Copper Tjaps are Hot Hot Hot.

A shipment came and went again.

I watch these things with curiosity and always take a look when they come up for sale at Dharma Trading Company. They send me an email whenever they get a shipment of these beautiful design tools and, just as they promise, these Tjaps from Indonesia do go fast -- within 24 hours the entire shipment of 300 have flown out the door. Vamoose.

One of these years I will jump in there and get myself a couple. In the meantime, I do have some wooden ones that I purchased at an antique store. I've used them on paper and fabric, sometimes with very nice effects. But the disadvantage of wood is, of course, that wood gets broken, so some of mine have irregularities that might drive the fiber art perfectionista a little crazy. I don't really mind since I use them for texture more than anything else. A couple of my wood ones also have a felted material sort of squished up between the actual wood carvings; I suppose to soak up excess dye (?).

These copper ones would be wonderful to play with. Batik artists seem to have the corner of these for their craft, but you could use them for all sorts of things. If you want to try them out you have to get on the Dharma email list or their Facebook page and have them alert you when they get their next shipment.

As usual, summer gets my creative juices flowing; I don't know why that is...more free time, more ideas for things to do. Lately (sadly) I'm more inspired to look at art than to actually try to create anything. A whole 'nother thing entirely, but just as satisfying in some ways.