What is a Deckled Edge – The ragged or feathered edge of the paper as it comes from the papermaking machine is the deckled edge. Deckled edges look terrific on journal pages and paintings that will not be framed. If your paper does not have a deckled-edge it is very easy to create this look by folding and tearing. Heavier, layered papers work best with this technique. Thin paper will not show as much “feathering.”
(2 x normal speed)
There’s some excitement afoot in the Square Foot Gardens; the seeds have sprouted underneath the newly built Hoop House. The peas and arugula are doing best, the lettuces (Mesclun varieties) are sprouting too, but at a slower rate. Hooray!
The Daily Post for this week is: Achievement.
“Have you just run 26.2 miles, finished a long-term project, or met a personal goal? This week, show us an achievement.”
Growing cold-season vegetables is not new, but it is a first for me. My new Hoop House is everything I had hoped. Yes, I consider my vegetables sprouting in mid-November’s very cold temperatures quite an “Achievement.”
“What’s the best present you’ve ever received that was handmade by the giver, not store-bought? Tell us what made it so special.”
I have been blessed by gifts created by the hands of family throughout my life. The beautiful baby dresses in the photograph were hand sewn by my grandmother and great-aunt. I had to include the red dress my father bought for his new little girl too. It’s not handmade, but it was chosen by him for me.
One of my recent handmade gifts is this unique journal my cousin gave to me on a recent visit. I treasure it and the goodwill and love shown to me by her gift.
Years ago, when I married, another cousin gave me a notebook filled with her hand-written recipes. You can see the evidence of a well-used recipe by the remnants of sugar cookies across the pages.
Sometimes the presentation of a gift is graced with a handmade treasure…as in the case of this Christmas tag crafted by my mother. The portrait is of her great-aunt Bridget Cavanaugh McCue, a beautiful lady who lived at the turn of the century.
My life has been filled with handmade treasures: quilts, clothing, afghans, furniture, what-not boxes, dolls, doll clothes…the list is so long I could never recall it all. I am blessed.
The greatest blessing these handmade treasures have instilled within me is the desire to create gifts that are handmade and contain a bit of my spirit. I have been blessed by the love of my family since the earliest days of my life.
I am planning on growing a Meyer Lemon Tree from the seed. I will place the seeds in a pot with organic potting soil, enclose the pot in plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect, and watch for sprouting. I have read that Meyer Lemon blossoms have a sensational fragrance, and they also will produce lemons while growing in a pot. I MUST give it a try! It sounds like a project my grandsons would enjoy too.
Here are a few photographs I found at Flickr that illustrate the results you can get from growing Meyer Lemon seeds.
Baby Meyer Lemons – Photograph Courtesy of Jenny Levine @ Flickr
Meyer Lemon Blossom – Photograph courtesy of 200,000 views @ Flickr
Lemon Tree in Pot – Photograph courtesy of Lauren @ Flickr
Finally, after years of reading and hearing about the superiority of Meyer Lemons, I finally spotted a display of the elusive citrus fruit in my local supermarket. Perhaps they have been there before, and I passed right by them, thinking the yellowy-orange fruit were unripe tangerines, but this time the sign over them caught my eye. I snapped up three of the beauties even though they were steeply priced at 1.00 each.
What did I do with them? Well first, being me, I created still life compositions for photographing all over my house.
The next thing I did was search out a good recipe to use them in. I found the winner at Tutti Dolci All Sweets Blog: Meyer Lemon Cloud Cookies. I followed the directions as written. The cookies were easy to mix up and bake, and delicious as a lemony cloud…really! The one thing I would change would be to double the recipe. Why make only twenty cookies when forty cookies would be just as easy and almost as quick?
The cookies would most likely be scrumptious using a regular lemon too. Happy Baking!
I have long admired the anthurium plants displayed each year in the Longwood Garden Conservatory in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. I have a small anthurium with red heart-shaped flowers, although in reality, according to horticulture experts, what we call a flower is a spathe.
I’ve always hoped to run across a pink and green Anthurium, and recently I was lucky enough to find one to purchase. The plant is lovely and growing well in my living room. It receives strong morning sunlight and seems to be adapting well to life in my home.
Give Anthuriums a try for a bit of tropical beauty indoors.
I’ve combined a few posts from past years on how I use pressed Autumn leaves.
It’s not too late to press a few Autumn leaves for crafts and Thanksgiving table scatter. They look lovely hung from mantels or chandeliers. They make great place cards. Write the names of your guests on them with metallic felt-tipped markers. Encase within pieces of glass, seal edges with copper tape or decorative duct tape and use as trivets for your holiday table.
I use quite a few Autumn leaves in my pressed flower compositions. They are great for cutting into different shapes. I create many things with the pressed leaves: birdhouses, wagons, baskets, flowerpots and even small houses.
One problem that arises when cutting the leaves is their brittle nature when dried and pressed. To cut without treating them in some way usually results in shattered pieces or raggedy edges. I’ve found a few fixes for combating this problem by stabilizing the leaves with an added layer.
Fix #1 – Mod Podge the back side of the leaves
Brush the Mod Podge on the back of the leaves with a soft brush. Let it dry completely. While it dries create a pattern out of cardboard for the shape you want to use. In my case it was a tiny house greeting card I call “Home Sweet Home.”
When the Mod-Podge is completely dry, I use a Sharpie marker to trace the house pattern onto the mod-podged side of the leaves. Use a marker that is as close to the color of the leaf as possible or it might show through to the front side. Make sure you remember that when you cut out the traced pattern it will reverse itself. For instance, in the finished card, if I use side one of my pattern to trace, on the finished house the door will be on the left of the house, not on the right.
To finish this card I choose small pieces of foliage and very tiny flower bunches to create the trees. I set these aside at the ready.
For everyone who wondered why I press seaweed….here is the answer: Pressed seaweed is perfect to make small trees. When dried and pressed the thick fronds of this type of seaweed shrink to delicate branches.
Small ferns, leaves and pieces of Queen Anne’s lace foliage, all look like small trees.
Small florets of flowers look like Crape Myrtle trees in bloom.
Here are a few of the finished cards. Four seasons of pressed flower houses.
SPRING
For those who wondered why in the world I would press pieces of an abandoned hornet’s nest, the answer is above: hornet’s nest paper, pressed and mod-podged, is easy to cut into shapes for unique additions to my pressed flower creations.
SUMMER
AUTUMN
WINTER
Another way to cut Autumn leaves is to use Wonder Under. Wonder Under is a fusible web made by Pellon. Wonder Under can be purchased in any fabric store. Craft and hobby outlets also carry fusible web, but you usually have to buy a full package, a waste of money if you need only a quarter yard or less.
Create a pattern. I am working with a bird house shape.
Trace pattern onto Wonder Under and fuse with an iron onto the back of the leaf or bark. Remember, whatever pattern you choose will reverse itself in direction when fused to the back.
Another technique is to fuse the Wonder Under directly to the back of the leaf, and then after tracing the pattern, cut out the shape you desire from the leaf.
I am sometimes tempted to remove the Wonder Under backing and fuse the cut leaves to the card stock with an iron. This is not a good idea for two reasons, the removal of the backing often destroys the leaf, and the heat of the iron will usually warp the card stock to some degree. It’s a better idea to leave the Wonder Under in place permanently and glue the leaf to the card with the fusible web intact.
It’s fun to create different shapes for your pressed flower work using the beauty of Autumn leaves and the thin bark of a birch tree. Have fun.
“If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.”
Ecclesiastes 11:4
Daily Prompt @ WordPress: “No Time to Waste
Fill in the blank: “Life is too short to _____.” Now, write a post telling us how you’ve come to that conclusion.”
My photograph of a tenacious little mushroom illustrates the wisdom of Ecclesiastes and Mary Engelbreit…Use what you have and make the best of every situation. In short…
“Bloom Where You’re Planted” ~ Mary Engelbreit
DAILY PROMPT – NO TIME TO WASTE
Ingenuity – the quality of being clever, original, and inventive.
I was searching for songs to fill the “Song of the Day” category on my sidebar, and in my pursuit of the perfect melodies and lyrics came upon one of my all-time favorite singers, Johnny Cash. I love his music. Johnny Cash is one of, if not the most, distinctive voices of my lifetime. I had never heard the bit of “history” he shared in this video concerning the song, “I Walk the Line.” I had to share it in this blog post.
“History lesson young folks, 1955, we started out with just the two musicians, a bass and guitar…I liked the sound of a snare drum, so…I didn’t have a snare drum, so I put the paper in the strings and got my own.” ~ Johnny Cash
It’s a good reminder to me to do whatever it takes to reach my dreams, even if that means using a piece of paper as a snare drum.
– An afternoon walk in a November woods yielded some beautiful “Minimalist Photographs”. Most of us are so entranced by the grandness of the colorful trees in Autumn, we miss the tiny, simple treasures at our feet.
“It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real after all.”
~Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain; it was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his scarf and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.
And a voice said, “Why are you here, Elijah?”
~ I Kings 19:11-13 (TLB)
Minimalist photography is characterized by a large portion of negative space, a fairly monochromatic color palette with good contrast, and an interesting subject that is able to stand on its own to capture the interest of the viewer. At first thought, it may seem like it would be easy to shoot an engaging minimalist photograph, when indeed it can often be the opposite. A minimalist photo can also effectively tell a story, in spite of its relative simplicity, and it is anything but “plain”.
“A restaurant that removed your favorite item from the menu, a bad cover of a great song… Write a post about something that should’ve been left untouched, but wasn’t. Why was the original better?” – The Daily Prompt at WordPress
NO WORDS NECESSARY
Photograph Courtesy of: Morgue File
Every holiday season I buy at least one special CD of Christmas music. If truth be told, sometimes I buy two or even three! 🙂 This year my first choice was The Piano Guys – A Family Christmas.
I fell in love with a video I saw of the song, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” I’m including the video here for your enjoyment. The entire CD is breathtakingly beautiful.
In hopes of extending the growing season, my husband and I constructed an easy to build hoop house. I have a raised border around my Square Foot Garden and this made anchoring the hoop house down fairly easy. Any sized hoop house can be built atop a raised bed. I am not including any written directions; we didn’t have any to follow, but I am including a list of the materials we used, and a step-by-step photo diary of the construction.
We built the hoop house with ease in lifting a priority; the top will open up and lay on its side much like a door opening. This solves the problem of creating an opening in the side of the hoop house and also give me easy access for planting, maintaining and harvesting. I’m hoping to grow salad greens through the colder months of the year.
Our hoop house covers a 4 x 6 garden plot. Happy Hooping!
Materials
7 Lengths 1/2″ PVC Pipe
4 PVC elbows (size to fit pipe lengths)
10 PVC tees (size to fit pipe lengths)
3 conduit hangers (I think we might end up using more of these around bottom edge)
10′ x 20′ roll of 3 or 4 mil. plastic sheeting
Roll of packaging tape
I often will re-blog a timely post…this is one for the ladies…cleaning salt stains from Ugg Boots. This technique will also work on other suede items.
My Uggs Boots were stained by salt last year. I don’t know why I waited a whole year to clean them off, I suppose it is the classic, out of sight, out of mind syndrome. Thankfully, I do know a good way of cleaning them by applying shaving cream and rubbing with a soft cloth. Below you can see my progress. As I write, the boot I treated is sitting beside a heater vent drying. If there is any residue still left I will repeat the steps.
Dampen the entire boot so there is no line of demarcation when they dry. Apply the shaving cream and gently rub the soiled area with a soft cleaning cloth. Spread the shaving cream lightly around the entire boot with the cloth. No need for a heavy coat, just a light touch of the shaving cream will keep the color and texture of the boot uniform.
The boot on the right was previously treated. You can see the slightest bit of salt stain around arch of the boot, but all in all, unless someone was looking for the problem area, I don’t think it is very noticeable. Give this money saving tip a try. It certainly beats spending near $15.00 to have your boots professionally cleaned.
By Heart – “You’re asked to recite a poem (or song lyrics) from memory — what’s the first one that comes to mind? Does it have a special meaning, or is there another reason it has stayed, intact, in your mind?”
Before prayer and the Bible were taken out of public schools, a precious elderly lady, my second grade teacher, Mrs. Ware, taught our class to memorize the 100th Psalm. The assignment was given at this time of year…for it is a Psalm of Thanksgiving. The words, in the King James Version, have never left my mind. I consider my year with her one of my best school years – a truly godly woman. I wonder what the differences in our culture would be if prayer had been left in our schools.
“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
I am forever grateful that I lived in a time of school prayer and Bible reading.
List of Countries that Ban School Prayer
Photo courtesy of morguefile.com
“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834 – 1892)
A terrific quote to remember in any age.
“No one knows who is listening, say nothing you would not wish put in the newspapers.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834 – 1892)
If C.H. Spurgeon had lived in our time I am sure he would have included the Internet in his sermon about what to say or not say.
“Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is more than simply putting flowers in a container. It is a disciplined art form in which the arrangement is a living thing where nature and humanity are brought together. It is steeped in the philosophy of developing a closeness with nature.”
~ Ikebana International
Here are a few examples from Longwood Gardens recent exhibition of the Art Of Ikebana.
I love November’s Challenges at WetCanvas. The November Plant Parade is hosted by Bluemoonstar who says:
“November… here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are finishing up with a lovely fall and both leaves & flowers will soon fade into memories until Spring returns. I was thinking that it would be lovely to see a whole rainbow of color this month . I looked back thru my garden photos and the reference library to find a perfect rainbow of blooms.
The challenge this month is to include a touch of rainbow into your artwork. Use your imagination for its placement- could be in a petal, could be in the background, or somewhere else!
Feel free to substitue one of your own, as long as it fits into the category of “Rainbow hues”. (Hard to miss that target when it comes to flowers, lol).
Remember “Roy G. Biv “? Here we go!
I hope you join our trip over the rainbow this month in search of the rainbow hues that surround us.”
The Chinese Gardens at Montreal Botanic Gardens
The Watercolor Studio November Challenge is of the Chinese Garden in the Montreal Botanic Gardens. Yorky says,
“This month’s challenge give scope for painting reflections and shadows. This is the Chinese garden in the Montreal Botanic garden taken on our tour of Ontario after the Meet this year. I suggest you darken some of the conifers for variation.”
Your artwork in this challenge must be done in watercolors and can be posted to the forum at any time.
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
~ Psalms 119:105
Photo Challenge – Descent
DESCENT
This week, show us your interpretation of descent.
Where does the morning fog find its birth? Does it descend from the sky, or ascend from the waters?
Do birds draw the mist to earth after leaves abandon the trees? An ethereal silken shroud descends from leaden sky, blanketing summer feathers from the assault of Autumn’s winds.
