July 19, 2013 by Born To Organize

Talavera Dove: Brimming with Goodness

My son gave me this beautiful Talavera Dove flower-pot for Christmas last year. I kept it indoors during the winter months, but once the weather improved I placed it on the deck. After a couple of heatwaves, the lemony-yellow coleus doubled, than tripled in size. This week it flowered. Now the pot feels more like a peacock then a dove, with its fanning plumage.

Talavera Dove with Coleus

According to Wikipedia:

Talavera is a type of majolica earthenware, distinguished by its white base glaze.^[1] Authentic Talavera pottery only comes from the city of Puebla and the communities of Atlixco, Cholula and Tecali, as the clays needed and the history of this craft are both centered there. All pieces are hand-thrown on a potter’s wheel and the glazes contain tin and lead, as they have since colonial times. This glaze must craze, be slightly porous and milky-white, but not pure white. There are only six permitted colors: blue, yellow, black, green, orange and mauve, and these colors must be made from natural pigments. The painted designs have a blurred appearance as they fuse slightly into the glaze. The base, the part that touches the table, is not glazed but exposes the terra cotta underneath. An inscription is required on the bottom that contains the following information: the logo of the manufacturer, the initials of the artist and the location of the manufacturer in Puebla.

In our age of mass production, it’s fun having a garden pot with a bit of old-world tradition. It’s nice having the long, warm summer days to enjoy it, too.

Have a great weekend!

What’s on Deck

February 16, 2013 by Born To Organize

Flower Tower in (a Few) Hour (s)

Terracotta Stack after gold leaf finish

We had the most glorious weather today! Our highs reached 75 F ( 24 C). Can you believe it? The temps should start dropping tomorrow, with much-needed rain in the forecast but today was lovely.

It was also the perfect, no-excuses day to take on my two-tiered challenge. I wrote at Crafts and Plants: My Winning Combination that I wanted to finally get around to planting a flower tower of terracotta pots. I found the idea back in 2008 in a magazine called Do It Yourself. Today, I finally did. I also challenged myself to try something new; in this case, applying gold leaf.

As it turns out, it was really easy to do and a lot of fun. Like many things you try for the first time, there are things I would do differently. Overall though, not bad for a rookie.

Here’s what I did:

Clay Pots and Gold Leaf

I picked up three clay/terracotta pots in graduating circumferences (12″, 10″ and 8″ inches) from the garden center, along with a saucer and some potting soil.

I bought a metal leaf starter kit at our local craft store. It included six pages of gold leaf, adhesive size, sealer and antiquing glaze. I had a couple of small paint brushes on hand.

I read the directions (twice) then jumped in. Using a small paintbrush, I spread the sizing across the side of each pot, using a swirling pattern to create an organic shape. Once the sizing/glue was tacky to the touch, I applied the first sheet of leaf, brushing it into place with a soft, dry paint brush. (That was my favorite part!)

Antique finish detail

The leaf is super light and fly away, so I learned that you better have a plan. There are no second chances once it hits the adhesive. As small pieces tore off, I applied them to places with sizing. That was it!

Since the effect is as shiny as a new gold coin, I went ahead and brushed on a coat of antiquing (after sealing the gold first). I like the color but didn’t expect the brush strokes to be so apparent after it dried. The Mona Lisa Art Products Starter Kit came with enough product to complete one side of all three pots. You would need three or four kits to get enough coverage for all of them.

Stacked pots filled with soil

I raced back to the garden center late this afternoon and picked up a few cell packs. All that fresh dirt was simply begging for plants.

I planted:

6 penny White Violas
6 Penny Denim Jump-Up Violas
6 Alyssum
1 ‘Bluebird’ Nemesia fruticans

What do you think?

Flower Tower

August 8, 2012 by Born To Organize

A Page From My Garden

Fun times at the computer today. I finally got the hang of the Creative Memories StoryBook Creator software. I tried out my skills creating a page of flowers from the garden. If you’re remotely interested, I suggest you give it a whirl. Once you’re over the proverbial hump, you’ll be amazed at what you can do.

Among the more interesting features: creating a “rubber stamp” effect using your photos or one of the “embellishments” from the library. Also fun: matting your photo with an exact color from your picture.

I’ve been assembling scrapbooks since I was a girl. Mom would make paste from flour and water, then she would line the kitchen table with newspapers and let us go to town. My sister and I cut pictures from magazines and pasted away. Who knew all these years later that I would be cutting and pasting with a computer?

Are you a ‘scrapper? Have you joined the digital bandwagon?

March 11, 2012 by Born To Organize

Scrapbooking Retreat: A Page from the Garden

Storybook Creator Garden Page

Twice a year I attend a weekend retreat not far from Apple headquarters, where I pursue my love of scrap-booking. Tucked into a cozy conference room with 16 like-minded, creative, and uniquely wonderful women, I pursue my craft. Pam and Staci, the Creative Memories consultants who put together this retreat, take care of all our basic needs: meals, snacks and caffeinated beverages. This is the first year I’ve left my clever tools and colorful papers at home so I could dedicate my energies to learning Storybook Creator 4.0, the latest in digital scrap-booking from CM.

I wish I could say it was all smooth sailing, but like most endeavors involving a computer, I did my share of hand wringing along the way. Of course the weekend isn’t just about crafting. Like a modern-day quilting bee, the women in Meeting Room “A” laugh and share stories of love and courage, strength and loss and the inevitable changes of life. I’ve learned Pixels2Pages and the spirit of camaraderie, the intricacies of 4.0 and the importance of a softly closed door. I marvel at the stereotype of the “weaker sex” as I’ve shared meals and space with this powerhouse group of “croppers,” a sharing, caring group of women who’ve got my back.

What does all this have to do with gardening? Just this: on the darkest of days, my life blooms with sisterhood. With gratitude to the female posse that helps me grow.