Press those Flowers!

~ Now is the  time to bring a little summer sunshine into your surroundings ~  and I will show you how!

With temperatures dipping well below zero and winds gusting outside with a high pitch screech and lasting echo, it’s hardly time to think hot summer days.   Let’s … for a moment … forget the current outdoor conditions and relish in the past … the hot days spent lounging poolside, gathering flowers to adorn the table and taking a few sprigs here and there and “pressing them” to save for later.   As we gaze into the fire as we sip our hot cocoa, we can envision the swaying sunflowers dancing in the breeze.     Let’s talk flowers!

Using pressed flowers is not a new idea … earlier this year I created this post and it is an easy art to conquer.   I think we simply overlook all the possibilities to save those moments of celebration.   Saving our corsages, bouquets or even a bundle of  flowers picked up from the market will extend the memory and bring joy long after the event has passed.

My stash of saved pressed foliage has a variety of flowers, ferns and even herbs that were picked and pressed in heavy phone books for several weeks to several months.   I always thought the flower had to be small and flat to press successfully, but I have had great success with bigger and thicker flowers as well.   The trick is using heavier weights and longer drying time.

Working out your design and what you intend to create using your pressed flowers should be fun and care taken to handle the flowers carefully since they are now rather fragile.   Tweezers are ideal for handling and if petals or stems break off, you can glue right back into place.   The recommended glue to use for placement and also sealing is a product called Mod Podge.   It can be found at craft stores – most supermarkets also carry this product.

A favorite design I enjoy is using the flowers on cards for special occasions and special people.   There are many ways to use your precious flowers and there is no limit on what your imagination can create.

As you browse through the gardening catalogs on these cold snowy days, envision the colorful, fragrant fields of flowers you can grow or better yet… Jump in the car and head to the store for a bundle of beauty!   Enjoy them now and save some for later!

Pressed Herbs and Flowers

Experimenting with my new Cricut has been fun and has stirred up all kinds of creative ideas!  I made these gift bags which I thought would be a bit bigger but I have to keep in mind the size of the machine.  I was envisioning the gift bags you pick up at the store but the ones I created are much smaller.  I can use them for candies or soaps but the best gift I thought to use them for would be seed packets…they are the perfect size!

I used pressed dried herbs and flowers along with paper cut designs to decorate the gift bags.  Dried sage is used as the stem and leaves in the design above.  Herbs are easy to dry either by hanging or press them flat in a heavy book as I did with these.

 Pressed basil, parsley, sage, flowers and leaves

I have realized that an area for laying out all my materials is crucial for the designing of projects. 

There seems to be an unlimited amount of projects and creations on the internet and I have only just begun to discover some of them.  A really clever idea that I did happen to find and can’t wait to use it in a design is using foil tape to cover cut out paper designs for an embossed look.

I think an embossed Running Garlic sign would be cool … oh, the possibilities are endless ………

Homemade Goodness

Homemade gifts are treasured gifts … gifts from the heart created with care and love.  The time taken to create these gifts cannot be measured in numbers and the goodness that flows from the gift cannot be measured in words.  There are many among us that have a natural talent and are able to create crafts with the whirl of a pen or the hum of a machine.  The gardeners in us are able to create homemade goodness fresh from the earth and as we plan ahead for the coming planting season we should think beyond our summer harvest and look to share the harvest with gifts of goodness that will no doubt be received without hesitation.  Canning our summer crops is an art taken and continued to this day from our ancestors and one that  carries a message of our hard work in the garden.  At times it truly is difficult to part with our canned goods but this act holds a true connection to the earth and the homemade goodness we pass along to those we care about as we give them a gift from ourselves.  Take some time to plan for those gifts now .  Grow extra tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers along with your normal plantings. 

Browse some preserving cookbooks and articles to find great combinations or create your own recipes that may become your next family favorite! 

Remember to include herbs which can be used fresh or dried for later use – these can even be used as a great gift …. dried herbs!  

Flowers need to be included in your garden plans as well.  Fresh flowers are gifts that  will brighten anyone’s day and a nice vase brimming with homemade goodness lightens up any room in the home.  Certain flowers dry well and can be used in dried flower arrangements and there are dozens of craft ideas you can create with them.  A few of my favorites are lavender, globe amaranth, baby’s breath, statice and strawflower. 

 

I did have my sewing machine humming along just recently making the new pup her own place to lounge.   Earlier in the year I spent some time creating this doggie bed for the bigger puppies and they seemed to have forgotten all about it until the new pup arrived.

Now they are very possessive SO I had to make the baby puppy one all her own!  It’s so funny – how she knew it was hers!  These doggie beds are homemade and the best part about them is I used old bed pillows and throw pillows to stuff them.  Took the old worn outer layer off and used the insides to make these.  I could have made new throw pillows but I am guessing the pups like their beds better!  Good way to recycle those worn out pillows –

Once I had them all put together I did pop them in the washer for a good cleaning using this Homemade Laundry Soap.  I have been using this soap for almost a year now and I love it!  I have posted these directions in the past and wanted to make sure to share it once again.  I was asked if it works good in a front loading machine. Yes, it does and that is one of the reasons I searched out this laundry soap recipe. Store bought laundry soap is ridiculously high priced and I wanted an alternative and it does a fantastic job!!!

Three simple ingredients – 1 bar castile soap, 3/4 cup “washing soda” and 3/4 cup borax

Probably the hardest part of all this is grating the bar of soap – I found this GREAT grater and it works perfect!  I did try freezing the bar of soap to make it easier, but it really grated the same (it’s a hard soap).

The finished laundry detergent seems soooo clean!  Use 1 tablespoon for light loads and 2 tablespoons for heavily soiled laundry.  For the most part I use 2 tablespoons and the results are wonderful.  I keep a copy of this recipe in the same drawer as the laundry soap so when I am running low I can make up another batch.

 Finished laundry soap

Dried Fruit and Broomcorn

I grew Broomcorn this past summer and it’s a really neat plant to use in crafts.  It can stand alone in a vase or with other dried flowers as a nice decoration or you can  use it in making wreaths or swags and I even attempted to make a broom with some of my harvest!  A good broom takes a lot of stalks … I believe I read 60-80 for a nice broom; I used more like 20 so it was sparse and more a decoration item.

Broomcorn in vase

 Finished broom

This past week I wanted to create a decoration using some dried fruit I had recently dehydrated and I thought the broomcorn would make a great base for the project.  I love my Excalibur dehydrator and you can read more about how I use it on a regular basis at a previous post I wrote if you are interested in owning one yourself.  Like I said I Love mine!!

 Sliced lemons

I sliced lemons, oranges and apples and added them to the dehydrator.  I gathered some cinnamon sticks, pinecones, a few red bows and, of course, the glue gun!

 

Pinecone wired to stalks

 Closeup of glued fruit

I assembled this in about 20 minutes – so fast and easy!  I will probably make a few more smaller versions and add them to the top of wrapped gifts this year – will add a nice touch!