Preserving summer

Of course, all the insects come out now.  There are only a few that make me become a psychotic maniac killer….flies and indoor spiders.  Something possesses me to hunt and destroy with a terrible vengeance,  I hardly recognize myself.  I whip off my flip-flop & zero in like a banshee to kill.  Everything else (really only bees and ladybugs),  I capture and release back into the garden.  I do like the garden spiders, though.  They are our friends.   They build beautiful webs between plants or do some amazing feats of engineering.   I walk through them every morning,  armed with what I call my “spider stick”  that I wave in front of me.  Any web in my hair makes me do the “Creep Out Dance” - high stepping and arms flying, wrists flapping, with accompanied shrieks.   I am sure my neighbors think I am a mad woman.  Next day,  all the webs have reappeared.  Knowing it’s a renewable resource, I was wondering how I could preserve one.  Here’s what I tried and it worked! 

First,  make sure the web doesn’t have any wrapped booty that the spider has caught, if so,  find another web.  Tap the edge of the web to make the spider run to the side and away  ( it’s bad Karma to kill this garden friend).   Pick up that spray can of paint.  I use an off white,  a warm white spray paint.  Quickly spray the web,  immediately use a piece of  handmade  paper and capture the sprayed web.  I chose Coffee House “Fig” paper which is dark purple..  I like the light web on dark paper because I think it evokes the ephemeral quality of the web.  There isn’t any reason why it can’t be a dark web on light paper too,  so I tried a dark purple spray paint on Coffee House “Peach Latte” and a dark brown paint on Coffee House “Mixed Fruit”.  Try “double ” printing for an amazing kind of background that is so great and different.  Let the print dry thoroughly.  It is extremely important to put a final clear spray, a finish spray  on the webbed paper.   Just use use what you have on hand.  The print is fragile & you could inadvertently rub it off.   Besides, you may want to stamp, draw or write over the web and it needs to be well protected. 

 Here’s how mine turned out 

Dark Brown on Peach Latte

It’s a fun way to create new paper for collage, scrap booking or a book.   I am sure Kids/Grand kids would love it!  Give it a try and let me know how it comes out.