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A pink and orange combo always captures my attention with its playful energy.
Week 1  Week 2  Week 3  Another month ending - week 4 of my August Concertina Sketchbook "Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August." ~ Denise Levertov  The finished 4 panels  End of the month collages using leftover scraps
Pink and orange are a great color combo in the garden too. The photo on the left is from Harkness Memorial State Park. I took a walk there this week and the cutting garden was amazing. They change it up a little each year with different color and plant combinations but it is always lovely. The other two photos are of my garden. A light pink cosmos and a cactus zinnia mixing with orange cosmos.
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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! Have you been enjoying all the May flowers? I sure have. Even though I see the changes of color in my garden every year I still get surprised by how each color seems to have its own time to stand out. Early spring always starts with a flood of sunny yellow from the daffodils and forsythia. Summer moves into the hot and bright oranges. I’ve been outside doing a little weeding and prepping so I can plant my veggies this week. As I walked around, I saw pops of white everywhere. White flowers are certainly taking center stage in my garden right now.  I saw my first hummingbird of the year along with a butterfly and a bunch of bees enjoying the blossoms on this white azalea. I look forward to this shrub blooming each year. The flowers have a special glow, especially towards the end of the day.  
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| Candytuft | Mrs. Bateman Clematis |
Blueberry blossoms
Tiarella
"The white flowers of spring
are the dreams of winter."
- Khalil Gibran
are the dreams of winter."
- Khalil Gibran
If it's spring in your part of the world I bet like me,
you're enjoying all the new growth and beauty the season has to offer.
I don't know what flower signals the arrival of spring more than the daffodil.
They bring such joy to my garden each year with their bright, cheerful blooms.
you're enjoying all the new growth and beauty the season has to offer.
I don't know what flower signals the arrival of spring more than the daffodil.
They bring such joy to my garden each year with their bright, cheerful blooms.
I'm enjoying them even more than usual this year.
If I'm inside I find myself stopping at the windows and pausing for a moment to admire their beauty.
When I go for walks in the neighborhood I enjoy seeing so many different varieties.
I knew there were many but Google just told me that there are over 26,000 varieties of daffodils!
For the past 6 years I've taken this same photo of my backyard from an upstairs window. It's one of those spring scenes of yellow that catches my eye every morning before I go downstairs. You can see that over the years it varies as to what is in bloom with what. For the 3rd year in a row I managed to capture the moment when the dogwood tree has just started blooming, the daffodils are breathing their last breath and the forsythia is still going strong.
April showers bring May flowers.
"In the world of safe hues, like black, red, and white,
yellow shouts: Look at me. I'm happy!"
- Joy Sewing
Ahhhh, spring is here!
It's so nice to see some green sprouting and to feel the sun's warmth getting more intense.
Another seed catalog came in the mail so I definitely have to make up my mind about what seeds to get and place my order before they sell out. I'll admit the catalogs are more for dreaming about all the things I'd like to plant before it's actually warm enough to get outside. I get most of my seeds from local stores but I will order seeds for those unusual heirloom varieties that aren't popular commercial sellers.
Each year I like to plant at least one thing in my garden that I've never grown before. Last year it was Escamillo peppers, a mild yellow variety that was delicious. The year before it was ground tomatoes. I didn't care for them but that's okay because the chipmunks were more than happy to come by each morning and help themselves. This year my new to me plant will be the herb Angelica archangelica.
I've been reading John Forti's book "The Heirloom Gardener" It's a beautifully designed book full of information, garden quotes, and lots of bright spring green illustrations by Mary Azarian. The first chapter is all about Angelica. I was fascinated by the description of its chartreuse hollow stems and the large white umbrels loved by bees and butterflies. As a culinary herb tea, syrup, and cordials can be made but it's also known for its medicinal qualities. Angelica is a biennial, which means I won't get flowers this first year but even so I can't wait to see the seeds sprout. Hmmm, I wonder if the angelica leaves will be good for eco-printing?
| In between planning new workshops and making books I've been busy rearranging furniture in my studio trying to find a more comfortable, less awkward arrangement. The studio is 129 square feet and has 2 large windows, 2 doors, and a slanted ceiling over three-quarters of the space so there are not a lot of options when it comes to furniture arrangement. Surprisingly though just moving 3 things; my comfy reading chair, a small cabinet, and a new work table (that has 2 drawers!) has made a huge difference. It has that nice open feeling I was hoping for. Now that I'm pretty sure I know where I want everything to be it's time to go get the paint! I'm not sure how often I'll have access to my comfy chair anymore though as it didn't take long for Miss Belle to notice that it's perfectly positioned to take advantage of the morning sunlight. |  |
"It's exciting to see things coming up again,
plants that you've had twenty or thirty years.
It's like seeing an old friend."
~ Tasha Tudor
Author
Hi, 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.
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