Who Knew!!!

Beautiful Foiling Using My Laser Printer 

Well, I didn't know you could use a hot laminator and a laser printer to do foiling!! At least not until my daughter in law's Mom needed some invitations and requested rose gold foiling.  She told me that she saw a tutorial on YouTube using a laminator, so, of course, I had to check it out.

I already had some foil that I use in my tee shirt applications, but, I was unaware of the laminator usage.  I pulled out my old laminator, but noooo, it wouldn't work, the foil just didn't stick. I believed that it just wasn't getting hot enough.It's really really old, but Some people say it's the printer that makes the difference.  Well, I decided to bite the bullet and buy a new laminator, but couldn't find one that I was sure of, so I decided to purchase the Minc Foiling Machine.  It's made for this, and it has 6 temperature settings, AND . . . . It was on sale, not the itty bitty 6" one, but the large 13". and if you know me, bigger is better!!  The 6" is also only a few dollars than the sale price of the 13".

Now as I anxiously awaited my new "Minc", I was worrying about my printer, I was hoping that it would work well with the foil.  The toner is what gets heated when it goes through the Minc and that is what makes the foil stick. So I wasn't sure, and I sure didn't want to invest in a new printer. Yeah, it arrived!!  I used their sample pieces and ran them through the machine . . . . BEAUTIFUL!!! I didn't think to take a picture before I foiled them, but the designs were simply black.

Now, for what I had been worrying about, my laser printer!! I have a Brother MFC9130CW Wireless All In One Printer and have not always been happy with the results, but, for the most part, it's okay, it only acts up on certain specialty papers.  Well, I printed out a few images using the black only setting and . . . WOW!! Just check these out, the pics just don't do it justice.

Laser printed, no foiling

OH, YEAH!!!

Really hard to get a good photo, but, these are amazing.  So smooth and professional looking.  I purposely used an image that had a lot of detail, and let me tell you, it is flawless!!

So, I ordered some new watercolor foil

I used an image I found online with the word Paris and printed it with my Brother MFC9130CW Wireless All In One Printer, just to practice.  That's the beauty of being able to use my printer, there is no limit to the designs and styles that you can produce using your favorite graphics program such as Adobe Illustrator or Coreldraw.

I was using a piece that had already been used for practice, so the few little black areas that show are where there was no foiling on the paper, but, you get the idea, it is absolutely beautiful.  It is so hard to get good photos of these though.

This is also a vintage style image, so the style is more of a hand drawn effect, the foiling is not rough.  It is also the watercolor, so there are color variations.

Needless to say, I was sooo happy that my laser printer did such a good a job, I had read some one's blog who had purchased and returned about 6 laser printers before she found one that produced the quality she wanted.

I bought my printer in March 2014, so I've had it for a few years, but, it works amazingly for this technique, or at least the one I purchased does.

Springtime Backyard Blitz Builds

Floor for my Future Outdoor Shed.  For now after I build the floor, I will erect one of those Garage in a Box thingys so I can get move some of the stuff out of my garage so I can access my wood working tools without having to crawl over yard equipment . . Ugghhh!!  I sooo need a giant barn on some land with a small living space in one corner and the rest for all the things I love to do.

OMG!! Who know, this has turned into a full blown backyard building blitz!!

Deck Blocks

My Little Helper, Jacob - Check out his YouTube Channel:  JMaker2007

sooo cute!!

 This huge concrete ramp was here when we bought the property, and who knows what I was thinking when I placed the floor, cuz, I not only made it a couple of inches above the top of the ramp, I started it a foot or so away . . . duh, so, what to do, I just built a mini ramp to extend the concrete ramp. Worked!

 My Garage in a Box is only 12 X16, so I decked the front portion of the floor with treated deck boards because they would be exposed to the weather.  The rest will be protected by the portable shed.

Well, I've got some leftover decking boards and deck blocks, so on to a small deck off the back of the house patio

 Check it out . . . Looks great!!  

 More leftover pieces, so yeah, I think I'll build a replica of a swing/glider my Dad built but was so dilapidated after 

 25 years was unable to repair it so I used his swing as a template. I did manage to save his top decorative piece and put it on mine.  (See the green strip across the top) Yep, I like it.

So, I Stained and Sealed it in #WoodRx Chestnut Sealer and stain

Grand Daughter likes it too!!

Okay, onto my Square Foot Gardens

I bought this little garden box from Sams for 39.00, and thought it was a fair deal, 

Looks good, Right??

 but, then I thought, I can do sooo much better, so, I'm just gonna build my own. So I did.  And it IS sooo much better and for a mere 65.00, I was able to build this fashionable 3x the space square foot garden with a strawberry section. Yes, I'm quite proud of it:

Frame

 Stained and Sealed

Lined with heavy plastic and 

 added a Strawberry Section

Yeah!! That's Awesome!!

and the cost of the materials for the box . . . $63.00

Now, for my po' li'l Micro Vineyard . . . Uhmmm, I think it needs an arbor . . . well, let's do it!!

I was inspired by the Remodelaholic

Supplies $63.00

Drilled holes for Bolts

 and stained

 First Section Up

Second Section Up and Connected to First Section

Wire attached and Seedless Concord Grapes Planted

Okay, his is fancier, but, I'm lovin' mine.  I need to add 4 more posts in order to make my tunnel walk way.  My plan is to gave a small walk thru tunnel under the grape vines. You will be able to enter and exit from the front and the sides.  In the main arbor entrance, I plan to build 2 benches facing each other.

Just thought I'd throw in my little mint patch for y'all, this smells sooooo good, chocolate mint, spearmint, and peppermint!! UUuuuhhhmmmmm, smells wonderful!!

I went on a building blitz. I started in april, but was unable to work for 10 days while I stayed with my grand kids house while their Mom was on a trip, and I came to a stopping point this past weekend.  Ran out of materials, Time for a Lumber run!!!!

I have put all of my Citrus Trees on the end of my new deck, I call it my Micro Orchard

Now for the real test:  Can I Keep them All Alive . . . Hopeful!!