Lavender Bee Balm Pair

Here's a pair of the lavender bee balm I picked the other day, in an 8 x 10" acid free mat, mounted on my handmade paper.  The bee balm my neighbor friends and I have been growing for years is deep fuchsia or brilliant red, so I find myself really enjoying this laid back, peaceful looking native Wisconsin bee balm. 

I don't care for light blue...

I just can't stand light blue.  Like finger nails against a chalkboard, so is light blue to my eyes.  I don't like light blue walls, clothes, carpeting, or blankets.  Remember light blue eye shadow?  Thank God that's over with! At least I hope it is. 

However, there is an exception to every rule, and I have two.  I love light blue skies, and I love light blue tradescantia - otherwise known as spiderwort.  It's a native plant here in Wisconsin, and this time of year you can see it along shady roadsides - if you are up and about early.  The beautiful triangular flowers with their bright yellow stamens melt away by 10:00 am.  Tradescantia aren't easy to press, but they are definitely worth the extra effort.  I pressed these with the Microfleur which captured their color perfectly, but it was tricky getting them off the liner sheets with out tearing them. 

This card is one of 25 assorted pressed flower cards I'm making that will be included in gift bags for the judges in the Lake Geneva Flower Show later this month. 

Up or down?

I can't decide if I'd hang my latest unframed art creation up or down.  I seem to change my mind by the minute!  At least when I create my pressed flower art there's no question.  Stem at the bottom, flower on top.

At any rate, this unframed pressed fall leaves art collage is now available, with leaves from Wisconsin.   We are currently at peak color, and as soon as it stops raining I intend to go out and enjoy them! And press more of them as well.

It's a good day...to make paper

Happy Columbus Day!

It's a balmy, cloudy 36 degrees here in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.  I've decided to forgo my plans of doing some much needed garden clean up today, (after our hard frost Saturday night) and make paper in my warm kitchen instead.

I will be making a large batch of small papers for my pressed flower cards, as well as some larger square handmade papers for a series of leaf pictures I have planned.  

By the way, I just read that it's National Pumpkin Pie day today.  I think I'll make one of those too!

Unframed Fern on "Free-Form" Handmade Paper

My Elizabeth's Flowers  website re-construction is happily over, and I'm back to doing what I love best - and here's proof.  This is an unframed pressed fern picture from the  Northwoods of Wisconsin, near Three Lakes.  The finely cut fern is beautiful in itself, but I decided to combined it with a highly textured "free-form" piece of my handmade paper, which really seems to compliment the orderly structure of the pressed fern. 

If you look closely, you can see that the edges of the handmade paper are very irregular, and the texture itself has an unruly look as well.   I really am pleased with this combination.

Pressed for all time...

July already? Do you ever get the feeling that God pushes "fast forward" during the summer? It never fails to whiz by.

This time of year almost every spare moment I have is spent pressing flowers, so that I have plenty to use all year long for my framed and unframed pressed flower art, as well as my pressed flower cards.

Today I pressed the last of my violas, the first of my red poppies, many blue and purple cornflowers, a fern sprig, and lots of calendula and osteospermum.

Can you tell what the silver star shaped flowers in the middle of my Microfleur flower press are? They are edelweiss flowers - not an easy plant to grow, unless you are in the Alps. I am thankful when ever they grace me with their presence here in Wisconsin, and this year I've been blessed with a modest amount of small blooms. Many of them will be used for consignment pictures customers have ordered, and any leftovers will be used for cards that I will put up on my Etsy page.

If you are new to pressing flowers, here's a Microfleur Flower List I complied a summer or two ago about on what flowers I have found to press well in the Microfleur - if you have any to add, please email me, and I would be glad add them to the list.

Purple Crocuses - Unframed Pressed Flower Art

Purple Crocuses
Unframed Pressed Flower Art
For an 11 x 14" or
8 x 12" frame
Pressed crocuses, handmade paper

We have had such a long winter here in Wisconsin, so I find myself unusually reluctant to press my crocuses this year. I just want to leave them in my garden, so that I can look out the window and believe that spring really is here! Despite myself, I have managed to press a few.

This "Purple Crocuses" pressed flower picture could be framed in either a standard 8 x 10, or 11 x 14" frame. In an 8 x 10 frame, the mat would neatly cover the edges of the handmade paper, and the 11 x 14" frame would allow the interesting deckled edge of the handmade paper to show, for a more organic look.

I will happily include an acid free white mat for either size frame (8x10", or 11x14") upon request. Just state your mat size preference in the "comments" section when ordering, or email me.

Yellow Crocus Spring Greeting

12" X 12"
"Yellow Crocus Spring Greeting"
Pressed flowers, handmade paper
$95.00

Over the weekend spring was briefly here in southern Wisconsin, and in a happy frenzy I planted my super sugar snap peas as well as my snow peas. My neighbors said it was way to early, but Martha Stewart always says to get them in around St. Patrick's Day. She should know. And, while I was at it, I also planted a few kohlrabi, some beets, chard, and lettuce. It was probably too early for all of the latter, but it was so much fun for my soul.

Today we are back to that long "in between" time - not quite spring, not quite winter. It's a perfect day to post my yellow crocus creation, and try to think thoughts of spring coming, and staying.

Come and see me!

I'll be at the Prairie Waldorf School's Yuletide Faire in Pewaukee, Wisconsin next week!

I'll be bringing my framed and un-framed art, pressed flower cards, autumn leaf cards, my botanical journals, and, hopefully, my paper making kits. Lot's of "green" gifts for the shoppers who attend.

I am kind of a "wimp" when it comes to shows, and have never done a two day show before. Friendly visits will be much appreciated!

Friday, November 21, 2008

2:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Prairie Hill Waldorf School
N14 W29143 Silvernail Rd.
Pewaukee, WI

For more information, please visit www.prairiehillwaldorf.org

You frame it Friday

This week's unframed pressed flower art features kind of an abstract picture of wildflowers and grass.

Despite a few moderate frosts here in southern Wisconsin, these wildflowers I pressed earlier this week continue to brighten up their corner of the world.

It's somewhat hard to see in this picture, but the flowers are mounted on a 5 x 7" piece of my textured handmade paper, which in turn is mounted on a piece of highest quality Gilbert Oxford card stock.

This pressed flower picture could be framed in either an 8 x 10, or 11 x 14" frame. In an 8 x 10 frame, the mat would neatly cover the edges of the handmade paper, and the 11 x 14" frame would allow the interesting deckled edge of the handmade paper to show, for a more organic look.

I will happily include an acid free white mat for either size frame (8x10", or 11x14") upon request. Just state your mat size preference in the "comments" section when ordering, or email me.

You frame it Friday - Black-eyed Susans

Black-eyed Susans tend to be big, cheerful, bold flowers that I hardly ever press because their "black eye" is so thick.

I was surprised when I came upon a patch of them in my father-in-law's garden a few weeks ago. He lives deep in the north woods of Wisconsin, and my guess is because these flowers grew in an area of dappled sunlight they didn't become as robust as usual, and happily they pressed beautifully.

This piece unframed pressed flower art is already matted with an 8 x 10 white acid free mat, and the flowers been sealed with two types of invisible UV resistant polymers to seal in color and keep harmful rays and moisture out. It's all ready for someone to drop into their favorite 8 x 10 frame!

How to store pressed flowers, part 2

Last winter I blogged about my method for storing pressed flowers, but I thought I'd let you know that things have changed around here.

We had number of really damp spells lately here in Wisconsin, and even though I stored my flowers in plastic containers with tight fitting lids, they weren't air tight. I was constantly having to reactivate my silica gel. I keep my pressed flowers at my work area in our basement, and I was worried that the exposure to dampness would affect their ability to retain their bright colors.

Thankfully, I've come up with an improved method that really seems to be working. If you are a pressed flower artist, maybe this new way of storing pressed flowers will work for you too.

You frame it Friday (a day early)

I'll be in Chicago later today attending a conference for the next few days, so here is this week's "You frame it Friday" creation a day early.

This matted pressed maple leaf collage is so much better in person - my scanner didn't quite do it justice. These are pressed maple leaves from my trip to northern Wisconsin last weekend, mounted on highly textured handmade paper, and matted with an archival acid free 8x10 mat.

The leaves have been sealed with two UV resistant polymers, so this picture is ready to drop into your favorite 8x10 frame.

Northern Wisconsin

I'm interrupting my normal flower/plant post to bring you this stunning picture I just found on our camera. It was taken on Sunday just before we headed home, by my husband. I'm not sure what I like looking at better...the beautiful fall foliage, the reflection on the lake, or the silhouette of the wispy beach grass in the forefront. Part of me wishes we were still there, in that peaceful place.

Below is another picture, of one of my enthusiastic leaf hunter helpers and I, deep in the north woods looking for "perfect" leaves. We found quite a few - several gallon ziplock bags full.

I will be pressing most of the leaves in regular flower presses , but some of them I will be pressing in the Microfleur, so that I can use them right away.
I was thrilled to find an abundance of really, really red maple leaves this year - some years they tend to be more orange than deep red. They'll come in handy for maple leaf collages.

Wisconsin Lemon Tree

For 23 years in a row, I've lugged this lemon tree inside for the winter. (I cringe at how old that makes me sound). Many times the tree has been with out a lemon, but this year we've been blessed with a whopping 19 lemons!

So, sometime in dreary February, when the lemons will finally be ripe, we will be enjoying authentic Wisconsin lemon bars ... with real Wisconsin butter of course. Definitely something to look forward to!

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.

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.

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.

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.

Free Crocus Cards

They have finally arrived!

I have discovered that is is mostly my fault that my crocuses were so late in coming this year.

It wasn't only due to Wisconsin's late spring, like I had suspected. It was because I, in my limited wisdom, put down too much shredded bark mulch last summer in the areas where my crocuses are planted! The poor crocus flowers have had to struggle an extra 2 inches before reaching the warm spring sun.

Thankfully they have made it, and in their brilliant purple beauty with their sword like striped leaves they have certainly been worth the wait.

To celebrate, I am offering a free pressed crocus flower card with every box of Assorted Pressed Flower Cards or framed botanical art piece ordered this April. Enjoy!