If it's Wednesday, it must be margarita time!

No, I don't have any pictures of our 99 cent margaritas from dinner tonight!  My SIL, Jeff, suggested I not post all the margaritas we/I drink during the winter!  We did have a nice dinner (& margaritas) with our friends, Sally, Dan, Karah and Howard!  So nice to be back having social time with great friends!  And good 99 cent margaritas!

Next week I'm meeting up with some buds to show them some deconstructed screen printing.  This technique is basically mixing fiber reactive dyes with a thickener (print paste) and spreading the dye on a silk screen.  To obtain texture, you'll place items like lace, paper, stencils, anything! on the bottom so when the dye seeps through the screen and dries, it retains the texture.  

Monday we'll be preparing the screens but it can take up to 24-48 hours for a screen to dry (unless you are in Florida and the temp is perfect!), so I wanted to have a screen made up so I can at least show them how to print after their screens dry.

 This is the screen I made today.   I know this may not look like much to most...but, on the bottom of the screen,  there is a coffee cardboard holder, small pieces of bubble wrap and scrunched cling wrap pieces.

Once the dye is dried on the screen, you remove the texture pieces, lay your screen on soda ashed soaked fabric, spoon some thickener (print paste) in the top/well area of your screen and using a scraper, spread the thickener to release the dye/pattern onto your fabric.  What fun!!

It was perfect weather Wednesday so my screen dried quickly.  Now I can't wait to print with it.  You can get between 6-8 prints...sometimes more...sometimes less...depending on dye/print paste/etc.  I do enjoy this technique so much.  Here are some results from my last screen printing in 2008!

You can see the imprint from the cardboard coffee holder in some of these.

I honestly don't remember what I used for these pieces...but I do see some of the small bubble wrap!

Haven't a clue on these!!   I'll post more pictures...step by step next week.









\
We are enjoying our winter as usual.  Weather has been wonderful!  We've had 80 degree days but also 60-70 degree days, which are my favorite.  Dogs and I are back walking again, which also feels good.  And of course, we're starting the 'eating out'!  Tonight, we'll be heading to dinner with the 'gang of 14' to have dinner at the new OP Cafe here in the community.  We're looking forward to that!!