Finals

The light at the end of the tunnel grows brighter. School is almost out for the summer and I'm ready for it. This week is the last stretch. Three days of classes and then finals. I'll be done with the semester by Saturday afternoon. Productive days like yesterday - studying in Starbucks with friends - are good during this time. 

Spring semester is a crazy one. It's all quick, fast, heavy assignments and thoughts of summer grow clearer. These last few days it is hard to keep focused and motivated. Especially with a trip to Europe on the calendar.

Almost there...

What do you have planned for summer? 

Exploring

My friend and I decided to head out for a couple hours today hoping to find some trails to walk on. We knew of a few just five minutes away from campus but weren't sure which ones/how it would work. But we ended up finding them and walking down each trail. It was a beautiful sunny day, after a stormy night.

The greens are that fresh new bright green just popping out from their buds. We also got to see tons of wildlife - none of which I have photos of because they slithered or jumped away to quickly. We spotted numerous snakes - two of which were basking together right next to the trail. Thankfully they quickly slithered away. I also saw several baby ones (about 2-3 inches long - so tiny!). Lots of bees and butterflies. And several lizards.

We also came upon an old dam and enjoyed some time by the rushing river.

It was a glorious day to spend outdoors in quiet nature. Before this afternoon, I didn't know there was such a beautiful place to go so nearby. I'll definitely be going back. There are so many places around us that are waiting to be discovered.

14/52

We're already into week 14 of this year. Time is flying.This is my photo for this week - number 14 of 52 images for this year.

I hope you all have a great Easter weekend!

"And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back - it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you."" // Mark 16:4-7

Sunlight Printing

I got this sunlight print kit years ago (like 6-8 years ago) from my mom on my birthday. The other day I finally decided to pull it out and start using it. The process was easier than I thought it would be.

Prep:

- Fill a pan (larger than paper size) with water. 

- Put in a few drops of lemon juice/citric acid. This is optional. The citric acid will make the blues richer and darker.

- Lay out a few paper towels to dry the prints on.

After preparing the water, have the items you would like to expose on the paper. It's best to use flat items at first to get an idea of what the imagery will look like. I took the paper out and prepared everything inside in a darker part of my house. That way I wouldn't have any accidental bits of light expose it before it was ready.

I used some ferns I had in my journal from last summer's trip to Prince Edward Island. I also crumbled bits of an eggshell on top. In the kit's book they suggest using the back of the box and the clear plastic top as a platform for the paper and items as you can see. This helps to keep everything contained and easier to move around.

 

 

Once everything is in place, take it outside and let it sit in direct sunlight. Make sure you don't cast your shadow on it otherwise it will show up on the image! Let it sit for anywhere between 30 seconds to a few minutes. It may take longer if it is a cloudy day. The paper will begin to turn a very light blue or almost white when it is ready.

After a few minutes, take it back inside and take off the plastic and pressed items. Put the paper in the water. Agitate the paper a few times by rocking the pan gently. Let the paper sit for 30-60 seconds. Lay the paper on the paper towels and let it dry completely.

The citric acid in the lemon juice will make the paper a dark rich blue.

Here are some of the results.

I really enjoyed playing around with a few different designs. I'm excited to do some more especially with different objects.

What would you like to try printing??

It's springtime

Flowers blooming. Bees (and a lot of wasps!) are buzzing. Perfect 70 degree weather. Students itching to be outside instead of pushing through these last few weeks of school... It is definitely springtime around here.


>>> And as you may have noticed - I updated the layout of my blog. What do you think? <<<