Chokecherry & Yarrow

Last year, I tried pressing chokecherry blossoms, and they were a great addition. They are not quite fully open, but very close to prime pressing!

Another item I have been eagerly waiting for...yarrow ferns. When I mowed the lawn last week, I discovered a plant, so mowed around it! Today was the day for picking and pressing. These ferns do an amazing job of adding a bit of whimsy and feathery detail to a framed design. They come in sizes from small to large, and often have a lovely curvature. Oh, they also have a tangy herb like smell when they come out of the microwave press!

here is the yarrow in the lawn

a plucked plant to press

and a look at the ferns

Mid-May Sunday

On my walk this afternoon, I found

a few new flowers blooming...

here are wild sweet peas

and a wild violet

This is my well loved prairie smoke,
in the "red-bud" stage.

Yes, Bluebells!

My walk in the pasture this afternoon had a definite

purpose, to see if I could find any of these...

Yes, the bluebells have just started blooming.

A few more warm days, and I should

find plenty to press!

Can you guess what will bloom here?

I have been watching for these broad leaves to appear. Can you see them, right

by the toe of my shoe? The flowers they are sheltering should be out soon.

Here is a little closer look. I believe one of my sisters has said this is her favorite spring flower!
As soon as I spot the first flowers that go with these leaves, I will post a picture for you.
Maybe this weekend?

At home in France!

A lady I work with attended a wedding in France last month. She hosted the groom as a foreign exchange student a few years ago. She wanted something from our area to take as a hostess gift, and asked what I had on hand. I decided to do this arrangement I call my "botanical" design. (not technically correct, but it's not as flowery as some other designs)

The frame found a home with the bride's mother! She had minimal English, but managed to let them know the frame would work well in her room, and she was very pleased!

You might recognize this design from the April 2 post.

The same flowers and grasses are used, but it always turns out a little

differently, because each flower/grass is unique.

Work in progress

Oops, I made a mistake in the order of these pictures. The bottom one should be first. Take a look at the little bluebell on the right. It's not very distinct, and doesn't show the shape of the little bells very well.

Okay, see the tweezers? That's used to add in a few individual blue "bells" and make that part a little more pleasing to the eye. The larger 3 part plant in the middle is prairie smoke, the blue flowers on the left is prairie crocus. I'll add another crocus and bluebell, a little yarrow fern and some grasses will balance it out, and we'll call it finished!

We're getting ready for a larger craft bazaar coming up, so there probably won't be any new posts for a little while....