TINSEL TRADING COMPANY, 1 W. 37th St., NY, NY 10018

One of those secrets that everyone knows about, if you an artist or designer, is Tinsel Trading Company.Talk about a magical place- this is it! From antique tinsel, old military trim, bullion, flowers, glass glitter, passementerie, ephemera, ribbon- no one has the unusual  and vintage trims that Tinsel does. And new items are often reproduced just for them. Martha Stewart once called it her favorite store. It's over 100 years in existence- check out the website: www.tinseltrading.com. I love her old bullion and metal threads. I use them to make my steampunk bird's nests.

One of the things artists consider is how stable their materials are. When I first fell in love with Shrink film, this is something I worried about. And to be truthful, I still don't know how long lasting shrink film is although i have a piece from 20 years ago that looks as good now as the day I did it. But in the course of researching shrink film I came across 2 brands (I know there is a third but I have never used it) - Shrinky Dinks (which every kid knows and loves) and Graphix Film. They have different characteristics and work very differently.

Shrinky dinks seems to  become a little thinker when it's been shrunk, than Graphix film but Graphix Film shrinks with less problems. Even if it curls up, it separates more easily, and with less distortion. Both brands have printable versions, but Graphix is printable on both sides, I work mostly with the printable version since I do a drawing and then scan it into the computer. I can hen draw ad paint over the printout before I heat treat the film.

Both brands come in clear, matte clear, white and colors. But Shrinky Dinks has an extra think version I would love to use more if the surface wasn't so slick. I can sand it, but it would be even better if it were printable too.

I use a heat tool to shrink the film, not bake it in an oven.  More working tips in a fwe days.