Internet adventures and how I decided to make rainbow tulips




First set up... ok but it pulled on the stems

I fully believe that some people go on the internet with a goal in mind, complete that goal, and then get off the internet. You can probably tell I am not that kind of person.

My sister calls it the internet time warp... or something equally clever. You go on for one thing and end up doing several other things. For example, I have just realized I need to pay a bill before I shut down.

So... I was messing around on pinterest and found a pin called Top 10 pinterest hoaxes debunked. Interest peeked I followed this link: http://www.dailydot.com/culture/top-10-pinterest-hoaxes-debunked/ .


I fell down the rabbit hole again. I went on pinterest so I could find the pin and the link and found another about pinterest clearing out fake profiles used to increase the numbers of followers and the top pinners. Back to the matter at hand... 


better set up... next morning showing color

So, the link above led me to http://pinterest.com/rainforestgardn/fake-plants-hoaxes-and-more/ . It has many pins including the rose. http://pinterest.com/pin/140456082099281755/ . It talks about how it is possible to create a rainbow rose but it is often not as vibrant as the one in the picture and is not natural. http://pinterest.com/pin/203787951860959721/ shows how to make it. You split the stem and put each piece in different cups of colored water.

I even looked up videos on YouTube. It looks easy enough but roses are expensive. I then thought daises are not so expensive I bet art club could do this for a fundraiser. Who wouldn't want to buy a rainbow flower for their mom! Ohh boy did I get ahead of myself. At least I did not say anything to anyone else first.

I found tons of daises but most were colored or in mixed bunches. However, I did find tulips in white and with more flowers than dollars to buy so I went with those.


About mid day. more color!


I split the stems and put them in different color water the next day they were starting to show color. I did this at school and left them over the weekend. Hopefully they are still alive and more colorful Monday morning. As of Friday, they were cool but not enough color to warrant the work.

Ohh and a huge down side of doing tulips their stems are not very strong so I had to use an upside down stool to tie them up but the leaves changed colors too. I was not brave enough to spit them four ways but I did a bunch of different two-way spits. I would recommend a woodier stem that has a larger diameter.

So, this won’t be a fundraiser but it is still fun. I will post pictures of the Monday flowers and then the final ones of how they look after being put back in regular water and a vase together. Cross your fingers, they live long enough. I do not exactly have a green thumb.

 

****Update****

They didn't survive the weekend. But, on a positive note they were much darker than when I left on Friday. I think I will try it again on a hardier flower.

Waldorf Inspired doll explanation

Not too long ago, my sister got me interested in dolls. Not just any dolls, Waldorf Inspired dolls.

Let me explain....

Rudolf Steiner developed an educational style called Waldorf education (also known as Steiner education). If you want to learn about it, start with Wikipedia - Waldorf Education and then do some research. Some people have had good experiences and some have had bad... just like everything else.

This is not really about education. It is toys. In a desire to allow children to develop empathy and creativity, the toys are simple and organic.

While the other toys are cool, the dolls are just amazing. The true Waldorf dolls are very simple, natural dolls that do not have an expression on their face. They are made of all natural materials including wool stuffing, and cotton interlock for the skin. The arms and legs are usually flexible but not all both sit and stand. The hair is typically made of mohair or bouclé.

I like the Waldorf dolls but I prefer the Waldorf Inspired dolls.

I know it sounds like semantics adding the word inspired but there is a big difference especially to the traditionalists.

Ok so what is the difference…

The inspired dolls do not follow “the rules”. Some of this is in an attempt to stand out from the crowd and some of it is just personal preference. Most dolls that would “qualify” as a Waldorf Inspired doll are made of natural or up-cycled (repurposed) materials. The most common deviations from the rules are unnatural colors, unnatural yarns added to the hair, adding noses, smiles, bottom cheeks, belly buttons, and minor adjustments to the proportions.

There are many different doll makers and clothing makers some of them so very hard to rationalize not buying when they are at a great price.

That brings up the biggest downside… price.

Newer and simpler dolls sell for right around the hundred-dollar mark. Dolls that are more difficult to make or that are more in demand are around two to three hundred dollars. There are a few more that sell for much higher but the current marked has most dolls between one and two hundred. Like other toys there is a thriving second hand market. Rather than reselling it is called rehoming as the dolls are intended as friends not property.

In the last few years, the market has expanded both in the number of doll makers and the number of dolls each maker is putting on the market at a given time. Two years ago, dolls from one of the most popular doll makers could fetch two to three times its retail price of two hundred dollars on the secondary market. This is usually not the case today. Often dolls priced at fifty to a hundred dollars under retail sit on the virtual store shelves in the secondary markets.

I know it sounds crazy to pay that much for a doll but these are not like the plastic dollar store dolls that are a dime a dozen. These dolls are often played with for years and some are even passed down to the next generation.

The other side of this is that most of the makers are small businesses or even work at home moms. When you spend money on dolls or clothes it is going to support someone’s family that you might even know. When you are buying the doll you know what it is made of and how it is made. In the end you get what you pay for.

Individuals also have the option of making their own doll. There are several groups that provide support and tips some for free and others for a price depending on the help required. The materials are not always the easiest to find and only a few stores online and off cater to the natural doll maker. Some of the shops provide partial kits while others have pre-sewn bodies and heads already wrapped and formed. Blank or Momma-Made dolls are available from a variety of  makers these are sewn and stuffed but do not have the face or hair done.

Some people have just one and others have a whole army. Most of the dolls are created with the intention of the doll ending up in the hands of a child. This does not always happen as some of the ladies buying the dolls for their kids love the dolls too and purchase them for themselves. These are called Mamma Dolls. There are also shelf dolls and closet dolls. The shelf dolls are just for looking while the closet dolls are being saved for a rainy day or future gift. These are the dolls that often get rehomed. Once a child gets a hold of the doll they don’t usually give them up.

I want to include images and links of some of the dolls I find but I think I will ask the makers first. I do not want to burn any bridges. It is a tight knit community and I like being a small part of it.

 

Wow this is kind of a long post and it is really only an over view.

The first one

Today seemed like a good day to start a blog especially since there are other things I should be doing. You know like cleaning, getting ready for the week, or actually sewing some of the things I have planned.