Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Santa Claus or Kris Kringle











Kris Kringle is derived from Christkind and is different than Santa Claus.

A Christmas gift-bringer in Germany. The name "Kris Kringle" is a mispronounciation of the German name; the actual German figure is called "Christkind", "Christkindchen" or "Christkindl" and is derived from the earlier Christkindl, which was introduced by Martin Luther*.

*Born in Germany in 1483, Martin Luther became one of the most influential figures in Christian history when he began the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. He called into question some of the basic tenets of Roman Catholicism and his followers soon split from the Roman Catholic Church to begin the Protestant tradition.

All of the German names mean "Christ child" and originally refer to the new-born Jesus.

The figure is distinct in origin and tradition from Santa Claus and Father Christmas. The Christkind ("Christ Child") is the traditional Christmas giftbringer in Southern Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Südtirol and Liechtenstein. Since the 1990s, the Christkind is facing increasing competition in Germany from the Weihnachtsmann in the American version of Santa Claus.

The Christkind is a sprite-like child, usually depicted with blond hair and angelic wings. Martin Luther intended it to be a reference to the incarnation of Jesus as an infant.

The form "Kris Kringle" is only used in the US. In Germany, it is completely unknown.

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Tuesday, November 3, 2015

DIY Pressing Flowers (preserve the feel of Summer/Autumn)


PANSIES

Hi everyone, it’s Autumn again and winter will soon be here. Wouldn’t you love to preserve the beauty of Summer/Autumn flowers? Let’s talk flower pressing—a fun DIY project.





Pick flowers on dry days, collecting blooms early in the morning after the dew has dried or in the early evening before it returns can help prevent picking wet flowers. Walk around your garden or up and down the street near parks and choose the newest or freshest blooms. Snip and let it fall into the basket.

Get picked flowers into a press as soon as possible, before they start to wilt. Keep the flowers out of direct sunlight to keep them fresh.

GROUP SIMILAR FLOWERS TOGETHER

Sort fresh flowers by type and arrange them face down, making sure that none of the blooms are touching. Sandwich the blooms between smooth typing or blotter paper, which will absorb the flowers’ moisture during the drying process.
It’s important that none of the flowers touch; otherwise, when they dry, they will be stuck together.





HIBISCUS

Two factors determine which flowers press best. Since pressing blossoms is a way of drying them, flowers that contain less moisture when fresh dry quicker, whereas the thick and fleshy petals of impatiens and begonias will become moldy after a few weeks in a flower press. The second factor is color retention. Undesirable flowers lose their color during the drying process or become muddy, whereas desirable flowers retain their color and sometimes intensify in color. Here are a few ideas:



Acidanthera (Gladiolus callianthus)
Borage (Borago officinalis)
Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)
Larkspur (Consolida ajacis)
Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata)
Dahlias (Dahliacvs.)*
Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota)
Delphiniums (Delphiniumcvs.)
California poppies (Eschscholzia californica)
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)*
Nicotiana (Nicotiana alata)
French marigolds (Tagetescvs.)*
Verbenas (Verbena X hybridacvs.)
Pansies (Viola X wittrockianacvs.)
Zinnias (Zinniaspp. and cvs.)*

*These flowers don’t press well whole because their centers are too thick to flatten. The trick is to remove the petals from the center, press each separately and reassemble the petals without the center.

A HEAVY BOOK WORKS JUST AS WELL AS A FLOWER PRESS

There are two ways to press flowers and both methods work well. The method you choose depends on what’s better for you.

It’s important to keep the flowers evenly weighted during the drying process. If you choose the book method, a cinder block or a flat piece of stone that covers the entire surface area of the book will do the job. The blooms in a flower press are weighted by tightening the wing nuts on the long bolts at each corner. Tightening the nuts creates evenly distributed pressure between the top and bottom layers of the press. To ensure that the distribution of pressure is even, make sure that each of the wing nuts has been tightened to the same level on each bolt.

DO NOT DISTURB THE FLOWERS FOR AT LEAST A MONTH

I know that it’s tempting to look and see how the flowers are doing but DON’T!! If you take a look to soon, the flowers can be ripped apart. After a month has passed, take a look at your beautifully pressed flowers of all shapes, sizes and colors. Now for the extra fun part: use your flowers in a scrap book, stationary, business cards, garden journal, ornaments, candles or pretty much anything you can think of.



HOW TO MAKE A PRESS

Flower Press
Photo/Illustration: Vince Babak

The size of your flower press will depend on the size of the flowers and plants you want to preserve.
Step 1
Cut two pieces of plywood for the top and bottom layers of the press. These pieces can be as big or small as you want them to be. They just need to be the same size.
Drill holes through the four corners of both the top and bottom pieces of wood. The holes must be large enough to accommodate the lag screws.
Step 3
Insert the lag screws through the holes drilled into the bottom piece of the press.
Step 4
Layer alternate pieces of cardboard, white paper, and flowers inside the press. The number of layers depends on how many flowers you have to press.
Step 5
Place the top piece of wood onto the press, threading the lag screws through the holes.
Step 6
Tighten the layers together by spinning the wing nuts down the bolts onto washers to create even pressure.



Questions? or comments:


info@hibiscusflowershop.com



Sunday, July 26, 2015

August Birth Flower


To all the Leo (August) babies. We are a little early but we could not resist blogging about.....  August's birth flower is gladiolus, or 'sword lily.' Gladiolus represents remembrance, calm, integrity, and infatuation. With gladiolus, the recipient's heart is being "pierced with love." 

gladiola




The other August flower is the poppy. 

field of poppies

gladiola




gladiola

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Dealing with Pesky Garden Weeds Naturally


Cornmeal is birth control for seeds. Sprinkle it on your garden and it will keep weeds  seeds from germinating and growing into plants. Cornmeal will keep any seed from germinating so be careful not to sprinkle any on your vegetable garden until your plants have become established and you have finished planting seeds.

BENEFITS DRINKING LEMON WATER







It’s important to start your morning in the best way possible for both your body and mind. Drinking warm water with lemon has so many benefits, there’s no reason NOT to try it.

Here are the top 9 reasons to start TODAY

Benefits of Warm Water with Lemon:
Cleanses & detoxes your system
Energizing and mood-enhancing
Helps balance pH levels
Hydrates your lymphatic system
Boosts your immune system
Promotes healing
Clears skin
Aids in weight loss
Freshens breath

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Mother's Day Deals

SPRING
BOUQUET OF ROSES & TULIPS


PLACE ORDERS EARLY FOR MOTHER'S DAY. GREAT DEALS DAILY. 
WE SHIP NATIONALLY!!

Wood Floor Install



Before and After photos of a bedroom renovation. We installed new walls, closet and hardwood floor.











Caring for Tropical Hibiscus

Tropical hibiscus plants love at least 6 hrs. of sun or more. They start blooming in the Spring through late Fall, later if in a warm climate. You can leave them outside if you live in a warm climate.

They are not hardy (will not survive) outdoors if the temperature drops below 35f. Bring the plants inside & give them bright light. The mature size is 30” tall x 12-15” wide & they grow upright.

It’s okay to use all-purpose fertilizer. One of the many features of the tropical hibiscus is the ability to attract Hummingbirds & Butterflies.


Remember to remove the spent blooms (they look shriveled up, gently pluck them off & they will quickly grow another).


Water daily if planted in an outdoor garden, especially if hot outside. If planted in a pot in or outside, check to see if wet from the previous day; water if dry.


Visit us online: shop.hibiscusflowershop.com

TROPICAL HIBISCUS ARE IN


CALL, COME IN OR PLACE YOUR ORDERS ONLINE. WE SHIP NATIONALLY.

REDS, PINKS, YELLOWS......

SHOP.HIBISCUSFLOWERSHOP.COM


Sunday, January 11, 2015

FEBRUARY BIRTH FLOWER

  1. VIOLET
    February's birth flower is the violet, which signifies watchfulness, loyalty, and faithfulness. Give a violet to someone to let them know you'll always be there for them. The other February flower is the primrose, which lets someone know you can't live without them.

PRIMROSE


REMEMBER VALENTINE'S DAY
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH



VALENTINE'S DAY PRE-ORDER

"When Love is not Madness, it is not Love"

 -Pedro Calderon de la Barca-

Valentine's Day, Sunday Feb. 14th