Helpful Hank
Hello All Helpful Hank Here, I would like to talk about a few things today. Tool use safety, The Well in the Desert and, Bee Stings.
Well this past weekend my partner and I framed in Mishaps that led to one trip to the Emergency room and thankfully not two trips. Friday night I was making a hat rack. I had finished cutting my pieces turned off the saw and as it slowed down, I moved a piece of scrap off the platform of the table saw. The blade met my thumb as it was slowing down and took a chunk. No stitches but a lot of pain. Then on Monday My partner who is allergic to bees was stung not once but 3 times all at once. Luckily he is not as allergic as he once was (three strikes and you are out heck one strike and you are out.) he ended up with a bad case of hives and feeling like shite.
So here we go. Rule number one: When using power tools such as saws and other cutters. Use the guard. That is what it is there for. Rule number two: Don’t move items away from saw when it is still moving. Rule number three: Don’t rush or be impatient.
Rushing and being impatient is what nearly cost my thumb and got me a trip to the emergency room. It also put my Kitchen Cabinet project back a week or two, as without use of my left opposable thumb I’m stuck in neutral. (That’ll learn me.) It is Ironic as I tend to be the person who always follows these rules whether it is out of fear of accidents happening (case in point) or out of respect for the power of the tool. (A bit off both) T he one time I let my guard down or up as the case was. Bam. So be careful folks and learn from my mistake.
It seems at least at my hose we are having a bit of a problem with aggressive bees. They like to hang around the grape arbor and citrus trees. I often will see to bee’s rolling around on the ground one on top of the other looking like they are fighting. I thought maybe that there is a queen near by and they are fighting to be her mate. As it turns out it is the female workers who sting and leave there stinger behind in the skin after which; they die. Now while my husband didn’t need an epi pen this time (which he should have and we will get) it is a must have Item for those with sever allergic reactions to things like bee stings and nut allergies or any other sever allergies. Sever allergic reactions can send you into anaphylactic shock. This can quickly become game over.
Here is what to do if you are allergic to bee’s and, get stung. If stung, try to look for the barbed stinger in the case of a bee sting and carefully remove it by flicking it or scratching it out of the skin from the stinger sack. Using a business card or credit card works well. You don’t want to pull it out with tweezers if at all possible as it squeezes more bee venom into the blood stream and can make things worse.
Volunteering
I know I harp on getting involved. Especially when it comes to the marriage Equality issue. There are other volunteer opportunities as well. My Husband I participated in one such volunteer opportunity for the first time this last Monday. (and we plan to continue to volunteer) at Well in the Desert here in Palm Springs. It is called “Sandwich Monday’s”. What is “Sandwich Mondays”? well it is making Sandwiches for those who have less than. It is a piece of cake to do and a lot of fun. Bloom In The Desert Ministries (An all-inclusive Ministries.) organizes this. They need volunteers. It is every Monday from about 9:00 A.M. to 10:30 A.M. You will walk away wanting to do it again and feeling good about things. I will provide all the information you need to participate at the bottom of this column.
I am always looking for people to share volunteer opportunities with me as it is a great way for anyone to give a bit back. If you have a roof over your head, food in the refrigerator, a mode of transportation, (We took our bikes.) clothes on your back, you should get involved. There are people with much less, getting involved in volunteering opportunities. Isn’t time you got involved? You’ll be amazed at how good you end up feeling.
The vegetable Garden experiment.
Ever since we moved to the desert, I have been attempting to grow a vegetable garden. My big problem is that the area I am using is a crab grass field. So I built raised planters put down my weed cloth and planted my seed. The problem is this the crab grass grows up through the same hole as the vegetables as they sprout, leaving me to wonder what good is weed cloth. So while some of my plants do o.k. others don’t. I decided to experiment a bit and planted some of those plants that were not doing so hot in the raised planter directly in the ground.
Making sure to pull as much of the crab grass as possible (as best I could roots and all) up and removing from my planting area. I then plant my seeds, in this case sunflowers, corn, beans and, some flowers. So far, they seem to be doing O.K. My corn stocks are getting larger then the ones planted in the raised planter, and my sunflowers and bean plants are looking healthy. We shall see. I will keep everyone posted. I also made sure to put down small bark as mulch after planting my seeds. This not only helps hold the water in but it also helps keep the crab grass as at bay as you can.
My vegetable garden is for the most part full sun. I have some plants in there that like partial sun and some plants that are in wire baskets ( notorious for drying out) What I have done to provide some shade and to keep the baskets from too much direct sun light (which will dry them out quicker) is to use umbrellas to shade them. I have some of the colorful umbrellas that hook on to chairs via clamps and then I picked a few up at thrift shops. Not only does it give a bit of whimsy to your vegetable garden. It shades the plants that need it. They are easily moved around as well.
There are vegetables and fruits that can do well in hanging baskets as long as you keep them watered properly. Vegetables such as peas, beans and, Strawberries. Two key factors to keep in mind are making sure you have a large enough hanging basket and making sure that you’re not losing dirt. It is important that you use a good base for your baskets that will line the basket solidly while allowing enough dirt to plant in. I like to use a good Spanish Moss. Other Mosses work as well. Avoid plastic encased by moss as I find that it doesn’t allow the soil to breathe as it needs and in turn can cause root rot. It is always best to plant hanging baskets in part shade or create part shade like I did with umbrellas. Depending on where you hang them at and the climate they can be watered as little as every two days. Planting them in good soil is key. I start with a good gardening soil, and if I am recycling soil from last year, I always use Miracle Grow. I mix it in with the dirt in a large bucket. I water the soil for two days before I transfer it to my hanging baskets. I feel it helps to work the fertilizer into the soil. (another good all-purpose fertilizer is VF-11.) I then take my conditioned soil add in some vermiculite to it and I’m ready to go.
After my soil is prepped and ready I line my baskets with the moss. I then fill with the dirt and water letting stand for a day. By doing this I get an indication of how long the dirt in the basket stays damp. If it dries out real fast, you might want to find a different place to hang it.
Trees are a great place to hang a hanging basket. They provide filtered sunlight in spring summer and early fall which helps to keep the water in the soil. I also like to fertilize lightly a few weeks after I have planted my seeds as a little boost. Keep your baskets watered properly and soon it could be flowing over with peas, beans and Strawberries.
Other edibles that work well in a basket are herbs of all kind. From Sage to Parsley, Oregano, Basil and, Thyme.
Another option for lining your baskets is to use live moss. You can pick up a flat for under twenty dollars at places like Lowes or Home Depot. Face the plants outward so that the dirt faces in fill with soil and plant seeds. Using live moss makes it easier to plant some seeds in the sides of your basket so that you have them sprout outward from the basket. There are many ways to plant your baskets even incorporating edible flowers such as Nasturtiums. All it takes is just a little imagination.
Dogs and Palm Seeds
This is the time of year that the Palm Seeds tend to drop from the palms. I don’t know if any other pet owners have this problem but my dogs love to eat them. They chew and chew on them like they would a bone then swallow them. (it is not for lack of raw hide and dog bones as they get plenty of them.) I am unable to find anything that says Queen palm tree seeds are poison to dogs but, in my research I did find out that Sego palms are highly toxic not only to dogs but to little children as well. There toxicity is fatal in most cases from what I could ascertain. Good to know as we tried to grow some segos when we first moved down here. They are pretty but to finicky for my taste. They were always turning yellow.
I would like to take a minute to mention my Friend Jonathan Taylor’s newest web site TheDesert411. Get the skinny on all you need to k now at http://www.thedesert411.ning.com join today and ask about his advertising promotions for your business
Well that about sundown on this column
Regards,
HH
Hints and helpful tips; don’t over water plants there is a tendency to feel that because we are in a hotter climate that we have to water more. This isn’t always the case. If your soil seems damp then leave it in most cases. Conversely, as well don’t over water. This can cause root rot.
You can contact Helpful Hank with Questions, Comments, Tips and, Deals at: askhelpfulhank@gmail.com
Bloom In The Desert Ministries Web Site is: www.bloominthedesert.org
Hey all This weekend Joshua Tree is having it’s Gay pride celebration at Studio Godot in the Art Queen Complex 61855 29 Palms Highway 3233565922
Saturday, June 27, 2009 6:00 P.M. to 11:00 P.M. Phone # 323-356-5922
e-mail jsmsyd@yahoo.com
Also, if you get a chance see the movie Outrage it is well worth it.
Don’t forget to check out nh8wear Express your need for Equality they now have the signature shirt that says I support Marriage Equality. Check it out at http://www.printperfection.com/nh8wear
Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Summertime Projects
Summertime Projects
Hello all Helpful Hank here, today I would like to talk about summer projects. We all have them. Some of us will do them before we go on Vacation some after and for some like me. They happen all summer long.
Kitchen, Kitchen
We own a home built in the late 70’s early 80’s. I face a lot of updating repairs and renovation. Sometimes starting one project can lead to another project. Case in point, when we had our Inn in South Lake Tahoe and I was renovating rooms we discover a leek in one of the bathroom shower. This led to us having to replace not only the floor for that unit but the sub floor as well. (Time to call the professionals.)
In any event, we all have our summer projects. My project currently is refinishing our kitchen cabinets. This is a great way to give your kitchen an easy up date.
Use the dust and grim to your advantage.
There is a lot of sanding involved when refinishing cabinets. One thing that I found in this process is that if I gave my cabinets a good first sanding then when back and wiped each area with a damp sponge before I went back with my second sanding the sawdust worked for me as an abrasive to help take the top clear coat off. There was also less dust in the air from sanding. For my purposes, it made the sanding portion quicker as I did not have to sand down to bear wood. (I am staining the cabinets darker.)
Enhancing your stains color.
I’m sure that the paint store would not make it as a recommendation but I often add a little latex paint to my stain to enhance its color. Since my partner wanted a strong cherry hue to the cabinets, I added some red paint to my red mahogany stain. Just about a half a cup. I mix it up with my brush lightly as I want the it to sit on the bottom of the can. Using the stain this way it is better to brush it on as you can pick up some of that red in your first coat pulling stain from the bottom of the can then with your second coat just lightly dip your brush in the can so your not pulling the red. I tend to put on four coats of stain alternating the red and the dark stain. Working my brush until I have it just the right shade. You can see some of the project pics here. http://twitpic.com/photos/helpfulhank
Summer time can be a good time to get this type of project done as with the heat comes much faster drying time. The one thing I would note is not to run your swamp cooler while trying to dry the stain on the cabinets it puts to much moisture in the air.
Clean the swamp.
We are coming up on the official start of summer and the temps here in the valley are going to go up. Swamp coolers are an effective way to cool down the house here in the desert. Though humidity is a factor in their use, (No go above 50%.) for the most part it isn’t an issue. Here is what the issue is. Making sure that the filters are clean and or replacing filters that have out lived their usefulness. You can pick up new filters at Lowe’s or Home Depot for around 7 bucks a pieces depending on size and type. Cleaning your filters and replacing them when necessary helps your swamp cooler to run a lot more efficiently.
One of the things I like to do ( because we have three dogs) is take a couple of incense sticks placing the stem in the filter and lighting the incense thus drawing the scent into the home. Make sure, once the incense has completely burned to take the stick end out of the filter.
One-year anniversary
As you may or may not know, June 16th is the one-year anniversary of the passage of marriage equality in California. Though the law didn’t stand long, (We intend to have it passed again.) those who were able to get married are still married. It is important that we press forward to over turn the band on same gender marriage.
To that end on Saturday June 13, 2009 nh8wear and Bad Baby Attitudes wear were launched. http://www.printfection.com/nh8wear . nh8wear Bad Baby Attitudes features message shirts and sweatshirts for Adults and children alike. Right now it’s focus is on marriage equality and 10% of the profits will go to the M.E. campaign.(Such as the CVMEC, and others.) I am the graphic artist for the designs on the shirts so I thought I would give it a little plug. Take a look and I’m sure you’ll find a shirt you can’t live without.
Some may wonder why I do not use the term “same sex marriage”. Marriage isn’t really about sex it’s about two people committing to a life together whether they are of different genders or of the same gender. I hear and read comments all the time equality being gay with nothing more then sex. I read just yesterday a comment by Gene Simmons of Kiss, in which he states that gay couples on average tend to have multiple partners inside their main relationships. Although he says he could careless one way or the other, he clearly making a point.
I find his point not only to be inaccurate but hypocritical. He is inferring that our relationships our beings are just about sex. Our relationships are no different then anyone else’s. As a matter of fact we tend to be, overall more committed then straight couples married or unmarried stone for stone. I myself have known a great many same gender couples that have been together more than 35 years. I cant’s say the same for my straight counter parts. We have been denied the right to marry and still our relationships endure committed and faithful.
Statistics show us that median duration of first marriages that end in divorce: Males: 7.8 years, Females: 7.9 years and, the median duration of second marriages that end in divorce: Males: 7.3 years Females: 6.8 years. Less then half of those who marry make it beyond 15 years. Cleary our heterosexual counter parts do not hold marriage as sacredly as the profess to.
All the time you hear, heterosexual males talk about how many partners they have had with pride. Case in point Wilt Chamberlain. Now if Richard Chamberlain had written a book and bragged about having sex with over 2,000 men he would be called disgusting by a great many people and especially men. On the other hand, Wilt Chamberlain was greeted with an “Atta Boy” and “He is such a Stud.
As I say, it is rather hypocritical and inaccurate to make such statements. Perhaps we should put no ignore what these celebrities have to say. The only problem with doing so is that there are a great many that take words like Gene Simmons as being accurate and turn around and use these inaccuracies against us. Once words are spoken, written, spoken, they are out there whether they are true or not. I know I keep harping on this but we as glbt citizens have to be out, aware, engaged and, involved. Not doing so makes us invisible. Silence = Complacency.
As we celebrate the anniversary of the decision to allow same gender couples to marry. We must keep in mind that it was short lived and we still have a battle ahead of us. We cannot let someone fight this battle for us. Each of us has got to get involved. Whether your glbtq or straight If you believe in equality for all you have to get involved. Whether you were one of those 18,000 who were able to get married, or are part the rest of use who felt we had time to plan the perfect wedding or felt when we found the perfect partner we would get married. I suspect a few of my Same gendered married friends have become even more complacent since the ruling to up hold prop 8 and let those who’s marriage took place before the ban stand. They probably feel it is not their battle anymore. They are wrong! It is their battle and they need to get involved. They are making their marriages invisible, dismissible, forgettable by the majority of the population. After all, it is only 18,000. But, 18,00 is a large number and it shows that we are committed to the sanctity of marriage. Think about it, 18,000 same gender couple were married in a five-month period and more would have been married given the time.
Now is not the time to rest on your laurels, GET INVOLVED! This is the only way to protect your marriage from being dissolved.
As we celebrate this year anniversary, we know we still have a lot of work ahead of us. I for one would like to see next election get us our right to marry back but we all have to become visible. Whether we desire marriage or not we have to fight for those who do. That poem that ends “ and when they came for me there was no one to stand up for me” Starts with not standing for others. Enough said. Get Involved.
Helpful Hank Tips and Hints: Always check to see if there are mistake paints and stains at the paint counter. A dented can of stain still works just as well and can be a fraction of the cost same with mistake paint. Take your doors and drawers off and out before sanding
You can contact Helpful Hank with Questions, Comments, Tips and, Deals at askhelpfulhank@gmail.com
Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow
Hello all Helpful Hank here, today I would like to talk about summer projects. We all have them. Some of us will do them before we go on Vacation some after and for some like me. They happen all summer long.
Kitchen, Kitchen
We own a home built in the late 70’s early 80’s. I face a lot of updating repairs and renovation. Sometimes starting one project can lead to another project. Case in point, when we had our Inn in South Lake Tahoe and I was renovating rooms we discover a leek in one of the bathroom shower. This led to us having to replace not only the floor for that unit but the sub floor as well. (Time to call the professionals.)
In any event, we all have our summer projects. My project currently is refinishing our kitchen cabinets. This is a great way to give your kitchen an easy up date.
Use the dust and grim to your advantage.
There is a lot of sanding involved when refinishing cabinets. One thing that I found in this process is that if I gave my cabinets a good first sanding then when back and wiped each area with a damp sponge before I went back with my second sanding the sawdust worked for me as an abrasive to help take the top clear coat off. There was also less dust in the air from sanding. For my purposes, it made the sanding portion quicker as I did not have to sand down to bear wood. (I am staining the cabinets darker.)
Enhancing your stains color.
I’m sure that the paint store would not make it as a recommendation but I often add a little latex paint to my stain to enhance its color. Since my partner wanted a strong cherry hue to the cabinets, I added some red paint to my red mahogany stain. Just about a half a cup. I mix it up with my brush lightly as I want the it to sit on the bottom of the can. Using the stain this way it is better to brush it on as you can pick up some of that red in your first coat pulling stain from the bottom of the can then with your second coat just lightly dip your brush in the can so your not pulling the red. I tend to put on four coats of stain alternating the red and the dark stain. Working my brush until I have it just the right shade. You can see some of the project pics here. http://twitpic.com/photos/helpfulhank
Summer time can be a good time to get this type of project done as with the heat comes much faster drying time. The one thing I would note is not to run your swamp cooler while trying to dry the stain on the cabinets it puts to much moisture in the air.
Clean the swamp.
We are coming up on the official start of summer and the temps here in the valley are going to go up. Swamp coolers are an effective way to cool down the house here in the desert. Though humidity is a factor in their use, (No go above 50%.) for the most part it isn’t an issue. Here is what the issue is. Making sure that the filters are clean and or replacing filters that have out lived their usefulness. You can pick up new filters at Lowe’s or Home Depot for around 7 bucks a pieces depending on size and type. Cleaning your filters and replacing them when necessary helps your swamp cooler to run a lot more efficiently.
One of the things I like to do ( because we have three dogs) is take a couple of incense sticks placing the stem in the filter and lighting the incense thus drawing the scent into the home. Make sure, once the incense has completely burned to take the stick end out of the filter.
One-year anniversary
As you may or may not know, June 16th is the one-year anniversary of the passage of marriage equality in California. Though the law didn’t stand long, (We intend to have it passed again.) those who were able to get married are still married. It is important that we press forward to over turn the band on same gender marriage.
To that end on Saturday June 13, 2009 nh8wear and Bad Baby Attitudes wear were launched. http://www.printfection.com/nh8wear . nh8wear Bad Baby Attitudes features message shirts and sweatshirts for Adults and children alike. Right now it’s focus is on marriage equality and 10% of the profits will go to the M.E. campaign.(Such as the CVMEC, and others.) I am the graphic artist for the designs on the shirts so I thought I would give it a little plug. Take a look and I’m sure you’ll find a shirt you can’t live without.
Some may wonder why I do not use the term “same sex marriage”. Marriage isn’t really about sex it’s about two people committing to a life together whether they are of different genders or of the same gender. I hear and read comments all the time equality being gay with nothing more then sex. I read just yesterday a comment by Gene Simmons of Kiss, in which he states that gay couples on average tend to have multiple partners inside their main relationships. Although he says he could careless one way or the other, he clearly making a point.
I find his point not only to be inaccurate but hypocritical. He is inferring that our relationships our beings are just about sex. Our relationships are no different then anyone else’s. As a matter of fact we tend to be, overall more committed then straight couples married or unmarried stone for stone. I myself have known a great many same gender couples that have been together more than 35 years. I cant’s say the same for my straight counter parts. We have been denied the right to marry and still our relationships endure committed and faithful.
Statistics show us that median duration of first marriages that end in divorce: Males: 7.8 years, Females: 7.9 years and, the median duration of second marriages that end in divorce: Males: 7.3 years Females: 6.8 years. Less then half of those who marry make it beyond 15 years. Cleary our heterosexual counter parts do not hold marriage as sacredly as the profess to.
All the time you hear, heterosexual males talk about how many partners they have had with pride. Case in point Wilt Chamberlain. Now if Richard Chamberlain had written a book and bragged about having sex with over 2,000 men he would be called disgusting by a great many people and especially men. On the other hand, Wilt Chamberlain was greeted with an “Atta Boy” and “He is such a Stud.
As I say, it is rather hypocritical and inaccurate to make such statements. Perhaps we should put no ignore what these celebrities have to say. The only problem with doing so is that there are a great many that take words like Gene Simmons as being accurate and turn around and use these inaccuracies against us. Once words are spoken, written, spoken, they are out there whether they are true or not. I know I keep harping on this but we as glbt citizens have to be out, aware, engaged and, involved. Not doing so makes us invisible. Silence = Complacency.
As we celebrate the anniversary of the decision to allow same gender couples to marry. We must keep in mind that it was short lived and we still have a battle ahead of us. We cannot let someone fight this battle for us. Each of us has got to get involved. Whether your glbtq or straight If you believe in equality for all you have to get involved. Whether you were one of those 18,000 who were able to get married, or are part the rest of use who felt we had time to plan the perfect wedding or felt when we found the perfect partner we would get married. I suspect a few of my Same gendered married friends have become even more complacent since the ruling to up hold prop 8 and let those who’s marriage took place before the ban stand. They probably feel it is not their battle anymore. They are wrong! It is their battle and they need to get involved. They are making their marriages invisible, dismissible, forgettable by the majority of the population. After all, it is only 18,000. But, 18,00 is a large number and it shows that we are committed to the sanctity of marriage. Think about it, 18,000 same gender couple were married in a five-month period and more would have been married given the time.
Now is not the time to rest on your laurels, GET INVOLVED! This is the only way to protect your marriage from being dissolved.
As we celebrate this year anniversary, we know we still have a lot of work ahead of us. I for one would like to see next election get us our right to marry back but we all have to become visible. Whether we desire marriage or not we have to fight for those who do. That poem that ends “ and when they came for me there was no one to stand up for me” Starts with not standing for others. Enough said. Get Involved.
Helpful Hank Tips and Hints: Always check to see if there are mistake paints and stains at the paint counter. A dented can of stain still works just as well and can be a fraction of the cost same with mistake paint. Take your doors and drawers off and out before sanding
You can contact Helpful Hank with Questions, Comments, Tips and, Deals at askhelpfulhank@gmail.com
Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Today I want to talk about two different things, The Day of Decision rally and some fun summer time crafts.
Hello all, Helpful Hank here,
Today I want to talk about two different things, The Day of Decision rally and some fun summer time crafts.
Day of Decision Rally
A week ago Tuesday I went to the day of decision rally. You can catch my video of it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np3C0eGFOHM there were about 200 some people at this rally and it struck me how the continued message was do not give up hope.
Forty years after Stone Wall we as a glbt community still struggle for complete acceptance and equality. While we may never gain total acceptance we can gain total equality. As I listened to the last of the speakers a young woman got up to talk about how she woke up that Tuesday went to school and found out around second period that she would not be allowed to marry the person she loved when one day she found that person because she was a lesbian. I thought about the message that this ruling was sending our youth. Our glbt youth, our straight youth, our questioning youth. We are telling them that some of them are less than. No one should have to grow up feeling less than. We are teaching these kids that they do not matter. Is this the message we want to send our youth?
It doesn’t matter what ones religious view or affiliations are when it comes to civil rights, marriage is a civil matter and whatever religious aspects we bring to a marriage ceremony are our own by choice.
Summer craft fun
I like those vintage t’s that are so popular right now and I got to thinking to my self I could make one of these. So I went over to Michaels Art supply and picked up a Blank template for stenciling (they come in packs of three and run about 3 or 4 bucks) a package of Iron on transfer for transferring images on to cloth.
I bought the blank stencils to create original designs and the iron on transfer pack (They run 8 dollars or more depending how many are in the package.) to find images I could use from the internet.
I headed home with my items and set out to take some old gray t-shirts and give them new life. I washed and dried the t’s. I got on-line, did an image search for vintage tee-shirt slogans, and didn’t find a whole lot. So I did a regular old web search and I found many sites that sell them. Most of these site have pictures of the slogans so I choose the ones I wanted to use, I saved the pictures to a file I then opened the picture up in a picture editing program and reversed the image so it could be viewed correctly once transferred. Then I printed them out on the photo transfer paper. I laid out my t-shirt on my ironing board placed the transfer on top of my t-shirt. I then placed an old towel over that. (This helps prevent you from any burning.) Set your Iron on its highest setting without being on a steam setting. Iron over the transfer pressing down firmly. Once you have ironed over entire stencil let cool. After things have cooled peel one corner slightly back to check and see if the transfer has set, if not then go over it again with the iron. Once your transfer is set starting at one of the corners and peel off the backing and you have a vintage t-shirt and you have saved yourself a bit of money.
Creating a stencil, to stencil a shirt is not as difficult as it sounds. The tools you will need is a blank stencil sheet an exacta knife (Folks, please be careful when using any knife but exacta knifes can cut your fingers real easy so be safe and remember this is not to be used by children.) Spray adhesive a cutting surface and, your image. For my image, I chose an ornate cross I found on line by doing an image search. I save the picture to my files then printed it out. Once I had it printed, (Making sure it is the right size for my blank stencil.) I sprayed my adhesive on the back then placed my image on the blank stencil making sure that there are no bumps bubbles or creases. (It will dry quickly.) Once my image has set on the blank I take my cutting surface place it under the blank and using the exacta knife I cut around my image about a ¼ inch from the lines of the image. I leave four uncut areas at the points of the cross so it is still attached to the stencil sheet. I then go back and cut around the image again still leaving the four uncut areas. This time I cut on the actual out line of the image. Once your image is cut out, you can peel your paper image away from your stencil
Once I have done all my cutting, I simply pop out the pieces that I have cut away and I have my stencil. Now that your stencil is done, you can use it for a variety of applications, whether you want to use it on a wall Muriel or on a piece of clothing. Note that when stenciling less is always more. What I mean by that is to keep your stencil brush on the dry side. Once you have paint on your brush tap it down on a surface to take off the excess paint. Too much paint and it bleeds through. Lightly spray the back of your stencil to adhere it to the surface you want to stencil.
Creating transfers is easier then making a stencil. Stencils can be used for a variety of projects; transfers are a little more limited. You can however use decal paper instead of transfer paper and create your own stickers, which can be fun for the kids.
While make stencils can be fun, adult supervision is needed if kids are going to be making and using them.
Well thank you for reading my column. Any ideas comments or questions can be sent to askhelpfulhank@gmail.com.
One Final not here, incase you haven’t heard, the State of New Hampshire has now passed into law Marriage Equality for same gender couples. That now makes six (6) states. We only have 44 more states to go.
Today’s tips and hints: don’t immediately through out your junk mail. Find the usable coupons and use them. If you have a fire pit or a chimney type burning pit, you can burn the discards. (Avoid burning on windy days as sparks can fly.
Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow.
Today I want to talk about two different things, The Day of Decision rally and some fun summer time crafts.
Day of Decision Rally
A week ago Tuesday I went to the day of decision rally. You can catch my video of it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np3C0eGFOHM there were about 200 some people at this rally and it struck me how the continued message was do not give up hope.
Forty years after Stone Wall we as a glbt community still struggle for complete acceptance and equality. While we may never gain total acceptance we can gain total equality. As I listened to the last of the speakers a young woman got up to talk about how she woke up that Tuesday went to school and found out around second period that she would not be allowed to marry the person she loved when one day she found that person because she was a lesbian. I thought about the message that this ruling was sending our youth. Our glbt youth, our straight youth, our questioning youth. We are telling them that some of them are less than. No one should have to grow up feeling less than. We are teaching these kids that they do not matter. Is this the message we want to send our youth?
It doesn’t matter what ones religious view or affiliations are when it comes to civil rights, marriage is a civil matter and whatever religious aspects we bring to a marriage ceremony are our own by choice.
Summer craft fun
I like those vintage t’s that are so popular right now and I got to thinking to my self I could make one of these. So I went over to Michaels Art supply and picked up a Blank template for stenciling (they come in packs of three and run about 3 or 4 bucks) a package of Iron on transfer for transferring images on to cloth.
I bought the blank stencils to create original designs and the iron on transfer pack (They run 8 dollars or more depending how many are in the package.) to find images I could use from the internet.
I headed home with my items and set out to take some old gray t-shirts and give them new life. I washed and dried the t’s. I got on-line, did an image search for vintage tee-shirt slogans, and didn’t find a whole lot. So I did a regular old web search and I found many sites that sell them. Most of these site have pictures of the slogans so I choose the ones I wanted to use, I saved the pictures to a file I then opened the picture up in a picture editing program and reversed the image so it could be viewed correctly once transferred. Then I printed them out on the photo transfer paper. I laid out my t-shirt on my ironing board placed the transfer on top of my t-shirt. I then placed an old towel over that. (This helps prevent you from any burning.) Set your Iron on its highest setting without being on a steam setting. Iron over the transfer pressing down firmly. Once you have ironed over entire stencil let cool. After things have cooled peel one corner slightly back to check and see if the transfer has set, if not then go over it again with the iron. Once your transfer is set starting at one of the corners and peel off the backing and you have a vintage t-shirt and you have saved yourself a bit of money.
Creating a stencil, to stencil a shirt is not as difficult as it sounds. The tools you will need is a blank stencil sheet an exacta knife (Folks, please be careful when using any knife but exacta knifes can cut your fingers real easy so be safe and remember this is not to be used by children.) Spray adhesive a cutting surface and, your image. For my image, I chose an ornate cross I found on line by doing an image search. I save the picture to my files then printed it out. Once I had it printed, (Making sure it is the right size for my blank stencil.) I sprayed my adhesive on the back then placed my image on the blank stencil making sure that there are no bumps bubbles or creases. (It will dry quickly.) Once my image has set on the blank I take my cutting surface place it under the blank and using the exacta knife I cut around my image about a ¼ inch from the lines of the image. I leave four uncut areas at the points of the cross so it is still attached to the stencil sheet. I then go back and cut around the image again still leaving the four uncut areas. This time I cut on the actual out line of the image. Once your image is cut out, you can peel your paper image away from your stencil
Once I have done all my cutting, I simply pop out the pieces that I have cut away and I have my stencil. Now that your stencil is done, you can use it for a variety of applications, whether you want to use it on a wall Muriel or on a piece of clothing. Note that when stenciling less is always more. What I mean by that is to keep your stencil brush on the dry side. Once you have paint on your brush tap it down on a surface to take off the excess paint. Too much paint and it bleeds through. Lightly spray the back of your stencil to adhere it to the surface you want to stencil.
Creating transfers is easier then making a stencil. Stencils can be used for a variety of projects; transfers are a little more limited. You can however use decal paper instead of transfer paper and create your own stickers, which can be fun for the kids.
While make stencils can be fun, adult supervision is needed if kids are going to be making and using them.
Well thank you for reading my column. Any ideas comments or questions can be sent to askhelpfulhank@gmail.com.
One Final not here, incase you haven’t heard, the State of New Hampshire has now passed into law Marriage Equality for same gender couples. That now makes six (6) states. We only have 44 more states to go.
Today’s tips and hints: don’t immediately through out your junk mail. Find the usable coupons and use them. If you have a fire pit or a chimney type burning pit, you can burn the discards. (Avoid burning on windy days as sparks can fly.
Helpful Hank is written by Russell E. Bertlow © 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this blog may be reprinted in part or whole without the express written permission from Russell E. Bertlow.
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