Dirty hands while crafting?
 

Does your space get cluttered while you craft? Do your hands get super inky?

What's the best way to stay clean while you craft?

Yes to the cluttered space. No to the inky hands. I guess I'm a pretty careful stamper and rarely get ink or glue on my hands.

My desk can get pretty cluttered, if I'm not careful. I've temporarily lost stamps and images that way. My solution is magnetic strips and storage over my desk. Now I'm much better at putting things away! A clear desk is the best way for me to minimize inky fingers. Stamp pads are at the back of my desk when I'm using them and I put the pad upside down in the lid to keep from laying paper or fingers in it. I do tend to get messy when I'm creating a bg. Thank goodness for baby wipes :)

I made a beautiful card that I spent a lot of time on and as I finished there was a tiny red ink smudge on it...grr. Not the first time; I think I must pick it up from opening those new ink pads; that ink gets everywhere and all over the blocks too. Very frustrating!!

I get messy hands and clothes - am always covered in ink and glue and paint afterwards. I try and wipe as I go if I can, but I've also invested in some abrasive soap and some lovely hand cream!!!

I work with mixed media and I just let my hands get messy. I do keep baby wipes and paper towels nearby. (I have been known to spray my hand with my mister and wipe my fingers clean...ish) I feel you can always add a flower, flourish, etc. to a spot that is a bit messy.

Ink and paint think I'm their mother ship.

I spent a long time making a pop-up gift card holder the other day, because of how I was piecing decorative strips on it from a program, plus modifying a sentiment. Of course at the very end I got a smear of red ink on it. I had a tiny stamp (of a baseball) that I stamped on top of the smear and elsewhere to make it look on purpose. <--- typical

Lol maybe I'm normal then...'cause I tend to get very messy when I'm working, especially with mixed media. I've discovered is that the days that I'm most inspired to paint- and therefore get the most stains on my hands!- are often the days when I have to go somewhere, either on Sunday afternoon before church or a weekday when I have evening plans....go figure! :rolleyes:

I'm still growing out my teal toenail. When Gelli plating, an glob flew through the air when I opened a tube of teal acrylic paint. I saw it on the floor but didn't notice my toe until it was dry. In case you ever want to color your toenails without worrying about touch-up, acrylic paint is like cement.

Thanks for sharing, everyone! Any more stories out there about getting inky?

I just thought of this, to prove we're supposed to get messy. ; )

A wonderful LSS (The Queen's Ink in Maryland) that's heavily into mixed media includes a lovely kit in their "ink-paper-scissors" class, a prerequisite to most other classes. The kit contains an "inky binkie" - a large cloth (cheesecloth?) to protect your lap and to wipe your hands on. Over time it gets beautifully stained - proof of how hard and inky you've worked. : )

I too get inky fingers and nails when stamping, my husband tries to encourage me to wear disposable gloves but something about that just feels wrong! Alcohol inks are especially messy for me. I also manage to clutter up my workspace as I go. When I put things away after use I usually need to retrieve those same items again, so what's the point? Shelley

Sometimes it's fun to get ink on your hands...it makes it all more enjoyable!

I can go many sessions without getting covered in ink/glue/glitter/cutouts from my silhouette...and then the next session I walk away covered in glitter/glue/ink and spend the next few days finding random piece of card stock around the house from where I have been using my silhouette and the little cutouts have attached to me.

Love it!

I don't mind getting inky fingers and nails, it's the ink I transfer to my creation when I have finished the perfect card that ruins my day! It's always in a spot that I can't just cover with a sequin or other doodad. And then there's the wet wipe that I cleaned my hands with that I lay the card on at some point to ruin it. Shelley

True, that does happen sometimes!

I don't get too messy. I tend to clean up as I go along, and I always clean up before starting the next project. I do not like to have messy, dirty hands (probably why I don't garden....although I know there are gloves....) but some ink and glue does not bother me.

I sometimes get ink on my hands, and my desk gets so messy when I'm making something even though I try to put things away as I use them. I'm another one who loses things temporarily in the clutter. I keep baby wipes and a roll of paper towels by my desk, and a container of Lysol wipes with the scrubbing part on one side for the bigger messes.

Great suggestions! Yes, it's good to clean up along the way.

OK I'll admit hating ink on my hands, but mainly ink that takes forever to remove or wear off. Being an OR nurse for years before retiring makes it easy for me to work with gloves on, extreme right? I especially put a pair on before working with Brushos for instance, so I don't have to worry:smile:

That's great!

I don't mind at all getting messy. I do keep a baby wipe handy so I don't get smudges on the white spaces of my projects. But in the long run, I get ink stains on my fingers all the time. I get glue on my fingers all the time as I use tiny dots of Multi Mini green topped liquid glue as my glue of choice. I do try to keep the glue off my fingertips, but it's hard sometimes. I don't mind stained fingers (even after washing) when I go out afterwards because that's a sign of doing something interesting!

That's so true, Jill! Isn't it the best to create? :)

I'll use a mister that's always on my desk, along with paper towels for ink, but I don't get too much ink on myself. I'm worse about glue- and it's not glue that just comes off easily- like Aleene's OK To Wash It, or Jewel It. Both of those are tough to remove. I usually have to take time to peel myself after using that kind of glue. It never washes off clothing, btw, which is why I usually craft in crumby old clothes.

My desk? I usually have to excavate before starting a card. I try to be good and put stuff away, but I'm bad about leaving it all on the desk. Sigh.

I always craft in clothes I don't care about. Old jeans old tops and sweaters. I would dress that way when going to my stamp club meetings. I became friends with several ladies. For many years we only saw each other at the club meetings. Then we decided to go out for dinner one evening . I wore non crafting clothes.
My one friend told me later that she always thought I was poor because of the clothes I wore to the meetings😳.
I never wore crafting clothes out of the house again!

A Ranger Scrubbie is wonderful for getting ink off your hands! Scrubbing your hands with a little soap and water with the Scrubbie is miraculous!

You all are so smart! Such great ideas out there.

I also use the Ranger scrubbie..it works great. I also keep baby wipes, paper towel and a micro cloth handy when working. I have not tried gloves yet, but should some days.
I have a small work space so I need to put everything away to keep the project moving along and I try and clean up as I am going. Lucky to have a laundry room sink close by and fill the sink with warm water and Murphy soap to through stencils, brushes, sponges, whatever I am using to soak ASAP while I finish my project. Stamping and smudging the ink is the worst...grrrr! I have had to add things to a card to cover them up too and sometimes you just have to start over.

I need to follow your put-away-as-you-go routine! How can I work on something as small as an inchie and suddenly 59 things are piled up??

Sometimes - not always - a sanding eraser can help with a smudge of ink in the wrong place. It depends a lot on the paper.

Gracious! I have to clear a spot to craft BEFORE crafting, & it does fill up quickly while crafting! LOL But, I TRY to put things off to another area, usually my bed as I craft. (small work space) LOL AND my poor husband can't come lay down when he wants. Thank goodness for a patient & understanding husband! LOL AND as for the ink on my hands, YES! I keep a rag & my cleaner close--I spritz the rag & wipe my fingers on it. It does help. The cleaner? Basic Green. I also clean my stamps with this! ;)

Philosophy of crafting
 

I go for the philosophical theory. If you don't get messy and inky, did you really craft? You know like the tree in the woods saying? "if a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, did it make a sound?" My work space gets very cluttered and then I have to stop and clean it off. I usually don't get too inky as I keep baby wipes and towels handy but definitely I get the clutter!

I just tell my ladies that wearing ink and glitter just proves you had a wonderful time!

Great ideas, ladies! Here are some other thoughts about how to clean up the inky mess too!

How do you remove ink from your hands? - Stamp-n-Storage

I tend to be a pretty messy crafter. I sometimes feel like I haven't truly worked unless my fingers are inky! LOL The only problem is if that ink gets onto my project. I've discovered sanding blocks (I got a package from Simon Says Stamp) work wonders in removing ink stains, provided the cardstock is the same color all the way through. I used to drive my mom nuts whenever I did any kind of crafting or sewing, because I'd have stuff all over the place. She finally learned about the difference between "global" (me) and "analytical" (her) people. After that, when she'd see my disaster areas, she'd just repeat to herself, "She's global. She's global." LOL

Having fun while creating does mean you can get ink on your hands! Tim Holtz gets ink on his hands, Tammy Tutterow gets ink on her hands, Michelle Zindorf gets ink on her hands, and they all love it! and encourage it! I did discovered a cool ink remover scrubber in the Checkered Cottage (craft store in Kirkwood, MO), and now I want to get that! It was in their sink to wash hands, and if you rub it on your inky fingers while wet, the ink just disappears! I get ink and glue all over my hands all the time. I just think it goes hand in hand with making cards or scrap pages! I use that Tombo Multi Green top liquid glue and even though a little goes a long way, I get a little on my fingers every now and then! I think it's natural to get ink on your hands. Keep a baby wipe handy if you ink something up and then have to touch your card! That helps a little! I think the scrubber thingy at Checkered Cottage was the Ranger scrubbie too. It works great! I'm getting one this week!

One thing I would suggest, for crafting...keep a small basket nearby. When you are done with something..toss it in there. that way, it's out of the way, but it's still near, if you oopsed, and need it again. It doesn't interrupt the flow of crafting...and at the end, if you are going "what color did I use" or "was it the studio g, or the versamark that I used?"...the answer should be in there. A small box, a small basket, a small folding cube for cube shelves, or even small trash cans...heck, a small one at your feet. It won't interrupt your flow of creativity, as some think they have to clean up the supplies before putting them away...so doing that, you have to clean yourself/etc...and then you lost the rhythm of what you are doing.

And, sometimes...the items are pulled out for another craft, then! When you are done...maybe challenge yourself to make another item with it...either a duplicate card to donate to a house/shelter/campaign, or just "I did a masculine card...can i make these fit a Halloween theme (christmas theme, girl's b-day, beach, travel, whatever)"...you might find it's fun to try to use the same things to get another result. Heck, even a variation of the same result, might be fun.

Great idea, kittyn. I leave out everything I use, but things get shoved aside, or other things are already out. Making twinchies yesterday I had to re-figure out which inks I used because too many had been left out. So your "project box" is perfect.

And maybe more than one box/tray/basket, if you sometimes work on more than one thing at a time. Of course if you're like me, you're wonder where an ink is for project #2 because it's in the box for project #1. ; )

Beth

Jill with a G :p do you know the name of the hand scrubber? I don't mind inky fingers generally.

While she looks so neat, even Jennifer McGuire gets inky. Maybe not like Tim Holtz, he may win the prize, but how many times have I seen her wipe a stamp off with her hand when changing ink colors for the same stamp? She's mentioned how she gets inky and you can occasionally see inky fingers. :p

A LSS provides a large "inkie binkie" cloth (cheesecloth?) in take-home kits for their intro to mixed media/ink class. It's big enough to protect your lap or wipe your hands on. I was using it yesterday to dry off a background stamp after cleaning it and wiping off mystery glop on my craft mat. It stains but can be washed. A stamping security blanket.

Beth

Now...someone needs to read this...and remind me of exactly what I said on here, when I start...and the things pile up. *laughs* cuz I know i will do exactly all that everyone on here says that they do!

Anyone think of using those "binkies" as backgrounds for art projects?