The Marker Adventure Is Just Beginning...
Sep. 8th, 2003 03:11 pmApparently, "Crop In Style" is considered a force to be reckoned with among sweet little grannies and other crafty types. For myself, while I admire the intent behind their Pen Caddies, a month of use has pointed out an important flaw:
Only one third of the loops are large enough to properly hold markers.
In an attempt to maximize their market, so to speak, the dangerous minds at "Crop In Style" (it's a brand name, not a verb) decided to make the loops on ONE side hold pencils, the loops on the SECOND side hold pens, and the loops on the THIRD side hold markers. Not an unreasonable line of thought, I grant you, but still frustrating to me.
I want to store 144 markers in an easily-accessible manner. I do NOT want to store 25 markers twice. Unfortunately, 66% of the loops on the pair of caddies are either slightly-too-small or WAY-too-small, forcing the markers to be crammed in so tightly that they cause the cardboard to buckle and getting the markers in and out of the loops is roughly like wrestling with a crab.
So this weekend I put my own dangerous mind back onto the task of finding something to serve the threefold purpose of (A) storing, (B) transporting, and (C) sorting the markers in a way that allows quick and easy access. I basically want something that will sit on the desk and I can easily pull markers out and put them away -- sorted -- and when it comes time to go to, say, FC2004, I can close it up and carry it off.
The markers did come with a boatload of studio stackers, which are more than sufficient for the "storing and sorting" requirements, even if they're not exactly compact. However, they fall to pieces if you look at them crosseyed (literally, not in the emotional sense) and if you tried to put them in, say, a box, it would be humongous!
So ... the search continues. Supposedly, Prismacolor has a 120-marker set in "a sturdy plastic base." I pondered the idea of getting this and selling off any duplicate markers on eBay. But I'm wary of doing so until I actually see this alleged sturdy plastic base and can rate it on portability.
Meanwhile, if anybody has a good solution suggestion for me, I'd love to hear it!
-The Gneech
Only one third of the loops are large enough to properly hold markers.
In an attempt to maximize their market, so to speak, the dangerous minds at "Crop In Style" (it's a brand name, not a verb) decided to make the loops on ONE side hold pencils, the loops on the SECOND side hold pens, and the loops on the THIRD side hold markers. Not an unreasonable line of thought, I grant you, but still frustrating to me.
I want to store 144 markers in an easily-accessible manner. I do NOT want to store 25 markers twice. Unfortunately, 66% of the loops on the pair of caddies are either slightly-too-small or WAY-too-small, forcing the markers to be crammed in so tightly that they cause the cardboard to buckle and getting the markers in and out of the loops is roughly like wrestling with a crab.
So this weekend I put my own dangerous mind back onto the task of finding something to serve the threefold purpose of (A) storing, (B) transporting, and (C) sorting the markers in a way that allows quick and easy access. I basically want something that will sit on the desk and I can easily pull markers out and put them away -- sorted -- and when it comes time to go to, say, FC2004, I can close it up and carry it off.
The markers did come with a boatload of studio stackers, which are more than sufficient for the "storing and sorting" requirements, even if they're not exactly compact. However, they fall to pieces if you look at them crosseyed (literally, not in the emotional sense) and if you tried to put them in, say, a box, it would be humongous!
So ... the search continues. Supposedly, Prismacolor has a 120-marker set in "a sturdy plastic base." I pondered the idea of getting this and selling off any duplicate markers on eBay. But I'm wary of doing so until I actually see this alleged sturdy plastic base and can rate it on portability.
Meanwhile, if anybody has a good solution suggestion for me, I'd love to hear it!
-The Gneech
no subject
Date: 2003-09-08 12:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-08 06:40 pm (UTC)That's what I'd do.
(Litho - suprisingly good with his hands and doing manly, handy-manish things for a spoilt princess)
Wood would be best... you could just shear off one side of a big lump of wood, and drill 144 holes in the top. Then, because transport is important, you could incorporate it into one of those cheap, plasticy - sturdy casey things they sell at hardware stores - or an oversized tackle box (and use all the additional trays etc to store pencils, erasers, inks, etc.)
Yup, definately what I'd do If I had 144 expensive markers.
no subject
Date: 2003-09-08 06:59 pm (UTC)what excatly are you trying to store
Date: 2003-09-08 07:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-08 11:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-09-08 11:10 pm (UTC)no subject
-The Gneech
Re: what excatly are you trying to store
Date: 2003-09-09 05:49 am (UTC)no subject
-The Gneech
no subject
Date: 2003-09-09 05:53 am (UTC)-The Gneech
no subject
NO!
;)
-TG
no subject
Date: 2003-09-09 06:06 am (UTC)