Sunday, November 19, 2006

Let the holiday decorating begin!

Last year, the director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation asked me if I'd like to be on the "Candlelight House Tour" that the foundation runs every early December as a fund raising event. I declined, saying "please ask next year."

Well, she did.

Why, given everything on my plate this autumn, I agreed to do this, I'm not sure. But I did. Yesterday I spent forty-five minutes or so at A.C. Moore with the masses of other people running roughshod over Thanksgiving and plunging directly into Santas and garland. I'm working on an indoor ice effect and I wanted to get something to frost over my windows. There are several commercial "frost" products in cans, and reading the labels absolutely gave me the creeps. I'm sure I've read those chemical names in descriptions of toxic industrial waste stories. My front windows go right to the floor, perfect for my dachshunds to watch the comings and goings of criminals and aggressors on the sidewalk, and I didn't want them pressing their sharp little noses into something sure to kill them.

So I decided to try stenciling with regular old Elmer's glue. It's water washable, non-toxic, peels off glass, and cheap. After a couple of hours of experimentation, I perfected my technique: wipe on a film of glue, and then pat snow glitter into it while it's wet. The stenciling isn't that effective, but just painting with the glue is. All fall I have been stockpiling acryclic icicles and snowflakes and polar bears, and as soon as Thanksgiving is behind me I will be plugging in the glue gun, unreeling invisible monofilament, and getting to serious work.

WHERE ARE THE PICTURES? you ask. My camera is in the hospital with nonretractinglensitis. I'll post pictures as soon as I can. Stay tuned.

By the way, that trip to Cleveland was my LAST trip of 2006 for work. I still have the Ethiopia trip next month, but no more trade shows, conventions, conferences, etc. Ya-freakin'-hoo. Best Blogger Tips
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