Thursday, June 16, 2016

Tangling Pens Organization and Storage

Sakura Micron pens have been a part of my life since high school.  I love them and have used them in my art for decades (good grief, that sentence made me feel old).
 
I used a rare 60% off coupon from JoAnn's Fabrics and bought a six-pack of Microns!  I'd never had a big pack before.  Right away I noticed that even though they all have a different nib size, they all look very much alike. When I would reach to grab one out of the pen pile I kept having to pick up a few before finding the right number I wanted.  I remedied that by wrapping different colored washi tapes around the end of each pen.  Now, I can tell with a glance where the pen I need is in the pen pile.  I use #01 the most (orange). 

 
But what happens when you have an old .01pen and a newer .01 pen?  How can I tell which one is the newer one and which one is the older?
 
 
I simply drew a black line around the orange tape of the older pen.  Now I use the older pen for just doodle practice, jotting things down, etc (because it's still good, just not great), and the newer one I keep for actual tangle pieces.
 
 
After I'd been tangling awhile, I realized I needed a smaller container to hold my supplies.  The large organizer I was using was too cumbersome to carry to my daughter's choir practice.  I needed something small and portable. 
I found this little craft/tackle box at Walmart.
 
 
 
The first tier of this little container holds a variety of pens, a pencil, and a smudger, the second holds blank step out cards and binder ring cards, just waiting patiently to be tangled.  The bottom, which is a little deeper, holds a small box of blank tiles, my binder ring full of tangle patterns, and a few odds and ends. 
 
 
It seems to work quite well.  We'll see how it does on trips to the lake and on vacation.
That's all for today.  Until another time, have a happy, creative day!
 
 
 

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