I don't know exactly what you're planning, but I want to be at that party! Video recording for those of us who cannot attend, PLEASE!

There are paints specially formatted for body paint. Don't have any brands or if they'll transfer but try hitting up costume shops as they probably stock or know where to get it. There probably some brands mentioned on the syfy series face off (project runway for special effects) you could at least see the companies donating/advertising durring the episodes. they have several body paint challenges and discuss application while they're applying the stuff(and you can see the mistakes some of the less know how contestants made so not to repeat)

Stay clear of anything acrylic based. It will dry quickly, crack, and be painful to scrub off. You're probably looking for a grease based paint to retain flex on the body and get vibrant hues. But that could cause problems on transfer to clothing

It really is very nice Kristen.

I would like to see your artistic impression of a parrot in such a medium someday. The gal on my shoulder has a full body made up of a largely monochromatic pallet (with many shades of grey ranging from white to almost black) plus a bright red tail. I would want you to see an African Grey in real life so you could really get a good look of form, texture, and variation to inspire your interpretation. Of course, the world of birds and parrots is filled with lots of colors and variations.

Are you selling direct(etsy, markets) or thru a store (consignment, retail) stores will take 30-50 % so keep that in mind on pricing

Kristin that is pretty awesome. I'd say, all the market can bear. Realistically it totally depends on how you are selling it/who you are selling it to/where you are at the time. Only way to find out is to try.

You'll be fine. Shrinky Dinks don't cook for very long, and the bag is mostly to keep them from possibly sticking to your pan if you don't keep an eye on them and overcook them.

You can cook in paper bags without incident, as long as you stay under 400 degrees or so. Google Pesce al Cartoccio recipes to see what I mean--it's a great way to cook fish.

Have fun coloring them in and cutting them out.

No, you're totally good, as sublevelthree said.

I had the same concern when I was taught to use a paper bag to steam/roast chiles in the oven, but it totally works (people seem to agree here: http://questionland.com/questions/21834-what-should-i-do-with-hatch-chilies )

In any case, yes at medium temperatures paper can do just fine in the oven. While we're on the subject, It's always a good idea to check and make sure you have a working fire extinguisher nearby. If you don't, AAA Fire Safety is a good Seattle Company that can make sure you're protected http://aaafire.com/

Bottom line, yes paper can go in the oven at low to medium temperatures. On a separate note, this is a good reminder to check and make sure you know where your fire extinguisher is.

Dr. Ph. Martin's Radiant Concentrated watercolors are pretty great.

Holbien makes them. Don't know if they're normally carried in store or a specialty item. A&c and dan smith both Cary holbien products

Kristen, keep an eye on the Goodwill stores, or visit your local comic book convention. A lot of people order such a machine, grow tired of it, or over-estimate the demand for buttons made out of comic book panels, and want to dump the thing at a low price after they've made a couple of dozen pins.
PS: Be sure to ask where and how much supplies are!

There are inserts you can find at coin shops and online if you wanna go Internet_ jen's suggestion without gluing the coins. They're black velvet and you can get them in various coin sizes

What about a shadow box? I think you can get them from Michael's or Target. You could use wood glue to affix little shelves on the inside using wood trim or something.

Or I'm sure they're thin enough for a regular picture frame. You could use cardboard, rolled up paper, tooth picks glued into place to keep the coins falling to the bottom of the frame.

Glue the pieces together and then tightly wrap and hot glue some rope around the break for extra stability (sisal twine would look cool).

Once there, use it for purely decorative purposes. Have a yard? Stand it up in the dirt and plant a cool vine at the base (or just use it as plain hardscape). Hang it on the wall next to or above a door. Print out some cool boating pictures of you and your loved ones and decoupage them onto the blade.

Alternatively, the blade alone would make a neat serving platter for sushi, cheese, or chocolates.

Return it to REI for a full refund or at least a store credit.

You could probably whittle something from the paddle's blade. Here's someone who carved a woodpecker from an oar. (Insert lame Portlandia joke here.)

I think they beat me to it, but I'd either criss-cross the pieces to form an "X-display" over your harth, OR, sort of "fix or glue" it back together as best you can...and rather than put it back into service with a boat, instead coat it with a good layer of polyurethane and mount it on the wall vertically upside down, or else horizontally above the fireplace.

Get an artist to paint a portrait of your boat on the blade and hang it or make a stand to display it. Maybe a great black line drawing (scrimshaw-esque) would be good (or just decoupage on a good photo). You could take a Sharpie and write a good story about the boat (and paddle) on the back.

You might want to sand it smooth and refinish it as per artist instructions for best surface for the painting and throw a light coat over the story once written (test a sample first so you don't smear the writing) to protect it.

Cut off the splintered end of the shaft and save the solid part in an umbrella stand (you have one, right?). There are always uses for a good sturdy stick (future projects may pop up later).

I'm pretty sure that if you wrote a piece about how it is symbolic of something or other and encapsulating your memories of it you could sell it on etsy for at least $250!

(Written by an adherent of regretsy...)

I can't come up with anything actually helpful, tho', sorry.

Because those are well crafted machines. You probably can't find them used for much cheaper because they last forever. If you want to check one out and see if you want to make en

I haven't taken a class there yet but Made, the new sewing studio in Greenwood, has a fancy panties class. And other classes too. Seems like a cool place.

http://www.madesewing.com/products-page/

Address: 8408 Greenwood Ave N

If you decide to go the route of oiling the river rocks, then I would suggest you use a mineral oil and not a vegetable oil for the task. Mineral oil is used in coating soapstone counters and such. Additionally I think that vegetable oils may be prone to darkening with time and possibly going rancid with exposure to air and bacteria (not a good prospect for a living space).

On the gold leaf - if you must coat it DON'T use a waterbased varnish/ acrylic clear coat. If the gold wasn't real ( there are alot of imitation leaves because 10 bucks is cheaper than 50 for a tiny bit of leaf) it will turn greenish if waterbased topcoats are used. Most people don't overcoat leaf because it's not the same luster and it takes away the delicacy of the leaf (while not the best if it's getting house wear and tear was probably the thing the artist was attracted to) if you have the persons name see if they have a web presence and contact them directly. They will know what kind of leaf was used. It could have been a " didn't have time" or " didn't have money" to coat them or it could have been a " that's how I want the work to be presented" issue. If the latter I'd leave them the way they are. Finishing is a major issue with some artists and I try and respect how they want their art to be finished. Aside from framing I wouldn't ever alter someones work. You are physically changing it. While you do own it you didn't make it. If they were in the earlier two categories then cool. But if it was my own work I'd be ticked to learn that someone was physically altering the work after the fact, but that's because I'm the kind of person who does tons of tests and versions of elements in each body of work to figure out what's the best format and presentation for that particular body of work. If I spent days figuring out the steps to getting it to where I wanted it to be I wouldn't want someone slapping on some shiny cuz they were wanting to put it on "something" stick with the rocks or making your own image to shine-ify. If you must start with some other stuff so you get the hang of it first

1. I would first try just a coat of vegetable oil. It's a nice matte finish but will darken the colors in your rocks, plus it's pretty reversible with soapy water and won't make nasty smells when warmed up as your stove will be.

2. You'll have to figure out what base sizing was used to adhere your gold leaf. There are a couple of brands and they don't play well with each other. I wouldn't recommend lacquering the whole thing either as it will eventually darken and go all pre-cleaning Sistine Chapel ceiling. If you really must protect them somehow, have them professionally framed under glass.

Depends on what you wanna do. You are just at the beginning. I have 12 years experience in both fine art ( installation, wallpapers, circuit boards, one offs, weird substrates) and commercial ( billboard, pop, large and short runs, press and hand work, books, garments). If you give me an idea of what material you wanna print on I can let you know what inks and special prep you need.

I'll be at Short Run, seattles small press festival tomorrow if you're around the VERA Project at the Seattle center from 10.40-4.30 you can pick my brain.

I also teach at the vera project silk screen lab so if you can't make it tomorrow I could help you out another time. I'm a real materials junkie so some more specifics than what should I try next are needed. If you let me know what you're after as far as look and content I can point you in an appropriate direction

You might try artist and craftsman in the u district or hardwicks Also flooring stores sometimes Cary cork in rolls and tiles

"Windows"

Allow me to suggest "Garg Bharat".

To add to Russ without knowing WHAT type of work were pretty in the dark. What fits for kitch won't for conceptual or abstraction. Ask the type of artists you wanna show as they're your demographic