Dried Flower home decor on Etsy

The weather is unbelievable in Texas and Oklahoma.  We went that direction for a graduation and barely got out before a tornado hit in Oklahoma City.  So I didn't get anything written for my blog.

I am going to show you some of my own work with dried flowers.  Not pressed, but dried.  These are in my Etsy shop twocooltexans.  If you do have any questions, you can email me at redheadis@yahoo.com.  The comment section is not working, but I will answer at email.

Pressed Flower Art

Pressed and dried flowers are definitely still big in home decorating.  People are still wanting to try their hand at making home decor as well as buying new things.  I think this is about the third year or so, which is quite a long time for new decorating items. 

So, I thought I would add some more tips and hints.  Read my last blog post before this one also if you are interested in trying your hand at some projects.  Now is the best time to get some heavy books and some kind of scissors or clippers and gather.  As I said, when they are gone for the season, they are gone until next year.  And to buy most of them, is expensive.  More than the flowers, the shipping is quite high.

I was out yesterday and saw three varieties of white flowers, some yellow, and a few Indian Paintbrushes were still out there.  A lot of them lose a bit of their color, but they are still beautiful and if you store them out of the sun and bright light, you can keep them ready to add to a project for several years. 

First, to look at some finished projects

A lot of what I use is just plain weeds.  The Japanese Maple leaves are from my favorite tree that my husband bought me for my birthday one year.  You don't see them too much in Texas, but my one little tree did live and I got some sweet little reddish leaves from it.  The pansies.......I don't usually grow them but I did go to the WalMart and pick up a tiny tray of them and press them.  The first picture has a weed that grows up along the cracks in the concrete and sometimes in your lawn.  I absolutely love them and you will see in future posts that I use them all the time.  They are kinda like a green spider web. 

THE FIRST SAMPLE....So, for the first piece I used a 6 x 6 inch wooden canvas for the base of the collage.  Then I cut some wallpaper scrap and covered the front.  I also glued decorative paper which had script on it onto a very very thin piece of cardboard (or sometimes if I have one, some very think wood).  Lastly, I tore a piece of handmade paper to mount the flowers. 

I do use a vera vera thin coat of spray glue to hold the flower and weeds onto the paper.  If you use too much you will have a sticky mess, so be sure to go easy.  Glue the flowers and weeds on and lay the whole thing aside and be sure all the glue has set and the tiny bit of overspray dries thoroughly on the paper.  When all is dry, I finished the piece with about three coats of Preserve It spray in matte.
Sometimes, it is hard to fine, but try online.  I use it for just about everything that needs some protection. 

THE SECOND SAMPLE.....This was one of my "hey, husband, don't throw that out" projects.  The metal frame is from a light that was in our bathroom shower ceiling and it was this really nice circular white metal.  You can get just the circular part of the light at Home Depot and I just loved it for the project.  Just cut a circle out of sturdy heavy cardboard, do your flower collage and insert it into the back of the metal.  Okay, I have run out of room, but you can see the third sample is on a canvas. 

My article in the current Somerset Apprentice

Somerset Apprentice magazine, the current issue, published one of my dried flower and encaustic
wax mini collages. 

Two of my favorite things in life are still encaustic wax and flowers, mostly wildflowers and weeds.

My husband wishes I would find some flowers besides the ones that we have to pick on the sides of the roads, especially the highway.  I do carry a flower press in the car and sometimes a large, heavy dictionary or other book for a quick way to keep them from wilting on the way home.

If you should decide to try to press wildflowers, know this.  Don't think you can always go back and get them later.  A lot of times, the county had mowed them all down or they have just gone away for the season.  Be sure, absolutely sure, to watch for poison ivy.  You can buy them if you want. 

All flowers just cannot be pressed well.  If they are very thin or have very thick centers, forget it.
However, sometimes you can just cut them with long stems, turn them upside down and then you can have drieds, rather than pressed.  Some can even be used on the same collage.

Back at last

I have missed blogging.  We moved to Denison, Texas two year ago.  Thought that was the country.  It wasn't, it was semi country.  So, we got the bug to go even farther north and farther into the country.  So, now we are within yelling distance from the Red River which is the northern border of Texas and the southern border of Oklahoma.

Being part Chickasaw Indian, this has made me smile.  This is pretty much into Chickasaw country, and I love it. But we have had to learn a different life style.  Indeed!! We have chickens, we have learned a lot about chickens.  They don't treat each other very kindly.  So, okay, after these pass on, no more chickens.  We have cows and horses, but they actually belong to the ranch owner beside us.
They visit, we love them, but we do not love their um "deposits" that they leave everywhere.  Oh well, we have learned to just enjoy their company.

I am doing my art again.  Etsy has changed so much.  Basically, if you don't sell much, you are put on the "do not show in search" list and left out.  So, actually, that has caused me to relax and just enjoy myself with what I make. 

But I do have some good things in my store.  Hope you will visit. 

Soon, pictures.  I have to get pictures up.  New colt, new dog (someone left him on the road but he is okay now), and today the ranch owner's grandson said if we get cow treats at the farm store, the 1,000 pound brahma bull will take one out of your hand.  That or you will end up dead. 

So, here I am.  The cowgirl picture is no longer just as image for me.  Reality, yep!!

Glenda 

Alcohol inks new projects

Sorry, I haven't done encaustics, which is my main art for a long long time.  I miss doing wax and also doing collage work.

It has now been five months since we moved to the country in Texas.  It has been wonderful and it has been a real test of our faith.  Our big beautiful home in McKinney did sell and so I can't go home and then get myself into a grand funk anymore.  No home to go and pull the covers over my head and wonder why in the world we have done this.  Yes, we needed to downsize, but no not into a home that should be on Fixer Upper.  Well, enough of that.  I will depress my own self.  And I am an extremely happy person to be an artist.  Guess I couldn't write music.  Although a certain rock and roll star who bought a lot of my work did ask me one evening to write her next song.  That was hard to answer gently.  I think she was a bit ummm, confused.

I am still doing alcohol ink work.  I love it and I am doing lots of new pieces.  But  I am anxious to move into some other areas.

Here are some new pieces

Hmm, I am sure I should know how to space these, but I don't.

I am planning to do lots of new pieces called "affordable art." My work is affordable, but even more affordable.  I want to do some quick, yet colorful and neat pieces that I can put up on Etsy and sell for around 12.50.  Without mats, etc.  The pieces can be added to a card front OR matted and framed.  Even glued to the front of a small canvas from one of the craft stores. 

Look for them in the twocooltexans store coming soon.  

Alcohol ink landscapes in pastel

Alcohol inks, pastels and yupo paper.  Yum.  Today I did a landscape usual unusual colors.  I love the way it turned out.

I think it would be so pretty in a girl's room.  I think I will continue to do a few more.  Knowing me, I will revert pretty quickly to florals.

Well, as usual it took me a very very short time to revert back to listing a few things on Etsy.  I do have a love/hate relationship with them.  Being with them since the very beginning, it is so hard to break that habit.  Maybe someday....sigh.......

Hope everyone had a great Christmas.  We had a good one.  We had a teeny bit of snow and that was it.  We are excited about snow in the country.  I am sure if we do, I will take many pictures.

But for now, Happy New Year.  LIFE IS SHORT, USE THE WHOLE BOX OF CRAYONS.

Living in the Country-part 3

More great animals to show you.  We turned left instead of right to get to the highway and found these beauties yesterday.

llamas
Then the family on the corner has quite a number of miniature horses and burros, well, maybe they are donkeys.  I am not sure.

And, last but not least.  The other house has a zebra.

Not sure what one does with a zebra.  But okay.  He/she is gorgeous.    We also have a neighbor, who I have not met, who has a very large cage full of peacocks.  Can't get close enough to take pictures, don't want to get shot as a poacher or something.  One day I will get up my nerve and knock on their door.  

So, here we are.  It's fun, we are getting used to it.  Next time, back to art.