How to press poppies

Here's what I've been doing today... pressing some of my really big (long?) scarlet poppies, along with their stems and leaves.

I'm pressing the flowers in my Microfleur, and the the 9-12" stems in a larger wooden microwave flower press, and the longest stems are being pressed in my "mega press".

I'm leaving most of the leaves right on the stems, but I'm also pressing some separately as well. Poppies hold their red color brilliantly, but when using the Microfleur, use several short cycles of 30 seconds or so with a rest of 5 minutes in between. The poppy season is short, so try pressing some for yourself soon!

You frame it Friday

Corn flowers are interesting - working with them is like trying to tame a cowlick - they are unruly and refuse to be tamed. These corn flowers are not the typical blue, but are a beautiful and somewhat rare lavender color. Even the buds are lavender tipped.

This un-framed pressed flower art collage is mounted on an 8 1/2 x 11" piece of Gilbert Oxford card stock, to give you plenty of framing options. However, it fits perfectly 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 pressed flowers 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 or acrylic.

This was my 150th post! I can't believe it.

Thursday already?

It has been a busy week of swimming lessons, extra kids (there are a number of kids hanging around here that aren't mine, but they seem to think they are), and Vacation Bible School. Once again I claimed to be too busy to be in charge of the crafts again this year, but my pleas went unheeded.

Thankfully, it's been an unexpected blessing to participate in my church's VBS this year. Because my church is really small, we were sent a number of "missionaries," and this year we have a number of Hmong teenagers from a church in Milwaukee helping us out. They seem to enjoy the rural feel of our church, and the kids are loving their enthusiasm. I'm enjoying learning about their culture and hearing their unique perspective about their faith.

I want to say a special "thanks" to Tim Challies who listed me as a "Proverbs 31 Woman" on his blog last week. If you've ever read Proverbs 31, starting at verse 10, you'll realize that the woman in that chapter is beyond amazing. She does it all. And then some. When I read that chapter I get tired. Then, I feel hopeless.. until I get to the subtle clue at the second to last verse: "a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Fear, (as in reverence), faith in the Lord, following the Lord... I've been learning that this is what is needed to be the kind of woman I should be. It's a tall order, but not too tall for Him.

You frame it Friday

I love poppies, and suddenly my garden is on the verge of exploding with them.

Not only do I love their dazzling red color, I love that their fuzzy green stems have a mind of their own. They will curve where they want to curve, and bend the way they want to bend, and there is nothing I can do about it. Most flower stems are pliable and I can bend them precisely the way I want them to go before placing them in the Microfleur, but definitely not so with poppies.

This pressed flower art 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 poppies 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 or acrylic.

This is my Father's world...

Summer is underway here in Wisconsin. The kids are out of school, and we are busy with swimming lessons, getting together with friends, and gearing up for Vacation Bible School. In between I keep pressing flowers, etc.

But one thing that really strikes me about this summer so far, is that it is so stunning. We've had lots of storms - way too many, unfortunately for so many in the mid west, but the towering majestic thunderheads we've seen have stopped me in my tracks. And everything is just so GREEN, a sparkling, emerald green, which makes the colors of the flowers seem more vivid than ever.

I've been wanting to try this, and now seems like a really good time. Below is a You tube video of my favorite hymn, sung by one of my recent favorite artists, Fernando Ortega. I don't know the person who put the video together, and unfortunately it's pretty grainy, but the words are awesome.

Pretty in Pink

Pink flowers are the order of the day in this week's "You frame it Friday" pressed flower art picture. I don't have a lot of pink flowers at the moment, so when my little daisy plants started blooming yesterday I pressed some of the flowers right away.

This pressed flower art 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 daisies 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 or acrylic.

Getting ready

Here I am doing a little last minute rearranging just before my gallery opening last Sunday. Despite the threat of stormy weather, artist Lisa Clark and I actually had visitors. Later that evening after our gallery festivities were over, we had yet another tornado warning back in Twin Lakes. I believe it was the second or third one during the last 3 days.

Did you know that Wisconsin lost one of its most popular lakes on Monday? Due to excessive rain and flooding, the shore of Lake Delton gave way and the huge, very popular lake drained away in less than two hours. Unbelievable.

Things like that remind me of how little power we humans actually have in the grand scheme of things. I'm so thankful I'm on His side...not that I, and my family are immune to sudden disasters, we aren't. But, God promises that "all things work together for good" for all of us who love and follow Him. He has a purpose for everything that happens, for our good - that is awesome.

You frame it Friday

When a new fern "unfolds" it's bright green for just a day or so before the chlorophyll gets to work and gives a fern its signature rich green color.

This fern was pressed in that small window of time, capturing its fleeting bright greenness.

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 "new fern" has 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.

Gazania - Pressed Flower Art Collage

Here's the completed picture I started Tuesday. This is the first time I have ever grown and pressed gazania flowers, and what a joy they are. I love how the center of each flower is surrounded by bold black dots.

This picture, along with 10 or so others, will be featured at the Antioch Fine Arts Gallery, in Antioch, Illinois, during the month of June. Fellow artist Lisa Clark and I will be having our opening reception from 2:00 - 4:00 this Sunday afternoon, so please feel free to stop by if your in the area!

Gazania - pressed flower collage under construction

I've been getting a few grumblings about my lack of blogging, and yes, I apologize that things have been a bit sparse lately.

I've been feverishly expanding my main garden this year, and have planted many more vegetables, hoping that they will help make a dent in our grocery bills. Also, I'm determined to make my garden more attractive this year - in the past I've made my main garden utilitarian, separating the flowers from the vegetables, and this year I've chosen mainly "ornamental" and colorful vegetable plants, and have attempted to sprinkle them "artistically" among my flowers. We'll see...

However, today is stormy, so I am in the middle of putting together the above pressed flower collage, and hope to finish/frame it by my gallery opening at the Antioch Fine Arts Gallery this Sunday. I'll write more about that soon.