Flowerox News

susan's garden!:-)

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:38:00 +0000

yesterday was a wonderful day!:-)...

a couple of months ago i noticed a note on our community chatlist about a lady that offered floral design classes and had a business selling flowers to local restaurants...she brings fresh bouquets weekly for a small sum...she also supplies them with edible flowers from her gardens!...how kool!:-)

as a pressed flower artist, i hoped that someday we would be able to meet and talk flowers, so i sent her a little note...she graciously replied and invited me to her home to see her flowers...yippee!:-)

we arrived early in the morning and had a lovely time exploring her beautiful gardens!:-)...well maintained pathways meandered through glorious rows of roses and butterfly bushes...cone flowers and coreopsis...sunflowers and delicate cleomes...bee balm and larkspur...dinnerplate sized dahlias in every color and long, stalks of gladiolas!:-)

a tiny bunny and baby chicks followed us on our journey through the gardens...and best of all she invited us back!:-)...thank you, susan!:-)...i look forward to our next visit!:-)

you can find out more about susan and her gardens here...

http://www.hearthouseflowers.com/

enjoy,

rebekah:-)

my laundry basket garden!:-)

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:22:00 +0000

i love where we live:-)...it's true that we need more room at this point and are looking for a larger piece of land...but, i really love this place:-)

i love to garden and grow things...doesn't matter too much what i grow...beans are just as much fun as wrapping honeysuckle vine around a chair!:-)...i would still like to have a grass couch outside, but that's another story!:-)

the biggest challenge we've had living here is the dirt!...it is very, very, hard, red clay!...it's good for making pottery, but not very good for growing things!...

for about five years we have had truckloads of dirt brought in...bought bags and bags of top soil and tried to fix it!...nothing worked and nothing grew...

but, inspiration struck!:-)...and this year we have a laundry basket garden!:-)...we went to the dollar store and bought out every laundry basket they had!...the results have been spectacular!:-)...beets, potatoes, tomatos, beans, morning glories and cosmos, daisies and hydrangeas!:-)...

and the best part?...i can just walk outside my door and all these wonderful flowers are right at my feet ready to be pressed and turned into flowerart!:-)

enjoy my laundry basket garden!:-)

rebekah:-)

my golden leafed plant!:-)

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:56:00 +0000

in the pressed flower world this plant is like gold!...literally!...

many leaves turn golden yellow...poplar and maple to name just a few... but they are still noticeably yellow and not gold...

it's name is machilus thunbergii...and i had heard rave reviews about how beautiful it is by some pressed flower artists that attended the philadelphia flower show...
http://www.theflowershow.com/attractions/index.html ... and were lucky enough to see it in person...

i had to have it!:-)...when it arrived it looked like a rather scrawny rhododendron...no gold in sight!...now, it is growing and has new leaves on top!:-)...they are a beautiful reddish color...still no gold, but i am hopeful!:-)

enjoy and think gold!:-)

rebekah:-)

treasures from terica's garden!:-)

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:35:00 +0000

i have a wonderful friend, named terica...we've known each other about a bazillion years...live about 20 minutes apart and have had many an adventure together!...she is a pressed flower artist just like me!:-)

we've traveled halfway across the country together... gathering flowers along the way!:-)...we've stopped on the sides of country roads after spotting wild daisies to press...searched the fields of old and abandoned farmhouses looking for wild roses...we've bartered pressed flowerart for the privilege of picking in neighbor's yards...we've even had folks welcome us like family and provide scissors for all we wanted to pick!:-)...what flower fun we've had together:-)

last week i got a chance to visit terica in her new little house and pick from her garden:-)...these are the treasures that came home with me!:-)...pansies and spiderwort...old timey roses and poplar blooms and the list goes on!:-)...thank you terica, for a wonderful afternoon:-)

rebekah:-)

spring!

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 15:39:00 +0000

this is my version of spring!:-)

in march, my friend elaine taught a wonderful, spring, pressed flower class incorporating a corn husk basket!:-)...the corn husk was pressed whole, torn into strips and woven into a basket...what fun!:-)

classes using pressed flowers, leaves and other botanical materials are offered on a monthly basis in the world wide pressed flower guild...you can find out more about them here... www.wwpfg.org ...

i had lots of fun with this one!:-)...eggs are made from rose petals, autumn leaves, pansies, and even a pointsettia leaf!:-)

the bunny is made from the back side of poplar leaves that a friend in tennessee sent to me...thanks, pat:-)...his tail is rabbit grass...seemed appropriate:-)

bits of moss and miscellaneous greenery from my yard finish the picture...the background is handmade paper with various petals and greens imbedded in the surface...

enjoy and happy spring!:-)

rebekah:-)

spirit guide

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:26:00 +0000

this picture was inspired by the work of some russian pressed flower artists!:-)...many use leaves, straw, hay and neutral or dark tones...more raw and powerful than most of my work, this piece has opened lots of new ideas for me!:-)...

i feel so fortunate to be able to take pressed flower classes through the world wide pressed flower guild!:-)... www.wwpfg.org ... it amazes me that with the help of the internet, i am able to learn from pressed flower artists all over the world!:-)...a big thank you to all of you!:-)

made of autumn crabapple leaves, dogwood blossoms and pampas grass!:-)

enjoy,

rebekah:-)

thank you, irina!:-)

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:19:00 +0000

recently i was lucky enough to be able to take a master class with an amazing pressed flower artist!:-)...her name is irina orlova...you can see her work here...

http://foto.mail.ru/mail/beresta7/ ...absolutely amazing!:-)

the class was offered through the world wide pressed flower guild... www.wwpfg.org
yes, there really is one!:-)

irina lives in russia, a wonderful woman in canada translated and we had such fun!:-)...the class lasted for an entire month as irina answered questions, provided pictures and instruction and guided us step by step through an autumn landscape made entirely of botanicals!...

the sky is made from tamale wraps (corn husks) that i picked up in a local shop...the distant mountains are bits and pieces of autumn leaves...the rolling hills are from leaves i gathered at a rest stop in new england...and the fence is made from darkened banana skins!:-)

i learned so much during this class and had a ton of fun with about 30 other people that wanted to learn too!:-)...classes are held monthly...why don't you join us next time?:-)

thank you, irina!:-)...i did it!:-)...finally!:-)

enjoy,

rebekah:-)

i think i found it!

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 00:45:00 +0000

today was a wonderful day!:-)...after a series of challenges that needed creative solutions the past few weeks, it was reassuring to have a beautiful gift fall into my lap...almost literally!:-)

i am lucky enough to be able to take a pressed flower master class from an amazing artist!:-)...her name is irina orlova...she lives and works in russia!...isn't the internet an amazing thing!:-)...her classes are available through the world wide pressed flower guild...yes, there really is one!:-)...you can find out more about them here... www.wwpfg.org ...

the class is a landscape with distant mountains all made with pressed botanicals...i searched and searched for just the right thing...used everything i could think of in the kitchen to press...pressed sweet potato skins...beautiful, but too dark!...pressed banana leaf?...same problem...beautiful, but too dark!...i needed a lighter, brownish, earth colored material...

this morning was windy and cold and i had some dreaded errands to run...best to just get it over with!...as i was sitting in a parking lot waiting for hubby's return from the bank machine, what did i see!?:-)...the most beautiful tree!:-)...and it's bark was shedding down around it's knees in big, soft pieces!:-)...i think i found it!:-)...the perfect pressed plant material for my landscape!:-)...thank you, tree:-)

rebekah:-)

windy day

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 18:19:00 +0000

today it is very windy in north carolina!...in memory of windy autumn days, i made a card for a friend of mine, using leaves from the cascade mountains in washington state!:-)...the bookmark was made by placing the leaves on a leftover piece of sheer ribbon...laminated and hole punched with more leftover ribbon to make it pretty and quick as that, a fun flowerart project!:-)

enjoy,

rebekah:-)

dancing leaves

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:52:00 +0000

this was a quick, fun project:-)...the leaves were pressed and sent to me from a friend in massachusetts!:-)...lucky me!:-)

i call it dancing leaves!:-)

enjoy,

rebekah:-)

winter forest

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:20:00 +0000

with a scant hour left until the deadline in the world wide pressed flower guild holiday card challenge, i managed to finish!:-)...these pressed ferns were really pretty and made fun evergreen trees!:-)...i decorated them with the tiny blooms of elderberry:-)...the star was punched out of a calla lily!:-)...easy and quick, i enjoyed my little project:-)

hope you do too:-)

rebekah:-)

hooray for brown!:-)

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:42:00 +0000

it's a crispy, crunchy morning in north carolina:-)...the back deck is covered with fallen leaves...as i looked out the window this morning, i noticed how many shades of brown there are...each one beautiful!:-)...sun and shadow...dark and light...hints of red, gold and an almost creamy white, sprinkled occasionally with the deep green of pine needles before they turn golden...
as a pressed flower artist, i feel especially lucky to be able to have nature's bounty presented right outside my back door!:-)...brown is a particularly useful color to have for pressed flowerart landscapes or critters!:-)...a young girl's hair or a lion!:-)...the possibilities are endless:-)
for now, i will go and gratefully gather my shades of brown:-)...when our world has totally turned to winter, i will sit quietly with my leaves and let them tell me what they want to be!:-)
hooray for brown!:-)
rebekah:-)

christmas mouse

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 02:07:00 +0000

i had fun with today's pressed flower project:-)...a tiny mouse, made from clover, decorates his fern tree with queen anne's lace and a tiny red flower that a friend sent to me:-)

enjoy,

rebekah:-)

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:23:00 +0000

well, here it is, my mystery flower of the day!:-)...earlier this year i planted some seeds that i thought were a vining clematis with a yellow bloom...this is what grew!...it's beautiful, but i don't know what it is!...

this spot had hummingbird vine and morning glory growing together for several years...it would reseed itself from year to year...this plant rather looks like a cross between the two!...is that possible?:-)

anybody have any ideas?:-)...i will be interested to see how the flowers look after they are pressed!:-)

oh, happy day!

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:51:00 +0000

this little fellow has remembered to stop and smell the flowers!:-)...framed 5x7 mouse made from clover, stands on a dandylion leaf to sniff a garden flower...this was really fun to do and i am planning on doing a series of little mice:-)

the old mill

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Sat, 07 Jul 2007 22:16:00 +0000

it all happened in a small town in georgia...clarkesville, georgia...that's where pressed flower artists gathered in the summer of 2007 and were made richer in spirit for having done so...

they came from all over!...and although some of them had met before, many of them had not...but, you wouldn't have known it!:-)...they chattered like school girls...giggles and whispers and lots and lots of shared laughter:-)...they ranged in age from 12-94 but it was hard to tell who was younger or older with all the excitement bubbling through the room...

they learned things like how to make a flamingo out of pink larkspur...beeswax and flowers were turned into pins...nightlights and cards...new products and gadgets...pool parties and hikes to waterfalls...they shared memories and laughter...meals and tweezers...commiserated about traffic and asked about children and parents...three incredible, learning packed, fun days all brought together because of a shared passion for the flower!:-)

and then the famous whistle blew!!!:-)...the highlight of the conference is to begin!:-)...on your mark...get set...go!:-)...kate, simona, beth, sarah...names being called one after another...faster and faster!!!...imagine a huge table, piled high with packages of flowers from all over the world...and a huge group of women running back and forth nabbing a pack when their name is called...then sitting back down, backs stiff, on the edge of their seats waiting...waiting...for their name to be called for the next round...squeals and mad dashes to the table searching for just the right flower for the idea blossoming in their heads......what a sight we must have been to the people peeking in the window:-)

Tribute to the Bee

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 18:56:00 +0000

let me tell you a story:-)

i was standing on my porch, i really love my porch:-)...and i heard a sound!...a big sound!...i looked up...and sawdust fell in my eye!...it was a bee!...a great big carpenter bee!...and it was eating my porch!...not good!...

well, i wanted him and his buddies to go away, but i didn't feel right about using poison...so, i thought and thought and finally it came to me!:-)...duct tape!:-)...i stuck a piece on the end of my broomstick and carefully balancing and stretching, stretching...plop!...i dabbed a two inch square of that tape right over his hole!..ha!...i did it!...no more bee:-)...or so i thought!...

the next morning a perfect hole was drilled through the duct tape...directly over the original hole!...now it was war!...next came another layer of duct tape...then (tricky me)...aluminum tape!...they'll never get through that!:-)...wrong!...the next morning...well, you know the rest:-)

so, i decided to take a step back...literally!...the sawdust pile was growing!...and think about this a little...hmmmm the bee has never tried to hurt me...sometimes it follows me around the garden in the morning...clumsily bumbling about in it's ponderous way...looking at me curiously...honeybees are decreasing because of pesticides, but this guy is taking the time to pollinate my flowers for me:-)...maybe he has something to teach me:-)...

so, i quit with the tape and decided to make a tribute to the bee:-)...i thought maybe if i honored him, he would gracefully move his home into the woods:-)...didn't work, but we have learned to live in harmony:-)...

and that's how the bee picture was born:-)

rebekah:-)

New Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 14:24:00 +0000

Rebekah has a whole new way to make great pictures. Check it out!

Meet the Artist!

noreply@blogger.com (Rebekah Smith) — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 19:15:00 +0000

You can meet pressed flower artist Rebekah Smith in person.

She'll be attending and teaching at the World Wide Pressed Flower Guild's Eastern Conference in Jonesborough, TN, June 9-12, 2005.

Come to the conference! Meet Rebekah and other artists and have a great time!

Click here for more on the WWPFG Eastern Conference.