Flowers and Ribbons on a basket

I use to have dial up connection to the internet... and now I have high speed... when on dial up, it was next to impossible to go to other sites and see things... and it became almost impossible to do challenges... very limiting and very, very frustrating... so with that in mind... I am seeing sites and meeting people that I love... love their energy, their work of art/ or play... and am just having a BLAST of a GREAT time... love it all.. 

So with that in mind when I tell you I visit all these favorite sites to see what all these new friends have done... and read every word...  I get so very excited that at times I can hardly wait to get off here and play...  Well that happened this morning... I was on Alison's site and was drooling over all her work/play...  it is all so wonderful... and all of a sudden I realized that I needed to go to this "NEW" site... called Our Creative Corner...  so guess what... I did... and I found more people to drool over... I know and drool over Astrid's lovelies all the time... and now I found Laura's wonderful Tussie Mussies... oh how pretty they are...  I was just blown away by everyones art here... so I had to get off the computer and gather up some things and CREATE.... 

YES... with handmade FLOWERS... and Dyed RIBBONS... oh what a challenge this is... LOL... my cup of tea 100% plus... loving all the time of collecting all my STUFF to create with...  wait until you see what I have gathered up... surprising!!!

BUT... when looking at the Simon Monday Challenge Blog... the challenge is to Start from Scratch...  well I did do that also... so this little project is also for this challenge as well..    

I have a class coming up in the fall, showing how to make KUDZU baskets... and I want to have a selection for the gals to pick from... so this was a perfect opportunity for me to decorate one of them... 

KUDZU... for those that don't live in the SOUTH eastern part of the USA...  Kudzu is a plant that was imported here from Asia and it is suppose to help with erosion... it does... but it has taken over areas that it is not desired in... it has gone wild... so it is known as the plant that has eaten DIXIE... (that is what the south is called...DIXIE)  It is not desired on peoples land... so it you want to, most people don't mind if you help yourself... I always ASK (to say the least) prior to just grabbing some of this undesired plant... but most of the time people will say... TAKE AS MUCH AS YOU DESIRE!!!  IN FACT TAKE IT ALL....   It has also become such a problem for some that they have put goats onto places where it has over the land... and they will eat it all up...  some people have even baled it and created homes from it like a straw bale house... so being creative with it is often seen... I know of one gal that makes BEAUTIFUL paper from it...  really wild looking and a very pretty shade of pale green. So when I teach this class it is for many reasons... and everyone walks away very happy... because they are helping a cause... to help control KUDZU... LOL.. not really... it doesn't take that much kudzu to make a basket...  but you know what I mean hopefully...   


ANYWAY... I can get carried away at times... but wanted to share that with you.. as these baskets are fun to make and I LOVE THEM... they are so pretty in the fall and of course the rest off the year too.. 

Here is what I created...  Hope you enjoy this.. 

 

This is my Flower and Ribbon Kudzu basket..  and I LOVE it...

I really have wanted to do this to one of the baskets for a long time... but just never took the time... so now it is done...

 

I will tell you know what I gathered up around my studio...

 

 

First off I grabbed a few baskets, as I wasn't really sure which size I wanted to use...  this is not the smallest one... or the largest... as the largest is huge... and not really a basket I would decorate with flowers... 

 

Secondly, I grabbed some BABY WIPES... and colored them with some Distress inks... !!!  Easy enough... right???  

 

Then a few yards of some white tulle and colored that with Alcohol inks...  three shades of green... even though it looks all one shade.. I did use three...  

 

Then I had to dye some ribbon.. I did have some pink... but wanted a multi toned pink... I used three colors... Worn lipstick, Victorian Velvet and Cotton candy ?  is that the name of the real pale one... drawing a blank...  anyway.. three pinks...  

 

Then I gathered up some of my little flowers that I love... if you want to read about my flower story... go back to around the 24th of June... I think it is around there... I loved these little flowers when I was a child... and now I can make them by the dozens... and I LOVE THEM... so very delicate and pretty...  

 

Okay... glue, scissors and ready to go...'

 

Oh one more thing... TATTERED FLORAL die cut...  and my leaf stamps that I made...  

 

now I am ready to begin...   

 

The flowers are made from Baby wipes that are used to clean up hands and my work sheets...  and I can't throw them away... so I use them to make flowers from... oh yes, I have a huge stack of them ready to go... 

 

 

I use three of the largest flower, two of the 'daisy' style flower, and four of the next size... and a few of the smallest... colors on these flowers flow... unless you want all one color... you take what come off the 'press' as it...  each time I get a flower made it is different and truly one of a kind...  not two are ever alike... UNLESS you dye the baby wipe... 

 

I added some bows, gathered some tulle and glued that onto the basket... and then added some of my little flowers...  white, pink and brown ones... and I think a few little yellow ones also got in there... 

 

 

This bow is on the inside handle... which you can see is braided Kudzu...  with a few little flowers next to it..  

 

I put the largest flower at the bottom, as I thought it would show up better there... and it doesn't... LOL... so you know what is going to happen... ??? I will have to do another whole basket... with the flower on the top... what a shame... I love it.... 

 

I really had fun with these 'challenges'... and am so very glad that I found Our Creative Corner and that I am back doing simon Monday Challenges.. ...  ...

 

Hope you all have a wonderful day... and thanks for stopping in for a visit... and see you all soon... 

 

Love, Light and Peace... Bonnie