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Saturday, February 04, 2012

Thrift Store Studio Find...A 50 Cent Treasure

'Early Spring Treasures' 11x14 pastel with oil underpainting ©Karen Margulis
Purchase painting with paypal or check here $150

I love treasure! I love beachcombing and rockhounding and when I am not traveling I satisfy my gathering urge with visits to my local thrift stores. I have found the greatest treasures for my studio in thrift stores. I am starting a new series on my blog so I can share some of the best finds. Today's find is probably the least expensive item but one of the most useful...a JAR OPENER!

A jar opener is not just for the kitchen! I use it to open stubborn stuck tubes of paint, jars of mediums, glue tops, and whatever else I can't pry open. It came in handy a couple of weeks ago when I was trying to open an old jar of gesso in preparation for a workshop. It was impossible to open. I tried hot water, wrapping a rubber band around the lid and even one of those rubber round things. Nothing was working. Then I remembered the jar opener I bought at a recent thrift store adventure. With one twist that stubborn lid was open and my workshop was back in business! I have since used it several times with great success. The best part is that I had purchased the jar opener for only 50 cents! I almost didn't buy it because I was being thrifty but it is the best 50 cents I have spent for my studio! If you really want one and don't want to get lucky at thrift store you can find the jar opener on Amazon.
What second hand finds have you found for your studio?

Today's bird nest painting was done with an oil stain underpainting. If you look closely you can see the drips and spider-web drips of the underpainting. I will be sharing a demo this week so I'd love for you to join my blog or follow me on facebook & twitter so you don't miss an update.

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