You frame it Friday

Let the heavens rejoice,
let the earth be glad;
let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"
1 Chronicles 16:31

I had a good friend who reminded me of this verse a year ago or so when I was worrying about a string of heartbreaking disasters in the news - kind of like it has been lately.

This picture features two delicate Queen Anne's Lace flowers mounted on a small (3 x 4") piece of handmade paper, with 1 Chronicles 16:31 written in the artsy "cilantro" font beneath it.
This piece is perfect for a standard 8 x 10" frame and an 8 x 10 mat with the usual 5 x 7" opening. The flowers have been sealed with a UV resistant polymer for protection.

I am so glad that despite everything that is going on, the Lord reigns.

You frame it Friday

I love today's "You frame it" picture. It's from a relatively rare wildflower plant I purchased recently called Jeffersonia Twin Leaf, which apparently was one of Thomas Jefferson's favorite wild flowers. It supposedly has beautiful white flowers in early spring, but I bought the plant just for it's incredible leaves.

The collage is mounted on an 8 1/2 x 11" piece of Gilbert Oxford card stock, to give you plenty of framing options. You may choose to frame it in a small 5 x 7" frame with or with out a mat, but better yet it can be framed in an 8 x 10" frame with a standard mat, or even an 11 x 14" frame, which would allow the deckled edges of the handmade paper to show.

The "twin leaves" have been sealed with a UV and moisture resistant sealant, but as with all fine art, I would recommend using acid free matting and UV resistant glass.

farmer's market on Saturday

I just finished applying protective coating Perfect Paper Adhesive to seventy or so cards in preparation for the Brookfield Farmer's Market on Saturday. Only seventy or so more to go!

The market starts at 7:30 am, and you can find directions here. I'll be selling my cards, pressed flower journals, and possibly some of my botanical luminaries.

I'll also be buying heirloom tomato plants, honey, rhubarb, maple syrup, and resisting the temptation to buy untold numbers of flowering plants. I can only hope I break even.

happy monday

I'm busy cleaning up the aftermath from a rummage/plant sale we had over the weekend, and then I need to fill a number of recent orders. I don't have a picture to share with you today, but, I'd like to share a verse from a hymn I just came across:

"There’s not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known,
And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God art present there.

~Isaac Watts, 1715

There's not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known...I love that! And I believe that. So much of this beautiful world makes His glories known.

The rest of this hymn can be found here.

You frame it Friday

Today's "you frame it" pressed flower art selection is a pressed flower collage of a stunning "lemon sorbet" viola plant, mounted on a 5 x 7" piece of my handmade paper.

The collage is mounted on an 8 1/2 x 11" piece of Gilbert Oxford card stock, to give you plenty of framing options. You may choose to frame it in a small 5 x 7" frame with or with out a mat, but better yet it can be framed in an 8 x 10" frame with a standard mat, or even an 11 x 14" frame, which would allow the deckled edges of the handmade paper to show.

The violas have been sealed with a UV and moisture resistant sealant, but as with all fine art, I would recommend using acid free matting and UV resistant glass.

milkweed warning

My gardens are my domain, and the lawn is my husband's, and we have found that the key to a happy marriage is to avoid interfering with each other's domain.

However, my husband did have one request concerning one of my gardens last fall - he asked that I not grow anymore milkweed. I can't blame him. You see, they sprawled, twisted, toppled over, and basically looked atrocious by mid September. They did look really bad.

But...milkweed plants are so cute when they're small, aren't they? As they grow, the leaves are perfect for the kids to use for making nature prints, but best of all, is the non-stop parade of interesting visitors they attract. Monarch caterpillars lay their eggs under the leaves, and later the grown butterflies feed on the nectar of the flowers, along with many other species of butterflies. Hummingbirds love them too, and last year the kids and I watched "hummingbird wars" as they fought for dominance over our milkweed kingdom. And, who doesn't enjoy making "wishes" with the magical seeds as they drift out of the seedpods in fall.

Maybe I'll just "accidentally" forget about that little conversation my husband and I had last fall...

calendula

I got tagged for a "meme". What does "meme" stand for, anyway? Here are my answers...
1. Your cell phone​?​ .​.​.​.​.​. usually off, unless I'm out and about
2. Your signi​fican​t other​?​.​.​.​.​. Tom
3. Your hair?​ .​.​.​.​.​.​. brown - really
4. Flower? ..... <--- look that way
5. Herb?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​ basil
6. Your favor​ite thing​?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​ my ipod touch
7. Your dream​ last night​?​.​.​.​.​.​. didn't have one
8. Your favor​ite drink​?​ .​.​.​.​.​.​ green tea
9. Your dream​/​goal?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​. faithfulness
10. The room you’​re in.​.​.​.​.​.​. living room
11. Your talent ?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​creating
12. Your fear?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​declining memory
13. Where​ were you last night​?​.​.​.​.​. Luisa's Italian Restaurant
14. Where​ do you want to be in 6 years​?​.​.​.​.​. here
15. What you’​re not?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​. Ok
16. Muffi​ns?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.whole wheat banana walnut
17. One of your wish list items​?​.​.​.​… weedless garden
18. Where​ you grew up?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​ Brookfield, Wisconsin
19. The last thing​ you did?​.​.​.​.​. read new Container Gardening magazine
20. What are you weari​ng?​.​.​.​.​.​.​ jeans, sweater
21. Your TV?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​. too loud
22. Your pet(s)?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​. lazy but sweet
23. Your compu​ter?​ .​.​.​.​.​. Dell laptop
24. Your life?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​. mostly great
25. Your mood?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​ contented
26. Missi​ng home?​.​.​.​.​.​.I'm here
27. Your car?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.Honda Odessy
28. Somet​hing you’​re not weari​ng?​.​…. snow pants
29. Favor​ite Store​?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​. Northwind Perennial Farm
30. Your summe​r?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​ fleeting
31. Hate someo​ne?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​.​yes... the neighbor cat who killed my Baltimore oriole friend
32. Your favor​ite color​?​.​.​.​.​.​.​.leaf green
33. Last time you laugh​ed.​.​.​.​.​.​.​ today
34. Last time you cried​?​.​.​.​.​.​.​. yesterday
35. What are you most thankful for? My faith. Then my family. Then flowers.

You frame it Friday

Today's "you frame it" pressed flower art selection is a collage of two petite brilliant purple tulips. Purple tulips are some what rare, and these two are from the back yard of the Antioch Fine Arts Gallery.

I love that these tulips are a bit smaller than the typical tulip, but my favorite thing about them is their beautifully graceful stems.

These tulips have been mounted on my 5 x 7" handmade paper, which in turn is mounted on a standard sized sheet (81/2 x 11') of Gilbert Oxford card stock. The pressed flowers and foliage have been sealed with a UV resistant and moisture proof polymer, so they're well protected. This collage would work in a standard 5 x 7", 8 x 12", or an 11 x 14" frame. I think I'd go with the 11 x 14" frame with this one.

You can do more than you think...

Thinking about the tragedy in Burma makes things like making pressed flower pictures, gardening, and cleaning my house seem very insignificant.

Other than give money and hope to God that it somehow gets to where it needs to go, there's nothing we can do - except one huge, powerful thing. We can pray. Here's a link to a brief but useful article from the Desiring God blog about how to pray for those in Burma who are impacted by the Cyclone, and even those of us who aren't.

World Vision and Christian Freedom International are two organizations that have already penetrated Burma despite the military junta's best efforts, and they are in a position to begin providing help immediately. In addition to giving money, don't forget to pray for the efforts and safety of those involved in providing aid.

basil on ice

This is what happened to my basil last year.

By this time last May the purple and green basil I had started from seed was about 4 inches tall, and I had just pinched back the top four leaves of each plant so that they would branch out and get bushy.

Unfortunately, out of the blue, a freak hailstorm hit with out warning - very unusual in Wisconsin. By the time I realized what happened it was too late - my basil was pummeled! The only good thing that came out of this is that we were blessed with tortellini with fresh pesto butter for supper. This year, I'm watching the sky and the weather more intently.

handmade hand

Here's a quick scan of a hand print handmade paper project I did in my son's first grade class on Friday. It was a lot of fun, and the kids seemed to be amazed with the paper print of their hands.

We used the 5 x 7" mold and deckle from the GoingGreen Paper Making Kit, which was the perfect size for their hands. Basically we pulled a white sheet first, then aligned a second green sheet on top it it - as you can see my aim was a little off on my son's hand! But, thankfully a quick trim will take care of that.

Full directions are available on how to make this hand print paper project, just in time for Mother's Day!

Introducing....You Frame It Friday!

Thanks to the availability of really great new acid free UV resistant polymers that keep light and moisture out, and brilliant color in, I am now making some of my pressed flower art available un-framed.

It used to be that one had to take great pains to carefully seal pressed flower art in an airtight frame, but thanks to the durability of PPA and other polymers, now any one can safely frame pressed flowers.

I know a number of my more discriminating customers will be happy with this option (including my mother-in-law) because I tend to frame all of my art in very simply - no fancy matting, just one white mat.

Also, the frames I like to work with have gotten quite expensive, but those of you who choose to frame your pressed flower art selection yourselves can opt for more affordable framing, or reuse an old favorite.

I've always felt that my art should be affordable - (for someone with an average income like me!) especially because my art is borrowed from Someone else. It's not really mine.

My un-framed pressed flower art selection is small at the moment, but it will grow by one or two selections every Friday.