you never know...

This is a bee balm flower that I pressed earlier this summer in the Microfleur. I never thought of pressing bee balm, since it had such a bulky center...and I didn't have the heart to take them away from the hummingbirds. But, the hummingbirds must have been hanging out elsewhere this summer, so I tried pressing a few of them. What pleasant surprise! They look like fireworks! I'm thinking of making a large vertical collage with them...something dramatic and unusual.

Remember my elephant ear leaf pressing experiment awhile back? Well, that didn't go so well. The leaf turned brownish black and brittle, and had a bit of a mildew order. Perhaps I put too much pressure in the leaf? I'm not sure. I have one leaf left, and will try it again with less pressure to see if I'm right.

I also made a handmade paper leaf cast of one of the elephant ears, (one that was over a yard long!) and that turned out remarkably well. I took pictures and will show you that soon.