pressing ferns

I love ferns. They remind me of a bygone era.  So I thought I would share with you a quick and easy way to press and preserve them. You can frame them or use in artwork. 

1. Cut two sheets of wax paper big enough to cover the fern.

2. remove all brown or dead parts.

3. Place fern on wax paper 

4. Place fern (covered on both sides in wax paper) in large heavy book.

5. Let sit for 5-7 weeks in dry cool room. 

I think they would be so pretty framed in a guest room! Wouldn't it be nice to press some of your'e wedding flowers too?

sugaring flowers

I have been totally charmed by simple wedding cakes lately. Sugared flowers have been around forever, but lately I have seen some beautiful cakes on Pinterest, and at some of the very chic barn weddings I've photographed in the last nine months. They have that homemade organic feel, simple, and quite beautiful, it seems brides are moving away from the ornate bakery cakes, and leaning more towards homespun dessert tables, and I am loving it. I adore the look of vintage 1940's milk glass cake stands and eclectic china to add the the charm of the dessert table. You can easily find things like this on ebay, or at tag sales, and flea markets. So I thought I would share with you a "how to" on sugaring your own edible flowers. They are so sweet atop a simple cake. They keep for up to two weeks, once they are finished, so it is a feasible DIY project, you can tackle several weeks before the rush of the wedding.

Ingredients
1-2 cups of edible organic flowers
1 teaspoon water
1/2 cup superfine sugar
one small paintbrush
wire drying rack
wax paper

Prep
1. add the water to the egg white and whisk, till there are just a few bubbles.
2. working with one flower at a time dip the paintbrush in the egg white, and gently paint each petals, on both sides.
3. hold the flower above the bowl of sugar and sprinkle the top with a thin layer of sugar.
4.place flower on the wire drying rack to dry completely (depending upon the humidity in your house, this could take up to 24 hours.
5. use tweezer to dip the smaller petals (such as lilac) into the mixture and lay it on wax paper when you sugar them.
6. Store in airtight container for up to a few weeks (or more).

For a full list of edible flowers check this chart.



xoxo

DIY wire picture hanger

So I was looking for a spot to hang these little ones (there were on my fridge). I found some picture wire, and these clips, and hung them above my computer desk. Now I kinda want an entire wall like this. You can also rotate different images when you tire of looking at the same ones, which I like.  Here is the link to buy clips, though you may find them at a hardware store. You can find wire at almost any hardware store or Michaels' crafts store. What do you think? Would you do this?

P.S-  25 cool ways to display your family pictures.

natural home scents

So I was on Pinterest this morning and came across this wonderful idea for natural home scents.
Voila. Simple, love.

Have a lovely weekend- Kate.