its 300 employees.
The Eagle's story quotes company spokeswoman Jodi Kennedy saying the decision to stay up follows several months of "consideration and analysis."
Sabic IP wasn't really looking at moving outside the area -- top officials previously had pledged to stay in Pittsfield. The only question was whether it would move -- and possibly downsize -- the global HQ in Pittsfield.
Kennedy told the newspaper that Sabic IP's decision to remain on Plastics Avenue is "an affirmation of our commitment to the Pittsfield community."
Former plastics executive may run for U.S. Senate
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
William Binnie, founder of Carlisle Plastics Inc. -- once a major film extruder, blow molder and injection molder -- is exploring a run for the U.S. Senate, according to this story from Foster's Daily Democrat in Dover, N.H.
Binnie is considering running for the Republican nomination, according to the report. The seat is being vacated by former Gov. Judd Gregg, who joined the Senate in 1993.
Binnie didn't have much to say. It's "premature to discuss anything" about the run, he told the newspaper.
Carlisle was a publicly traded company that was a major manufacturer of film and sheet -- including trash bags -- plus injection molded coat hangers, blow molded milk bottles, and other products.
Tyco International Ltd. bought the company in 1996 for $130 million.
Today Binnie runs Carlisle Capital Corp., a real estate investment and advisory firm, according to the report. He told the Daily Democrat that he rose from "humble beginnings," moving to the United States from Scotland with his family at age 5.
"The son of a janitor, he worked as a mechanic to pay his way through two Harvard degrees," the story notes.
Binnie has never run for public office, and he faces opposition in the primary.
Huntsman, football star team up on new LBO firm
Monday, September 21st, 2009
A couple of Hall of Famers -- one from plastics, one from the NFL -- are part of a new private equity firm that is on the hunt for middle-market leveraged buyouts.
Jon Huntsman Sr., the founder and former chairman of Huntsman Corp., is the plastics guy. The football Hall of Famer is former San Francisco 49er Steve Young. Also on the team is Robert C. Gay, the former managing director of private equity player Bain Capital. The name of the new firm is Huntsman Gay Global Capital LLC.
According to this San Jose Mercury News story, Huntsman Gay has $1.1 billion that it plans to invest in companies in companies with $20 million to $100 million in annual sales.
This information kit from the company (PDF) adds that the fund will look primarily in the United States for buyouts, and will "continue to follow the proven methodologies of the Huntsman Corp. and Bain Capital."
Neither the Mercury News story nor the Huntsman Gay Web site mention plastics as a specific target for the new firm. But both Huntsman and Bain have been players in the world of plastics M&A. So it wouldn't be a big stretch to assume that the new firm will eventually end up with some polymer-related assets.
Friendly Plastic that sticks to rubber stamps – FAQ
Sunday, September 20th, 2009
We've entertained this topic with in the past week or so when Jen Lowe shared that stamping into friendly plastic will clean the ink off your stamps. Today's post however offers a suggestion as to what you can do when friendly plastic sticks to your rubber stamps. It's an excellent story from Mylene Hillam from Australia - Winner of the 2009 CHA design challenge.
It also shows us that techniques and ways of handling friendly plastic can differ from region to region or country to country......
She writes:
I conducted a large workshop on the weekend and one of the techniques we used was stamping into Friendly Plastic with a red rubber stamp. It was a requirement that everyone bring along a suitable stamp but alas not one person did and so the stamp I brought went through the process 30 times. That's OK, no drama. It's a rubber stamp and able to withstand all sorts of abuse!
Now, the lesson here is that I don't ink my rubber stamps with a lubricant when I stamp into FP. I simply press the image straight into the softened FP and plunge it into cold water for 30 seconds, which is usually all that's required to release it. But Saturday was a warm day (30°C) and the airconditioning was completely ineffective.. We had 4 heatguns running constantly and lots of warm FP being plunged into the tray of water. What I'm trying to say is, everything was WARM! We had all sorts of trouble getting the stamp to release from the FP and with every impression made with the stamp, more little bits of FP stuck to the rubber which in turn stuck to the next persons FP. We eventually resorted to inking the stamp with Versamark and were able to find iced water to dunk the stamp into and all was good. Luckily, the card we were working on was a little bit grungy and everyone's stamped piece of FP was OK. But, from now on I will tell everyone to use Versamark (or other lubricant) before stamping into the FP - lesson learned!!!!But at the end of the day the nooks and crannies of my stamp were very furry looking from all the FP that had been deposited onto it. It's one of my favourite backgrounds stamps for stamping into FP so it HAD to be cleaned. And here's how I did it.Take an old scrap of FP and heat it on a nonstick surface until it's very soft. Dip your finger tips into water and pick it up. Press it into the nooks and crannies and plunge into cold water for a few minutes to make sure it has completely cooled. Then lift the FP scrap away from the stamp and most of the stuck Friendly Plastic will come with it. Work on small sections at a time until it the whole stamp is cleaned. I also wanted to share a couple of other things I tried to clean it - neither of these worked!- dig out the FP using a needle tool - didn't budge any of it at all.- Placed the stamp into the freezer overnight and try to dig out the FP using the needle tool - didn't work either.So there you have it! Even those of us who have worked and taught with FP quite extensively still learn new things. And I wanted to share this with you so that you know even experienced people make mistakes!!Hope you all have a fantastic Friendly Plastic week!Cheerio,
Myléne Hillam Qld, Australia
www.milllanestudio.com
http://milllanestudio.blogspot.com/Krafty Lady DT member: http://www.kraftylady.com.au http://community.webshots.com/user/mylenehillam
It also shows us that techniques and ways of handling friendly plastic can differ from region to region or country to country......
She writes:
I conducted a large workshop on the weekend and one of the techniques we used was stamping into Friendly Plastic with a red rubber stamp. It was a requirement that everyone bring along a suitable stamp but alas not one person did and so the stamp I brought went through the process 30 times. That's OK, no drama. It's a rubber stamp and able to withstand all sorts of abuse!
Now, the lesson here is that I don't ink my rubber stamps with a lubricant when I stamp into FP. I simply press the image straight into the softened FP and plunge it into cold water for 30 seconds, which is usually all that's required to release it. But Saturday was a warm day (30°C) and the airconditioning was completely ineffective.. We had 4 heatguns running constantly and lots of warm FP being plunged into the tray of water. What I'm trying to say is, everything was WARM! We had all sorts of trouble getting the stamp to release from the FP and with every impression made with the stamp, more little bits of FP stuck to the rubber which in turn stuck to the next persons FP. We eventually resorted to inking the stamp with Versamark and were able to find iced water to dunk the stamp into and all was good. Luckily, the card we were working on was a little bit grungy and everyone's stamped piece of FP was OK. But, from now on I will tell everyone to use Versamark (or other lubricant) before stamping into the FP - lesson learned!!!!But at the end of the day the nooks and crannies of my stamp were very furry looking from all the FP that had been deposited onto it. It's one of my favourite backgrounds stamps for stamping into FP so it HAD to be cleaned. And here's how I did it.Take an old scrap of FP and heat it on a nonstick surface until it's very soft. Dip your finger tips into water and pick it up. Press it into the nooks and crannies and plunge into cold water for a few minutes to make sure it has completely cooled. Then lift the FP scrap away from the stamp and most of the stuck Friendly Plastic will come with it. Work on small sections at a time until it the whole stamp is cleaned. I also wanted to share a couple of other things I tried to clean it - neither of these worked!- dig out the FP using a needle tool - didn't budge any of it at all.- Placed the stamp into the freezer overnight and try to dig out the FP using the needle tool - didn't work either.So there you have it! Even those of us who have worked and taught with FP quite extensively still learn new things. And I wanted to share this with you so that you know even experienced people make mistakes!!Hope you all have a fantastic Friendly Plastic week!Cheerio,
Myléne Hillam Qld, Australia
www.milllanestudio.com
http://milllanestudio.blogspot.com/Krafty Lady DT member: http://www.kraftylady.com.au http://community.webshots.com/user/mylenehillam
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New Friendly Plastic Artist Feature – Terri Pocket
Sunday, September 20th, 2009
Today's eye candy comes from Terri Pocket. I found her work on craftster and really liked the way she used wire to create the bails for her pendants.
Want to be featured on the blog? Email me your photo's!
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What’s in a Colour? by Mylene Hillam
Saturday, September 19th, 2009In recent posts, I've shown color charts for upcoming fall and spring 2010 fashions. Mylene Hillam shows you in detail, how color affects your overall design....read on!
Mylene says:
Have you ever had beads that left you unsure as to what colour metal you should use for your findings? Ever wondered how different a piece of jewellery might look if you chose gold instead of silver? Well I have. Some beads look just as good in one colour as they do in another. Take the following for example.
After making up my ugly duckling beads into a necklace, I still had a few beads left over so I decided to make the beads up into a necklace using gold findings and here's how it looks...........
Have you ever had beads that left you unsure as to what colour metal you should use for your findings? Ever wondered how different a piece of jewellery might look if you chose gold instead of silver? Well I have. Some beads look just as good in one colour as they do in another. Take the following for example.
After making up my ugly duckling beads into a necklace, I still had a few beads left over so I decided to make the beads up into a necklace using gold findings and here's how it looks...........
Quite lovely - the gold warms up the beads rather nicely!But then I had some doubt..... would it look better made up in silver? So I pulled it apart and replaced the gold findings with silver.......
Not bad either - lovely and cool looking - silver really brings out the red in the beads.And for comparison, here's yesterday's necklace in copper.
These beads were a little more copper than the second batch so they worked quite well with copper findings but I'm undecided on the gold and silver. At first I liked the necklace in gold but then I preferred it in silver. What do you think?These three necklaces are all made using the same basic design and only the metals and complimentary beads have been changed, and yet they all have a very different feel about them..... isn't it amazing how the metal can change the look?!!
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