Mojo Monthly - Gotta think, think think!

Hello there Crafters

I have been trying to come up with a project for the MOJO Monthly with Sasa this month and I could not think of an alternative way to use my stamps other than the way I have some of them stacked up on my shelf!  Then as I was looking around my room I had a "eureka" moment.

Let me explain a little of the background....  When my Darling was creating my Craft Room I came up with the idea of covering the two purlings that go down the length of my room with cork tiles with a little beading edging so that I could use them as a kind of notice board for photos, bits and "stuff" (you know what I mean).  Well there are some left over squares in the corner of my Craft Room looking for a use or home.  This is where my cunning plan germinated!

How about making some drink mats says I?   Me likes this idea.  So I set about cutting one of the cut pieces (i.e. scrap pieces).  I looked at the average size of drink coaster we have in our house and decided on the size of 4" square.  And I cut.  Conveniently enough some of my stamp blocks are 4" square so I laid some stamps on a block, inked the stamps up with Coffee Archival ink and stamped.

Then I tried another.

You will see on one of them I have rounded the corners.  Not an easy task as the cork doesn't fit in the Zutter corner rounder but it just about fits in the Memory Makers corner rounder with a little gentle persuasion (watch your fingers as it is a little naughty in not wanting to go in!).  They are not 100% tidy once you have cut them but after a little fine tuning with a sander they look much better. 

I now have the idea of making several more with different themes e.g. sewing themed ones, floral ones flutterby ones to suit several peoples tastes for my Craft Stall for which I am selling in aid of our local Cancer Charity at Christmas.  I will, however, before then, adhere some felt on the back to help protect it from burning a table or suchlike (it will hide my first attempt for one thing) and I also want to varnish/lacquer them to prevent the ink coming off too quick.  Hubby has said he will do that for me to prevent it getting on my chest when it sprays.  This will, of course, require me to buy some more colours of Archival Ink as I only have Coffee and Black.  What a shame!!

I hope you like these but please don't buy new cork tiles just to make these as cork is not exactly environmental friendly.  I only learnt this after we had bought it.  Hence why we did not just throw away the surplus. 

TTFN

Hettie