Not sure WHEN exactly the idea struck me, but I don't think it was that long ago. Maybe a month. What with the phrase thoroughly thriving in our little community for nearly two years, the use of an A1 steak sauce bottle (Supreme Garlic for all but the neck label) was all too obvious (that and my use of their catchphrase that pic manip I did). Saved a bottle, froze it, and the labels came off. A nick here or there, but scanable. And yes, this is why I asked about those translations (thanks again, Dave).
PhotoShop was the natural choice. While I do in many ways prefer MSPaint (a lot easier in some respects), a project of this nature required something more advanced. Much time was spent just diving into the software blind, getting to know the nuances and details that I didn't take any classes or read any books on.
The framework on the garlic flavored bottle made it an excellent choice to house my pic of choice, though I did use Paint to resize it a little.
I knew printer paper wasn't going to keep well glued to a bottle. Even before the actual work, I began thinking lamination. The heated ones go all the way to $200; pricey for a non-profit home craft project. So I bought a five pack of small self-laminants.
All did not go smoothly. See, think of the self-laminants as very flexible, almost paperlike plastic, with adhesive and removable protective film, and a slightly LESS flexible plastic backer for the paper to face out of. No matter how I tried, there were still air pockets and the damn thing wouldn't seal. This meant that when I cut it, the stiffer plastic would just slide right off.
Epiphany: Use only the adhesive sides to cover back AND front of the paper. It meant twice the materials for the job, but it worked. It's sealed and there's no visual obstruction. The flexibility also lent itself to better adhere to the bottle (with Gorilla Glue).
It now sits on a bookshelf behind a bunch of DBZ figures and next to a charity-sent photo booklet. And I'm pretty darn proud of it.
Great job!!
