Tag: Johnny Jump Ups

Quick Tip – Tip on Thursday/Volunteers

On By TimelessladyIn Quick Tip2 Comments

Among the clover…

…and the grasses of my back yard…I have been spotting and collecting dozens of garden volunteers. I call them volunteers, but they are in reality last year’s flowers that have self-seeded and sprouted in unexpected places.

This is the patch of Johnny-Jump-Up Violas the volunteers have sprung from this year. I have relocated enough of the flowers to plant a ten-foot border along my back porch. They will fill in and maybe self-seed more volunteers for next year. Hooray for Spring’s volunteers.

Any plant that the gardener didn’t put in, and is not a weed, is known by the term volunteer. In most cases gardeners consider these plants more than welcome, though they may need to be relocated or even shared. ~ Horticulture Magazine

 

Phlowers – Blooming in the Garden/Late April

On By TimelessladyIn Phlowers9 Comments

There are many beautiful purple-hued flowers blooming in my garden this week. I love the lines on the pansy faces. These markings are called pencilings. They look a bit like the whiskers on a cat’s face to me.

“Nobody can keep on being angry if she looks into the heart of a pansy for a little while.” ~ Lucy Maud Montgomery

The Johnny-Jump-Ups are also part of the viola family. I planted these in the Autumn, they lived through our terrible winter and are growing strong, and as an added bonus self-seeded everywhere.

Perwinkles, also called vinca, are putting on quite a show right now. The color is gorgeous and a favorite shade of mine. I also love this periwinkle quote from one of my favorite books and movies, The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim.

“All down the stone steps on either side were periwinkles in full flower, and she could now see what it was that had caught at her the night before and brushed, wet and scented, across her face. It was wisteria.”~ Elizabeth von Arnim, The Enchanted April

Violets are blooming throughout the yard in both garden and grass. Their fragrance is amazing, their color divine. I think this quote by Mark Twain is a good way to end this Springtime post.

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” ~ Mark Twain

 

Product & Pressed Flowers

On By TimelessladyIn Pressed Flowers, Product17 Comments

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I found a new set of pearlescent watercolors this weekend. They are made by Yasutomo and available in craft stores and online. The set was less than ten dollars, and with the added benefit of a 40% off coupon, quite a bargain. I use Winsor & Newton watercolors, but am enchanted by the idea of adding a little touch of shimmer to a few of my more creative watercolor attempts.

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The first thing I did was number the paints and make a chart to see how the watercolors reacted on paper. They are very pearly and quite sheer. The permanent marker is easily seen through all the colors.

I also experimented with a scrap of torn painting. The pearlescent pink added shimmer to the petals, but still let the detail come through.

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Another plus is the watercolors perk up the faded colors of old pressed flowers. These johnny-jump-ups were very drab, but the pearlescent paint added a bit of gleam and color. I can’t wait to experiment with this effect and will probably create a few greeting cards to have on hand.

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If you like to paint give these lovely watercolors a try.

PostScript: I found these to be very hard in texture. Before using, add a bit of water to each pan. Allow the water to sit and loosen up the paint for a few minutes before you begin to paint.

Pressed Flowers – Greeting Cards

On By TimelessladyIn Pressed Flowers5 Comments

 Johnny Jump Ups, moss, Vinca leaves, barberry leaf, violets & wild onion curls

I have several books of this seasons pressed flowers dried and ready to use. The batch of cards in this post is composed with spring-flowering pansies and wildflowers. I glue pressed flowers to white or eggshell cardstock with rubber cement. After they are dry I press the finished art inside a book with a weight for several hours or preferably overnight. I then check for any loose spots. If I find one or more I touch these up with rubber cement on the tip of a long floral pin, and after they are dry re-press in a weighted book. When they are completely dry I position them on a complementary piece of colorful cardstock cut into a standard greeting card size. Below each pressed flower photo I’ve listed the plant material I used.

Common celandine, johnny-jump-ups, honeysuckle leaves & wild onion curls

Butterfly: pansy petals, nandina leaf, maple bud, seaweed stems & unknown weed foliage

Wild rose leaflets, wild onion curl, wild mustard sprigs & johnny-jump-ups

Buttercups

Johnny-jump-ups, common celandine, honeysuckle leaves & wild onion curl

Wild onion curl, maple keys (seed pods) fern with fiddlehead, Vinca springs & unknown weed sprig

I thought this card has a definite heart shape, but my husband didn’t see it. He thought the maple keys looked more like wings. I guess it’s proof of that old cliché: “It’s all in the eyes of the beholder.” I like it though, it’s unique. I am going to try to make some dragonflies with the maple keys next. I’ll post the results soon. Here’s another maple key composition below.

Wild violet, fiddlehead fern, unknown weed foliage, common celandine bud maple keys & wild onion sprig

 

Pressed Flowers – Pressed Flower Tips Part II

On By TimelessladyIn Pressed FlowersLeave a comment

In my twenty-plus years of pressing flowers I’ve gathered some good techniques and tips. Here is Part II of my list.

Pressed Flower Tip #5 Pressed Flowers are a natural product and will fade in the sunshine. Keep your displays and supplies out of direct sunlight unless enhanced with UV resistant spray or paint.

Pressed Flower Tip #6 For glueless work, create a composition, then reverse order and drop the pressed flowers and foliage backwards onto the tacky side of contact paper. Work front to back. It’s difficult, and easy to make a mistake, but it is great not to have to use glue.

Pressed Flower Tip #7 Some flowers can take a spray of clear acrylic protection, but very thin petals will disappear into nothingness, so save the acrylic sprays for thicker bodied flowers.

Pressed Flower Tip #8 Lace, tulle, and natural papers mix well with pressed flower compositions.

Pressed Johnny-Jump Ups