LENOIR BLACKBERRY FESTIVAL

BERRY GOOD FUN!

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Only an hour's drive from us (which turned out to be an hour and a half after taking the wrong turning!) Lenoir in NC held their 5th annual Blackberry festival on Saturday. This was our first year attending as a vendor, and we will definitely be returning for the 6th annual!

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The whole day was good fun and well attended. There was a good mix of attractions, live music, and events (including a blackberry eating competition!) The rain made its scheduled appearance around 2pm, but it failed to dampen everyone's enjoyment.

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We met a lot of friendly people, and we would like to say thank you to everyone who came by to see us. Quite a few people mentioned that they had read in the local newspaper about our real flower handbags and they wanted to check them out. I'm guessing Cathy (who expertly organized the event) ran an advertisement leading up to the festival.

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Well, the real flower handbags went down really well and so too did our jewelry. All of those people who signed up for our newsletter will be entered in for our monthly prize draw. This month we are giving away a "Sarah" real flower handbag and a matching flower wallet.

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If you would like to enter this draw yourself then simply enter your contact details on our contact page on the web site.

NEW STERLING SILVER PENDANTS!

NEW PRODUCTS

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Just a few lines to mention that we have added several new items to our online catalogue of sterling silver pendants. They boast natural shell inlay, including abalone shell, mother-of-pearl, and tiger shell.

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These make great gift items if you have any birthdays coming up or why not treat yourself?! We include the sterling silver chain free with a purchase of our beautiful pendants, AND we also supply a silver cleaning cloth with all jewelry purchases!

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For tips on storing and cleaning your sterling silver, check out our silver cleaning/care page!

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REAL FLOWER HANDBAG SIGHTING

Flower Power

We received a cool email this week from someone in South Carolina who bought one of our "Stephanie" real flower handbags.

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She explained how she was visiting her parents in Florida and they went out for the day on a shopping spree. She goes on to explain that she was carrying her new real flower handbag and mid-spree they decided to stop for something to eat.

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Her mother notices, sitting at another table, a woman also carrying one of our real flower handbags!

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She didn't say which design it was but she did go over to the woman on their way out and exchange stories on where they got their pressed flower handbags.

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It turns out the other woman purchased hers from us at a show we did in Florida back in March.

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It was nice to hear that our real flower handbags are being spotted out and about! So if anyone else has a similar experience we would love to hear about it or better still if you have your camera with you, take a snap and forward it on to us and we'll post it on here.

PRESSING FLOWERS

Once you have made your flower press (see previous post on how to do this) you will want to start pressing your flowers immediately! This guide will outline the simple steps you will need to follow to do this.

1. First gather the flowers that you want to press. The ideal flowers to use are those that aren't too thick, and that will maintain their beauty when flattened. Thinner flowers dry faster and are easier to press. The faster a flower dries the better it will keep it's color.
   You can press thicker flowers like roses, but it is generally thought for best results you must press the rose petals individually and then glue them back together.
   Here is a list of flowers that are good for pressing : Geranium, Azalea, Hydrangea, Ferns, Daisy, Buttercup, Crocus, Sweet Pea, Pansy, Daffodil, Chrysanthemum, Marigold, Rose Petals.
   So, take the top off your press and place the sheet of blotting paper on the base of the press.
   
2. Then, arrange some of your flowers and leaves on the blotting paper flattening them down so they will dry evenly. Also lay them down so there is space between them and they don't touch.
   
3. Then, add a few sheets of newspaper on top of the flowers making sure the newspaper doesn't overlap the blotting paper.
   
4. Then repeat the process and lay another sheet of blotting paper, more flowers, and more newspaper on top. You can repeat this again and again, adding more layers of blotting paper, flowers and newspaper as long as you can still fit the top of the press on, the washers, and are able to tighten up the wing nut.
   

Generally the small flowers will dry in 5 days to a week. Flowers are dry when they are rigid and crisp throughout. Do not remove the flowers until they are completely dry. Remove them carefully by sliding a knife under the flower and lifting them up. Do not pull at the petals because you might tear them.

For information about dyeing pressed flowers, which can be an idea for those flowers that are prone to fading in the sunlight, i recommend looking at this web site which also showcases varied work from artists using pressed flowers.

And of course, don't forget to check out our pressed flower handbags at Nature by Dezign.

MAKING YOUR OWN FLOWER PRESS

.For anyone interested in pressing your own flowers, i have put together a simple guide on how to make your own flower press! (Of course you could just use a heavy book instead!)

This step by step guide will explain how to make your very own flower press in a matter of minutes. There is no need to go out to the store and buy one for $$$ when you can simply follow these simple instructions and make one yourself, enabling you to immediately begin pressing your own flowers!

YOU WILL NEED:

1. Two pieces of plywood cut to equal size (10" x 12" will be large enough) These will be for the top and bottom of the press.
   
2. 4 carriage bolts 1/4 inch thickness. The bolts need to be pretty long, so allow about 2 inches more than the thickness of the two pieces of plywood sandwiched together. So somewhere around 3 and a half inches in length would be good.
   
3. 4 washers that will fit the bolts.
   
4. 4 wing nuts 1/4 inch thickness.
   
5. Absorbent paper. Blotting paper would be perfect which you can pick up at any Arts & Crafts store or of course an office supply store.
   
6. Several sheets of newspaper cut slightly smaller than the blotting paper.
   

WHAT TO DO:

You want to drill FOUR holes, one in each corner of the boards that you cut from the plywood.

1. First, place the blotting paper on one of the boards to make sure that the paper is smaller than the boards. Centre the paper and mark on the board with a pencil where you want to drill your holes. REMEMBER you do not want to drill through the paper.
   
2. Now, clamp the two boards together lining them up squarely so you will be certain that the holes are directly on top of each other.
   Go ahead and drill the FOUR holes.
   
3. Next, just slide your bolts through the two pieces of plywood that you drilled, place the washers over the bolts, and then screw the wing nuts on.
   THAT'S IT!
   
   Straightforward isn't it?! Now that you have made your flower press you will want to start pressing your flowers immediately!
   
   Follow my guide on pressing flowers which is just as easy to follow.
   
   Here you will see where to lay the blotting paper and the newspaper in the press and also which types of flower are suitable for pressing.
   
   
   Our pressed flower handbags at Nature by Dezign are a great example of what you can do with real pressed flowers and your imagination. These tropical hibiscus and orchids are subsequently hand-laid right into the material of the real flower handbag and sealed, fully capturing the essence of nature.

I chanced on a web site the other day where you can see some really beautiful pressed flower artwork by artist May Long. The Garden Fairy picture is amazing. There are also other great examples of pressed flower artwork from Liming Twanmoh at her web site called pressed flora.

MONTHLY PRIZE DRAW

.Nature by Dezign are pleased to launch the first of their monthly prize draws this month!

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Every month we will be giving away a new item from our nature inspired collection of fashion accessories.

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This month we will be giving away a handbag from our pressed flower handbag collection AND a matching real flower wallet.

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real pressed flower handbags

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These adorable real flower accessories make perfect gifts for birthdays, or bridesmaid items. We have a lot of brides-to-be buying the small flower wallets to use for favors or as part of a gift for their bridesmaids.

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This month we will be giving away one of our "Sarah" pressed flower handbags AND one of our small real flower change purses "Daisy", both shown in the above images.

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These real pressed flower gift items have a combined value of $36.00

We will ship these beautiful items to the lucky recipient FREE as part of our new monthly prize draw.

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To enter for the draw simply fill out your contact details in the required fields located on our contact us page of our web site. The winner will be notified by email and the items will be shipped within 2 days of notification. The draw for this month's prize will take place on 17th August 2006.

Good Luck!

LOOKING FOR A GREAT GIFT?

.You can very rarely go wrong with a pair of earrings as a great gift idea.

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Nature by Dezign have just included a wonderful variety of shell inlay, dangle earrings to their sterling silver jewelry collection.

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Browse through and enjoy the different design work of each pair. Especially the gorgeous natural pattern of the tiger shell earrings.

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We have just added twenty new designs of dangle earrings to our catalogue so get clicking and get some retail therapy!

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Remember to also browse through our collection of shell inlay pendants so you can team up your earrings with a necklace that compliments.

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MONTHLY CHARITY DONATION

Just a quick thank you to everyone who made an online purchase with us this last month. Nature by Dezign have donated $1.00 for every online order we received to the environmental charities shown at the end of this post.

To learn more about these causes just click on the logos.

We will be making regular donations to these organizations on a monthly basis based on the number of online orders we receive.

You can read more about this on our charity aid page on our web site.

Thanks again!

OUR BESTSELLER

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The " handbag isMichaela" flower the best seller in our real flower handbag collection.

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She is a firm favorite due to her perfect size, shape, and style.

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Fitting comfortably over the shoulder, she can be worn while you are out shopping with friends, dining with your partner, or at the ball game with the family.

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Simply put, our Michaela flower handbag is THE accessory for any occasion. It is this versatility which makes her so popular along with her stylish look.

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The majority of our pressed flower handbags boast a smart lining which is fastened in the corners of the bag. The lining can easily be snapped in and out making the linings interchangeable, giving each and every flower handbag a new dimension.

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You can see our Michaela flower handbag above with a white lining, she is also available in alternative colors that can be viewed at the Nature by Dezign web site.

If you haven't visited our site before i hope you like it and enjoy finding out more about us and our unique fashion items. Also contact me at rich@naturebydezign and ask how you can save 10% on your purchase of our Michaela floral handbag. Simply drop me a quick email asking about the offer and i will give you an automatic 10% off your online purchase of the Michaela shoulder bag!

WHAT IS MY RING FINGER SIZE?

If you are looking to purchase a ring for yourself or as a gift and you are uncertain of the ring size you need then just follow these easy steps!

Firstly, you want to make sure that you measure the finger when it is at its largest. You don't want to buy a ring that is too small and the wearer struggles to get it on their finger!

Fingers swell in the heat, so do not measure cold fingers. For an accurate reading it is best to measure the finger at the end of the day when the finger is at its largest.

To measure the finger all you need is :

1) a piece of string, say 6 inches long (a strip of paper will do just as well)

2) a pen to mark the string/paper

3) a ruler

Firstly, wrap the piece of string or paper around the base of the finger that you want to measure.

Then, take the pen and mark on the string or paper where it overlaps to form a complete circle around your finger.

Then, run the string or paper along your ruler to measure it's length in mm.

Lastly compare this measurement with the chart below to find the nearest measurement to yours. This will then be the size you require.

Ring Size (USA) = length (mm) : 4 = 46.5 4.5 = 47.8 5 = 49 5.5 = 50.3

6 = 51.5 6.5 = 52.8 7 = 54 7.5 = 55.3 8 = 56.6 8.5 = 57.6 9 = 59.9 9.5 = 60.3

10 = 61.6 10.5 = 62.8 11 = 64.1 11.5 = 65.3 12 = 66.6 12.5 = 67.9 13 = 69.1

If you want to buy the ring as a surprise for someone you can always ask a close friend or relative of the recipient if they know their ring size.

Or you can always take one of their rings and run it down a tapered candle or similar item, then measure the circumference as before with a piece of string or strip of paper and compare the measurement to the chart.

As a general rule you will find that your fingers will be a half size larger on your dominant hand (the hand that you write with)

Another point to consider is if the wearer suffers from arthritis and has wider knuckles than the base of their finger. In this case measure both the knuckle and the base of the finger and go for a point somewhere in between.

Once you find out your ring finger size i would love to hear of the results as we are running a survey at Nature by Dezign. Simply go to www.naturebydezign.com and click on your ring size on the survey which can be found on the right hand side of the home page.