Last night I went to my last Paper Batik class at at the Lemon Street Gallery in Kenosha, and this time I brought along some nature prints I made, to use as a background for my batiks.

Starting at the top left, the ginko print, and the two tall hosta leaf prints are on rice paper.  However, the bottom left geranium leaf print, and the black hosta leaf print on the lower right are on my handmade paper. 

I usually don't apply a lot of pressure to my handmade paper, so it tends to be on the soft side (applying pressure to freshly made hmp compacts the fibers, making the paper stronger), so I was curious to see if my hmp could withstand the repeated coloring and waxing involved in batik. 

When I got to class, I applied alternating layers of colors and wax to the prints. Because the pieces needed to dry thoroughly before removing the wax, that still needs to be done.  I plan on showing you the results next week, and I can't wait to see how they turn out myself!

Have a great weekend!

Making free handmade paper...

I had the privilege of being a guest blogger on Mariel and Jessica's "Or so she says..." blog this weekend.  I wrote a brief tutorial on making "free" handmade paper with 100% recycled paper.

The tagline for "Or so she says"  is " a daily dose of great ideas" and that it is!  Check it out, and see if you don't find a great idea or two to inspire you...

String Garden?

I'm busy filling orders today, as well as preparing for a guest blog post this weekend.

But, I wanted to share this "String Garden" idea with you.  I'm not sure what to make of it, are you?  But isn't it interesting?  I would love to know how they do it...and why.

Better!

Pressed Maple Leaf Collage

Matted, 8" x 12" 

I am back in the saddle again!  Two weeks ago my children and my husband all took turns getting the flu, while I ran around dutifully taking care of everybody.  Soon I found myself bragging about my superior immunity.

Then I was reminded that God hates a prideful heart! The flu hit me hard and after 8 long days on the couch it is such a blessing to be healthy again.  I'll be back to my 3 day a week blogging schedule this week.

Have you ever seen anything like this???

Here's a quick scan of some purple smoke bush leaves I just pressed.  Has anyone ever seen anything like this?  Only a few of the leaves at the very top of the bush had this incredible design.  These are so cool!

Fading Hosta Leaves

We were blessed with an unexpectedly nice day yesterday! 

The weather people had called for yet another day of rain, but instead we had mostly sunny skies with a warm 60 degree breeze.  What a treat!

After the Packer game we headed outside to do some raking, and I was intrigued with the lovely mounds of fading hosta leaves.  They have gone through several light frosts, and their color is slowly draining away.  The dark grass doesn't really show it, but some of the leaves are actually translucent! 

I'm thinking of what kind of botanical collage I can make with them... Any ideas?

Calling all pressed flower and botanical artists...

Horticulture Magazine is celebrating "the centuries-long marriage of gardening and art" with an art contest for mediums of any kind.  Winners will be selected in two categories:

*plants and flowers

*gardens and landscapes

The entry deadline is December 1st.  Let's all get busy!

The Horticulture Garden Art Competition

The worth of a book...

This is my favorite book.  After the Bible of course, but I find endless beauty and inspiration for my art in this book.  The Pressed Plant, by Andrea DiNoto and David Winter, is a collection of pressed botanicals from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries.  But beyond that, the authors examine the artwork created within the plants themselves. 

Much of these pressings were put together by early botanists solely interested in preserving their specimens for posterity, yet the beauty of the plants comes shining through, all on their own! 

Because so many inquisitive new flower pressers frequent my website, I have opened the Elizabeth's Flowers Amazon Bookstore to include the key books that have influenced my botanical art journey thus far. Maybe some of them will be helpful on your journey as well!

The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.  
~James Bryce

The very latest in storing pressed flowers...

Previously I blogged about how I store my pressed flowers in large foil zip lock bags. 

Well, I eventually found these large bags to be cumbersome to store, hard to zip up after use, and quality issues were also occasionally a problem.

We learn as we go, and now I have a new pressed flower storage method that is working so much better for me.  See if it doesn't help you as well.     

Up or down?

I can't decide if I'd hang my latest unframed art creation up or down.  I seem to change my mind by the minute!  At least when I create my pressed flower art there's no question.  Stem at the bottom, flower on top.

At any rate, this unframed pressed fall leaves art collage is now available, with leaves from Wisconsin.   We are currently at peak color, and as soon as it stops raining I intend to go out and enjoy them! And press more of them as well.

There's an app for that!

I've been accused of being addicted to my iphone.  Here's another reason to be - now there's a gardening app!  One can reap what they sow with help from Botanical Interests. There doesn't seem to be much on flowers, but there is detailed info on vegetable and herb gardening, tips and tricks, and even a coupon for 5% off your first seed purchase from the company who designed the app.

$5.99 at the itunes app Store.

It's a good day...to make paper

Happy Columbus Day!

It's a balmy, cloudy 36 degrees here in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.  I've decided to forgo my plans of doing some much needed garden clean up today, (after our hard frost Saturday night) and make paper in my warm kitchen instead.

I will be making a large batch of small papers for my pressed flower cards, as well as some larger square handmade papers for a series of leaf pictures I have planned.  

By the way, I just read that it's National Pumpkin Pie day today.  I think I'll make one of those too!