How To Remove Crayon Wax

My easel. Oi.

After several months of neglecting any attempt at cleaning my studio, it was a complete disaster. Once I was able to take time to breathe after prepping for the craft show at Uncle John's Cider Mill, I stared at my studio in amazement. The crayon wrappers scattered all over the floor, empty lacquer cans, and dozens of glass panels left over from the frames were all things that were easy enough to clean up. But the wax...the melted wax... it was everywhere. The desk, the table, the floors, the walls, my clothes... EVERYWHERE! Who knew so much wax could be in SO many places? It wasn't even limited to the area where I melt the crayons. So once I picked up the stray flowers, glue sticks, and newspaper, it was time to tackle the wax drips.

Now, I've never been a clean or cautious crafter. Prepping an area is not my forte. Neither is cleaning. Nor keeping things clean. I am a mess and my friends will readily attest to this. So for those of you who are like me and have not taken appropriate measures to prevent an intensive cleanup before doing a melted wax project, this tutorial is for you! OR, if your child is extremely artistic and decides to express this talent on your walls or floors, this is also for you.

The Disaster: Zone 1

While the main mess of the melted crayon was not limited to my melting table, that was where the bulk of the mess was, and that's where you'll see my transformation from "is that a candle in the shape of an easel?" to "Oh my! What a lovely, clean workspace."

Step 1: Gather your supplies.

• Dull knife (optional)
• Hand broom (optional)
• Hair Dryer
• Paper towels
• Patience

The Disaster: Zone 2

 Step 2: Remove excess globs of wax.

This step is for those who have created massive globs of wax. If you're simply dealing with a few splatters or wax markings, feel free to skip this step. Use your dull knife to gently lift away the excess wax. Be careful not to scratch your surface! Sweep away your wax shavings with your hand broom.

Scraping off excess wax. There was a lot.

Step 3: Melt the wax.
Working in small sections, focus the heat from your hair dryer onto the wax until it melts (it will have a shiny, wet look). Use a paper towel to wipe away the melted wax. Be sure to use the un-used (un-waxed) sections of the paper towel each time you clean off a patch of wax. Repeat as necessary until all the wax is gone.

Melting the wax.

Yay! All the wax is gone from the desk! (Nevermind the wall in the background...)

Now, the only thing I haven't figured out yet is how to get the wax splatters off of walls. DO NOT use the method above on anything but a high-gloss paint. Mine is eggshell and all I did was make "lovely" streaks of colors that clash with the purple elegance of the walls. I read somewhere that magic eraser will work, so I may try that. Or I'll just have to live with it until I decide to repaint. Meh.

Good luck to all of you who must face this battle. And remember, the best offense is a good defense, so if you want to avoid this time-consuming process, just lay down some newspaper. Cheers!

Photocopy

Ladies and gents, I love looking at all the great pieces that others are making with their crayon art, but I am ashamed of artists who steal photography. If you ever come across someone who's stolen another artists photos, please report them - especially on Etsy! It's not fair to falsify your product to the buyers, nor is it fair to the original artist. 

I want to thank the fellow Etsian, thekyladesign, who noticed another "seller" who had stolen my photography for one of my pieces, Rainbow Falls. Etsy has been notified and hopefully the "seller" straightens up her act! Here's the link to her shop. I'm nervous that the tie-dye she's selling is also a photo she stole, so if you find it somewhere else on Etsy, please report the seller directly to Etsy with a link to the original artist's work. 

As I wrote to the owner of Change of Heart (who stole my photography), "Etsy is a site for honest, hardworking artists who respect one another." Anyone who isn't begin honest, or isn't respecting other artists' work should not be a part of that network. I understand that there are always going to be people who are only after their own gain, which is sad. Artists are especially subject to being copied, having their styles copied, and overrun by others with ambition for money. This is why artists need to stick together and look out for one another! 

I've reported the seller to Etsy and am not sure what the result will be since they will not keep my updated on the results of my reporting of the seller. I also sent the seller a message asking her to use her own photography. We'll see what happens… so if the following links don't work, that's a good sign! Here's the link to her shop, ChangeOfHeart, and here's the item using my photography, listed on September 25th. Now, here's the link to my item which had sold on July 18th of this year. Yup, they're the same. Not just one of the photos for this item, but BOTH! Grrr... just makes me upset. 

Well, thanks for listening to my vent. On a brighter note, this is looking to be one of the most beautiful Fall weekends in Michigan ever! I can't wait to be spending time with my boyfriend's family up north and to see all the lovely Fall foliage. I hope you all enjoy your weekend!

Much Delayed Recap

I can't believe how much time has passed! We're already five days into October and it seems like I completely missed August & September. Yup, it's been that busy! The most exciting thing that has happened last month was the craft show at Uncle John's 
Cider Mill. 

It was a complete success! I set my weekend sales goal at $250 to cover my expenses, and halfway through the first day, mission accomplished! My favorite part of the show was watching everyone who walked by smile when they saw my artwork. That alone was pretty much worth doing the whole show. 

This piece was a BIG hit with the crowd - I can't wait to make more pieces like it. At the show I even met a metalworker who said he and his wife would be able to custom-cut any shape I'd like. I'm going to send over designs for butterflies, stars, ladybugs, and whatever else I think would be neat to incorporate. Then I'll hand paint the cut outs. So exciting! =)

Right now I'm battling the Fall weather that's seriously hurting my lacquering of 4 custom pieces that I'm hoping to ship out this week. Drastic temperature changes are not a big help! Hope you all are having better luck with your ventures!

Just plain honored!

This morning I discovered a message in my Etsy inbox informing me that I had been featured in a new blog post on A Bit of Bees Knees. When I checked out the post, I was blown away that I had been included in this collection of Amazing Artists: Julian Beever, Margaux Lange, Shu Uemura, Dalton Ghetti, and Janine Golbert. Some of whom I had heard of before, some who are new to me, and all of which are fantastic artists! Thank you, Brittany, for loving my art and including me in this post! Check out her blog - it's full of great posts ranging from art, to home tips, all kinds of fun things! =)

Gas Masks, Google and Low Blood Sugar

My life currently consists of the following:

• Email
• Crayons
• Crayons
• Babysitting
• CS5
• Crayons
• Etsy
• Sleep

In that exact order. Where does food fit in? It doesn't really... sometimes overlaps with Etsy and babysitting. So you can probably add "low blood sugar" to the list as well. In other words, I'm busy! And I LOVE it! Talks of books, galleries, and art shows has my head floating in the clouds. Though I'm sure part of it has to do with my consistent exposure to VOC's...

Which brings me to my favorite new purchase - a protective breathing mask!! Yay! No more spraying several pieces with lacquer and walking out of the room gasping for fresh air! I really hope I haven't killed too many brain cells from the times I've done this... I'm worried though because I keep mixing up their and they're - I'm becoming one of my biggest pet peeves!! Hopefully my brain will recover quickly. =/

Something else exciting? I'm officially a Google celebrity. At least by the standards of 6.5 and 8.25 year-olds. We had a Google venture today and I checked out "Crayon Art" and BOOM! Pages 1, 2, & 3 all have references to my work!

Go to "Images," and after seeing some seriously awesome art (sculptures made of crayons, who knew?!) I have three pictures on page 4! Awesome... 

Have you ever Googled yourself? It's pretty awesome seeing what others find when they type your name into a search. And it's also a good idea to check out what potential business contacts are pulling up when your name is explored. Hope you all are enjoying your August!

Facebook page!

At the request of a lovely reader, I have created a Facebook page for my art. It also imports all my blogs and I'll set it up to import any updates I make to my Etsy shop. Pretty cool, eh? So here it is: JK Create's Facebook Page.

In other news, this has been an intense week (to put it lightly). It started with the Post Office not keeping its word in regards to shipping estimate, which resulted in a piece taking WAY longer to arrive to my buyer than originally predicted. That has now been sorted out, thankfully, but this experience has somewhat robbed me of my security in the USPS. I would switch to another carrier, but in the summer months, ground carriers such as FedEx and UPS cannot guarantee any temperature control without a hefty shipping fee. With crayons softening at 105° and melting starting at 120°, I don't want to take many chances with the ground transportation and trucks that reach well over that melting point during the summer months. So, USPS is my best bet with their Air cargo, where the biggest temperature concern is it being too cold. I've just learned that meeting the delivery date of Priority mail isn't always a priority. Oh well, at least it's all worked out and the piece has been delivered to its happy home!

Then, tragedy struck again... as the lacquer on several of my pieces was drying, my air conditioning stopped working in the studio. Enter: humidity!! The new bane of my existence. Humidity is not an annoyance to lacquer once it is dried, so why is it so horrible while the lacquer is setting? Because when moisture gets trapped within the coating, IT CLOUDS. Not exactly appealing for a CLEAR protective sealant! I'm sure you can imaging the heartbreak when I walked into my studio and seven pieces were damaged. I don't want to think about it... luckily, the most important pieces (ones that had been purchased) were salvageable! One humidifier, and several acetone-soaked Q-tips later, those pieces were ready for re-lacquering and shipment. They'll be heading out tomorrow. Other pieces have to be remade, but that's alright. I'm debating what to do with the damaged pieces... I'd hate to throw them out, but they're beyond repair. Maybe I'll try to melt over them? We'll see. For now they'll sit in the corner of my studio, reminding me to make sure humidity is below 35%.

On a brighter note! I've started applying to be in local art shows that will be coming up in the Fall!! I hope to hear back soon with good news. (Cross your fingers for me!) I can't wait to start on fun fall-themed pieces. Autumn leaves and Halloween have my head swimming with ideas and experiments that I can't wait to try! I hope every one's doing well and you're all enjoying this final month of Summer (can you believe it's August already??), and if you have any ideas of what you'd like to see me try with my Fall crayon art, let me know!

ten scenic drive

Ok, I can't even express how excited I am about the Crayon Art taking off! And look! Another blog has featured my shop! I LOVE this blog. The author, Kristin, has a super fun writing style and is incredibly artsy herself. My favorite thing I've seen on her blog: Bachelorette party cake. Cracks. Me. Up! I can't wait to plan a party and have this as the piéce de résistance. Take a look at her latest post (here) featuring JK Create's Crayon Art! 

I'm scrambling like crazy trying to get a bunch of new pieces up, getting orders ready to ship, and having art prints made of the most popular works. I'm so excited to see how the prints turn out! I'll even have prints on canvas made which are GORGEOUS! 

I hope you all are doing well, and sorry to be neglecting my blog! I'll have other crafty non-crayon things up soon. Cheers!

Rain, Rainbows & Melts

It has only been a few days since I launched my Etsy site, and the feedback has been overwhelming! Already, I've been featured in a few treasuries, been favorited, made contacts, and had a major confidence boost (extra perk). Take a look at the lovely Etsians who have shown my artwork a little love, and peruse the treasuries they've created. I want to say thanks to each of you and I wish you the best!

Mommy's Craft Box created this bright and beautiful Color My Summer Treasury











Curious Little Bird pulled together a lovely Rainy Saturday Treasury

I just love this collection of melty goodness I'll Stop the World and Melt With You Treasury organized by Rachel








And the lovely Tracy (Luv Laugh Sparkle) featured one of my pieces in her fresh and fun blog!

It's up! It's up!

The long wait is over! My Etsy site has officially launched, and within a few moments of posting, I already have become a favorite by a few members!! I'm so excited about this site as it's a huge step in my creative goals. So go ahead and check out what I have listed. As a reader of my blog, you can get 15% off any order - including custom pieces! Enter coupon code C2OBLOG. Also, if you're within a 30 mile radius of Lansing, MI, I will deliver the piece myself for FREE! Just enter LOCAL30 as your coupon code. Here are a few highlights of what I listed, enjoy!

JK Create's Etsy Site

 

East Lansing Art Festival

This past weekend was the dawn of a new era! Well, maybe not so dramatic as that... but still exciting! I had on display several pieces of melted crayon art at Blue Midnight in East Lansing for the art festival. I had always wanted to sell my art, but just never really had the nerve to put it out there before now. When opportunity knocks, you better answer that door! So when Rufus mentioned that Bossa Koba was going to display some art and I was welcome to join in, I jumped at the chance. Blue Midnight allowed us to put up our art for all of the festival goers to check out, and one of my pieces sold!!! 

The 16x20 "Reds" sold today!! It's the one on the left =)

Now, I'm so ready to put this artwork up on Etsy to see if any more of them will go. Since the piece I sold allowed me to break even on supplies, at the very least I'll have several pieces to decorate my office and Blue Midnight's walls for awhile.

Art in the windows! (Ignore my reflection)

I am SO happy that this weekend was as beautiful as it was. I was working all day yesterday, so i didn't really have the chance to enjoy the weather. Today however was a totally different story! Our dock is in now at the house, and therefore it is officially no longer winter! I can take rain storms, I can deal with windy days, but just keep the temperature above 50 and preferable always 80° and sunny! Once I get the money (and ambition) saved up I am definitely moving to a warmer climate. My boyfriend and I have had our minds set on Nashville for awhile now, and I'd love to make that dream a reality ASAP. Some things have to fall into place first though. For now, I'll just keep enjoying Michigan's warmer seasons and hope we don't have too many appearances of chilliness throughout the next few months.

Colby fishing while I soaked up some rays...

Since I had the chance to "relax" most of the afternoon, I finally checked off most of my cleaning list tonight. The past few... well... months have been CHAOS in this apartment.

One dog + one boy + working girl = MESS. 

My boyfriend is pretty great at cleaning once he puts his mind to it, but that doesn't happen as much as we'd like. I'm not going to pretend I'm a clean person (my friends can attest to that), but the mess was pretty ridiculous even for me. All I have left to do now is clean one rug, mop the floor, do two loads of laundry, and vacuum the furniture! Here's my favorite thing of the day: The Swiffer Duster. Love love love. Being in a basement apartment, there's A LOT of dust. It's nice to know I'm not just displacing the dust, but actually capturing and putting it in the trash. Sorry for the product plug, but I seriously love this thing!

After a very eventful day of the art festival and busting my booty doing chores, I am ready to wrap up this list and kick back with a glass of wine. My biggest decision: red or white...

Breathe in, breathe out, repeat as needed...

It's one of those weeks where I keep telling myself "just make it through the weekend..." That's pretty much been my life since January. I'm SO exhausted, but also excited. It's at this time I turn to age-old words of wisdom. "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Right, I'll keep that in mind. And then there's, "If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." Sure... Well let's focus on this one: "This too shall pass." Phew, okay. Just get through this week... =)

The chaos that is crayon art. The mess extends beyond the
boundaries of this photo.

One of the things that's bogging my mind is this weekend when I'll have art displayed for the East Lansing Art Festival! It will be located within Blue Midnight (the hookah club across from the Mariott) on Saturday and Sunday. My "krayon art" (I'm debating spelling it with a k... I know it's a little tacky) will be displayed along with artists from Bossa Koba. I've never been part of an art show before, and am SUPER excited! I've been lining up, attaching, and melting crayons for the past few days and still have many more pieces to finish up tonight so they'll be ready to set up Saturday morning! And, after the weekend, whatever doesn't sell at the art festival will be put up on my Etsy site. So keep an eye out for the new site, it'll be here soon!