Friday, May 18, 2012

Lavender Bottles

Spring has sprung, and it makes me happy. Some days are warmer than others, sometimes it rains. But I'm very glad winter is over, and I will take all unexpected weather I get. As long as it's warm.

A wonderful part of warmer weather is flowers. And when things start to bloom, so do ideas.
I love to press flowers for future use (use a phone book) or make sachets. Which is what this post is about.

Today's project is:
Lavender Bottles

What you need:
fresh lavender stalks
ribbon
string

First gather some lavender, cutting the stalks at least a foot long.
If you have to do this when it is fresh, because you bend it. And if the lavender is dried out or old, it will crack and break instead of bend.

Take about twenty stalks and tie a string around the whole bouquet, under the blossoms.
Then, one by one, bend the stems backwards downward. You will be encasing the blossoms in a 'bottle'.
This is an old fashioned craft.

Tie a ribbon around the stems about half way down. And use as a room air freshener (wave it around and it is a natural way to scent the air).
Or put it in a glass tray or place a few in a vase to keep the air smelling like wonderful lavender.

Now I have discovered as it dries out, the blossoms tend to fall out. So if I do this again, I will wrap the blossoms in netting BEFORE encasing them in their own stems.

Tip of the day:
This has nothing to do with lavender, except this tip smells good too, in a different way...BACON.
I find that a pack of bacon is too much for my hubby and I at one sitting. So when I buy bacon at the store, (especially when they are on sale then I buy several packages), I cut the whole package in half. Put each one in a ziploc bag and throw in the freezer. So when I need some yummy bacon, I take the half pack out, defrost in the micro, and fry up in the pan. It turns out to be just the right amount, with maybe a few left over for future use (bacon bits on salad, or BLT's).

That's all for this week...
:D

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Talent

I am surrounded by talented people, and I LOVE IT!
My family is talented, my friends are talented, my neighbors are talented.
Many can create art, some write, or dance, some craft, some sing.
And believe it or not, EVERYONE is talented at something. Whether you cook, or are good with people, perhaps you have a way with animals, or you can sew or knit, or you might be a great organizer, a photographer, etc., there is a special talent in you.

I just visited my future son-in-law, Yori's website. He's getting ready for an upcoming museum gallery show Feb. 2012. He has been working hard in his newly built home studio besides working full time at the junior college. Check out his site for a behind the scenes look at a sculptor at work.
http://www.yoriseeger.wordpress.com/

My daughter Dana has been driving up to Berkely these past few months on the weekends for a residency in print making. So besides planning their wedding, and working full time, these two have been super busy. She's making some great new prints, and actually is going to be teaching a class there in the future. Check out her website and blog.
http://www.dana.danabetsy.com/  and  http://www.apairofneedles.blogspot.com/

My younger daughter (by 1/2 hour) Betsy is in Nebraska right now. She took a leave of absence from her full time job at the University for a two week residency painting and creating at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center in Nebraska City. She is making some incredible new paintings. Check out her sites.
http://www.betsy.danabetsy.com/ plus you can go to Google+  and search for Betsy Barnum.
http://www.melittaberze.blogspot.com/  is her blog.

My husband also has a blog. He focuses on his travels, mostly with the BMW motorcycle club.
You can see some of his adventures at: http://www.tomtuco.blogspot.com/

So I hope you can find some inspiration today and bring out the talent in you. Today is a good day to look inside and do what you do best, whatever that may be! Perhaps you can start a blog of your own. It's easy, go to http://www.blogger.com/ and share your special talent.
If you have a blog already, I'd love to see it
Leave a comment below with your blog site.

tip of the day:
Take a second and let people know you appreciate them and their special talents.
A kind word from you sure can make someone's day!
I appreciate YOU!!! Thanks for reading.

That's it for this week...
:D