Magnolia Tree Gardening Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Leaf’

Paints, oils, and watercolor are traditional media for art. Over the ages, artists have used them to create stunning pictures that captivate the mind.

There is also another genre of artists that do not use traditional media. Instead, they use other nonstandard materials to make beautiful art. For example, some may use butterfly wings to make beautiful artwork. Some use coins to create an interesting mosaic.

Some of the easiest nonstandard materials to work on are leaves. Leaves come in an infinite number of shapes, forms, colors, and sizes. These factors make leaves a perfect art material.

Here are some wonderful art ideas that you can make easily.

1. Paint spatter silhouettes

To protect the surface you are working on, place some old newspapers on it. Now take a large poster board. Place your leaves on the poster board and arrange it to your liking. Any number of leaves is fine but it is best to restrict the number to around two or three. With the leaves in place, dip an old toothbrush into a color medium; enamel paint usually works best. Hold the brush near the leaves, and run your finger across the bristles, flicking the paint. You can do this process several times with different colors. When dry, lift the leaves carefully; you will see a wonderful bare leaf outline around color splatters. Frame the board and you will have an interesting leaves wall décor for your home.

2. Angel feathers

Magnolia leaves are best used for this project. Start of by mixing a teaspoon of baking soda for one quart of water in a porcelain boiling pan. Lay the leaves in the vessel and pour over the baking powder solution. After boiling for half an hour, set aside to let the leaves cool in the solution. Take the leaves out and scrape the green surface with a knife. Once this is done, you will have a nice shape of a feather.

Make a solution of two tablespoons of chlorine bleach per quart of water. Place the leaves into the solution and set aside for an hour. When the leaves turn white, take them out and rinse thoroughly with cool water. Gently dry the leaves with a washcloth. Once dry, place the leaves between paper towels and press or weigh. Place wires on the leaves for stems and wrap it with florist tape. You can then frame the leaves.

3. Iron-on leaf designs

Choose nicely shaped leaves of different sizes. Then choose the substrate, the material to transfer the design to-be it cloth dinner napkins, T-shirt pocket, stationery, or a hanky. Color the back of the leaf with a bright colored crayon; then colored side on the material.

Cover the leaf with a thin cotton cloth, and press a warm iron on it for a few seconds.

4. Leaf prints

Here is another good leaves wall décor for any room in your house. Lay the leaf on a surface. You can use poster board, but you can be creative by using an unusual material such as papyrus or recycled brown paper. Use the side of a crayon to rub over side of the leaf. You can use as many colors as you like. When you lift the leaf off the material, you will be left with the shape of the leaf.

Arthur Court is a range of “silverware” and decorative products made of aluminum, polished to a brilliant luster. More significantly, the products are designed professionally, with inspiration from natural and man-made objects.

The prestigious range of products is made by Arthur Court Designs, of Arthur and Elena Court of San Francisco Bay area. In addition to running the company, the Courts design the products, contribute their time to conservation and wildlife causes, travel all over the world and collect minerals and artifacts.

Arthur Court worked for design and decorating firms for eighteen years before opening his own business. His vast mineral collection inspired and helped him create exotic designs, and the intricate aluminum creations that he offered proved highly successful in the market.

Elena Orsini-Court studied Oriental art history and modern art. She has worked as a corporate art consultant and curator for public art exhibitions. She is the director of product development at Arthur Court Designs, and also its president.

Designs come from numerous sources. It can come from the flowers, leaves and stems of plants and trees, animals and their movements, men, women and their creations. Traditional art provides many of the motifs used in products such as those made by Arthur Court Designs.

The vast and exotic collection of minerals gathered by the Courts would be an invaluable reference source for any designer. And Arthur Court Designs has used this source to marvelous effect.

Over five hundred designs have been used in their range of serve ware and decorative products. We take a brief look at a sampling of the range.

The American Traditional series include casseroles, trays, salad sets, trivets, American traditional granite and chip & dip servers. The most striking feature of these products is their stunning designs and brilliant luster.

The Bunny range utilizes bunny shapes and patterns in decorative products like photo frame and swing ornaments and utility products like a salt & pepper set.

Della Robia series offers salad bowls, cheese/cracker sets, chip & dip servers and a pitcher worked with amazingly intricate patterns.

The Dragonfly series range from an intricate sweetener holder with dragonflies all round to a simple square plate with a dragonfly embossed in one corner.

The Longhorn features the American Buffalo and the range includes salt & pepper set, fruit bowl stand with a transparent acrylic bowl and an oblong tray, among other items.

The Soho range has a design that pleases the eye with its apparent simplicity despite the obvious sophistication.

Other series include American Wilderness, Autumn, Baby, African Safari, Fleur De Lis, Frog, Horse, Large Animal Coolers, Magnolia, Chili Pepper, Pineapple and Palm Leaf, Tuscan, Western, Sealife Designs and even a Collegiate (offering licensed insignias of specific schools).

It is no wonder that Arthur Court Designs has been able to capture the fancy of consumers with the wide variety, sophistication and brilliance of its designs. The numerous themes cater to varied interests and the artistic execution pleases the eye and mind.

I think you know very well about the rules and regulations to keep your plants to grow healthy in your garden. For getting sustainable growth of your garden plants you do require good soil quality, sunlight and sufficient water. Although these items have been gifted by nature, you ought to require modern gardening tools to upkeep your garden in a good state. Gardening tools help a lot in taking care of your plants as well as the good growing conditions and positive effect on your plant’s health.

Defective gardening tools might have cause injury on your plants or cut your plants or totally plug your plants from the soil. In order to prevent the occurrence of such untoward incident, it is a must to look for the best gardening tools, which will provide your plants loving tender care. Once you called a tool as ‘Best gardening tools”, it refers to a tool, which will permit labor saving methods and that allows energy efficiency.

Here you can see some of the best gardening tools available in the market to provide a better care than ever for your plants in the garden.

Lawnmowers Luxus Push Reel Mower rated as best by the gardening aficionados provides large top cover that protects overhanging flowers and shrubs. Another special gardening tool called American Lawn Mower Deluxe has also been accredited as best which will be helpful to operate on elbow grease alone and also causing no pollution. But this is not conducive for too tall grasses.

Garden Shredders In general all the garden shredders have a high power motor and come with a silent crushing system. This kind of gardening tool used to accelerate your shredding activity. Garden shredders with electric shredder is an easy to assemble gardening tool, which aids in tree pruning with maximum of 40 mm and making healthy hedges. This gardening tool is considered to be a best among all the garden shredders since it is available with a plunger for increased portability and built-in wheels.

Cultivators These modern gardening tools are available with patented tines to help in cutting the hard compacted soil smoothly. Cultivators are available with a free border edger. It is perfect to use in cleaning the moss, aerating and in thatching. This garden tool helps extensively in preparing vegetable plots, flowerbeds, etc.,

Leaf sweeper These gardening tools are extensively used for smaller lawns. It is having an infinite height adjustment with 200-liter collector.

Edge Trimmer This gardening tool has also been accredited as important equipment by the gardening equipment reviewers. This aids in trimming the hedges and also aids in plant pruning.

Spading fork This is a wonderful gardening tool used for aerating and transplanting. By using this gardening tool it is possible to perform splitting grasses and perennials. In addition to this these gardening tools helps a lot as the job of a manure fork, mulch, sorting hay, for tiny gardens.

Mattock Mattock is an important gardening tool for breaking up the clay soils and also working around established trees with the roots. There is no need to have a pick and a hoe and handles in your garden, if you are having mattock with you.

Before you leave the garden center, it is highly advisable to have a look at these check list of gardening tools and confirm if you’ve got all the gardening tools you’ll need to make your garden just like that of spring to life.