The last day of August

Dry gel transfers are my favorite so far. The book suggested using soft gel (gloss) medium, gesso, or caulk. I don't have caulk, so I skipped that trial. I used the gesso, but none of those transfers were usable ... at all.

I experimented with both matte and gloss gel medium - and if I remember to carefully and quickly wipe away any gel that extends beyond the transfer image - I am happy with either one. The only downside is that the technique takes 24 hours of patience. Just like the proverbial pot, watching does not make the gel dry faster. After the loooong wait, it was a simple matter of sanding the back of the transfer, lightly misting with water, and rubbing away the paper to reveal what image was still attached to the background.

This method requires a toner-based or magazine image. I chose to use laser printed illustrations, scanned from old books, and photos, adjusted to the desired size. The images were trimmed to exactly the shapes I wanted and placed on painted papers. Two of the backgrounds were bumpy gelatin plate prints. I did wonder how that uneven surface would affect the quality of the transfer.

Gelatin plate background paper

 

Gelatin plate background paper

Painted background paper

These images transferred even better than I expected, so the gesso transfer failures are forgotten, out of mind! Even the bumpy gelatin print papers took the transfers perfectly. 

The next step is to figure out how and where I want to use these (pictures will be posted) ... and then make more!!!!! 

Next up - Gel Skin.

Casting all your care upon God; for he careth for you.   1 Peter 5:7

Image transfers with Con-Tact Paper

I used the real thing. No off-brand allowed. It had to be the best. Specifically, it was the transparent matte Con-Tact Paper.

This time I stayed with black and white images, keeping background use in mind. The first trial shape was from a photo of a welcome mat, all scrolly and beautiful. (Inspiration is everywhere!) I placed the Con-Tact paper on the image and burnished as instructed with my bone folder. So far, so good.

The next step was to lightly sand the back of the image paper, mist with water and rub off the wet paper with my fingers. I always start that process gently, until I get the feel for how much pressure it will take to remove all the paper. This time, the end result wasn't so great. You can plainly see the paper residue.

 

So I rubbed a little longer and a little harder. That's when I could clearly see that the ink was smudging. 

I placed the transfer on two different background papers, just to see how it would look if I decided to use it for something. The look is ok, but for me, the Con-Tact paper is just too thick to be part of a final product that I would enjoy.

 

I went through identical steps with a fish image. The results were the same - smudged ink and too much paper residue. I say ink, but both the fish and the scrolly images were from a laser printer. That means toner. Toner doesn't normally smudge.

Con-Tact transfer on the right

I doubt that I will ever use this method again. I am happy to know why. It is my goal to use all of these trial pieces in some way. The two transfers shown in this post will most likely gather a lot of dust before they end up in the wastebasket. 

Next time - direct gel, gesso and caulk transfers.

O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.   Psalm 71:17

Image transfers with tape

Wow. I was NOT kidding about multiple pictures! Each project offers at least two options ... and there are multiple choices after that. So, here goes.

I chose 2 colorful magazine pages and a book page (much heavier paper) with a painting by Winslow Homer. The tape on the pink flowers folded as I applied it, but I thought it might be interesting to see what happened with that fold. You can see the tape shine on all three samples.

 
For the next step I lightly rubbed the back of each paper with drywall sandpaper, then misted each piece with water when I was ready to start removing the paper backing.
 

 

The magazine paper was the easiest. It slid from the tape with very little effort.

 

The book paper took a bit more rubbing (with flat part of fingertips only) but it finally came clean. The image was not perfect, but the occasional rough spots added to the charm.

 

Holding each piece against different backgrounds gave me some ideas about how the cleaned transfers could be used. 

 

the yellow narrow tape

W. Homer girl on antique book page

W. Homer girl on gelatin print paper

The pink flowers are attached to a drawing I don't like ... just to see what would happen. Interesting possibility on future projects. I ended cutting away the fold in the tape, so it didn't affect anything.

But my favorite is the girl. She found a resting place on a card front. She already has a new home. That's why I love making cards.

Next post - using the same tape transfer method only using clear Contact paper.

Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart to knowledge. Proverbs 22:17

Image Transfer Workshop Project

Dear blog,

I have not intentionally neglected you. I have been under-inspired and it has shown in the number of times I came here to update you.

But then ... I joined the Instagram 100 Day Project. By the end of the 100 days, it occurred  me that there doesn't have to be a deadline looming to give me permission to make things ... to play with paper or all things sticky and messy.

I also was reminded of three great books that I purchased over the past few years (all three by Darlene Olivia McElroy and Sandra Duran Wilson). They are great books, but since I never appeared in my workroom with out a deadline looming, the books sat gathering dust.

This week I made the decision to work my way through every project in the book, Image Transfer Workshop. I won't skip any pages. I won't jump around the book. I will go page by page and try every technique.

There is no rush to finish. No 100 day deadline, so my goal is to try everything, use everything in some kind of end product, and enjoy the journey.

I've already completed the first how-to. Because there are lots of pictures that go with this, there may be more than one post to cover the steps. I want to be able to remember in detail everything that I learn.

Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. I Thessalonians 5:21

Beef tallow? Really?

I stumbled upon the 100 Day Project while scrolling through my Instagram feed. It seemed like a great idea ... good motivation for doing 100 days of cards. I'm on day 35 - almost a third of the way through. I love the fact that I have a growing stack of cards. Even better is what is becoming a routine of getting into the workroom and making a card.

Just one example of what is keeping me busy for a couple of hours every day. I can't make up my mind about using the cards ... should I start now? Should I wait until day #101 and see what it's like to actually hold that many cards in my hand? Hmmm. Such weighty decisions.

But what I really wanted to share is a very interesting ... no, unusual recipe I found on Food52 for face moisturizer. For a person with sensitive skin finding products that work is a major undertaking. You have to read ingredient labels, cover labels, do the smell test (fragrance added?), and finally, consider your schedule to determine if you have several free days to recover from a disaster caused when you applied an offending product to your face. Oh yes ... and then there is the itching.

So when this recipe showed up, it seemed like a great idea. All natural ingredients - I could even eat most of them if the moisturizer thing doesn't work out! Not the vitamin E, but everything else is ok in the kitchen.

After getting the ingredients together, I picked out a glass jar at Hobby Lobby and went to work melting everything. It wasn't a complicated process and didn't take long to have the hot liquid ready to pour into my jar. (I did NOT add the suggested fragrances. Fragrance has rarely been my friend, so I went for basic cream.)

As of today, I have used the moisturizer for several days. The first two days were great. No negative skin reaction. Yay! Then the cream started to harden - more like coconut oil in winter - which made it a bit more difficult to get out of the jar. But I managed. Today is the third day of dealing with skin that is red and feels rough ... kinda like dry hands in winter. Thankfully, it's not so noticeable that I have to hide in the house and wait for the healing to come.

I have decided to give it a few more days. I'm hoping my face will stop yelling at me and settle into the routine of natural products with pronounceable ingredients.

I'll be sure to register the final decision right here.

Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. Psalm 5:8

One by one

I have had some extra time lately to spend making cards. I wish I could say that they have been produced by the dozen, but I just can't seem to bring myself into the mode of mass production.

For me, sending a card is a labor of love in two ways - I love the making and I love the sending.

... It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35

So much for lovely things...!

There have been lovely things, but not the time to blog about them. It's sad - and a bit frightening - the way one day slides into a new day before we have time to appreciate all that the moments held.

The past three months have been full, no ... overflowing, with joyous milestones, laughing with the family until it was hard to breathe, separations that were difficult and final, new friends, events, weather, power outages, car repairs, sickness and health ... all the stuff that life is made of.

 

To the opening of  doors ... finding new opportunities to remember and enjoy ... I welcome 2017. 

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:19-20

Patina

Sometimes life gets cumbersome. The cares of this world crowd out what is important ... what is vital ... what gifts God provides to make the soul sing.

In order to overcome the the tyranny of the urgent, I decided to look for - with eyes and heart - moments of loveliness in my life. 

This is day one.

Patina

The glory of young men is their strength: and the beauty of old men is the gray head. Proverbs 20:29