Discover the Arctic Edge – Explore Greenland

It is said that Erik the Red of Norway gave the earth’s largest island its name in hopes of enticing settlers to the area. Despite his valiant efforts, the world came to know Greenland as the land of ice. Traveling this glacial and exotic destination is unlike any other experience you will ever have. If you’re looking for some serious natural wonders you will find them here. From the Greenland Ice Cap to the floating icebergs around Ilulissat, Greenland provides a once-in-a-lifetime experience for those who wish to explore the nearly-untouched world of the Arctic ice.

Greenland spans from the top of eastern North America in the south to well above the Arctic Circle in the north, stretching, but not quite reaching, the North Pole. While the perimeter of Greenland holds the island’s entire population of 57,000, 80% of the central land area is covered in a glacier known as the Greenland Ice Cap. Over 3 kilometers (1.86 miles) thick and covering an area of 1.7 million km2 (656,373 mi2), the current ice sheet is over 100,000 years old. It is one of only two of the world’s ice sheets, the second one being Antarctica, and has been in existence for over 18 million years. Access to the ice sheet’s edge is available all around its perimeter and small hikes are easily arranged. Trekking across the ice sheet can also be done, but be prepared: this amazingly beautiful, icy, tundra is wild to the core.

One cannot talk of Greenland’s ice and not mention one of the most exciting wonders to see: the icebergs. Breaking off of the glacier and floating in and around Greenland’s fjords and seas, the icebergs are the star of the Greenland Show in a few special places. The town of Ilulissat, who’s name actually means “iceberg”, is the most famous of these locales. If you’re looking to do some iceberg spotting, this is your scene. These floating mountains are secretive and only show you a little bit of themselves: about 7/8 of the berg’s total size will glide beneath the ocean’s surface, never seeing the unfiltered daylight. What you do see, however, is a spectacularly beautiful and ever changing visage. When you spot an iceberg, chances are that it has never and will never look the same again. This encounter is one-of-a-kind and cannot be replicated, even on proverbial film.

The ice of Greenland has captivated many-a-soul, mine among them. If you’re looking for a remarkable experience unlike any other vacation or holiday you’ve ever been on, this is the exploration for you. Go out and discover the arctic edge.

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Transferring Photos Onto Wood: Step by Step

Say you’ve got some awesome images with your new camera, or even your camera phone, and you’re not sure how to display them. In the digital age we live in, this is a fairly common phenomenon: having tons of photos in pixel-form but not out in the real world. Here’s a pretty cool way, step-by-step (with how-to pictures, too!), to print, transfer and display your pretty pics.  I accomplished this in the course of one afternoon, so its quick, easy and only takes up the kitchen table for a couple of hours!

I should note that my images used as samples here change as I was making quite a few blocks and they were all at different stages at time of photography. Don’t expect your image to “change”! Ha!

Step 1:

Gather your supplies!!  You will need:

• Wood blocks.  Mine were simple 6 x 1s and 10 x 1s from the hardware store, cut down to squares (thanks to my hubby).
• Sand paper
• Copy paper
• Scissors
• Gel Medium (I used Golden from Michael’s)
•  A roller
• A sponge
• A bowl of water
• Probably something to lay on your table for protection.  I missed this step (oops).

Step 2:

Prepare your photos you’d like to transfer in the editing program of your choice. I used Adobe Photoshop to edit, crop and layout.

Quick Tips:

• You want to make sure of is that you crop your photos to the final size it needs to be when transferred.  If you need to enlarge or reduce, now is the time!
• If you have text in your image and you want to read it in your final piece, make sure to go ahead and flip the photo now.  Your print will essentially be a negative which will end up getting reversed.

Step 3:

Print!

IMPORTANT: The prints need to be done on regular copy paper, NOT photo paper.

Step 4:

Cut out your images EXACTLY how you want them to be.  What you see here is what you will end up with on your transfer. Leave a bit on the end that you can use to hold on to.  You won’t put any Gel Medium on this, it just makes it easier.

Step 5: 

Here comes the fun!  Making sure to have all your supplies handy, go ahead and paint the Gel Medium directly onto the image.  Yes – the side with the ink!

Step 6:

Once you’ve got the ENTIRE image covered with Gel Medium place it, FACEDOWN, directly onto the wood surface to be transferred to. Take care to line it up and center it as you see fit.  Once its where it needs to be, use your roller and roll over every inch of it a good bit.

Step 7:

LET IT DRY!!

Step 8:

Magic is about to happen.  Are you ready?

When the paper is COMPLETELY dry, take your dampened sponge and start to rub away the paper.  Go SLOW and be careful not to rub too hard!

Do you see it?

Step 9:

Voila!! Done!