Just in Case

When I was cleaning out my kit this afternoon, I noticed a lot of the extra stuff I carry with me, just in case. Appointment book and contracts (just in case, lol), Binaca/gum, a couple of granola bars and a small bottle of drinking water, scissors, a small skein of rope, duck tape, clear tape, Sharpies, a folder with blank printer paper in it, a pen, a bungee cord, and Tylenol.

What are some of the things you have in your kit (that are NOT paint, brushes, water, etc) that you keep around just in case?

Everything you said AND a travel size pkg of Clorox wipes and a travel size bottle of Lysol Spray, hand sanitizer, travel size lotion, a pkg of zip ties, chap stick, a few ziploc bags of varying sizes, some binder clips, a couple of trash bags, an allergy pill....I think that's it.

I'll tell you a story about why I will never leave the house for a gig without Lysol or Clorox wipes again-
I was painting at the Mall and was in between children when all of the sudden a mom goes "EEEEWW!!!" and I stopped what I was doing to find out that some kid had POOPED on one of the mall benches that I was set up next to and her daughter had sat in it! She took her daughter to the car and changed her clothes but I was the only one who reacted to the mess on the bench...I stuck my hand in a ziploc bag (to use it for a glove) and wiped up the poop with a WHOLE package of Clorox wipes and sprayed the entire area with lysol, then continued to spray the rest of the lysol bottle out on my chair JUST to be on the safe side. Every parent in line thanked me for making sure everything was super clean. I have to admit I'm a little on the germaphobe side though.

EEEWWWWWWW what the heck kind of parent just leaves their kid's poop there!!! Jeez!

Bandaids. (Small first aid kit- just in case!) Extra mirror - just in case!

@Martha! YES, extra mirror is a good idea! I had my mirror break at a birthday party once... luckily it was my daughter's friend's birthday party, and my daughter happened to have an extra mirror in her purse!

In my FatMax (for longer events), I have almost everything you guys have said, plus... um... an emergency feminine product. Just in case.

Also, hard candies.

Oh, and nail clippers (I always keep my pinky nail short, I rest my pinky on the face and don't want to scratch anyone).

Something I still need to put in is something to clean my glasses with, I know that wiping with kleenex is not good for them but it's all I ever have with me.

Fabtastic wrote:plus... um... an emergency feminine product. Just in case.

Ohhh yes I will be throwing one in my case right now. That would be a nightmare should the need arise and to be without.

I have a back-up mirror, tylenol, scissors, rope, surveyor's tape, carpet tape, duct tape, scotch tape, foldback clips (for holding table cloths on in wind), sharpie, pen, model releases, reference material (various cartoon characters, movie things etc.), blank paper for making emergency signs, extra tablecloth, mini-manicure set, gum, breath mints, safety pins (trust me, once you've worked with your entire butt seam torn, you'd be willing to carry a sewing machine), a mickey of vodka (jk ) first aid kit (just a mini in my kit, large one in the car)... hmm that's about all the "extras". And I have used most of them at least once.

All that, and a kitchen timer so that I can end my line half an hour before the end of the gig.

I just thought of something that might be a good idea. For those of us who are in winter right now, it's snowy, muddy, wet, and some houses have a NO SHOES rule. You know as soon as you walk in the door, because there is a pile of shoes there. How about a pair of slippers?

So Shannon the vodka is gone then?

thefacepaintlady wrote: How about a pair of slippers?

Those are in the car... not in the kit! I have duck and kitty sock slippers with the textured soles.

And... what vodka?

Altoids
Bobby pins
blush
tylenol
tape
napkins for spills or noses(i usually save the wipes for me or the children)
antibacterial spray
extra cups
extra hand towels to dry off my hands
extra bottle of water for me to drink

I keep meaning to add tape and Advil...

Mints
Tampons
Paper towels
Extra mirror
Alcohol wipes
Nail file
Bandaids
Hairdressers' cape
Empty balloon bags for garbage
Bungee cord
Hair elastics
Lip gloss
Makeup knife thing
Kleenex
Hand sanitizer
Scissors
Fan
Vitamin C Drops
Sharpie/pens
MSDS
Plastic coins/signs to end the line

and when I last looked, I had some mini Kit Kats in my chair's pocket

Oh yeah MSDS,I have those on hand at all times also. In a binder with photo releases, contracts, AND... a nice printout on the dangers of using craft paint on skin.

Shannon Fennell wrote: (trust me, once you've worked with your entire butt seam torn, you'd be willing to carry a sewing machine)

I don't know if this was meant to be as hilarious as I find it, but I have read it three times now and I still laugh. That would have been a time when this would have been very handy!

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/phira002/architecture/images/sewing%20machine-thumb.jpg

True... and hilarious (I try )

Just in case:
Tape, zip ties, alligator clips, scissors, "S" hooks(all for dealing w/ signage mounting & handing), Tattoo Johnny Book(for inspiration when an adult wants something extra special),hair clips or bobby pins, safty pins(to close the back of Shannon's pants:-), Altoids(avoiding coffee breath:-), Tylenol, Sanitary Napkins/Tampons, sample size bug repellent(nothin' worse than gnats flying into your eyes while you paint), sample size sunscreen(I've been burnt too many times when I thought I'd not be outside), baby wipes, note pad, appointment book, water bottles, water activated tattoos & stickers, extra mirror(mirrors break & I want a back-up. Also, I like to have a 2nd one to get kids out of my chair quicker), extra spray bottle(spray bottles will quit working when you least expect it), black hand towels(for wiping my brushes), Hand Sanitizer, Duct Tape(for unruly kids... JK ), MSDS (though I've never had to pull it)... Oh... and... my dog's fur... don't want it in the kit, but ALWAYS find it no matter how much I wipe it down & clean it

Yup, My FATMAX weighs a ton!

Psalmbook wrote: Oh... and... my dog's fur... don't want it in the kit, but ALWAYS find it no matter how much I wipe it down & clean it

*giggle* I am feeling blessed that my landlord doesn't allow pets.

thefacepaintlady wrote:Oh yeah MSDS,I have those on hand at all times also. In a binder with photo releases, contracts, AND... a nice printout on the dangers of using craft paint on skin.

That's a good idea... Do you have a copy of the print out or a link?

A copy! Several actually. I typed it up in a column and can fit three on a page, then just cut the page into 3 strips. They're perfect. That way I have information to hand out, especially at festivals and stuff where there might be a craft paint face painter for a buck right around the corner.

I carry a lot of the stuff mentioned above, but I also bring juggling balls, hula hoops, an umbrella (in FL so no snow, but lots of rain), tiny elastics, a change of clothes, and a phone charger. Seriously, all of these things have saved me on more than one occasion.

I can't believe you guys don't carry a FLASHLIGHT, I have almost everything you have already said + the light, it's is being a couple of times where I find myself painting in the dark with a phone light.

Sounds like I need an "Emergency Bag" in the car!

KaraMundy wrote:I carry a lot of the stuff mentioned above, but I also bring juggling balls, hula hoops, an umbrella (in FL so no snow, but lots of rain), tiny elastics, a change of clothes, and a phone charger. Seriously, all of these things have saved me on more than one occasion.

Oh Yes, the umbrella is a must in FL. It's not to keep you dry, but the paints. I've avoided some near kit drownings before....