Bargain Roses

I rarely buy cut flowers at the supermarket, especially roses. They usually don’t have much fragrance, and despite my best efforts, don’t always last more than a couple of days. But I saw these in the floral dept. and fell in love with the colors. I’m a sucker for multi-hued roses.

The wrapper they came in had a label identifying the variety as “Big Fun”. It seems to be a rose plant that is only available to commercial growers, which is fine by me. When I spend money on rose bushes, I want something I can smell. Still, at $10 a dozen for some visual eye candy, Big Fun is living up to its name. I bought my bouquet almost a week ago. The flowers opened up quite nicely and look like they may last at least a couple more days.

Here are a couple of things that may have helped their longevity. Though these are long-stemmed roses, I wanted to put them in my blue vase. To do so, I needed to cut at least 8 inches from the bottom of the stem, which is not such a bad thing because it takes less time for the water to reach the flowers. I also removed all the remaining leaves. When sitting in the water, they foul it up rather quickly meaning frequent water changes. Even when above the water they compete with the flowers for a drink. Put your roses in a vase with a flared neck. When they open up, empty spaces between the flowers will be filled. So you won’t miss the leaves. Keep your bouquet in a cool place. Mine has been in my studio most of time. The room is on the north side of the house and tends to be the coldest when we have chilly weather. I only heat it when I’m working there. The bouquet came downstairs for Thanksgiving, then returned to my studio. If you’re making floral arrangements part of the holiday decorations, keep those rooms cooler when not in use. A cooler room also means a real Christmas tree won’t dry out quite so fast. Last, don’t throw out the flowers just because a petal or two is starting to turn brown. Locate the base of that petal and gently remove it. You won’t miss them on flowers with lots of petals and may get to enjoy the bouquet a little longer.

The Project Queen

 It's just an inexpensive florist's vase I received several years ago.

But I love the color, and it does show a dozen large flowered roses off quite nicely

when they are cut at the proper length.

Tropical Seas Wind Chime

One of the nice things about grown children is their ability to remember important dates. And their capacity to not only create, but finish, projects on their own. It also turns out that they can be observant occasionally.

My older daughter and her fiancé made this wind chime for my birthday. They used a palette of my favorite colors along with an assortment of glass beads and sea shells. In the event I may want to display it outside, they also sealed the top wood disk to protect from moisture. Right now it’s hanging up in my studio (where I’ve been spending most of my time recently) allowing me to admire it more.

The Project Queen

Souvenirs for a Lifetime

It’s the time of year when many families are planning a special trip. Whether you’re visiting relatives or going to a tourist trap, take time to visit a local artist or craftsperson, especially those who give demonstrations.

Four years ago, I purchased this pretty, glass egg in Keystone, SD. Keystone is the closest town to Mt. Rushmore, so of course souvenirs of the famous landmark are easy to find, along with Black Hills gold and Sturgis Motorcycle Rally merchandise. There isn’t anything wrong with those things, but if you look closely, I’ll bet the snow globes are made in China. My egg came from a glassblowers’ studio.

They are not located on the main tourist street that runs through the middle of town. I may have never known they were in the area if it hadn’t been for my Dad. He’s a retired machinist and project person extraordinaire. He was showing me some of the miniature replicas of antique machines he made and entered into some competitions. One of them had a small glass bulb on it. My dad doesn’t work with glass, so I asked him where he found it. It turned out he had commissioned it from the glassblowers.

Glassblowing has fascinated me for a long time. In its most basic forms, it’s considered a craft, but in the hands of masters it truly becomes an art. My dad informed me the couple who owned the studio gave demonstrations to visitors. Of course, I had to go see them.

They start their demo the moment you enter. On the day I visited they made a vase. In a matter of minutes they had turned a blob of bright orange glass into a beautiful, multi-colored and useful vessel. After their demo they asked if there were questions. Naturally, I had a few, like where and how they had learned their craft, how hot the furnace was, and what kinds of materials created all the colors they used.

I surprised them, until they found out to whom I was related. They explained that no one had ever asked those questions before. I was dumbfounded. I assumed mine were obvious, and they were probably tired of answering them. To this day I don’t know what kind of questions their other visitors asked, or if any were asked at all.

When you find the craft-person or artist you want to visit, ask them meaningful questions about the pieces they make. It’s OK if you don’t completely understand the creative and technical processes they use. It will still give you a deeper appreciation of the memento you choose to purchase from them. And when you look back, you will have great memories of interesting people you’ve met on your life’s journey.

The Project Queen

Planning a trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota? Check out http://www.blackhillsglassblowers.com/

Silent Night

Like many people “Silent Night” is my favorite Christmas Hymn. It’s a lullaby for the infant Jesus, and like many lullabies, it’s peaceful and soothing.

I actually have a special memory attached to this hymn. It involves a nativity my maternal grandparents put under their Christmas tree. Unlike many nativities this one wasn’t static. It was an electrical music box with a star that illuminated the manager and figures that rotated around the Holy Family. The shepherds were on one side and the wise men on the other. As the figures rotated, it played “Silent Night”. I loved to lie under the tree and watch it. In fact, it’s the one thing I really remember clearly about Christmas Eve dinner at their house (other than Grandma’s Waldorf Salad). Well, I do remember some of the gifts I received, but none of them hold a special place in my heart like that nativity did.

My grandparents moved out of that house when I was about 10 or 11. They decided it was time to downsize and relocate where someone else did all the maintenance. Grandma gave me a carved jewelry box because I liked to play with the jewelry she kept in it. I guess because it was spring or summer when they moved, I didn’t give the nativity a thought. But it didn’t go with them to their apartment. After they moved from the house, I never saw it again. Like most of us, it was probably a case of out-of-sight, out of mind. But a few years ago I started thinking about the nativity. My husband injured his back while on active duty with the military in 2006. To say we’ve been through a lot would be an understatement. When life gets difficult who among us wouldn’t want to go back in time and re-experience a special memory? Sadly, no one recalls what happened to the nativity, and I haven’t been able to find another like it. My father and my husband are both woodworkers. Perhaps they would like to help me make a replica. In the meantime, I still take a great deal of comfort from “Silent Night”.

The Project Queen

Taking a Spin

The spinning wheel pictured above is one of the nicest gifts my father has ever given me.

He and my mom have a neighbor who does spinning & weaving. A few years ago, my dad was getting serious about woodworking again. He thought making a working copy of his neighbor’s spinning wheel would be an interesting challenge. It’s made of black walnut, and it took him 3 days to carve, turn and assemble all the parts. (He’s retired so spending an entire day on a project is not a problem for him.)

After completion it was displayed it for a few years in the great room of my parents’ house. Considering the hours he invested in it, Dad certainly deserved to enjoy the appreciation of visitors who came by. Naturally, the first time I saw it, I didn’t just admire his wheel, I coveted it.

Many knitters and crocheters eventually want to learn how to spin their own yarn. (A few of us also fantasize about owning a farm with some fiber-makers like sheep, alpacas and angora bunnies.) Learning to spin has been on my bucket list for many years, since I learned to knit when I was 19. Marina, the lady who taught me to knit, was from Bolivia. She learned knitting and spinning from the Incas who lived in her community when she was a girl. Along with knitting lessons, Marina attempted to teach me spinning on a spindle. While the knitting was progressing nicely, the spinning lessons were a bust. Apparently, it wasn’t a skill I was ready to master yet.

Spinning with a spindle is an inexpensive way to begin learning the craft, and less complicated than using a wheel. So I may still get started that way. Still, I’m really excited to have the spinning wheel. They can be a bit expensive to purchase, and this one is very special because my father made it. It is an heirloom I can pass on. Last year when I visited my parents, I didn’t notice my dad no longer had it in the great room. I actually hadn’t thought about it in a while. Imagine my pleasure when he asked me if I wanted to take it home. I wasn’t tremendously surprised however. Though my dad gets involved in some very challenging projects, he does have a practical side. Neither he nor my mom work in the fiber crafts. He had enjoyed making and displaying his wheel for a while, and it was time to pass it on to someone was interested in putting it to work.

Right now my parents and I live 4 states away. I made the trip with my younger daughter who had just graduated from high school. She was interested in attending college in their state and was living with them to establish residency (and to get a taste of being away from our home.) She was bringing her belongings with her, so we drove. I was facing a 2-day drive back home by myself. Taking the spinning wheel with me made the trip special and was a fair trade as far as I’m concerned. Now, I need to quit admiring it and get busy taking some spinning classes. Who knows? Perhaps someday that farm with the fuzzy yarn makers can be crossed off my list too.

The Project Queen