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. 

Gardening How - To Surprise!

I was pleasantly surprised to be informed that my pressed flower cards have been featured in the "Great Garden Gifts" section of the January edition of Gardening How-To magazine.  It's a gorgeous issue full of beautiful blooms and practical gardening advice, such a treat for those of us who can't wait to get growing again!

Just time for Christmas gift giving, all boxes of pressed flower cards are 15% off.  And, free gift wrapping is available if ordered before December 20th.

Thanks to the editors of Gardening How-To for your surprise feature!

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!

A celebration in the trees...

I like everything about making Autumn Leaf Cards.

From tramping in the woods searching for the perfect autumn leaves with my family, to pressing them in the Microfleur, and then spreading the colorful leaves out on the table and enjoying the riot of color before I adhere them onto handmade paper.

God certainly thought of a great way to celebrate the end of a glorious summer - by throwing a bright and colorful party in the trees. I am always amazed.

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.

My very simple display

Debra from Georgia emailed me last week asking how I package and display my cards.

Simple isn't always best, but when displaying artwork of any kind, I find "simple" usually rings true.

Since God already made the plants I use so beautiful, I want my packaging and displays to be almost invisible, so that viewer's eyes immediately travel to the flowers.

Each individual pressed flower card is sealed in a clear cello bag, and my boxed cards are enclosed in clear plastic boxes that fold shut on both ends. I used to display all of my cards in various baskets, but then discovered the great acrylic card rack displays from cleardisplays.com and have been more than happy with them.

Coming up with a simple, inexpensive way to display my framed art was a little harder for me. Other artist friends use metal display grids to hang their art on, and although they are classy and durable, I was hesitant to make that kind of investment.


Thankfully, I passed by an old discarded ladder one morning, and after painting it white it became a sturdy but lightweight way to display my pictures. I also have strong rubber bands behind each picture anchoring the frames to screws attached to the back of each ladder each step.

On really windy days, however, the ladder isn't a good option - but so far this year our Friday Farmer's Market mornings at Northwind have been calm and beautiful. I am hoping this Friday will be the same!

No better place to be...

Beginning this Friday, most Friday mornings will find me here, at the very picturesque Northwind Perennial Farm, near Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.

Well known Chicago garden designer J. Siegel describes Northwind as being:

"...exceptional on many levels. They sell & promote unusual plants with a nod to natives, their lovely staff knows a lot about their products, and the place is so well-conceived and arranged, that people visit just for the charming experience."

Northwind isn't just your average nursery; they sell over 400 different perennials, and feature a number of amazing showcase perennial gardens, not to mention a very tempting garden shop in a centuries old barn as well.

I will be participating in their Friday morning farmer's market (9:00 - 12 noon) , from now until the end of August, selling my pressed flower cards and botanical art. I can't imagine a better place to spend a few hours each week - I only hope I don't spend all my earnings there!

Black Pansies

I'm not into Gothic things (at all!), but I love black pansies.

Actually a deep, deep, purple, the black pansy pictures and cards I make are always good sellers at the farmer's markets and shows I do. The only problem is that I'm sometimes reluctant to press them, because they look so dramatic in the containers on my patio!

I made this card yesterday, and today it's on it's way to a good friend. Because I brushed on a thin coating of Perfect Paper Adhesive over the pansies and their greenery, I don't have to worry about the flowers fading, or being damaged in the mail. A thin coat is all it takes to provide invisible UV resistance, and because it provides a tough, flexible layer of protection, it's perfect for pressed flower cards, gift tags, etc.

Happy Birthday Doctor

Here's a card I just finished for Ed and Jean, an older couple at my church. Years ago they gave their doctor one of my cards, and they say that he still raves about it every time he sees them. I think some one must be exaggerating, but that's beside the point.

Anyways, the doctor is having his 80 something birthday this month and they wanted me to make a "large card with lots of flowers" for him. An 80 something doctor? That's what I thought too. But, he's pulled Ed and Jean out of a number of health crises lately, so he must still be pretty much at the top of his game. I hope he has a great birthday.

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.

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!

strange flowers

Here's the flowers from my unusual air plant I mentioned last month. Purple tube flowers, ending in long stamens with neon yellow pollen. Strange!

Speaking of strange, lots of things are strange around here in Wisconsin. We had 15 inches of snow on Good Friday, but thankfully it's been in the fifties lately and most of the snow is gone. However, we are supposed to get 6 more inches tomorrow.

My crocuses are nowhere in sight. Last year at this time, I was busily pressing crocuses, and making pressed crocus cards. If you've been blessed with crocuses where you are, here's a tutorial on how to press crocus flowers - they press beautifully with the Microfleur flower press. I hope to be able to join you in pressing crocuses soon!

Peace

After spending the day at the Milwaukee Public Museum with my son's second grade class yesterday, I feel relieved to be able to quietly stay at home and catch up on several orders for my pressed flower cards today. The trip (except for the 50 mile bus ride) was great fun. The group of boys I was in charge of happily enjoyed the dinosaurs and all the gory hunting/predator panoramas, and, bless their hearts, they were patient with me as I lingered in the butterfly exhibit - brimming with real butterflies and flowers.

When I got back home after the field trip, I had about 20 minutes before my kids would be home from school. As I thought about how to best use those few minutes, I found that all I really wanted to do was enjoy the quite peacefulness of my empty house. After spending the day with a total of 60+ second graders, the silence was absolutely golden.

I'm thankful for something that my Mom was always grateful for - peace and quiet.

Q & A: How to use PPA with large flowers

This weekend Lucy emailed me with the following questions:

1. After you put a dot of perfect paper adhesive on the back of the pressed flower to position it on the card the rest of the petals are loose. When you are done with flower placement how do you actually paint the product over the loose petals without tearing them?

2. I envision that when painted on a large flower the flower becomes fixed to the product on top but not to the card. The larger the flower, the less of it will be fixed to the card. Is the product so strong that even if only painted on top of the flower (that is not affixed to the card) that the flower will not break or tear when the card is bent?

Lucy, I am always quite generous when applying perfect paper adhesive to the backs of flowers. Generally I place a dot in the center, and then outline the entire flower, including each and every petal with PPA. In the case of a wide flower like this pansy, I also radiate outwards from the center as well. If I was using a large petaled flower, such as a cosmos, I would outline each petal with PPA, and then I'd also "zig zag" it down the center of each petal. In the picture above I applied the PPA with the small 1 oz bottle, but for larger flowers, or even ferns, you might find it easier to paint it on with a small brush.

When applying perfect paper adhesive to flowers used in framed art it's not quite as crucial to glue the flowers down so meticulously, but when using them for cards, those poor flowers will be going through a war, so to speak. However, I have found that if the flowers are well adhered, and then another coat of PPA is applied to the top of the flowers and greens, they will withstand their trip through the postal system, and be able to tolerate normal flexing and bending of the card. For best results, let freshly adhered pressed flowers dry thoroughly before applying the top coat with a soft brush. Remember, the top coat should be a thin coat- if you see white when you're applying it your using too much.

Thank you for your questions, Lucy - I hope I answered them adequately. Please let me know if you have any others!

I was saving the scan of this pressed flower "Congratulations!" card to use in honor of the Packer's Super Bowl win, but sadly they lost in the last round of the playoffs Sunday night.
Sigh. Maybe next year.

But on to happier things. The interesting flower used for this card is called "Pigs face!" It's not a very dignified name for such a stunning flower, but I think overcomes its moniker with those wonderfully slender and brilliant petals.

My e-friend Ellice from the land down under recommended this native plant as one of her favorite flowers to press. It's a succulent often found on the beaches of Australia, and luckily I was able to find a number of vendors on Ebay who sold it. My pigs face plant didn't fare too well during our wet summer here in Wisconsin, but the few blooms I had pressed beautifully in the Microfleur. I'm going to try it again next year.

Speaking of the Microfleur, stay tuned next week for an interview with Jennie Beecroft, the designer and manufacturer of the Microfleur. Jennie graciously agreed to answer a number of questions regarding her interest in pressed flowers, and how the Microfleur microwave flower press came to be. I hope you find her answers as interesting as I did.

edelweiss

Isn't this a stunning edelweiss?

It was grown from seed, pressed in the microfleur, made into a card, and sold on Etsy. Now, looking back at the scan I took of it, I wish I would have made something more permanent out of it, like a framed picture, or even a journal!

They are a bit tricky to grow from seed, but I have found that the plants I grow from seed tend to last longer (2-3 years) than edelweiss plants I have purchased. The seeds can be hard to find, but I ordered mine from Pinetree Garden Seeds this year, and I've also seen them on ebay.

They like cool conditions, so here in Wisconsin I start them in my chilly basement, and eventually move them to our insulated garage under grow lights. Then, when it's time to move them outside, I place them in a planter filled with cactus potting soil (they need excellent drainage) and I am usually blessed with at least 2-3 dozen beautiful blooms from 4-5 plants. Give it a try!
copyright pressed-flowers dot blogspot dot com.

chasmanthium latfolium

Have you started to think about next year's garden yet? I have. I generally don't allow myself to look at the shiny new garden catalogs until I've got my Christmas cards written...but I gave myself permission for one quick peek, and then an hour later...

At any rate, the picture at the right is a quick scan I took of an awesome, but under-utilized ornamental grass called Northern Sea Oats. I like to use them in my botanical art and pressed flower cards because they're beautiful, but better yet, the unusual seed heads are perfectly flat - no pressing needed!

They start out a beautiful spring green, mature to a rich sage green, and finally turn an impressive bronze color in the fall. I have them planted in one of my flower gardens, and they do a wonderful job screening a hose I keep there. They also keep their color well, making them perfect for dried flower arrangements.

Northern Sea Oats aren't always easy to find, but they are beginning to show up in seed and garden catalogs now and then. Keep an eye out for them - and if you can't find them in your catalogs, try Ebay in the spring.

Part Two: Turning over a new leaf

Continued from previous post...
The next morning I accidentally stumbled upon a scrap- booking web site raving about something called “Perfect Paper Adhesive”. It was touted as a great adhesive, but also works as a flexible, strong matte sealer that just happens to be UV resistant, and it was reportedly safe on flowers. I jumped in the car and flew over to the nearest Michael’s, and by late afternoon I knew my dilemma was solved. It works great! Thankfully it’s completely non-toxic, and all I had to do was to apply a very thin coating over the flower, stem, and leaves with a soft brush. When it dries, it covers the botanicals in a barely perceptible, but tough, flexible film, that is amazingly durable. The pressed flowers on the cards can be stepped on, crumpled, folded, spilled on, (not that anyone should do these things to their handmade cards) and they remain intact! And what a blessing that it’s UV resistant as well!

This extra step is easy, but time consuming – partly in the application, but mostly in waiting for the cards to be completely dry before I can place them in cellophane wrappers or boxes. Because of the extra time needed, I will now be offering four cards in my boxes of pressed flower cards, instead of five…but I think the change will be worth it. My customers will be getting a much more reliable and higher quality product. Isn’t amazing that God cares about the little dilemmas in our lives, as well as the really important ones? I’m thankful.

Learn more about Perfect Paper Adhesive here.

Turning over a new leaf...

I make pressed flower cards.
I’ve been selling them for about five years now, first to friends and relatives, then at a local farmer’s market, and a few small craft fairs.

Today I sell most of them via Elizabeth's Flowers, to stores, galleries and individuals throughout the U.S., and a number of them even find their way to other parts of the world.

I have always taken pride in the fact that because I use heavyweight card stock, and mount the pressed flowers on my sturdy handmade paper, they are tough little cards and can make their way through the mail with out a problem. I was glad, because I don’t like the look of contact paper over the delicate flowers, I didn’t want to use messy Modge Podge, and I wasn’t about to laminate all my cards as some people do.

But… every once in awhile it came to my attention that one of my cards didn’t make it. Someone opened up a card, and a little cloud of pressed flower confetti fell into their lap. I must be a fluke, I told myself, for awhile.

Finally I came to the point of deciding not to make pressed flower cards anymore. I couldn’t guarantee that each one would reach their destinations intact, and I didn’t know how to remedy the situation in a way that wouldn’t detract from the beauty of the flowers. I said a quick prayer about this, not really expecting the God of the universe to care much about my card making dilemma, but wouldn’t you know it, I had my answer with in 24 hours.

To be continued…

Busy Pressing Flowers

This is tradescantia, actually it's the backside of the flowers, all lined up and ready to go into my Microfleur microwave flower press. In less than 90 seconds they'll be pressed and ready to go. The front side of these flowers (also commonly known as spiderwort), are stunning with their golden yellow stamens which really pop against the bright fuchsia.
Tradescantia have long strapping leaves, similiar to iris, and when I make pressed flower cards with them, I use thick blades of grass to mimic their leaves. I'll try to get some cards made in the next day or two to show you.