Dried Flowers

Nature's beauty abounds on the hillsides and along the roadways. This is a picture of the sage in bloom among the other herbs in the garden. Its soft floral petals are a lovely shade of pink.





The Queen Anne's lace floats gently in the wind. I can see where it gets its name because the tiny floral botanicals look like bits of lace. As I touched the blossoms they felt like velvet in my hands. What beautiful gifts nature provides!






Tracie Lyn gave me this fantastic botanical press. It is a very large size ( 12"x 24") which allows me to dry many florals all at one time. I thought I would share a few tips on drying flowers in case any of you have thought you would like to dry some florals from your garden. You do not need a special press. A very heavy book will do. In fact, that is what Tracie Lyn and I used for many years. Purchase a tablet of NewsPrint paper at Michael's or Hobby Lobby. I would tell you to use a newspaper but the ink may rub off on your florals. Rather than cut the NewsPrint paper - fold it to a size that will fit in the book. That way you can reuse.




Then grab a sack and a pair of old scissors and go to your garden of favorite flowers. As you cut your florals leave a stem on them. You can always cut it off later once the floral has dried. With the stem left on you can use it that way if you want the look of the stem. Depending on the floral you may not be able to leave a stem. That is fine. Once I have the sack full of florals I start placing the blossoms between the NewPrint folds.


Gently lay each floral separately and press it flat with your hand so you can see it will show the petals once it is pressed. Once the paper is full place it inside the book. Then repeat this until the book is very full. It is okay if the stems stick out a little. After the book is as full as you can get it, close it and press the book covers together very tightly. You can then place it on the bottom of a stack of heavy books or you can have someone hold it together tightly and wrap a couple of times with masking tape to secure it. Set the book on the shelf for a few weeks








This is Queen Anne's lace that is waiting to be pressed. Notice the large lacy floral. I will lay these on the NewsPrint paper then take my hand and press the floral flat to the paper, cover the floral with paper, press all as flat as possible then slip into the book.




These are lovely florals and sage blossoms that I pressed about 3 weeks ago.

Here are some helpful hints:

1. Pick the florals in the afternoon or evening. If you pick them in the morning they will have dew and can be more difficult to dry or the excess moisture may form mold then you will need to discard them.

2. Use a used gift bag with handles so that it will hang it on your arm then both hands are free for cutting.

3. Use white paper plates or napkins to dump the freshly picked botanicals. This is a hint from Tracie Lyn. This enables you to see the small insects that came in with the botanicals.

3. Be sure to have a very heavy weight on the book that you are using for the pressing or tape very tightly. You want to ensure the botanicals are flat as possible.

4. Handle extremely carefully once they are dried as they crumble easily.

5. Store the dry botanicals in a box with a layer of paper between each layer of botanicals. I use printer papers.

6. Keep an open mind when collecting the florals. Sometimes very small blooms on bushes make the prettiest pressed flowers. Also, some flowers have very small individual blossoms that form the larger flower. I cut each blossom then I have some very small florals for projects.

7. If you want to make a press: Take corrigated cardboard and use between each of the NewsPrint. This allows for air flow. Here is how to layer: Corrigated cardboard, NewsPrint (with florals), Corrigated cardboard, NewsPrint, etc. Then weight down with something heavy. If you want to make a wooden top and bottom; cut 2 each 1/2 inch thick pieces of plywood (one for the top and one for the bottom.) The layers of corrigated cardboard and NewsPrint are sandwiched in between and wrapped tightly.

Tracie Lyn and I will be bringing many Missouri and Kansas botanicals for incorporating into your projects.

Art Unraveled is only 5 weeks away and we are very excited to meet all of you!

THANK YOU CLOTH, PAPER,SCISSORS!!!

I want to express a very special thank you to Patricia (Pokey) Bolton for the wonderful write up in the Cloth Paper Scissors web magazine. Her interview with Tracie Lyn truly expresses the relationship that Tracie and I share. The essence of the article captures in detail the love and companionship that we have been blessed to experience together.

Words cannot express how grateful we are that Pokey included us in this fantastic artistic media! The article in the July/August 2007 Cloth Paper Scissors that is available at book stores across the country was super and this on-line piece is truly the "topping on the cake." To be included in these publications with some of the best artists we know humbles us. We could never have dreamed our fun together could touch so many.

Thank you, Pokey, and thanks to all our wonderful family and friends who are supporting us spiritually and emotionally on this - the experience of a lifetime!

WE ARE TRULY BLESSED!!!!

Love to all of you,

Marylin

The Wheggies of Willowbrook

Today I want to introduce the Wheggies to all of you. These are little angel fairies that I feel are ever present in our world. I hope you enjoy meeting them. Please feel free to leave me a comment regarding how you feel about the Wheggies. I will be posting short stories about them from time to time. I hope you enjoy the pictures of these small creatures. I have created these angel fairies so that you can see what I envision these lovely beings look like in their various surroundings.







Who Are The Wheggies of Willowbrook?

In all the land that is near, Wheggies scurry about spreading joy, happiness, beauty, and love. Wheggies are small angel fairies present everywhere. They are various colors and no two Wheggies look alike. Individuality plays an important part in the role of a Wheggie with its name being indicative of the function it performs. Each instinctively knows its purpose and immediately pursues its daily tasks with vigor and purity of heart.

While all humans enjoy the fruits of the Wheggies’ labor, rarely are they aware of the Wheggies’ presence. Often the only time a human will experience awareness of a Wheggie’s presence is when a slight touch is felt but nothing is seen, or a gentle drop of moisture falls unexplained upon the check. The slight touch that tickles the skin is a Wheggie’s wing brushing gently as it swishes past. The moisture drop is the gentle kiss of a Wheggie.

Words cannot describe the feelings of joy and happiness within a human that the loving, caring nature a Wheggie creates. It matters not whether a human is blind, crippled, or deaf because the love of a Wheggie is “felt” not seen touched or heard. A Wheggie can only be felt within the human heart and can never be duplicated.

Some Wheggies go about their tasks during the day while others work under the cover of the darkness of night. Regardless, a Wheggie always sleeps in a willow tree beside a babbling brook. During the nighttime hours the leaves of the willow surrounds the sleeping Wheggie like a curtain of moonbeams. And as the Wheggies of the night sleep during the daylight hours the willow creates a gently curtain of shade protecting them from the bright sunlight.

From time to time humans lose pieces of treasured jewelry that go unfound no matter how diligent the search. When a Wheggie discovers a lost treasure it places the cherished gem in its hair or on its garment. It is considered the ultimate act of love to rescue a lost gem. The Wheggie wears the gem forever with pride and joy.

When a Wheggie flies about the land, the fullness of its hair creates a breeze that blows gently to assist the bees and other insects as they move about. The hair is a distinguishing mark of a Wheggie and flows about it like a soft cloud floating in the sky. The Wheggie’s garment, hair and wings reflect the colors surrounding it as it works, thus enabling it to blend and remain unseen. The gem it wears reflects sunbeams creating a prism of color. Clouds capture the colors, and then transform the colors into a beautiful rainbow one sees following the rain.

There are times when a Wheggie becomes ill from various hazards in the environment. When this happens all Wheggies gather together and pray for a speedy recovery. As they cry tears of sadness for their friend, the tears form raindrops that fall to the earth. The falling tears nourish the plants and quench the animals’ thirst. This gift of rain created by a Wheggie’s love for a cherished friend provides a way for the Wheggie to share the gift of friendship. The trees bow in admiration exposing the underneath of each leaf enabling it to absorb the raindrops as they fall to the earth. Animals drink from the streams where the tears gather to receive nourishment after the sun pushes the clouds away. The sun then smiles upon the earth bringing warmth and comfort to the Wheggies. As the sun touches their wings the Wheggies bask in the joy of knowing that love and happiness continues to spread aimlessly about the land. They fly happily about giving thanks that their friend is well.

Wheggies labor relentlessly to ensure that flowers, fruits and trees display their deepest colors and fragrances. They enjoy watching the insects, animals and children at play. Laughter is a song to their ears and brings warmth to their tiny hearts. They know the feelings they share are also felt deep within all creatures that roam the earth. The beauty of the land forms the basis for a pallet where the various colors come together and blend creating a beautiful canvas.

So, as you smell the sweetness of a breeze, see a beautiful flower, or admire the twinkle of a star, think about all the Wheggies working in harmony and synchronized in the feelings of love. Don’t brush away the tickle felt on your arm; don’t wipe away the gentle drop of moisture on your cheek. Instead, you should smile and enjoy the warmness in your heart as you have been touched or kissed by a Wheggie as it passed closely by you.

© Copyright 2004 Marylin F. Huskamp

™ Registered Trademark Pending

SWAP FINISHED!!!!

Here are the completed 4x4's for Elise's swap! I decided to embellish them so I used various ephemera. Also put beads and buttons on the yarns. Hope you like them!

Heart Card Swap

Here I am creating my 4x4 Heart cards for the swap hosted by Elise Buskey. I am having so much fun with this project. As with all my work, I simply must include fabric and fibers on the project somewhere.


I decided to cut my watercolor paper into 4x8 pieces using scissors with a decorative blade to create a shaped edge. Once all the pieces were cut,I painted them with purple metalic acrylic paint using a crumpled paper towel. On top of the dried purple paint I dabbed silver metalic paint using another crumpled paper towel. This was random to create a pattern of purple and silver.







Of course now the fabric comes into play. Using the fiber techiques Tracie and I teach in our classes I made this beautiful piece of fabric.




I cut a heart template from a piece of watercolor paper scrap and began cutting fabric hearts. Each card will have a large heart on the front then I will make a tiny heart to put on the back.






Using a satin stitch on the machine I sewed the hearts to the watercolor paper. Under the pointed edge of the heart I placed strands of yarns and ribbon. I haven't decided whether to leave these dangle as is or if I should put some beads on them. Guess time will dictate that decision.

The final step was to fold the card in half to create the 4x4 size for the swap and stitch the edges together. Once I have all of them completed I will punch holes in the left side so Elise can bind them in her book.

I can hardly wait to see all the beautiful cards that everyone will be making for the swap.

I've Been Tagged Twice!!!!

I hope getting tagged twice - once by my friend Debbie and once by my lovely daughter-in-law, Tracie Lyn -does that mean I have to tell 16 random things about myself? I hope not!! I have been frantically creating art and almost forgot they tagged me! Let's see I think it was eon ago!

Well, here goes:

1. Yellow is my very favorite color but no one would know. When I look in my closet almost all items are blue. In my art I seem to gravitate to pink and purple, go figure! Maybe I don't that yellow isn't my favorite color!?

2. Love to be around people but yet I really enjoy my alone time! I love the early mornings - love the sunrise and the birds singing! It is the time I love reading my favorite book with no interuptions. Views of my garden keep me connected to God's wonderful gift of nature undefined. It is fun to watch the small animals - they have such personalities!





3. Art has always been a secret passion! While I have my day job, I work to support my passion --ART!!! When I am in my art room creating I am totally absorbed. My husband refers to it as my cave. He ventures in once in a while but does it cautiously as he never knows what to expect!

4. Never had 5th or 7th grade. Went from the 4th to the 6th grade, did 8th grade work in the 7th grade and in the 8th grade worked on high school work. Went 2 years of college, got married, stayed home and raised our boys---LOVED all those wonderful years!!! MISS them TERRIBLY! Then went back to college and got my BS and MPA. I tell everyone I still haven't decided what I want to be when I grow up!! My mom used to say I would go to school the rest of my life. (God Bless her soul)



5. Want to finish a book I have started about angel/fairies I call "Wheggies". I love to write although I tend to let it take a back seat to other artistic endeavors. Please watch for their adventures in future blogs.



6. Have always wanted to go to Hawaii. It is my dream vacation!



7. My family is the most important thing in the world to me - I would sacrifice anything for our children and my husband is truly a keeper! My art teaching adventures with Tracie Lyn rank as some of the most wonderful experiences in my life! I love Tracie Lyn like she was my own - would adopt her but then she couldn't be my fantastic daughter-in-law and my son would be lost without her! They are truly a couple in love!





8. Retire? NEVER! Too many things yet to accomplish! Working in my art room takes me to the "Fifth Dimension"!

New Items in My Little Shop

Finally got my etsy shop updated with a few items. My goal is to get more items out there as soon as possible. I got some journals posted but haven't gotten the berets on there yet. Seems there just aren't enough hours in the day.

Hope you enjoy the items and these preview pics. Please do leave comments to let me know your thoughts. Also, if you have some suggestions for various colors for journals as I create any color.

This is sure to be a favorite. This is a one of a kind altered composition book that will make a great journal.



This is another one of a kind altered composition book.

















Some small 4x4 spiral books for your purse so you can take notes:

Creating

Here are two of my favorite pictures created using fiber fusion:



This first picture I call "Sea Beauty" as it reminds me of life beneath the sea. A beauty that floats with the current yet is mostly left unseen by the human eye. Notice how the one long leaf seems to be brushing the eye of the beautiful sea creature. It is made of various yarns, fabric and peacock feathers on a black velvet background. I had to take the picture unframed as the glass was reflecting and the details were not apparent. When framed it will be in an 11 x 14 plain black frame.




This picture is also on a black velvet background and will be in an 11 x 14 plain black frame. I call it "Eye of the Storm". The center reminds me if the center of a hurricane. The sequins on the sheer fabric look like the stars in the clear sky beyond the storms reach. The yarns create the sweeping circle surrounding the eye. It is made of fabrics, yarns and sparkly trim.


These are completed journals that I need to get on my etsy shop. Those of you that visit often know that I am waaaayyyy behind. Every since losing my mom I seem to have so many things to catch up on. Getting etsy updated is one of the items that has suffered. I am hoping to get these new items on there this week so I hope you will keep checking or at least check on the items later this week.

I seem to sell what I make as soon as it is completed and have some difficulty getting extras made for etsy.

These are but a few of the journals that I will be adding.

The star on the journal is actually a metal star that I embedded into my fusion. Love to create new items into the fusion! What fun!!!




These next two larger journals are actually altered composition books using a fiber fusion techique.

It is a fun technique and really gives a terrific look to an otherwise boring book. What a great gift for teens and college students!





This next pic is just a grouping of many of the journals together.





Please stop by again. I love hearing from all of you!

Happy Creating!!!!

Marylin

Spring's Inspiration!!!

Sun is shining and birds are singing.

I love the spring!

It has such a fresh and alive feeling about it!

Looking at the flowers blooming in my garden inspired me for the folders I am making to send to Tracie.






As always Nala is "helping" me create. Since she arrived on March 1 my life has not been the same. Nala is very playful and of course my room is a super place to play! When I am working with sheers or ribbons Nala literally jumps right into the action, as you can see.

Then when I need to do the final touches such as adding the flowers and ephemera on the folders she want to lay on the folders. What a helper!!

She has added a lot of joy to my life!

Folder cover is finally finished! (With Nala's help, of course.)















I hope you like the new look on my blog. With all the things I have had to wrap up since I lost Mom I have been very behind. Hopefully, I can now keep you updated on my art events and post more artful candy for your eyes to enjoy!

Creative Energy

Attended the RiverBend Art Fair in Atchison, Kansas today. What a bunch of talented artists there were! I wasn't able to participate this year as I had too many other obligations but I didn't want to miss seeing all the beautiful artwork and visiting with friends.

My friends, Pat and Christina, had their work there and I couldn't resist getting some pieces to take home with me.


This beautiful tassel created by Pat will find it's home in my bedroom. I have been trying to collect all types of lavender creations to surround myself as I snuggle in bed. I love the smell of lavender and the color brings a sense of calm.







These other wonderful creations were made by Christina. She is always making some of the loveliest things. You must visit her site. She draws some lovely whimsical art. She did a map for Atchison, Ks and it is captivating to everyone that sees it.

I plan to add these to my collection of art in my art studio. I have so much fun just looking at all my treasures.

After looking at all the wonderful eye candy, I went to Snowball for my favorite Strawberry Sundae with Pecans. One final stop at my favorite shop for more decorating goodies, Willow Brook and then headed home. Such a fun day!

Well, must get busy creating. Stop in and visit again.

TINY GIFT OF BEAUTY

Hello, little friend.

How tiny you are

...yet your heart is filled with giving.

Your gift of beauty

is enjoyed by many.

The brilliant colors in your wings

sparkle with every hue

..as you gently kiss each bud,

then flutter to another.

Unaware of the gift you share

...you move about the garden.

The florals await your visit and

anticipate your kiss.

I, too, await your visit.

Thank you, my tiny friend,

...enjoy the warmth of the sun

and drops of dew....

As I enjoy watching you.

HOME SWEET HOME

How fitting that I received my Home Sweet Home swap piece this past weekend. Tracie brought it with her when she and my son came for a visit. It is FABULOUS!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! The WONDERFUL artists whose swaps I received are: Carla Barrett (door), Mary Stanley (window-upper right) and Alma Stoller (remaining 2 windows)! What a gift on such a special week end! Thanks Tracie for hosting the swap and thanks to the artists that all participated!

This piece arrived at such a special time. All our children were here to visit and we celebrated our grandchild, Tracie and my birthdays! We had so much fun!!!

It is always a blessing when all the family is together. I cherish those moments and as the years pass I realize they are even more precious than ever! As I watch the boys play cards and have fun together I still see my little boys - even though they are grown men! I am very proud of each of them. They grew up into the best young men a mom could ever ask for!

Family - a gift to cherish and hold close to the heart!

Home Sweet Home!

WELCOME SPRING

Planning for her young.

Looking forward to a new beginning.

Loving spring she anticipates all that is to come.

The soft sound of her song floats throught the air - there is love in her heart.

She speaks of bright spring days filled with caring for her young.

We have much in common, Mrs. Robin and I.

I feel the kiss of spring, also, and have begun cleaning,

Planning for a visit from my children.

Looking forward to their laughter -

Their arrival home puts a song in my heart.

I am bursting with joy and anticipation.

Be safe, my young, on your return.

FUN at ArtFest 2007

Here it is a few days after ArtFest, I can hardly believe that I have returned home. Again it was a most incredible experience! What fun I had!

My daughter-in-law, Tracie Lyn, friend, Lori, and I embark on this adventure every year. This year was especially exciting as I celebrated my 60th birthday on the day we arrived and Tracie Lyn and I taught our class. (Fused Fragments Extended Journal)

On Thursday, Tracie Lyn and I taught our class, Fused Fragments Extended Journal. We had so much fun teaching that class! The students were awesome! Their journals were absolutely beautiful!


Each one was a creation that showed off the talents of this fabulous group of ladies! Betty, Stacy, Lori, Jonna, Ellen, Dawn, Linda, Liz and Chris all created works of art that blended fibers together much in the way a painter creates a beautiful canvas.

It was so rewarding to watch them take small bits and pieces and combine them in ways that were ever so lovely.

These are pictures of the journals created during our day together. Each one is so unique and really demonstrates the talents of each of these ladies.
This was a day filled with fun, laughter and free creativity!
I think what I loved the best was watching each person express their talents so uniquely.

We will be teaching this class again at Art & Soul so I hope some of you, my dear readers, will be able to attend. We can hardly wait to share this technique another time with more artists.