Pressed Flowers
*Pressed flowers framed on a piece of hand made, watercolor, or rice paper.
*Add to a wedding announcement
*Embellish pillar Candles with very flat pressed flowers. Start with a pot of boiling water deep enough to cover the candle. Turn the pot on low until the bubbling has stopped. Carefully hold the candle by the wick and lower into the pot for 2 - 3 seconds. Pull out and apply the flowers one at a time, redipping after each application. When arrangement is achieved redip 3 or 4 times to finish.
*A bookmark adorned with pressed flowers - Use watercolor paper or a purchased book mark and seal with a spray on clear finish.
*Adorn a lampshade and then wrinkle and cover with rice paper
*Embellish a bar of soap and then paint with melted parrafin to keep the flowers from washing away
*Make a suncatcher by sandwiching pressed flowers between 2 pieces of glass, wrapping the outer edges with copper tape, and adding a small copper wire to hang
*Stationery embellished with pressed flowers.
Seed Pods and Nuts
Cinnamon Sticks, Nuts, Rose Hips, Seed cones, Pods and pine cones all look good together. Add whole Nutmeg, Allspice, and Cloves and it will smell good as well. Consider using this combination for:
*A wide picture or mirror frame
*A grapevine wreath
*Hot glued to a cardboard base for a candle ring
*Paint some Gourd Birdhouses
*A quick welcome for your front door can be to
embellish a trio of Indian Corn. Start by
wrapping a wire around the corn for hanging.
Then, using hot glue add fall leaves, baby's
breath, and a twisted paper ribbon bow to the
corn husk and to hide the wire.
*Make a display to feed the girds. Remember the pinecones smeared with peanut butter and bird seed from your youth? Or try this attractive swag to feed your friends.
Dried Flowers and Herbs
*Learn how to dry flowers
*Make a Tussie Mussie - Starch and roll a doily into a cone shape and finish with some dried flowers tucked in.
*A dried sunflower can become a bird feeder by attaching jute to it and hanging it from a tree branch
*Make a topiary by covering a styrofoam ball with moss and dried flowers. 'Plant' in a terra cotta pot using twigs or twisted vine as the stalk
*Plant a birdhouse in a terra cotta pot using a twig or twisted vine as the base of the birdhouse. Add small dried flowers in the pot and a bird or two
*Fill a clear glass ball with dried flowers for a Christmas ornament
*Attach dried flowers to a garden trowel, and add a raffia bow
*Tie raffia or shreds or dried corn husks
around the base of candles
*Ground herbs mixed with cornstarch and essential
oils make a charming bath powder.
*An herbal garland can be made by stringing dried bay
leaves, orange slices, apple slices, nutmeg and cinnamon sticks on 24 gauge wire. The trick is using a drill with a
small drill bit to prevent tears while stringing.
*See our page of Gourd Crafts
*Use a wheat bundle as a free standing topiary
*See our page of Floral crafts.
Fruit
*Make pomanders with lemons, limes, or oranges. Stud with cloves in a decorative pattern by using a rubber band as a straight line to follow. You can use a citrus zester to carve straignt lines or make the lines with the cloves
*Make a Dried Apple Wreath
*Include fruits and vegetables in your floral
arrangement. Miniature pumpkins and apples can be
inserted on a skewer. Or place some gourds at the
base.
*Make a Gourd Candle
*Fill a clear flower vase with cranberries before arranging your next centerpiece of fresh fall flowers
Wreaths
Doors can be decorated with any wreath imaginable -
make one using a grapevine wreath as a base and add any of the following:
dried flowers, silks, pinecones, corks, dried fruits, spices, nuts, seed pods,
eucalyptus, or even a garlic braid. A
scented base is nice too. To use any collection to make a wreath start with a solid base of styrofoam or straw and wire or hot glue on any of the following:
teacups, leggos, crayons, barbi dolls and accessories, buttons, or ornaments. To make a dramatic wreath for your
front door start with an evergreen base and add a large stuffed animal or doll sitting in the middle.
Potpourri
*Display potpourri of miniature Indian corn,
orange rinds, fall leaves, clove, acorns
and cinnamon.
*For herbs in bulk or essential oils try the
San Francisco Herb Company.
They also have some potpourri recipes.
*Put potpourri in decorative glass jars topped with a
doily tied with ribbon or raffia to let the scent escape.
*Scented Trivets - This quilted hot pad is actually a fabric envelope that holds a scent.
When a hot teapot or casserole is places on top, the pad gives off
a wonderful aroma while protecting the tabletop.
Ingredients:
Two 10" x 10" pieces of cotton fabric
Two 10"" x 10" piece of cotton batting
2 yards seam bias tape, double folded, 1/2" or wider
Whole cloves
Whole allspice
Dried citrus peel
Broken cinnamon sticks
Star anise
Rosemary
Equipment
Needle and thread or sewing machine
1. Sandwich the cotton batting between two layers of cotton fabric.
Sew around three edges decorative side out. Fill with about 1/2 cup
of spicy mixture between the 2 pieces of batting. Now sew the fourth edge.
2. Stitch bias tape along the outside edges, turning under the edge at the
end of the tape to form a clean finish.
*Grunge Candles
Materials:
Ready Made Candle
Paraffin or candle remnants
Old Crayons for Color
Old Coffee Can
Oatmeal
Cinnamon
Ground Allspice
Ground Cloves
Ginger
Nutmeg
Old Brush
Paper plate or wax paper
Optional - Fragrance Oils 1 oz per 2lb of wax
Torn Homespun Fabric
Procedure
Place Wax, spices, and crayon bits in the coffee
can in a small pot of water on the stove. I used
about a teaspoon of each spice and a handful of
oatmeal. Place on simmer and allow the wax to
melt. Place the candle on a paper plate. I
couldn't dip my candle but painted on the wax and
spices. After each layer cooled I would add
another until I achieved the bumpy grunge look.
To complete the candle I tied on a homespun bow.
*Layered Potpourri - Find a pretty, tall, glass container. Layer with
plastic canvas as dividers:
Flower Petals
Cloves
Lavender
Whole Allspice
Rose Petals
Boxwood Leaves
Rose hips
Flower petals
Broken cinnamon sticks
Any combination may be used. The secret is to
alternate colors with neutrals. Finish with a
raffia bow and dried rosebuds hot-glued to the
bow.
