New Harbor Freight to check out

There's a new Harbor Freight in Seattle. It's in the industrial area south of downtown. The sun is out, I've got a list of errands, and HF is on the list. Hoo boy! More notes later after I've checked it out. I know that I at least will go home with a selection pack of their wet-dry sandpaper. (Gee now, don't I live an exciting life?)

Polymer craft supplies

As I'm pinching every penny, I've had my eyes peeled (ouch!) for low-cost supplies for making polymer creations. I've had some recent successes. Target has a house brand of stick pens (20 for 99 cents). I tried them out, and they do work to cover with polymer. BUT, you MUST be careful with the temperature. My oven has a hot spot, which caused one of the pens to burn a very little, with the tube shape getting a little wonky. Not so bad it wouldn't take the nib, but I've changed how I bake so the temperature will be more steady. As Meredith Arnold suggests, I bake "low and slow" at 250 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

The second find was at the Dollar Tree Store. They currently have wooden craft boxes for a buck a piece. The ones I got were 3 1/4 x 3 1/4 x 2. The hinging is sometimes a bit off, but they have the clever magnet close. They'll require some sanding and other finishing techniques, but I think they will be very worth-while.

I'll let you know if I find other deals!