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I've made a lot of books over the past few years. When making a particular size book you may have to trim off the tops or sides of the folded signatures leaving you with a good amount of extra pieces that are too good to throw away.  My December goal was to make a bunch of small books and use up all these off-cuts. Below are a few of these books. They range from 3 inches to 2 inches tall.   While making these books I had to do more trimming so I had off cuts from the original off cuts. The books below are just under 2 inches tall, and yes, it's a challenge working this small but mission accomplished. 
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It can be tricky to get successful eco-prints from flowers. You've chosen bright-colored flowers to use, and you're all excited about unwrapping your bundle after 'cooking'. Then you see very little or nothing at all on the paper. I've been there and know that feeling of disappointment : ( This used to happen when I was first learning the eco-printing process. Now after much research and many experiments, I'd like to share with you my #1 'must have' and absolute favorite flower for making eco-prints is Cosmos sulphureus 'Cosmic Orange'.  This annual flower packs a big punch of happy color in the summer garden. They are super easy to grow and if you don't have space for a garden they also do well in pots. These are heat and sun loving flowers so I wait until the ground has warmed before planting. If the weather has been warm I'll plant them at the end of May but more often than not they get planted in early June. I don't bother starting the seeds indoors as they have always done so well when I plant directly in the garden. Cosmos flowers will bloom throughout the summer starting in late July until the first hard frost here in the Southeastern part of Connecticut. I always have more than enough flowers to print from fresh and to dry for later use. They can grow to approximately 3-4 feet tall with 2-inch flowers, love full sun, and attract bees and butterflies.  The prints can range in color from pink, orange, to even red, depending on the paper and mordant used. They never disappoint, they make the best and most consistent prints of any flower I've tried.   Bonus: The leaves, which have an attractive lobe shape, also print well.   To keep the bees happy, and so I'll have seeds for next year, I always leave some of the flowers unpicked. Look how pretty these spiky seed heads are.  Subscribe to my StudioNews
and receive a free PDF featuring 'My 9 Favorite Flowers for an Eco-Print Garden!  There were so many beautiful days in October and November is starting off the same way. This year we are having a longer than usual growing season. The average date for the first frost in my part of coastal Connecticut is between October 11th and October 20th. It's now the second week of November and we've had a couple of very light frosty mornings but no hard frost that makes the tender annuals and perennials say their last goodbye. Look at all the color I was still enjoying during the last week of October.  One of the first plants to go when just the slightest frost hits is the sensitive fern and that's exactly why it's named as it is. The green turns to a pale golden yellow with an edging of brown. I like how the fading plant resembles the print I got when using one to make an eco-print.   I've been saving leaf skeletons for years and have a large collection I keep organized in clear sleeves in a notebook. For the past 5 weeks, I've enjoyed looking over that collection and choosing ones to feature in my Monday morning sketchbook collages. Take a look at the video below for a start to finish view of one being created.  Follow along on Instagram to see all my Monday morning sketchbook collages.
 “If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour." ~Victoria Erickson |
AuthorHi, I'm Kathy an artist working in the mediums of collage, eco-printing, rust printing, and slow stitching who loves to teach. I enjoy sharing my process and guiding you on your creative journey. Archives
May 2025
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