Heart Lab: Rifferaff

I've been reading Shannon's blog Make It over at rifferaff.typepad.com for.... pffff... god knows how long now. I love how she shares both the highs and lows of running a creative business. I'm really diggin' her latest card collection - I'm so excited to finally have her on the site!

The making of a Jigsaw Card set...

Step 1: Come up with a design
Usually I'll doodle on scrap paper when bored at work and if I like something alot, I'll redraw it on a clean sheet of white paper with black felt tip pen so that it can be scanned into the computer - 30 Minutes

Step 2: Scanning, Illustrator, creating a pattern repeat
Scan drawing, manipulate it in Illustrator to look how I want, create a pattern repeat - 2 to 3 hours. I'm self-taught in Illustrator, so this is taking less and less time the more I do it, as I figure out how to actually use the program.

Step 3: Burn screens
Send digital file to local t-shirt screenprinting shop to burn my screens - Pick up screens a week later.

Step 4: Mix colors by hand
In this case I'm printing with white ink, which I use straight out of the container. I make sure to mix it up good and add lots of glycerine to get the perfect consistency . 8 Minutes

Step 5: Printing & Drying
Print 40 sheets of 19 x 25 cardstock and lay them out to dry - 60 minutes printing + another hour for drying.

Step 6: Clean screen
Clean screen thoroughly so ink doesn't dry in mesh and clog it up.
25 Minutes

Step 7: Cutting
Clean screen thoroughly so ink doesn't dry in mesh and clog it up.
90 Minutes

Step 8: Score and fold
It's just me, a metal ruler and the bone folder. I take breaks every so often to give my wrist and elbow a rest. 3 Hours

Step 9: Photograph, edit photos
I'm the worst photographer so I'll try a lot of different things for the shot (with tripod, without tripod, white background, wood background, super close-up, etc) then end up choosing the most basic ones. The secret of photo editing, I have learned, is just make everything brighter. 1 Hour

Step 10: Upload to Etsy
I have a kind of template I use for the description of most of my paper goods, so I just change the wording to reflect the proper pattern name and ink colors and then upload the pics. 10 Minutes

Visit Shannon's shop at www.rifferaff.etsy.com.

Thanks Shannon!!