Back soon...

I have the privilege of setting out tomorrow morning with my family on a good old fashioned road trip out west. The kids couldn't be more excited, and I couldn't have more to do at the moment!

I may post a few pictures during the trip if I get a chance.

In the meantime, I'd like to mention that my sister Louise and her husband have just entered the world of blogdom. "To the Ends of the Earth" will take you on a journey with them as they prepare for and ultimately venture forth to Indonesia where they will be serving as missionaries. Currently they are on a "working vacation", which includes language school, and a few other stops as well. It just so happens that we are going to some of the same places they are - just a few days behind them.

You frame it (Wednesday)

I love the black dots around the center of Gazanias - they remind me of exclamation points - this is a flower that really wants to draw attention to itself.
"Gazania and Grass" is my un-framed picture of the week, and it will be the last one for awhile. After Friday I'm closing shop for two weeks but will return on Monday, August 11. If you need anything from Elizabeth's Flowers, or leaf petals, please order it in the next day or two so that I can get it out to you before I leave. Thanks!

Art on the Lawn - my "set-up"

I thought you might like to see how I typically set up my booth. It's a little on the "cheap and simple" side, I know, but my theory is that the focus stays on the flowers.

I always get a lot of positive comments on my ladder displays. The price was right (I found them on the side of the road one day) and I spray painted them an antique white. I added hooks to the back of the rungs, and use strong rubber bands (attached to the back) to keep the pictures from flying off in a gust of wind.

Our Art on the Lawn art show went well. We always hope for more people than we get, but my fellow AFAF artists and I enjoyed a pleasant day together, chatting, enjoying the sunshine, and even making a few sales. One of the highlights of my afternoon was a visit from a Eileen, a pressed flower artist I've corresponded with via email. It was a treat to meet her in person. She has been successfully selling her beautiful pressed flower art on her Etsy shop called Petal Annie.

One more thing. It's tacky to set up one's tent with the "EZ-Up" label at the front of one's display. Please feel free to learn from my mistake.

You frame it Friday

After I finished this unframed picture this evening, I decided it looked like the flowers were casually waiting for something...

Earlier this year, in the Spring, I made a similar framed pressed flower picture, and titled it "Waiting Flowers". That picture has been sold, so I will recycle the title.

This "Waiting Flowers" picture is sealed with 2 different UV resistant and moisture proof polymers, so it's all ready for you to pop into a standard 8 x 10" frame, or even an 11 x 14" frame, with standard matting. If I were framing this, I would go with an 8 x 10" frame with a plain white mat.

Art on the Lawn this weekend!

It's been a whirl wind of activity around here, and in turn the blog has been quiet lately. I've been busy doing the usual summertime activities with my kids, as well as pressing every beautiful flower I can get my hands on.

I've also been framing a number of my new pressed flower art creations which I'll have on display at the 4th Annual AFAF Art on the Lawn art show this weekend. Fifteen of my fellow artists and I will be displaying our work this Sunday, and there will be a wide variety of tempting art available. Join us if you can!

House cleaning

Let's clean up some loose ends today.

First of all, I've received a number of emails from people interested in purchasing Perfect Paper Adhesive, one of the sealants I use primarily for my pressed flower cards, but they've been unable to find it on my website. Others are having trouble finding the web page showing my un-framed pressed flower art.
All for good reason - it has been hard to find these items...but I have finally revamped the navigation on the Elizabeth's Flowers website and now each of those has it's own link on the left side of every page.

Also, I've received inquiries regarding when the regular Microfleur will be back in stock. Actually, it's been back in stock for some time, but it may look like it is still out of stock unless you hit the refresh button, and then the "out of stock" message will disappear. I'm not sure why that is - I think it has something to do with "cookies".

I apologize for such a boring post! This fall, I will be redoing elizabeths-flowers.com with a fresh new template, so it will be much more professional looking, and, thankfully, much easier to navigate. By the way, I am looking for a graphic artist to update my logo with a fresh new look as well. Please email me if you're interested.

And, one last thing. I thought I'd let you know that Midday Connection is airing the "Women of Moderation" series again. Basically it's a Bible study that can teach you how to be "moderate" not only in regards to food, but in other areas of your life as well.

When I went through it last Spring, I found the principals I learned valuable in helping me to learn to say "no" to myself, not only in regards to my tendency to indulge myself with too many Krunchers, cookies, large portions, etc, but I also learned to say no to myself when I was tempted to spend too much time surfing on the net, buying something I didn't need, or not making the time to exercise. Being "moderate" is definitely a process, and I have my share of slips, but if I look hard at my life I can certainly see progress. I really recommend it, and it's a great study to do with a friend.

You frame it Friday/Monday

I didn't quite get this up before we left for South Haven, Michigan on Friday (where we had a great time celebrating the 4th) so here's my latest un-framed pressed flower picture - a few days late.

Transcantia, more commonly known as "Spider wort" is actually a common wildflower throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest, especially the version with light blue flowers. However, you have to be up early to spot the unique triangle shaped flowers, because they literally melt away as the morning sun becomes strong, and are no where to be found by noon. If it's a cloudy day, you may see them into the late afternoon.

It's hard to see in this scan, but another highlight of these unique flowers is their bright yellow stamens, which really "pop" against the rich brilliant purple color. I love these flowers!

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.