my creative space is filled with the meadow

The meadow has been such an inspiration for me lately.  I love taking my walks through the paths I mowed.  The wildflowers keep getting taller and taller.

I picked some Queen Anne's Lace flowers to press the other day.  I use one of my old literature books to press them.

Simply lay the flowers on an open page, close the book (carefully) and then squeeze the book onto a tight bookshelf.

After a while (very scientific, I know) I open up the book and the flower is pressed and ready to use.  I've used them in jewelry:

and I used a very large pressed Queen Anne's Lace flower in this recent painting:

One year I pressed flowers and framed them as gifts for people.  I used simple wooden frames and pretty colored paper behind the flowers.

What's even more fun, and was something new for me, was using Queen Anne's Lace for making cyanotypes on fabric.  I've made sun prints before with paper and I'd been dying to try some treated fabric that my mom had in her supply stash. 

Simply lay items on top of the fabric, set it out in the sun for 10 minutes.  Bring it inside, take off the items

 (the exposed part will have changed color) and rinse the fabric in cool water.  Here the color changes again.

The exposed places will be blue and the covered areas will be white.  (As you can see I used some vintage crocheted doilies as well as Queen Anne's Lace).

The flowerheads that are going to seed  are really beautiful.

And, sshhh, don't tell, but I used one of my cyanotypes as part of my stitched postcard for the swap.

I have other meadow-related projects in the works.  Here's a sneak peak at my collection of supplies.  They're going to be something a little bit different.

And because I was actually organized enough to play along, I thought I'd join in at our creative spaces.  It's been ages since I did.  Stop by if you have a chance; there's lots of beauty going on there.