Inspiring Talk from Elizabeth Gilbert

DIY Antique Mirrors

I've been dying to know how to 'antique' a mirror.
My inspiration is the Leaning Borghese Mirror at Z Gallerie.

Steal this Idea: From TIME OUT NEW YORK Magazine online
Here you go!

Total cost: $50 and up if you make your own kit (see below), and depending on the size and quality of the mirror
Estimated time: Four hours

Materials needed
• Mirror (We got this 8"x10" one for $4.99 from Kmart [250 W 34th St between Seventh and Eighth Aves; 212-760-1188, kmart.com], but you can also try Housing Works Thrift Shops [multiple locations throughout the city; visit shophousingworks.com] or the furniture classifieds on Craigslist)
• X-Acto knife
• Staple remover or a pair of pliers
• Clear packing tape
• Drop cloth
• Protective goggles ($2.97 at Home Depot, multiple locations throughout the city; visit homedepot.com)
• Heavy-duty rubber gloves ($3.29 at Home Depot)
• Sprayable paint stripper ($9.26 at Home Depot)
• Paint scraper
• Patina solution ($4.99 for Modern Masters Metal Effects Blue Patina Aging Solution at Janovic, multiple locations throughout the city; visit janovic.com)
• Kitchen sponge
• Washcloth
• Sea sponge
• Glass or bucket (for water)
• Paintbrush
• Gold, copper or black paint (we used Modern Masters Metal Effects Rich Gold, $11.99, at Janovic)
• Vintage bottles: We’re partial to the ones dating from the 1830s through the 1930s that artist and urban archeologist Scott Jordan excavates from dumps and construction sites throughout the five boroughs. Prices range from $1 for a small ink bottle to $100 for a rare Civil War–era soda bottle. (Sun 10am–6pm at the Green Flea Market, Columbus Ave between 76th and 77th Sts; newyorkartifactart.com)

STEP BY STEP
1. Place the mirror facedown and carefully cut through the paper backing with an X-Acto knife. Peel away the paper, exposing the mirror’s backside and as much of the framing as possible.
2. With a pair of pliers, remove any staples that may be lodged in the frame. This eliminates interference with the backside of the mirror.
3. Use clear packing tape to line all four edges on the backside of the frame; this protects it from being damaged by the paint stripper. If you’d rather create a warped, antiqued look on the frame itself, skip this step.
4. Lay the drop cloth over the area where you will be working, preferably a smooth, flat surface. Wearing protective goggles and gloves, spray a thick, even coat of paint stripper on the back of the mirror and allow the solution to sit for 15 minutes. Once the paint on the back of the mirror begins to bubble, use a paint scraper to gently remove it, revealing the mirror’s silver leafing.
5. Thoroughly clean the mirror’s exposed surface under running water or by using a damp washcloth. Make sure that the mirror is completely dry before continuing.
6. Soak a kitchen sponge with water and set it aside. Pour a moderate amount of the patina solution onto the sea sponge and dab it onto the silver leafing (depending on how heavy you want the patination to look, you can also pour, spray or wipe the solution on). The silver leafing will begin to corrode immediately; as soon as it has achieved the desired effect, pat the sponge soaked in water over the silver leafing to stop the chemical reaction, otherwise it will eat straight through the silver finish.
7. To seal the back of the mirror up and protect your handiwork, paint four layers of gold, copper or black paint over the “antiqued” silver leafing, allowing each coat to dry fully (about 20 minutes per coat). Gold paint will create a sepia tone, copper will appear rusted, and black will give it a charcoal feel.
8. Hang or lean your newly distressed mirror, with strategically placed vintage bottles and flickering candles around it. Fin!

Read more: http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/apartments/79560/stealthisidea#ixzz0dD9AThHT

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Cafe Press Shop Y'all!

So, I'm still working on it. It needs to be completely reorganized. There is actually a ton of product up there but my hope is to add a lot more when I have time. The whole process is quite time consuming. I would love some feedback, though, so, anyone feeling bitchy? Le'me have it!. Just on the products...the shop itself is a mess...it needs a lot of love.

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As I begin to use the art in its new forum, I am forced to constrain it to that product and, unexpectedly, the art is set free. I see new possibility in the work itself, new colors, new cropping, new combinations and new ideas. From there, its like advancing the work to a higher level overall.

Well, that probably sounds like a whole lot of mumbo jumbo. However, I suggest you give it a try anyway. Apply your artwork to a product, any product and make it work for that product. Let me know how it goes for you.

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Here is a poem by Sylvia Plath, makes my stomach flip just reading it. Hm, not good with blood. However, I think the description is so perfect so I post it out of reverence. To all my fellow cut-and-pasters! I've lopped off a couple of finger tips over the years, usually when I'm on deadline. Not today, thank God. So, without further adieu, miss Sylvia.

What a thrill—
My thumb instead of an onion.
The top quite gone
Except for a sort of a hinge

Of skin,
A flap like a hat,
Dead white.
Then that red plush.

Little pilgrim,
The Indian's axed your scalp.
Your turkey wattle
Carpet rolls

Straight from the heart.
I step on it,
Clutching my bottle
Of pink fizz.

A celebration, this is.
Out of a gap
A million soldiers run,
Redcoats, every one.

Whose side are they on?
O my
Homunculus, I am ill.
I have taken a pill to kill

The thin
Papery feeling.
Saboteur,
Kamikaze man—

The stain on your
Gauze Ku Klux Klan
Babushka
Darkens and tarnishes and when

The balled
Pulp of your heart
Confronts its small
Mill of silence

How you jump—
Trepanned veteran,
Dirty girl,
Thumb stump.

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