Tipping the Pansy Teacup

 

It's been fun sharing about pansies this week. They are such a friendly, expressive flower. Just looking at their happy faces makes me smile! I hope you've enjoyed learning about these garden friends. I have a few more things to share about pansies today. Today's post is a bit of an assortment of ideas related to pansies. Please bear with me and next week we'll start a new topic with a bit more clarity than what you're seeing here today.

 

Pansies are a subject that's photographed and painted fairly often. They can be found on stationary, gift wrap, or in magazines. Clip art of pansies can be found on the Internet as well. Here's a craft project with which you can use the pansy pictures you like (or color photocopy them so you don't destroy the original) to make stickers. Everyone loves stickers! They are fun for children and adults alike. They can be used to stick on envelopes, assignments, packages, and more.  Some people create entire journals or books filled with stickers!  Making your own stickers out of magazine pictures, wallpaper samples, gift wrap, or drawings is even more fun!  You can even use old greeting cards and family photos.

Homemade Stickers
Here's a recipe for this fun craft.

2 parts white glue
1 part white vinegar

1)  Create a sticker sheet by gluing pictures on an 8 x 11 sheet of paper or by sketching them on.  Color if desired.

2)  Photocopy on a color copy machine.

3)  Coat the entire back of the page with the white glue/white vinegar mixture.

4)  Allow page to dry completely.

5)  Apply a second coat of white glue/white vinegar mixture.  

6)  Allow page to dry completely.

7)  Using scissors, cut out pictures to create stickers.  Leave a small, white border around each picture.

8)  To use, moisten back of sticker and apply to page, envelope, or more.



 

And look! Yesterday when shopping for groceries at the supermarket, I saw the most recent issue of Martha Stewart Living. On the front cover was a cake decorated with pansies. How fun! I did not copy her with my series this week, but I wonder...did she copy me? Of course not, but it is fun to imagine. 

Pansies can be found in my bedroom too. This little bird's nest is hanging on the wall and little silk pansies add color and flair.

Above the bed is a watercolor painting of pansies. It was painted by my mother whose love for pansies was so genuine and deep!

Dad and Alma have been here to visit this week. Here's dad, tipping his pansy teacup to you! He's saying: "Hello, friends! I'm glad you've stopped by my daughter's blog today." Dad does not know a stranger. We went to town yesterday and he befriended everyone in his path.

Lastly, yesterday while shopping I came across two beautiful planters of pansies at a pretty art and decorating shop. They were abundant! Blooms were spilling over the sides of the planters. Such cheer! Such joy! Such delight!

Enjoy a happy and blessed day!

Adventures in Soap Making

Winter days are short. Without flowers, gardens, and sunshine they can become dreary. We've had a series of overcast days recently. Until yesterday, the sun hadn't been seen for weeks. It's at times like this that it is helpful to try doing something new and different.

So, we decided to make soap. We've made some kinds of soaps before using the French mill process and glycerin gel soaps. But, this was our first attempt at making soaps the old-fashioned way.

Ingredients like pumice powder, ground walnut shells, and bamboo extract were carefully measured into a small bowl.

A programmable computer chart helped us decide percentages of butters and oils to put into the mix. Avocado butter, rice bran oil, coconut butter, olive oil, and caster oil were some we selected from. Each has its own quality and fragrance.

The kitchen was given the respect of a chemistry lab when the sodium hydroxide lye came out. Goggles, rubber gloves, lots of ventilation, and a large bucket were helpful tools in keeping us safe when we used this helpful product.

The soap mold was carefully prepared. Oils were heated to just the right temperature. Liquid and lye were carefully mixed together and then carefully added to the oils. Stirring and the addition of fragrance and cosmetic aids were added.

Everything was timed and calculated with care. Our first batch was a very masculine soap, but one that is an exotic "designer" soap to be sure! Pumice powder and activated charcoal were key ingredients to the "stone-like" bars of soap.

The second batch of soap involved the development of a special recipe for "black tea soap". It smells heavenly! Containing lots of real tea, a blend of special oils, and a special crock-pot method for soap mixing, it turned out perfectly and smells good enough to eat (oh, I mean to drink, of course).

The soaps are curing now. When they are ready, I'll try to remember to post a picture for you to see.

It's Time for Pumpkin Bouquets!

  Yesterday I sent Karleen an email, saying that it was time for us to make pumpkin bouquets again.  In a previous autumn I received a phone call from her, saying that she was working on a birthday gift for her friend and wondering if I would like to come and make one too. It sounded so interesting because she said the process used pumpkins, an ice pick, and fresh flowers. I remember thinking that 'housework could wait'! I gathered my kitchen shears and a container and went out to my flower garden to see what I could contribute to the flower craft.

When I got there, Karleen had small pumpkins set out on her counter and some sharp tools so we could poke holes in the pumpkin to stick flower stems into.

Roses, lavender, mums, and amaranth, provided us with more than enough blossoms. Although we've had our first frost, there were enough nice flowers left for this fun project.

Karleen and I each used a different method of tackling our project. I started at the top, creating a cascading effect in an asymmetrical way. Karleen chose to select points at strategic places equal distance from one another all the way around her pumpkin. Her approach was quite symmetrical and balanced. Both methods created fun and pretty pumpkin bouquets. I couldn't help but think how each style reflected our personalities and the way we approach life. I have learned much over the years from my friend about balance and how to tackle a project. Karleen is the one who always finishes a project before she starts the next one; I tend to have a dozen projects going on at once and sometimes some get forgotten before I complete them. I am trying to be more like my friend in this regard!

 

At first it was difficult to know how to deal with flower buds that were taller than others on the pumpkin surface. I finally decided to embrace the difference in height, making it part of the balance and decor.

As time went on, I admit to becoming a little bit outlandish with the heights, but I was satisfied with the end result. Bunches of lavender poking out from the sides, and cascading amaranth gave a very eclectic feel to my bouquet.

It was hard to get enough leverage with the ice pick once we had flowers on the top. So, Karleen found her husband's drill and it worked perfectly in making holes at the base of the pumpkin so we could finish our project. Thanks, Richard! I hope we didn't leave any pumpkin pulp on the drill bit!

Drinking glasses provided as base and height as we neared the completion of our projects. It was easier to see and work with the pumpkin bouquet raised to near eye-level.

  This was my finished pumpkin bouquet; bright colors, sprigs of lavender, and dangling amaranth set in a base of miniature roses and mums.

Karleen's bouquet was soft and sweet with the addition of a strand of mini-pearls on top. Her arrangement is beautiful and is now gracing the home of "the flower lady" down the street. Happy Birthday, flower lady!

Papers, Old & New

 

Crafts made from something as simple as paper can be beautiful and fun to make.  Since scrapbooking and altered art is so popular, pretty papers are readily available and a crafter is simply limited by their own imagination.  Both old and new papers can be used.  I found these pretty boxes in an antique mall recently, and appreciated how they had utilized both types of papers for these covered box projects.  The boxes are lightweight, balsa-wood boxes that are readily available in most craft stores.  A coat or two of acrylic paint provided the base. Paper was cut to size and glued on with a lightweight spray adhesive.  I especially love the 'old' photos used for the vintage family boxes. The papers were made by photocopying and enlarging pictures from the past.  What a creative way to use the old in a new way!