Artwork Artwork and more Artwork! Updated!!!!

Wow!  Again Wow!  I have said last week that there are some very talented people out there.  The things they can do is jaw dropping.  I ran across a great blog site called The Graphics Fairy and she has a lot of FREE antique artwork that you can download and do just about anything with.

I saw another blog (the internet is a huge web they are right) and saw this artwork that I fell in love with.

The author said she used Gesso.  What is that?  Well, to put it simply it is a gel medium that you transfer your artwork from paper onto a canvas then peel the picture off and there ya go!  So, I just had to do this!  I went to Michaels, remember it takes me a minimum to 2 and a half hours Just to go round trip.  I bought some (there are so many to choose from).  Printed the picture (flipped) on my injet, took it to the printers and copied it on a laser printer.  (Inject ink will run that is why you need to have  laser printer (it costs me 10 cents).  I then went home slathered the Gesso on the front of the picture and then laid it face down on the canvas.  I then took my Popsicle stick and smoothed it out as best and I could.  Then I had to wait and wait. They suggest you leave it overnight and that was not going to happen because I did it at 12PM.  So at 5PM I started to remove the paper.  How did I do that?  I put my forefinger in water and started rubbing the paper, and it started coming off!  Over and over again, I kept rubbing, my finger is now raw but what was underneath the paper is outstanding!

Look!

How did it get from this:

To that:

It would be great to see the different colors that come out of each person that does this.  I had seen one that it was black and white with a little yellow on the sides.

But I have to tell you, this surprised the heck out of me!  What a great present.

If you look closely, it says balsamic vinegar, but it looks like it is perfume, ewe!

I am going to do another one today, but am worried that I am going to rub off my fingerprints.


This was so simple to do and so much fun!

TUTORIAL:

Ok, it is done!!!  To tell you the truth, when I am doing a project I normally take a lot of pictures, so if I need to go back and review the project, I have pictures.

However, on this project, I didn't take any pictures.   I didn't know in the beginning how it was going to turn out so I didn't bother.  Note to self:  Don't do that again.  

Life happens and as I had said in another post, my husband had surgery, so just the simple act of posting this became impossible until now, he is sleeping and I can get this done.....

Ok the first part:

You will need to get a canvas board.  I got from the art shop (any one, I know Michales have this too)  Is a regular canvas board that is flat.  If you want you can use one that is raised with the board around the back, however, you will need to have something put inside of it to give it strength when you are putting the picture down and making sure the picture adheres to the canvas.  i.e. maybe a book in the back.  

I got this board for $1.00 and it is 8x10.

I then made sure that the picture was able to be level so when I put the picture on the canvas  it is not crooked.  My first one was and you can't pick it up and move it around when it is wet because the color will start to come off immediately.  Live and learn.  So, I measured it again and again.  You really have one shot at this so measure it really good, unless you want the picture to be a little crooked.  Note:  Even though I though I was doing everything perfectly, the picture is not even, but I will be the only person that will know that, well now, you do too.

The gesso is called Golden and when I got to Micheals and found this aisle, I had no idea that there were so many types of gel mediums!  So I went middle of the road with this.

I bought a couple of large sticks to apply the gel, which I patted myself on the back because it was a great idea.  They were only 5 cents each!  Yea baby and I only had to use one.

I took the stick and scooped up the gel then started to apply the gel to the picture.  This one I applied a pretty thick layer.  I started to do it in one direction, then realized that it didn't matter in which direction you applied it, just make sure you apply it to the whole picture.  Put down a newspaper so when it goes off the side, you will have something down.  I didn't do that the first time and it was a yucky mess.  

Like I said on the above paragraph, I put down a thick layer.  I wouldn't do that.  It made the paper really heavy and when I did the next step it tore part of it because it was so wet.

Once the paper is covered in the gesso, pick it up and put it face down on the canvas.  Try to put it down correctly the first time as I said before, if you move it around it will smear some of the color.  

Then take the stick and start smoothing out the paper and help it ahear to the canvas, (this is where I tore the paper) if it does tear , no big deal, just flatten it out and smooth it out, it will not show up as a tear and will

give it some depth.s

On some of the other posts I have read, people say wait overnight before you start removing the paper, but I usually do it in the morning and we really have low humidity here (that does help with the drying process).  I wait about 3 hours.

You can see that it is already turning color.  I have realized that when you print something black and white, it is not just done with black, it is printed with all the colors, especially if it is printed with a laser printer.  I don't know if you can see, but within 5 minutes you could see red showing up on the paper.  Pretty cool.

See the tear on the top above my fingers?  I even took my fingers and kept smoothing the paper so it had great coverage.

This what it looks like after about 15 minutes...Now the hard part...WAIT!!!

Ok here we are it is 1:30 and I am ready.  Take a little cup with water:

Then you will dip your finger in it and spread some over the picture:

 Start rubbing.  But wait, like I said in the earlier post, if you start rubbing with your fingers we will rub your fingerprints away.  It really hurts after a while!  I came up with a great idea, I went into the kitchen and grabbed a cotton towel.  Not a plush one, but one I could dip in the water and start rubbing and it worked.  You will see the rolls of the paper and it gets a little messy.  As I write this, I am still finding little paper rolls in front of me, on the floor, in my chair, etc...

I then used my fingers just to make sure that all the paper was removed again, by rubbing and rubbing.  

I wiped off the picture with the rag just to get the rubbies off and then took some sand paper and very quickly rubbed the sides so the residue o the sheet would come off (I thought of that all by myself!) and it works!

Finished!!!!  

Here is the results of this one: 

Now I had to darken the picture up a bit so it wouldn't look so faded on my blog.  

This is such a nice project to do, I put the other one in a black frame and will be giving these as gifts.  

The price to make this is so cheap!  

The canvas board $1.00

Lazar copy .10 cents

But the Golden Gesso gel was around $15.00.  But you don't use that much and I would guesstamate that you would get a least 10 of these 8x10 pictures.  Which would bring the cost to $1.50 per picture.  

So, for $2.60 you get a one of a kind picture.  Perfect for a girlfriend's gift.  PS.  They have $1.00 black frames at the dollar store too!  For a grand total of $3.60!!!  Can't get that in your local store!

I would love to see some of your artwork using the gel medium.  This stuff is incredible!

Let me know how you did!!  Good luck and have fun!

Artwork...How cool and inspiring!

I have the sweetest girlfriends on this earth.  The one I am talking about today is Stacy.  She is just a breath of fresh air, you know when you walk outside in the morning after a night of rain? 

She follows my blog and I think she actually enjoys it, too funny.  Anyway, I posted a picture for the heck of it a couple of weeks ago and told my bloggers this would be a great picture to download for the fall season.  SHE DID!  Not only did she download it, she sent it to Staples.com had it blown up, trimmed and laminated!  What a cleaver girl!!!!

What do you think of Ms. Stacys art work?

Sorry about the blurry pic I am trying to get it big enough for you to see.  Anyway, she then got a hook from the Oak Glen Apple Orchards gift shop (that place is soo much fun in the fall).  Then put it in her front yard.

What a great and CHEAP decoration!  Way to go girl, it looks stunning!  Thanks for sharing!  The fun just keeps going.  Now to work on my board and to start my pillows before Halloween get here!

I love this. Witch with Crow...

You know, people are so creative.  I have one of my fellow bloggers who did two pillows and I fell in love with her work.

She told everyone she bought this Silhouette (not the machine, this time) from an Etsy Shop.

It is called 1963 Vintage Lane and Jackie is a sweetheart!    Now a lot of people don't know what an Etsy Shop is.  It is a shop that people sell their homemade items and let me tell you, PEOPLE ARE SO CREATIVE.....

I bought the Witch with the crow and it was only $3.75!    Great thing about this is you can use it over and over again for YEARS!  From the blog site of RESTLESSRISA I am going to copy her pillows.  I will post them when I am done.  But take a look at her site and tell me what you think!  I love the turkey, I want to put them on tea towels and give them to my family as a Thanksgiving gift.  OK HELP...WHERE DO I GET TEA TOWELS.  Help me people!

Here is the witch and bat:

How cute would this be to print it out and frame it!

Now all I have to do is get the nerve to do my pillow project.......Any info on the tea towels yet?

I am mixing things up, but not on purpose...I couldn't wait until Foto Friday..

This is what I woke up to this morning!  Our first snow!  Two really good things about the first snow...

1) It is just an incredible picture no price tag required.  Thank you God.
2) It is far away enough that it didn't hit our house.  Thank you God.

With all things of beauty, it has now melted but the picture remains....

Have a great day!  (SHHHH....I am so busy doing my project that I am not stopping to blog.  But I can't wait to show you when I am finished. IF I ever finish).  Wanna come over and help?  I have some coffee going....

Foto Friday....Double Rainbow

I received a text this morning,(thanks Kim) and when I pulled up the picture, there was a BEAUTIFUL double rainbow!

I have never seen something like this...only in Big Bear!

I forwarded this to my family and friends.  Here are a couple of responses:

May God double your blessings today (One Brother In Law)

Where is the double pot of gold? (Another Brother In Law)  My response was "In Big Bear, of course!

Keep your eyes open, you never know what beauty you will see when you start watching.

Have a great weekend!

New Silhouette Project

I saw this sign done by a fellow blogger on the internet and fell in LOVE with this.  So, I thought, why not?  Oh my! It was a lot of work!!!  I learned a lot of what NOT to do.  First, I needed to make my art so much bigger!  That would have save me time and energy. 

It took me days upon days and the reason is because:

Find the Board, (I had one in my outside office)  It is Four Feet by Two Feet (question to self, "Why did you pick a sign this big?" I don't have an answer but I know not to do that size again, well, for now.
Spray the Board with Primer (thank GOD for the adapter handle for the spray paint, Do not EVER use a spray paint without it, trust me on this people!)

Spray the Board with the Orange (Five Coats)

 Being a smart girl, I knew I had to spray the board outside even when it was a little windy, I look good in a shade of orange. 

Something caught my eye when I had stood back to look at the board.  Right in front of me and the sign slithered a snake! 

 I have a remember that I am in the mountains and this is supposed to be a normal occurrence.   Thank goodness that it was a Gardner snake and not a rattlesnake! (Rattlers are the only snake I have ever seen here, so I actually was excited to see this guy).

On to my project:

Find the artwork
Play with the placement
Cut it and then place the piece

Spray with Mod Podge Sealer (which turned out to be a disaster, it turned up a lot of the artwork, again, had NO idea!) YUK, so I went over it again with the white mod podge and a sponge to try to get some of the artwork to lay flat, not going so well. Live and learn...

Well it is now finished  and ready to go outside for the world to see.

What do you think?!

Gardening

This Monday will be the last meeting for "A Garden Club" in Big Bear.  I am sad because I just joined this group a couple of months ago.  However, I have met the BEST people and have instantly made "best friends" with a bunch of women and men...

So I will came up with the perfect way to say sleep tight my dirt garden and I will tackle you next year. 

This was done with Picasa and Picnik!  Incredible I tell you!

Have a great weekend!

Whew! Usually I do a Thursday thought but instead of an thought, how about an idea?

I am sitting here at home on a Wednesday afternoon.  It was supposed to have a bad storm pass through and the temperature is cold for the first week in October.  I am pouting pretty bad because I was to have a long overdue lunch with my bestest high school girlfriend.  With the weather "up in the air" we decided to make it another time when the roads would not be so dangerous.  I can work around almost anything, but ice on the drive down the mountain is one I have to walk away from.

Sooooo with a lot of time on my hands, I decided to play on the computer, imagine that?  Anyway, I came across a great tutorial on how to make your own Halloween labels, and let me tell you, this girl's blog is something else!

Look at what I did, well kinda, sorta:

How cute is this??!!!!!!!  (Squeal!!!!)  All I can say is there went my afternoon!  But what I learned from here is just the tip of the iceberg!  What a wealth of info and the easy way she explains how it is done is elementary (I liked my second grade teacher, Miss Farmer).

You can find her site  at www.centsationalgirl.com/2010/09/ghoulish-grown-up-beverage-labels/.

When you take a look (yea right), well  when you adsorb her blog, you will see one that looks almost identical to this one.  I wanted to follow her and do everything she did and then start doing them on my own.  Now that I feel more comfortable and am exited about my one of many new project that I am working on.

Here is another sign that I found and just had to have.  Wouldn't this be so cute to put into a frame and hang it just  for the fall season?

You are more than welcome to click on to this or the one above and print it for yourself.  Great colors.

So the Thursday thought?

Never memorize what you can look up in books - Albert Einstein

or in my words....

Never memorize what you can look in on the computer - Jeanine Sturgeon

Let me know what you think and if when you make some really cool labels, share with me and my viewers!  

Is your mind racing all over the place because of this?  I hope so!  I know mine is.

Have an incredible day!

OBTW, it never did rain and storm here, ohhhhh I am so aggravated!

Foto Friday.... The Haunted Whaley House

 This past weekend we went to San Diego to visit my sister and to celebrate our birthdays.

I love San Diego, there is sooo much to do and to see.  The history is as rich and old as this country.

When we were talking about the trip I said I had wanted to go to Old Town and visit the "Whaley House".  My sister said "Cool"!  I asked her if she knew about the Whaley House and she said, "No".  I giggled and then explanied to her what it was.

So, here is my story, first in my own simple words then what they have written about it.

My words: 

The Whaley House is THE most haunted house in the nation!  It was deemed the #1 house by The Travel Channel and few other shows and magazines.

.

This is what is written about this home:

According to the Travel Channel's America's Most Haunted, the house is the number one most haunted house in the United States. The alleged hauntings of the Whaley House have been reported on numerous other television programs and been written up in countless publications and books since the house first opened as a museum in 1960. Although we cannot state positively that the Whaley House is really haunted, the voluminous documentation of paranormal occurances at the site makes a compelling case. But, if there are ghosts at the Whaley House, who are they and why are they here?

The earliest documented ghost at the Whaley House is "Yankee Jim." James (aka Santiago) Robinson was convicted of attempted grand larceny in San Diego in 1852, and hanged on a gallows off the back of a wagon on the site where the house now stands. The local newspaper reported that he "kept his feet in the wagon as long as possible, but was finally pulled off. He swung back and forth like a pendulum until he strangled to death." Although Thomas Whaley had been a spectator at the execution, he did not let it disuade him from buying the property a few years later and building a home for his family there. According to the San Diego Union, "soon after the couple and their children moved in, heavy footsteps were heard moving about the house. Whaley described them as sounding as though they were made by the boots of a large man. Finally he came to the conclusion that these unexplained footfalls were made by Yankee Jim Robinson." Another source states that Lillian Whaley, the Whaleys' youngest daughter who lived in the house until 1953, "had been convinced the ghost of "Yankee Jim" haunted the Old House." A visitor to the museum in 1962 mentioned that "the ghost had driven her family from their visit there more than 60 years [earlier], her mother was unnerved by the phantom walking noise and the strange way the windows unlatched and flew up."

Many visitors to the house have reported encountering Thomas Whaley himself. The late June Reading, former curator of the museum, said, "We had a little girl perhaps 5 or 6 years old who waved to a man she said was standing in the parlor. We couldn't see him. But often children's sensitivity is greater than an adult's." However, many adults have reported seeing the apparition of Mr. Whaley, usually on the upper landing. One said he was "clad in frock coat and pantaloons, the face turned away from her, so she could not make it out. Suddenly it faded away."

The specter of Anna Whaley has also been reported, usually in the downstairs rooms or in the garden. In 1964, Mrs. Whaley's floating, drifting spirit appeared to [television personality Regis] Philbin. "All of a sudden I noticed something on the wall," Philbin reported. "There was something filmy white, it looked like an apparition of some kind, I got so excited I couldn't restrain myself! I flipped on the [flash]light and nothing was there but a portrait of Anna Whaley, the long-dead mistress of the house."

Other visitors have described seeing or sensing the presence of a woman in the courtroom. "I see a small figure of a woman," one visitor said, "who has a swarthy complexion. She is wearing a long full skirt, reaching to the floor. The skirt appears to be a calico or gingham, small print. She has a kind of cap on her head, dark hair and eyes and she is wearing gold hoops in her pierced ears. She seems to stay in this room, lives here, I gather." None of the Whaleys fit this description, but the house was rented out to numerous tenants over the years. Perhaps the mysterious woman in the courtroom was one of these.

Another presence reported by visitors and docents is that of a young girl, who is usually found in the dining room. Psychic Sybil Leek encountered this spirit during a visit in the 1960s. "It was a long-haired girl," Sybil said. "She was very quick, you know, in a longish dress. She went to the table in this room and I went to the chair." Urban legend has it that this is the ghost of a playmate of the Whaley children who accidentally broke her neck on a low-hanging clothesline in the backyard, and whose name was either Annabel or Carrie Washburn. There are no historic records of any child dying this way at the Whaley House; nor is there record of any family named Washburn residing in San Diego at the time. It is believed that the legend was started by a one-time employee of the Whaley House, in an effort to add to the house's mystique.

Even animals aren't left out of the singular occurances. A parapsychologist reported he saw a spotted dog, like a fox terrier, that ran down the hall with his ears flapping and into the dining room. The dog, he said, was an apparition. When they lived in the house, the Whaley's owned a terrier named Dolly Varden.

The Whaley House stands silently watching over San Diego Avenue as it has done for a century and a half. Every day visitors come from around the world to tour the historic museum. It contains so much history within its walls, that even the non-believer will enjoy the tour. For believers and sceptics alike, the house draws them back time and again, in search of those elusive ghosts. As Regis Philbin once said, "You know a lot of people pooh-pooh it because they can't see it. But there was something going on in that house."


My Experience:

If I had my way I would of  LOVED to have taken the tour (which is self guided and you are alloweed to take picutres too!) in the evening, scarier the better!  But with other plans for the evening we went in the afternoon.

Did I see anything?  No.  I didn't however, when I went to the theater which is on the second floor (I thought that was odd due to the fact that people still lived in that house and the theater room was right next to the bedrooms)  I did get dizzy and a little nauseous over by the window.

UPDATE: October 3rd:  Watched the Travel Channel last night regarding the Whaley House (Most haunted homes) and this is the room that Ana Whaley died in and said she is one of the ghosts and haunts this room!
That was weird.  But other than that, I didn't see anything and if you really think about it, those ghosts would have to be pretty busy with all the people in and around that house.  He must have been sleepy!  I would have been!

But they do have ghost tours of the house at night and also of Old Town as well.  Now, that is what I am talking about.  I am up for it and look forward to going next time!

Do you have ghost stories?  I do, many of them, share yours, I and my followers would love to hear your story.

Happy October 1st!!!