Taking Summer with me...to Christmas.

Every year at Christmas time

I participate in a craft sale in town.

(Yes, Christmas on the brain already.
But, it's a lovely thought!)

The craft sales at Christmas
motivate me to make a little extra Christmas money 

for presents for friends and family;
it's a great way to have some things made for gifts as well.

These were especially good sellers last year:

I bought frames at second hand stores and yard sales

and then did some calligraphy work 

surrounded by dried, pressed leaves and flowers.

Anybody can write neatly,

if guided by lines to keep them straight.

A bit of practice and time can do wonders
(Okay, if you're a doctor or a college professor,
I've met some exceptions,
but there may be hope for you yet).

Even some old painted cabinet doors...

can be transformed into pretty wall art.

But of course, what really makes these pictures beautiful

is the dried leaves and flowers.

Last year, I ran out of them,

so this year,

I tried a few more selections,

adding a variety of flowers.

Queen Anne's Lace should be a beauty when dried.

I used some books to press them

that I knew I wouldn't be using for a while

and that were heavy and large

to hold the flowers better.

I'm hoping these thin roses will dry okay;

they aren't as thick as hybrid roses.

This pink yarrow was just too pretty to pass by.

I'm not sure how it will dry,

but I thought it worth a try.

And these airy purple veronica have such a long bloom season;

I hope they keep some of their color the way violets do

since I forgot to do some violets when they were dancing in the springtime grass.

These garden phlox seemed a bit wet and fragile...

but if they end up gluing themselves to the pages,

they won't be hated for it.

The thing I told myself the most last year

was to dry more greenery.

Even when all the flowers run out,

greenery alone can be so stunning...

...like these interesting coral bell stalks...

which can also be broken up into little pieces.

The variety of coral bell leaves themselves

are promising of a bold touch;...

while the fairy-like leaves of the yarrow plant,

 will make a perfect background for any arrangement.



I even tried some thicker leaves that sported unusual patterns;

 I'll be sure to let you know how they turn out.


 Until that time,

They are safely tucked away under some heavy books

where little prying hands will not discover them...

 I hope.

If you'd like to try a fun and easy craft
that even your kids might enjoy,
get out for a walk and pick some pretty plants to press.

They look really sweet on cards, too;

Is there any of us who wouldn't love a good excuse to go take a refreshing walk?

"Consider the lilies how they grow:

they toil not, they spin not;

and yet I say unto you,

that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

Luke 12:27


Linking up to these great places:

The Refurbished Old Thermos.

I picked some flowers the other day 

to press in books for later use,

and there were plenty left over.

This old thermos that I got a while back at the second hand store

actually still has the unbroken crock inside,

but the outside had seen a little too much weather.

Moon loves to watch in great intensity

at whatever I do.

Such a willing pupil.

He pointed out to me that the thermos might be in need of some sprucing up,

especially since the rust had taken over the color of it.

I agreed, so I used my Paris Grey Annie Sloan Chalk paint,

which can be used on pretty much anything,

and after I coated it,

I picked a graphic I liked from the Graphics Fairy blog.

There seems to always be something suitable at the Graphic Fairy.

So I colored on the back of the design with charcoal pencil,

taped it to the thermos,

and traced the design on.

I got my acrylic calligraphy ink out,

(so I know it will be permanent and won't bleed)...

and I drew/traced it on with my calligraphy pen.

It was a bit tedious,

this design.

I got a little annoyed with myself for picking such a detailed one,

but I worked on it in between child demands,

and I am happy with the results.

 

I added a verse I like to the center,

and after it was dry and I'd wiped the charcoal pencil off,

I waxed it with Fiddes and Son clear wax,

with just a touch of Rugger Brown for a little age.

It's funny how you can trace something

and not realize the detail of the picture...

until you are actually tracing it.

I added a bird in on this side.

Can you spy it?

It is fun when something old and ugly is spared and repurposed;

and such a pleasant job it has now, too!

Many thanks to The Graphics Fairy

for featuring my thermos on her

"Brag Monday."

Linking to these great places:
Shades of Amber




iheartnaptime

My Grandma's Monster.

Deep in the dark, damp basement

has lived the monster I inherited from my Grandmother.

We don't always get along;

it's seen many more years than I

and doesn't tolerate my lack of patience with it.

It is my Grandmother's sewing machine,

and despite it's age and use,

it just keeps right on sewing.

While in the process of sewing,
I call it none better than a hateful monster:
it breaks so many needles,
bunches and chews up material,
and breaks up my threads.

I get so exasperated and think a new machine will work better,
but this thing keeps on working;
and with a few tweaks every now and then
we manage to get the jobs done.

I decided it was high time to rescue it from it's moldy environment

and put it in a place where it's life would be better preserved...

 

and I might actually use it more.

 I resorted to Annie Sloan's chalk paint again.

This is graphite, a deep gray, almost black.

As I was painting,

I noticed a decorative strip was missing on the front door.

I'd never noticed it when it was wood,

but it was quite obvious with the paint.

So I turned to a solution I'd seen on a blog.

First I marked the areas with tape

so that I could keep the width of the strip the same,

and so I'd create a straight line.

I put on some gloves because this is some toxic smelling/feeling stuff.

This multi-purpose repair putty

has a picture of repairing a soap dish in a shower,

so it's a pretty strong adhesive substance.

As long as the dark blue and white remain separated,

it seems to stay moist like clay.

When a piece is pulled off and smooshed together,

a chemical reaction occurs,

and it will begin to set up in about 5 to 10 minutes,

so I've found it is best to use small portions and work in segments.

Otherwise when it starts to dry,

the piece becomes hard, crumbly, and totally unmanageable.

I rolled a thin piece out and stuck it to the cabinet.

Then after that had set-up about 10 minutes later,

I added a second piece to fill in any gaps and to try to give it a more even appearance.

This is definitely something that needs a bit of practice,

but I'm satisfied with how it came out for myself on the first two pieces I've used it on.

(I'll show a decorative piece on a chair I just fixed in the future).

After the graphite chalk paint,

I decided to experiment,

and I used regular latex paint on top for the colors.

I used a white called "Linen" and the green was a collaboration

of two colors,

as I'd done on the floor.

When thoroughly dry,

I waxed the whole thing with Fiddes and Son "Clear" and "Rugger" waxes.

 Some pretty glass knobs I had ordered through Van Dyke's Restoration were added.

(They were a great sale when I ordered my kitchen hardware).

 

 The added putty strip is a little rough,

but I think it looks better with it

than it did without.

 I have to tell you, the latex (I used satin and semi-gloss paints)

seemed like a plastic coating over the chalk paint.

It seemed to peel a little easier than I had hoped in places,

but the wax helped seal it
and the chipped places ad to the old look,

so I'm fine with it.

I think if a flat paint was used over the chalk paint,

this would not be a problem.

I am pleased with her pretty transformation

as well as her bright new location.

 I think if Grandma were alive,

she'd be happy to see I'm taking much better care of her machine.

I am so very happy to be BACK!!  My computer had a bad mother brain

(sounds rather Frankenstein, doesn't it)

and had to be rebuilt,

so I had a week's break to can vegetables,

vacuum fleas,
work on projects,

and spend some time with the kids,

and my sister who came down for a visit.

But I did miss you all and look forward to catching up!

Thank you so much for all your sweet comments on my previous post!)

Linking up here:
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