Image Transfer Using Acrylic Paint

I have been working on different techniques for transferring images and finally got this one perfected to the way I wanted it....so now, it's time to share with you friends.

Materials Needed:

Image printed on a laser printer {or a magazine clipping}

Plexiglas {fabric, stretched canvas boards, pieces of wood}

Acrylic Paint {non-water based}

Sponge brush 

Scissors

Water Spray Bottle

Acrylic Coating Spray

To prepare the image I added some text "I love you because..." then flipped it to print. I use Photo Shop but this can also be done in Picasa and most photo editing programs available. If your image doesn't have a right/wrong way skip this step and just print your image.

To make sure I got the image centered right where I want it. I placed the Plexiglas over the image, traced around it then cut the image.

I used a piece of Plexiglas to transfer my image onto for this specific project. These are pieces left over from another project but a small stretched canvas panel would work just as well. To get the Plexiglas prepped, simply take the plastic off of one side or clean the surface with a cloth and glass cleaner if the plastic was removed previous.

Put some acrylic on surface, use the brush to spread the acrylic. While paint is still wet place the image face down and smooth out making sure to get out any air bubbles so the entire image is pressed into the paint.

*Make sure you get a non-water based acrylic paint or gel medium.

LET IT SET OVER NIGHT!!

Make sure the paint has had plenty of time to dry.

Now grab your water bottle {or bowl with water and sponge to apply water to image}, towel and photo.

1 ~ Get the paper wet. {I let it sit for about 30 seconds or so, this will help the paper soften up}
2 ~ Start rubbing the paper with your finger tips. It will ball up and rub off. {You will have to keep the paper wet as you go}
3 ~ Everyone once in a while I would dab the image with the towel to get the paper residue off and see how well the image is coming along. {Using an image with so much white takes a little bit more care since it will blend with the acrylic paint, so...be careful not to rub too much}
*Repeat until all the paper has been rubbed off the image.

Once the image is dry take it out and spray with Acrylic Coating Spray. {Mod Podge will work great as a top coat as well}
*The clear coat will help protect the image since it is not going to be placed behind a piece of glass in a frame. It also helped the image pop out a bit and made it nice and crisp.

photo courtesy of Manda Jane Photography

Check out the steps to the Antique Frame that will be going with this image.

*I tried using this same image transfer technique with an Ink Jet image and it didn't work as well. Most of the image came up when rubbing the paper off and my fingers were blue for about a day and a half. Using an ink jet image might work well for an abstract project, where it doesn't need to be crisp.

Fit Friday ~ Feeling Great

There isn't much to share this week. I haven't added anything to my regemend but spent the week making sure I am keeping up with everything I already have set up.

I have been able to increase my water which I think has been the biggest boost to helping me feel great inside my own body. Lady A and I have been able to get out a bit more this week, the sun has been out a bit more, and that has been wonderful. She loves being outside and there is a little playground in our complex that the kids all love to use.

It does seem that my late nights are catching up with me. Paul has a show opening up so he has been getting home about 11:30 p.m. then we both stay up for a bit so we can have some time together. I have been falling asleep during the day or taking naps when Lady A goes down. Maybe, getting to bed earlier will be what I work on for the coming week and see how that helps me during the day.

How are you doing with your New You? What have you been working on lately? What have you found that works and what doesn't? I would love hear from you.

Bean Bag Bananza

Lady A went to nursery for the second time this past Sunday but for some reason she was not having it. In the middle of my Sunday School class {I teach the 9-10 year old kids} I could hear a scream from the hall, sure enough, I poke my head out and it was my kid, for everyone to hear.

After I was done teaching my class we both went back to the nursery for the last bit of church. There were a far number of kids and one of the choice tows were bean bags but there were not enough for all the kids. A benefit of sewing is that there are always scraps around so I decided we would make some more bean bags for the kids.

 16 Bags

 With your scraps cut out squares that are 5 1/2" x 5 1/2"

 With wrong sides together, stitch three and a half of the sides. I like to leave my opening in the middle of one side. For me, it makes it easier to stitch closed.

Take a random piece of paper to make a funnel. I found this was better than using a kitchen funnel because I could leave the opening wide enough to let the beans through.

Then I needed to take a photo and needed a third hand...and here came the bright idea, set the bag in a cup!! It works great to hold everything in place while pouring the beans in, lift the cone out and the job is done.

I tried a few different amounts and decided that 2/3 cup was the perfect amount, for me.

 Ya...I made 16 bean bags.

 Now simply pin the bag closed then sew it up and cut the thread.

Some for Lady A, some for the neighbors and the rest for the nursery kids.

Happy bean bag toss!!

Fit Friday ~ Blah!!

This week has not been my best. I'm just feeling a bit blah, maybe it's because of all the cloudy rainy days. 

I had a yoga instructor once, many many years ago, and I loved her class. One thing she always said was that we needed to be sure to listen to our bodies. No matter what schedule we have set up, if our body is telling us something different, don't ignore it. So this week I spent time doing some Spring Cleaning, going through boxes and getting rid of a bunch of stuff {there is something about taking a box of stuff out of the house and know that it won't be coming back....exhale!} and spending some time out doors with my little girl.

Yesterday morning we did have some sun and there wasn't much wind out so Lady A and I went out and played in the back. It was so nice to feel the sun on my back and be able to take her out and not worry about the wind or that it was going to be cold if we stayed out.

Even though I wasn't too good at keeping on top of my workouts this week, I got a lot done and am pretty pleased with my week so far.

Antique Frame Technique

Have you seen those crackle paint frames? Have you wondered how to make one? It is super simple, let me walk you through it.

Keep in mind that each step is simple and goes pretty fast. The project as a whole takes time because the different layers need time to dry as each one is completed. I would also recommend trying it out on a scrap piece of wood {a 2 x 4 would be great} so you can understand how your stain, glue and paint all work together.

First gather all your stuff: Wooden frame, Wood Stain, Hyde Glue, Paper Cup {to mix}, Water Base Paint, Paint Brush {I used a sponge brush}, Sand Paper.

These first few steps are optional but I like to use them.

{Optional} If you need to, or choose to, sand the frame to smooth it out.

{Optional} Stain the frame according to the directions on the bottle. If it needs time to set, be sure to allow for that. Adding stain first adds a great contrast to show between the cracks of the pain. Sand down to add some personality to your frame.

In the small paper cup mix Hyde glue with water. For this project, since the frame is a smaller one, I mixed 3 parts glue and 1 part water. With the sponge brush add to frame {I added a second layer after the first dried}. ~ Make sure it dries before moving on.

*The less water mixed in with the Hyde glue the thicker the cracks will be. If thinner, more subtle cracks are what you are looking for mix more water into Hyde glue.

{I use a woodworkers Hyde glue for the crackle affect. There are a number of crackle paint products out now that you are sure to find at your local craft stores. I haven't tried any of them so, unfortunately, I don't have any insights as to how they all differ. But I can tell you I like using the Hyde glue for a couple reasons, fist being that this is what my dad used when he taught me the crackle paint technique so I am already familiar with this technique. The Hyde glue can also be used for my wood working projects.}

Normally I use left over {water base} paint from a can but I don't have any right now and only need a small amount for this frame, so I am going to use this water base acrylic from Joann's Craft. Be sure to work fast and don't keep brushing over the same spots to much, as the Hyde glue softens up from the paint it will start to clump if it keeps getting brushed. I did a second coat after the first had time to dry {my instructions said to wait an hour} to make sure that the white paint isn't too thine {opaque}. This will also help with the crackle effect to make some more intense cracks and cover up the super thin ones that I don't want showing. ~ Make sure it dries before moving on.

Once the paint has had time to fully dry, sand some personality into it. I like to sand corners, edges or anywhere that the paint would be missing from being handled over time.

After the paint dries your have a couple options to finish the crackle paint.

1. I am going to leave it the way it is.

2. To add another layer of antique to the project, take the rag you used when using the wood stain, make sure there is a little bit of stain on the rag and wipe it over the paint.

3. Add a sealant coat. I have used one that was brushed one or sprayed on from a can, like a clear acrylic {make sure it is not water based}.

My final project for this frame will follow in just a bit once I get it done

~Go Create

Fit Friday ~ Infused Water

Have you been able to increase the amount of water you drink? I was doing really well but lately it is getting hard. If water wasn't so plan it would be a lot easier to increase the amount I am drinking every day, I need something that will help to keep my taste buds awake.

This past week I have started doing infused waters. So my water has a bit of flavor added to it but I don't have to use sugar or a little flavor pouch. All the juices, minerals and vitamins from the fruits and veggies go right into my water.

Cut up your fruits, veggies and herbs. Make sure that the bottles are not completely full to allow for the fruits, veggies and herbs to be placed inside. If using a bottle with a small opening be sure to cut your items small enough. I also like to use the ends of the lemon, lime or other fruits to squeeze a little extra juice into the bottle.

I found a couple of good sites that lists some of the nutrition facts of over a 100 fruits and veggies. Try here or here. Here is also a great and simple list to quickly look up the benefits of different fruits and veggies by Dr. Lisa Young. There are benefits from helping to recover from a cold, skin health, weight loss, detox and many other benefits.

Here are a couple of the recipes I have used over this past week that I have really enjoyed. This site is also great for infused water recipes and benefits and there's an app too.
Lemon, Lime & Oranges
Strawberries, Pineapple and a Single Slice of Lime
Raspberries and Blueberries

Lemon, Lime & Cucumber

A couple of notes:

You need to drink the water within 48 hours, don't let them sit forever.
The bottles with fruit can be used twice. I usually refill them, then place them in the fridge to chill the water.

Cucumbers have a very strong presence when left in the water to over night, I decided one or two slices is enough flavor for my drinks.

Fit Friday ~ A Workout Buddy

Instead of continuing to count the days I think I will focus more on the events or things through the week that help me stay focused. 

Everything always seems to workout better and be easier to stick with when we have someone to do it with. An exercise buddy is a person that I could benifit from. This is someone that I can report to. A buddy that I can call up and motivate and can help keep me motivated.

This is a short post today but I think it is an important topic. Get yourself an exercise buddy and the weight will be easier to loose.

Adding Grip to Socks

For Easter, one of the gifts Lady A got in her package from Grandma was a pack of socks. YEA!!

I know, it's not the most glamorous thing but they are needed. She isn't even 18 months old but she is in 2T+ for cloths and socks are no exception. But at this size/age, it is not the norm for socks to have the non-slip grip on them, you have to search them out and they cost a bit more. My little darling is not coordinated enough just yet to be on slippery surfaces without some help. She doesn't walk anywhere, it's always running, stopping is falling or running into the wall.

While I was looking for something to go with a separate project I am working on I came across some fabric puff paint, this stuff is actually called fabric writers. {Light Bulb} To help Lady A stay up on her feet I decided to add the non-slip grip myself. All you need are the socks and the puff paint.

When adding the puff paint to socks there are a couple of things to be careful of. For instance, no one likes it when there is a pebble in their shoe {or sock} so make sure not to create huge bumps on the bottoms by adding too much puff paint, but if you don't add enough it won't do any good. I would recommend using the puff paint on a scrap piece of fabric first so you can get a feel for how it works. Put the socks on their sides and add two strips to each side, the puff paint can go through the material if it is pressed in too hard so try to keep your hand steady and not push down when adding the puff paint. As the puff paint dries the 'puff' of it might go down some, this just depends on the type you will use, feel free to go back and add a little more.

Viola! Now she has a whole pack of non-slip socks. Life is good.

We spent last weekend testing them out and they worked great!