Pressed Flowers

 

Sometimes I just can't get enough of the flowers in our backyard.  Or sometimes from a special place we visit.  Soooooo........

One of my fave memories.  Laura spent a couple of weeks with us in May 2021. She and I spent hour after hour visiting on the patio, sharing our world while the backyard flowers put on a show around us.  So after she left, I made this frame for her with some of her faves.

This one is hanging on our wall.

The guest rooms are home to these frames.  All the above are from 2021.

I put these 2 together in December 2022 with flowers from spring, summer, and fall of 2022. 

They make sweet gifts,  to self or others, and all you need to do is press the flowers while they still have some color.  Use parchment paper or paper towel, a book, and some weight on top of the book.  Press at least 2 or 3 weeks.  Some of these stayed in my closet for months. 

Christmas Vases - napkin decoupage

 

Well, the Covid-19 isolation period is long gone, thankfully.  But I'm spending a couple of weeks self-isolating in preparation for my knee replacement.  So I'd set aside a bunch of jars since the last time I did some napkin decoupaging: candle jars, syrup bottles, food jars.  So there's no time like the present to  bring out the white acrylic pain, sealer, Christmas napkins, and modpodge.  I hit Dollar Tree for some Christmas "stems" to go in them. 

Always fun and great gift.  A couple of these will go to homebound ladies that my friend, Lisa, visits.

The rest will be "warm fuzzies" for friends. 

Rag (Ribbon) Christmas Trees

 

My Inspiration

         David and I went camping the week before Thanksgiving with Bill and Pam at Lake Catherine. So during the week, the 4 of us visited Central Market Flea Market in Hot Springs.  We just loved one of the lady's "rag trees", but decided we could make them ourselves.  But I did break down and went back to get one of the taller ones for $18. She used wired ribbons tied onto a painted yardstick-sized piece of wood, a bucket from Dollar Tree with what looks to me like a sublimation transfer.  Love the colors.

A friend from church gave me about 22 plus mason jars that her daughter sent to her. I did some googling and came up with a plan (which included a lot of trial and error), to make smaller versions.

These 2 are others that Pam and I saw at the flea market.

While googling, I saw this one that I really like, using a little Dollar Tree tree and adding ribbons.

But back to me.  First step was painting the jars I was given and the few I'd saved.  I prefer to use acrylic because it seems to adhere to glass better than chalk paint imo.  I gave them a couple of coats and sealed.  I'm finding the same little can of paint that I started with a couple of years ago is still doing just fine for this craft after sitting out in our storage bldg through the seasons.  

Then I did some napkin decoupage with, well, napkins and modpodge.  Sealed again.

I used 11 or 12 inch dowels, anchored them with wax (and I just happened to have a drawer full of unused scentsy blocks, as well as some partially used candles that I was finished with, so these trees smell pretty good, too), and then tied on the ribbons after the wax was dry.  This was my biggest trial and error. I used floral blocks, glue, rocks, glass "pebbles", but none of those things work as well as wax. Toward the end of this post, I'll share something that I'll try next year that'll prob be even better.

I also tied the ribbon onto the dowels before sticking them in wax, but backtracked on that.  Just easier to anchor them first.

I ordered little metal, rusty stars from amazon and gave them a couple of imperfect coats of yellow acrylic and sealed.  I thought I was ordering some without holes in them, but they do have tiny holes so you can make ornaments, garland, etc.  Not too visible because I made sure the holes were at the bottom of the star when I glued on. Hot glue took care of the stars on the dowels nicely.

Here's Lani's tree which I think looks great on her red desk.

I love the moss on the one that I bought. But DT was out and it is so expensive at the craft stores and amazon.

So I had some brown paper lunch sacks on hand and shredded them to make some paper "moss".  Since so many of these are going to travel, I didn't bring the paper moss all the way to the top.

And remember I said I have something better than glass to anchor those dowels with? Once I got completely finished, I started googling.  Evidently spray foam is a go to for crafters.  A can is $3 or $4 and you only need a small bit in each jar because it greatly expands.  So, next year.....

And here's the tree that Lisa chose.  Looks great with her sun shining down on it!

4 of the trees went to homebound ladies from Antioch, and then the 2 ladies that shared the jars with me each will get one, and my neighbors and other friends will get one.  It really makes a fun and easy gift!  And..... it kept me occupied as I wait on my knee replacement.  (which is the day after tomorrow as of this post)

 Next year's will be much less time consuming than this year's because I learned a few things!

Snowman Jars

 

This idea came about as I was doing napkin decoupage during the quarantine, and is a cross between the decoupaged jars and the snowman glasses I painted.  Super easy with acrylic paint, sealer, paint pens, and garnishments. I think they're fun!