I Am lost.

But I hope I shall be found.

Middle Aged Indiscretion.

An updatette on the latest window project. I made a paper template of the window using straightforward  measurement and, since I needed an angle on it, a protractor.

It was a rainy day, so I took the template for a walk over to the transparent adhesive backed film on the shelf next to the fake Maltese Falcon,  and held it up for comparison.  It was no good. I was a lousy detective. Sans Spade it said on the window, so there was no way I could dig the whole project.

Sorry about that, I got lost in a Humphrey Bogart moment..

I made a template, used it to cut out two pieces of adhesive backed film to the window shape, and  mounted them onto a lightbox in their approximate final position together. I then started to apply the polyester coated crepe paper tape to form the rose design.

The application in pictures as it progressed, above and below. Lots of tea and biscuits in between these pictures.

The design has changed a little from that first drawing, hopefully for the better. The next step is to cut out and apply the coloured/colored film.  Such an exciting life I lead. 

Just.

Just in case you are sad.

Sans PC, Where Windows Meet Mackintosh.

Anne has expressed an interest in my upcoming window project. I was going to turn my attention to decorating mirrors, since windows are difficult to work on as a consequence of them being vertical and out of normal reach.
But there is one window that can be reached, and is available for decoration. My door window.

This is again more of an exercise in method, with hopefully a pleasant outcome, rather than simply decoration for it's own sake.

If this method proves successful, I can apply it to mirrors in the future.

This is a Photoshop of the intended outcome. The Mackintosh rose will probably not differ significantly in the actual instance, but the colours/colors probably will change.
There may be little differences between the mirrored instances. If anyone reading has suggestions for colours/colors, I am all ears.

1. The rose design laid out using polyester coated crepe paper tape, black 3mm wide.
2. The transparent adhesive film, non-adhesive side up.
3. The coloured/colored acetate or cellophane film, providing the stained glass effect.
4. The double-sided adhesive film, ensuring the coloured film is stuck both sides, and the design is firmly stuck to the window.

The method involves the laying of the polyester/crepe tape I have used previously, to form the design onto the non-adhesive side of transparent adhesive film, commonly called Fablon over here, and used for covering shelves and schoolbooks.
Next, the coloured/colored material, transparent acetate or cellophane, or transparent candy wrappers, is cut to fit the design outline with a small overlap, and these are placed on the adhesive side of the transparent film.
Next, double-sided adhesive transparent film is attached to the adhesive side of the now topmost transparent film, and this whole piece can now be placed in situ onto the window.
If double-sided adhesive transparent film is not available, then another piece of the single sided adhesive transparent film can be used, although with this method, the coloured/colored pieces will only be attached one side. This may allow moisture in and possibly spoil the effect.

I haven't tried any of this out yet, so it may be a load of balls, but it should work okay.

If polyester coated crepe paper tape or a similar substitute is not available, one can try using a laser printed transparency and carefully placing the coloured/colored material in place before applying the transparent adhesive film to stick them together.
This would require double-sided adhesive film to attach it to the window I think, and would be extremely fiddly. However, if you wish to attempt using a transparency, the pastiche below is provided should you wish to use it. I have made it a circle for circularity.

If a two colour/color version of the above is preferred, leave a comment to that effect, and I'll post it in further updates as this project evolves.

Context.

On a rainy day in Scotland, I took a handful of context and threw it at the window.
It landed in an interesting manner.

It isn't perfect, which makes it just like real life*.

*Totally devoid of all meaning and purpose.

More Pushing Pixels.

Halfway through the infinite variation. I expect to be finished in, in, er... um.... , well , a bit soon like.  Possibly. Maybe September. 

Absolutely.

Adverteasing.

Further to Wendi Aarons disgust at the Proctor & Gamble 'Have a Happy Period' campaign', it seems Kimberly-Clark are pursuing something similar over here in the UK with theirAndrex toilet tissue product, albeit not gender specific.

I will take their advice and try my best.

With my newspaper folded under my arm, I shall return in forty minutes.

Maybe it is gender specific...

6 Unimportant Things That Make Me Happy Meme.

A thousand years ago, Julia from A Piece Of My Mind set me the 6 unimportant things that make me happy meme.

I have been thinking about this since then, and cannot think of anything that makes me happy.  I can only think of the countless things that make me unhappy. It's not that I'm unhappy normally. I'm just a misanthropic curmudgeon.

However, if I were to encounter happiness tied to an unimportant event, the following may be some of them:

1. When I sit down  at my office desk, and wonder if I remembered to turn off the cooker gas ring that morning, then remember I'm all electric. That makes me happy.
2. When I wake up in the morning, and find that the men in the white coats who came to take me away was all a dream. That makes me so happy, I collect my breakfast tray from the slot in the door and enjoy it in peace.
3.  When I look in the mirror with my right ear, and know that I am perfectly normal.
   
   

4. When I watch re-runs of 'Lost In Space' and it reminds me of home.  That makes me happy.
5. When I think of how people can overcome their troubles & sweep aside barriers to progress by using their inventive intellect. this makes me happy.
6. When I lay down to sleep at night, and know that however fucked up this existence is, if we are nice to each other, and treat everyone with grace and understanding, we may come out the other end with our souls' intact.

The traffic will still be jammed up of course, it's just that we won't feel the need to pump our horns.