This ornamental bamboo is a recent addition to our garden. The leaves are full of fiery color. Each tier of foliage shows more and more of the deep red so I thought it appropriate to stay true to it when arranging. At the top of these beautiful plants there are shoots of white flowers that begin as the tight buds.
“For in the true nature of things, if we rightly consider, every green tree is far more glorious than if it were made of gold and silver.”
Martin Luther
These sweet and vibrantly colored leaves adorn our new peach sorbet blueberry bush. We planted it this summer and we haven’t seen blueberries yet but there is no shortage of beautiful foliage. I plan on pressing more as the leaves change. When the bush does decide to fruit I can only imagine that the berries will be as yummy as this plant is gorgeous!
“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.”
Aristotle
Here is Mount Rainier revisited for some very good friends of mine. This piece was done for someone that took on the great challenge of summiting this beautiful volcano! Many of the flowers used are the same as my first Mount Rainier piece.
Japanese lily of the valley leaves and white hydrangea flowers make the volcano, fig leaves and dark dahlia make the ground and rocks, blue delphinium make up the stream, and the trees are ferns.
Can you find the crab? With three cancers in the family the little guy made a spacial appearance in the piece. 
Here are my latest attempts at pressed flower jewelry. Instead of the resin method I tried using a glass pendant. The drying time was cut significantly but the air bubbles were still a troublesome factor.
I started with the 1″x1″ card stock and adhered the flower to the paper using PPA (an ultraviolet adhesive). When that was dry I placed a thin layer of Mod Podge Dimensional Magic into the metal backing of the necklace and placed my paper into that. I carefully pressed down to release any air bubbles underneath and coated the top with either more PPA or Mod Podge (depending on how I thought the flower would react to the adhesive. The PPA is much more forgiving than the Mod Podge in most cases.
When that was dry (each drying time took an hour or two) I placed another thin layer of Mod Podge and carefully stuck the glass on top. While pressing down I wiped the edges of excess glue. After that I used folded paper to protect the glass and clamped the necklace using 2-3 paper clamps.
After about two hours I took off the clamps and cleaned the excess glue off using rubbing alcohol. It’s really fun to see a successful finished product but unfortunately only about half of my flowers could withstand the harsh process. In some cases the flowers browned or the color leaked. Overall I’d say it was a pretty good outcome to get the ones I did. Here they are!
My first pressed flower video. I hope you enjoy!
By far, my favorite piece yet! I love the Northwest and to me this gorgeous volcano is a true symbol of the pure beauty found in this corner of the country. I started with baby’s breath for the clouds and brown leaves for Mount Rainier. The ground is made of fig leaves and dark dahlia for the rocks. The snow is white hydrangea and I used blue delphinium for the water. The trees are made of ferns and I love how they move throughout. Last but not least I used the same leaves for the tiny wolves hiding in the trees.
My friend has the original so I have a 16 x 20 print hanging on my wall. It’s amazing how detailed even the larger print is! You can purchase a print from my Etsy shop here and they range from $16 – $24 for a 16 x 20.
Some of the greatest treasures in life come from the tranquility of nature. This piece makes me think of a sunny day with nothing to do but admire the amazing simple beauty life has to offer. The butterfly is made from white hydrangea, the ground is fig leaf, and the garden is made of lily of the valley and some random yellow flowers I found in my backyard :). I hope you enjoy this simple garden!
These beautiful vines grow alongside the beach here in the NW. They have gorgeous purple pea flowers and wild, twisting vines. Vines are some of my favorite plants to press. Vines may seem invasive to some but I admire their persistence to survive and flourish. The tiny ends are a miraculous design that grab onto everything. I have to laugh when trying to detach the little guys from each other because it seems their very purpose is to hold on for dear life. One of the most amazing facts about these plants is that the seeds can survive while floating in salt water for up to five years! This has caused them to be a native plant in many countries. You can read more on beach peas here: Beach Pea
Made of Flowers 