In 2004, before I had a cell phone, I was working a split shift and coming home around 7:30 at night. I stopped at a pay phone on the way, called home to see if the hubby was there (he was planning to be out that night), and got the answering machine. I went to the next phone and called again, in the event he’d been in the bathroom or someplace. Still no answer. So, I stopped to get carryout for myself and continued on home, knowing that hubby wasn’t there.

When I pulled up in front of the display, I noticed the wind that night had done a bit of knocking over, particularly of the scarecrow. So I pulled alongside the road and went thrashing through the ditch to get to my props. While adjusting the cornstalks and trying to get them upright, I heard a noise, and thought I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. I turned my head, didn’t see anything, so just shrugged and continued what I was doing.

After another minute or so, I turned around and there was a figure next to me, with a headlight on top of its head. I started screaming, and screaming, and couldn’t stop for a good ten minutes. It was my dear husband, who I KNEW wasn’t home, who’d seen the car on the side of the road and came down quietly through the woods to see if there was something suspicious going on.

I still get a good laugh about it. Oh, the headlight was a headband flashlight he has for hands free stalking. And that wasn’t cornstalking!

The results of the first experiment with stencilling onto foam with iron-on transfers and a hair dryer came out okay. As mentioned before, the problem with heat transfer methods, or any method for that matter, is the fact the substrate (the foam) is non-porous. One thing I will do the next time I use this method on foam will be to outline the letters with pencil before burning around them, or in them (depending on whether the letters are to be recessed or not). Because I burn the foam outside due to the fumes, I had a hard time seeing in the bright sunlight. I didn’t really expect much of a transfer, and was pleasantly surprised it kind of “etched” it into the foam, without any melting damage.

The method (using an iron and transfer paper) worked absolutely great on wood (which of course is porous). I will now be using that method if I want to make a sign. I wish I would have thought of that when I built my “street” sign last year. It was a royal pain cutting out the letters, and lining them up and tracing them onto the wood. Live and learn, though.