Gratitude

I’ve been on a personal mission for the past year or so to increase my gratitude quotient. In other words, I’ve been practicing the “attitude of gratitude”, especially in relation to my faith in God. I’ve had mixed success.

Sometimes in the midst of some pretty difficult circumstances, I’ve been able to be thankful… by trusting in God completely, and being grateful for His love, despite the problems piling up around me. I’m thankful that He gives me the ability to do so, during trying times, because I know this isn’t one of my natural abilities. It’s a gift from Him.

Other times, I start my day out on a thankful cheerful note, only to have a child walk across the kitchen floor I just washed with his or her muddy shoes, and I become the crabbiest most ungrateful mother in the universe. Why? Why is my thankful attitude so strong some times, and other times it’s more fragile than a snowflake?

Pride. I read about it just this morning, in another blog I like to visit regularly called Solo Femininity. Carolyn McCulley explains that the antidote to pride is - you guessed it, thankfulness!

I’ll keep plugging away at thankfulness, and now I’ll try to be more aware of my pride level as well. I’m off to write in my gratitude journal for a few minutes, before I get busy preparing for Thanksgiving tomorrow. I’ll begin by being thankful for the blessing of those six little feet that track mud on my floors!

Getting Serious With Your Art

Luann Udell of Durable Goods has begun an interesting series called “Getting Started” in regards to getting serious with your art. She’s giving us a generous glimpse into her art pathways, and will be sharing her experiences with many of her first attempts at truly pursuing her art.

I’ve been an admirer of her work and a regular reader of her blog for a number of months now, and have gleaned much from her witty, down to earth, no nonsense, yet very professional and wise approach to her craft. She is also a wonderful motivator, and many times I find myself delving into my work with renewed purpose and eagerness after reading one of her articles.

If you are an art minded person, pour yourself a cup of tea and spend some time with her. You’ll be better off because of it. Your art will be too!

Last Minute Flower Pressing

If you’re an inhabitant of the north as I am, now is the time for fervent last minute flower pressing. Here in Wisconsin there have already been a number of hard frosts, but a few hardy flower souls remain, such as my sunny yellow and orange calendula, a handful of weary osteospermum, and of course my hardy mums.

Now that I’ve been pressing flowers for a number of years, I finally have the forethought to press an ample supply of greenery as well. A week or so ago I trimmed all the fronds off of my maidenhair ferns and pressed them. Even though some of them were a bit ragged at the tips, the beautiful lacy green foliage will come in handy for my pressed flower gift tags and pressed flower collage cards. I also like to press as many long slender pieces of grass I can find (the grass along the cornfield that my husband always misses with the weed-wacker). Grass makes a perfect flower stem in a pinch, especially for flowers that have really thick stems, such as calendula or cosmos.

Don’t forget to press extra leaves as well. I tend to find that most flower leaves are pretty brittle, so it’s nice to have lots of extras on hand. My favorite leaves to press are tarragon leaves from my herb garden. They tend to be just the perfect size, they’re fairly durable, and they smell great when they are being zapped in the microwave with my Microfleur flower press.

Happy pressing!

Of Blogging and Pumpkins

I have a favorite blog that I love to read. Typically the blogger writes once a week or so, and I happily check in every day to see if she’s written anything new.

Much to my disappointment, she hasn’t written anything for over a month. I’ve been thinking about what a let down this is, and in my self righteous frustration I decided that no one should write a blog unless they can commit to keeping it reasonably updated, and if life temporarily gets beyond them, they should let their readers know…not leave them dangling.

As I was stewing over this, I heard that “small still voice” call me a hypocrite. Oh, yes, I guess I forgot. I too have a blog. It’s not much of a blog, but I have had a few more than kind emails lately asking how things are, and gently prodding me for my next blog article.

I am preparing a new blog entry for my fellow flower pressing friends. In the meantime, Here is an interesting “Pumpkin Prayer” for those of you who choose not to celebrate Halloween (like our family), but still celebrate God’s Harvest.

"Pumpkin Prayer"

{cut off top of pumpkin}Lord, open my mind so I can learn new things about you.

{remove innards}Remove the things in my life that don’t please you.Forgive the wrong things I do and help me to forgive others.

{cut open eyes}Open my eyes to see the beauty you’ve made in the world around me.

{cut out nose}I’m sorry for the times I’ve turned my nose at the good food you provide.

{cut out mouth}Let everything I say please You.

{light the candle}Lord, help me show your light to others through the things I do.
Amen

By: Liz Curtis Higgs

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Holy Autumn Leaf Cards?

The kids and I have been finding a surprising amount of “lacy leaves” the last few weeks or so, and I’m beginning to wonder if I will be able to find enough “unholy” autumn leaves for my autumn leaf cards this year!

Apparently Japanese Beetles are to blame. As much as I detest those annoying pests while I wage war against them to keep them away from my flowers, I have to admire their handiwork. By munching away the soft parts of the leaves, the beetles leave behind a stunning, intricate skelaton, much more interesting than the "fake" mass produced skelaton leaves commonly seen in craft and scrapbooking stores.

I'm looking forward to using a few of these hauntingly beautiful leaves in some of my framed autumn leaf collages this year. Who knows, I even may make a few cards with them.

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Japenese Beetles

New Pressed Flower Birthday Card

Elizabeth’s Flowers New Birthday Card

Well, it’s not totally new, but I’ve decided to go with a pink “Heaven’s Gate Coreopsis” flower instead of my previous purple pelargonium flower. I like the brightness of the pink flower better, and on a more practical note, I have been blessed with a wonderful harvest of them this year.

I’ve listed this pressed flower Birthday Card in my new Etsy shop. Coming soon … more pressed flower Inspiration cards!
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Etsy!

Presenting Elizabeth’s Flowers Etsy Shop

A number of my “E-friends” have been raging about how fun it is to shop on “Etsy”, and they’ve been encouraging me to open a shop an Etsy as well.

Basically it’s a place to “buy and sell all things handmade”, but what really stands it apart from others in the e-commerce Mecca, is that Etsy was designed by four creative guys (Rob from Brooklyn, Jared from Albuquerque, Haim from Jersey City and Chris from Philadelphia, who are trying to push the boundaries of how we shop online. Instead of “text only” searches that we do on places like eBay, or Amazon, the Etsy guys are exploring new technologies to lets us shop by color, place, time, and material. It’s really interesting!

Of course I’d like you to check out my budding store front first, but then try the cool the cool “Shop by Color” grid, the Geolocator, or the Time Machine. How fun!
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Orange Cosmos Flowers

The hot and sunny month of August ushers in a cascade or brilliant orange and yellow cosmos flowers. I look forward to these flowers every year, as they brighten up my front garden now that the pansies have dwindled away.

Orange cosmos flowers press beautifully with the Microfleur microwave flower press, and with their finely cut dark green foliage, these flowers seem to leap from the page when I use them in my pressed flower cards and framed art collages. What a joy to work with something that is already so beautiful!

As you might have guessed, my featured pressed flower card for the month of August is the Orange Cosmos Card.

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The Brookfield Farmer's Market

One of my favorite places to be on a sunny summer morning is at the Brookfield Farmer’s Market, just outside of Milwaukee.

One or two Saturdays a month during the summer I drag myself out of bed at 4:45, pack up my latest pressed flower creations and my EZ UP tent, and set off for my 90 minute trip to Brookfield. I savor the early morning drive through the countryside, watching the sun gently waking up the world, however, once I pull into the parking lot it’s a race against time to set up my little “stall”. Not that I have a huge amount of pressed flower cards, framed art, botanical luminaries to arrange (I wish! On the contrary, I never seem to have enough) … but there are so many sights and smells that intrigue me. The scents of basil and onions, freshly brewed coffee and mouthwatering bakery fill the air. There are friendly fellow vendors to greet before the onslaught of customers arrive, and most of all, there are the flowers. Tons of flowers! Almost every kind and color imaginable, and I’m always so tempted to explore each and every flower stall instead of getting down to business and readying my little piece of parking lot real estate.

At 7:30 the crowd begins to arrive. The Brookfield Farmer’s Market has been a good venue for me. My cards and art sell well there, and they seem to be a good fit with the natural items sold there. However, between sales I still have plenty of time for one of my favorite past times – people watching. Dog watching can also be interesting (I have concluded that some dogs really do seem to resemble their owners and vice versa).

I’m very thankful to be a periodic part of the market. If you are ever in the area on a Saturday morning, please stop by.


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The Lord is my Shepherd

I’m taking a quick respite from writing about the world of pressed flowers, to bring you something much more substantial.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss of Revive our Hearts Ministries is currently in the midst of an excellent series on Psalm 23. At first I thought it would be rather trite and dull, (who hasn’t heard parts of that Psalm at least a million times) but I was incredibly wrong! There are so many valuable principles waiting to be discovered in those familiar verses…if one will only take the time to read them with a fresh mind and heart.

The series is already nearing completion, but if you visit Revive Our Hearts you can download all the transcripts, and study them on your own. And, if you can find the time, here is something even better. Her teaching on Psalm 23 was actually taped at a recent conference, so you can actually see Nancy teaching on Psalm 23 here:
http://www.reviveourhearts.com/videos/

In hurried, hectic, and often bewildering times like these, I am immensely grateful to have my very own Shepherd. Please take some time to get to know your Shepherd. Your time couldn’t be more well spent.

Microfleur Flower List

Flowers that press well using the Microfleur Microwave Flower Press:

For those of you who are new to pressing flowers, I’d like to initiate a list of flowers which press well with the Microfleur Microwave Flower Press. (I’ve mentioned before that the Microfleur press is the main press I use – I think it’s wonderful!) The flowers listed below are flowers that I have found to consistently press beautifully in the Microfleur. I will be adding to this list from time to time, as I come across new flowers.

Also, please feel free to email me with your own discoveries, and I’d be happy to add them to our list!

- babies breath
- black-eyed-susans (Small ones. I grow a wild variety in the shade to keep them petite)
- borage flowers
- calendula (Flowers only. Sometimes the foliage burns when microwaved!)
- chamomile
- chive flowers (However, your Microfleur pads will smell like onions for quite sometime!)
- chrysanthemums
- common daisies
- coreopsis
- cosmos
- crocus
- delphinium
- edelweiss
- English daisy
- flax (the scarlet flax darkens to a pretty burgundy color)
- forget-me-nots
- heuchera flowers
- hydrangea blossoms
- larkspur
- lavender (they smell wonderful as they are being pressed!)
- lobelia (especially the red, purple, and blue types)
- orchids (the small fuchsia type. The flowers must be carefully dismantled before pressing)
- osteospermum (these are tricky, but the results can be well worth the effort)
- pansies
- poppies (not the orange California poppy. They press well initially, but fade within days!)
- potentilla flowers
- pelargonium (perennial geranium species)
- roses (I don’t often choose to press them, but the red and deep pinks retain color well)
- scabiosa
- tickseed
- tulips (I’ve been successful with red, yellow, and lavender colors)
- trascantia/spiderwort (They fade within a few years, but look wonderful initially)
- Queen Anne’s Lace (One of the few flowers that press almost as well in a phone book!)
- verbena (Some types darken slightly, but overall they are well worth the effort)
- violas
- wild or woodland violets

Are you looking for a Microfleur Microwave Flower Press? I am thrilled to have been appointed a US distributor of the Australian made Microfleur.

Happy Spring!

A number of you have e-mailed me regarding my Tutorial on Pressing Crocus Flowers with the Microfleur – thank you! Your comments were uplifting, and there were a number of ideas shared that I will write about at a later date. I will also be posting a “How to Press Pansies with the Microfleur” tutorial in two weeks, so please be watching for that. Pansies press beautifully with the Microfleur, but there are a few tricks and shortcuts I’ve learned over the years that I’d like to share with you.

The eagles I blogged about earlier are about to hatch! According to the Eagle Forum, they are due to hatch this Friday, give or take a day or two. What a blessing it will be to see such a beautiful event up close. I am so thankful for that Eagle cam!

For all of you who are watching the eagles, here's a woman who has put together an amazing album of pictures that you can watch as a slide show. If you haven't been able to watch the Eagle Cam consistently, this will allow you to see a lot of the events you may have missed.

http://imageevent.com/judiew/canadianeagles

Enjoy the wonder…

Microfleur Tutorial: How to Press Crocus Flowers

I was thrilled to find out a few months ago that I would be allowed to be a U.S. distributor of the Microfleur Microwave Flower Press. I bought my Microfleur press 5 years ago this May, and since then it has been in almost constant use. I am constantly amazed at how well it works in preserving the brilliant colors of flowers and foliage, almost instantly!

The following is the first in a series of flower pressing tutorials, using the Microfleur Flower Press.

“How to Press Crocus Flowers using the Microfleur”

Happy Pressing!

The Microfleur is designed and manufactured by Beeline Products Pty Ltd, of Queensland, Australia.

Free Garden Design Class

Barnes and Noble University is offering a free Garden Design class. Well known garden book author Becke Davis will be the instructor, and the class will focus on basic design concepts for those who already have a working knowledge of garden plants.

I’m excited about taking this class. My gardens are very utilitarian. They tend to be brimming with flowers that can be pressed, with my favorite herbs and heirloom vegetables slotted in wherever there’s room. I’m looking forward to learning how to structure my gardens in a more aesthetically pleasing way – a way that highlights the beauty of the plants. And perhaps I’ll even learn some concepts that will prove useful to my artwork.

The class starts on Monday, so look into it right away of you’re leaning towards taking it. There is one required book, and a number of recommended books, but other than that, it’s free!

Eagle Cam!

Oh, this is bad news for me. Especially now…when I have crocuses to press, and seedlings to tend to, a handmade paper class to prepare for, and preparations for spring art shows…not to mention the normal “Mom” duties I have.

I have a thing for big birds…sand hill cranes, blue herons, hawks and eagles. I’m not exactly sure why, but they fascinate me.

We live in a fairly rural area, and I am constantly scanning the sky as I drive (much to the horror of friends and family) looking for one of my birds… and 7 times out of 10, especially in the spring and summer, I end up seeing one of them. Often, I send up a prayer of thanks when I see one, especially a beautiful sand hill crane.

Anyways, I came upon a link for a live “eagle cam” this morning while checking out Challies.com as I do every morning. Years ago the Milwaukee PBS station had an eagle cam feed from northern Wisconsin, and in between episodes of Sesame Street, Calliou, Mister Rogers, and Barney, they would show a minute or two of the eagles. No, I wasn’t glued to the TV, but my children graciously and excitedly called me in whenever the eagle was on. Together we waited patiently for the mother eagle to hatch her eggs, we rejoiced when the little eaglets finally broke through their shells, we cried when the weaker and smaller of the two eaglets died. We were grossed out at feeding time, and watched with amazement at the rapid transformation the cute and fuzzy chick, into a young powerful eagle.

Here’s the eagle cam link for you. The nest is on Hornby Island, in British Columbia. http://www.infotecbusinesssystems.com/encoder/index.html
A few minutes ago I saw that she has two eggs, but things are fairly quiet now. It’s the time of waiting.

And they're off...

I started my seeds this weekend, and thankfully they’re already off and running.

For the first time this year, I’ll be using “grow lights,” instead of having to rotate my flats on the kitchen table, trying to keep them in the shifting beam of sunshine streaming in from the south facing window. Trying to constantly reposition them to keep them in the light got old fast, not to mention that my kitchen table was out of commission for months during daylight, which was challenging with my kids who love to do “kitchen table projects.”

As usual, I’m starting a number of flowers for pressing, such as cosmos, verbena, pansies, lobelia, and some flax, but I’ve also started a dozen Italian and purple basil plants (I can’t wait for fresh basil!) a number of heirloom tomatoes, and a few unusual sweet pepper plants. In a few weeks I also plan to start a few Corsican gourd seedlings, because I’m finding that they need a head start up here in Wisconsin, in order to really achieve a decent size.

A few things I learned while looking into purchasing grow lights:

-Jung’s catalog from up here in Wisconsin has a nice “beginner” set up on sale.

-Ebay has a huge selection, although most of the lights they carry are for “big time” hydro farmers. Many of the grow light sellers advertise that their light systems are shipped in plain packaging. Unfortunately I guess there must be quite a market for those who grow illegal plants!

- While you’re looking for grow lights, check out “heating mats.” I’ve been using one for years, and the gentle heat they radiate really speeds up germination time. However, after germination, put the seedlings under the grow lights in a fairly cool place. A cool environment will help your plants become sturdy and strong.

That’s all for now. I have been blessed with at least one hundred crocus flowers this spring, and each morning there are more to press. The Microfleur Microwave Flower Press I use does an awesome job with them. Crocus flowers require several short bursts in the microwave, with cooling time in between. If you need more information on how to use the Microfleur, just email me.

Swift Rejection

Last week I finally called the Chicago Botanic Garden. It took me awhile to get up the nerve, well, actually a long while, but after the encouragement of a number of artist friends and mentors, I called the curator of the Chicago Botanic Garden Gift Shop, and asked for an appointment to show my pressed flower cards.

Before I made the call, I went over a number of scenarios in my mind, planned out what I would say, and anticipated various questions that might come up. Finally I mustered up all my confidence, took a deep breath and made the call.

I was not prepared for the response I got. Laughter. Laughter? I was definitely caught off guard.

“Pressed flower cards? (while cackling) We have lost so much money on pressed flower cards. Nobody ever buys them. They are a waste of money – I’m definitely not interested in seeing your cards.”

The conversation pretty much died from there. I hadn’t anticipated that kind of response, and was basically speechless. Of course later I thought of lots of responses, brilliant responses, such as the fact that my cards are already in over 15 stores and galleries nationwide…

Thankfully that day was one of those breathtakingly beautiful warm early spring days, and I spent the remainder of the day with my son exploring the gardens and looking for new signs of life, and clearing away last year’s spent plants. Sure, rejection happens, but I’m thankful that it’s just a minuscule part of our life experience. God’s grace and new life are always all around us, and I am thankful.

By the way, I was accepted as a U.S. distributor for the Microfleur Flower Press, the exact press I use. This is pretty exciting for me, because I love this flower press, and it’s really a vital tool of my business.

Making Handmade Paper...

Handmade paper has certainly become a passion of mine. I first tried it about 7 years ago, after seeing Lynette Jennings make it on TV. When I look back at the first few pieces of hmp I made, I have to laugh…they are practically like cardboard. But, since then, and hundreds of pieces later, I am grateful to have come a long way. I have read a number of books, but I have learned the most about making handmade paper by surfing the net, and by just doing it…making it again and again. Trying new techniques, adding new fibers, experimenting with different equipment, using different pulp mixtures… all of these yield new and subtle surprises.

For my pressed flower cards I tend to use a basic pulp mixture of half recycled paper and half cotton linters, with various fibers or flower petals for added interest, but I also love using grocery bag pulp, with flecks of binder twine for more rustic, rugged paper. When I need a splash of color, I tear up white recycled paper with and throw a few sheets of colored tissue paper into my blender to make a brightly colored confetti paper. Last week I made an interesting paper using the paper from an old piano lesson book – tiny cute musical notes are sprinkled through out the paper.

Below I’ve included a few good handmade paper links. The first two are good instructional sites, the third is J.J.Goodwin, which is where I’ve purchase most of my mold and deckles. All of her kits contain an excellent instructional booklet, and lots of free pulp inclusions. If you happen to order one of Jane’s kits, please tell her that you heard about her from me. Maybe she’ll give me a discount next time I order from her!:)
11/01/07 I now sell my own paper making kits and paper making supplies.

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/makingpaper.html
http://www.exploratorium.edu/exploring/paper/handmade.html
http://jjgoodwin.com/

sLowlife

One of the artists I know from the Antioch Fine Arts Foundation recently found out that one of her photographs had been accepted into the sLowlife exhibition.

Currently on display in Washington D.C., sLowlife is an exhibit offering “a journey into altered perceptions—a window into the world of plants.” Using state of the art time-lapse photography, we are given a glimpse into the secret, very active life of plants. The frantic, “busyness” of the plants reminds me of our own fast paced lifestyles.

You can check out the companion website for sLowlife here. Who knew that sunflower seedlings dance a happy dance in response the light from above? Pause a moment and watch as a vase of tulips, seemingly frozen in place and time, reveal just how “unstill” they really are…like my squirming kids at church. Or, take a few moments to watch thick white roots doing their own busy dance…under the very ground we walk on. Amazing!

“For now we see in a mirror dimly…” 1 Corinthians 13:12

Forward Motion!

My blog is finally back from the dead, and is now in a new, more workable format...so more timely postings are on their way. Really!

The past week has been hectic, but very full of blessings. First, my new website template, created by Websonix has been completed, and Elizabeth's Flowers now has a more professional look, which it really needed. Tim Challies of Websonix maintained the patience of a saint as I changed my mind dozens of times as we finalized the "look" of the template. I wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone needing a web site design or re-design. And, many thanks to my mother-in-law who paid for the re-design (a combined birthday and Christmas present.)

Second, I'm thrilled to have been given the "go ahead" to be a distributor for Microfleur Microwave Flower presses - the exact press I use to press the vast majority of the flowers I use for my cards and framed art. This flower press is awesome - wait 'till you try it! Because Microfleur is located in Australia, it will be awhile before I actually receive my first shipment, but the presses will soon be available on my site, along with free flower pressing tutorials. Just in time for Spring!