Didn't Know About This...: Found a... - Lung Conditions C...

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Didn't Know About This...

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10 years ago•21 Replies

Found a brilliant idea on the net today...micro-waving flowers...it works incredibly well. When I've pressed flowers before it takes ages and oodles of kitchen towel and every heavy book in the house and even then some flowers lose their colour or a petal is sort of squashed up...

But you just put a single layer of pansies, or in my case it was violets and primroses...flatten them out a bit, cover with a sheet of kitchen towel and a plate on top, then give them two minutes on medium...result is totally dry flowers with their original bright colours.

Now I'll have a practically instant source of decoration for making greeting cards and pictures...though I've noticed not many people expect to receive a birthday card through the post anymore...it seems to not matter much, so long as they get a message on Facebook.

Not quite the same though.

21 Replies

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frose10 years ago

Great tip!

Photogeek10 years ago

Hi Vashti thanks for that tip, yes it's true people dont even

Write letters anymore, I love getting A letter, but they are few and far between.

Thanks

Hannah x

hufferpuffer10 years ago

Hi Vashti, I keep saying I'll get a microwave then I forget. Nuking flowers could be seen as abuse to flowers by some,, especially without permission, but it seems like a quick way of getting results! I was on faceache ( I know lol! ) for about a year and although there were some good things there I decided I would have less time on my hands and it just seems so invasive of your privacy, people want to photograph and show everyone what they've eaten or it's people wanting game partners for Bubblewitch or jellybean games or something and you're so right about the Birthday greetings and such like.... it's a bit of a cop out, I like the idea of making pictures with real flowers, I wonder what a Clematis would or Geum would be like nuked.

It's nice to receive a card in the post and a handmade one with real flowers would be something special!huff xxx

hufferpuffer10 years ago

"Your own soul is nourished when you are kind;

it is destroyed when you are cruel." King Solomon

Towse195010 years ago

Not the same at all. Keep sending the love....or way! Audrey x

bikergrove10 years ago

What a great tip, thanks Vashti

Jolyn10 years ago

What a great idea Vashti. I'd love to see a pic of one of your greeting cards. x

ostiad10 years ago

Sounds great I'm going to try it xx

angse10 years ago

Only the Irish could think of that one Vashti,

What a great idea though Annette

Polly4acre10 years ago

I have never thought to microwave flowers, lovely idea! perfect for your cards and for those making soap as gifts. I have done my herbs this way for years, some, like dill and mint, look awful when frozen, but in the microwave, chopped finely, keep their true colours and when totally dry can be stored in little jars.

I also sterilise bowls of compost in mine. Polly

Joy12310 years ago

Excellent tip, I'm going to give it a try later with some very pretty viola. I'll give them to the grandaughters to make cards for mummy who's in hospital waiting the birth of their little sister. X

Nikkers10 years ago

How right you are Vashti. I personally, wouldn't give you a "Thank you" for greetings on something like "Faceache", but I'm not on it anyway - so no matter! lol

You cannot beat something that has been made especially for you. I still have every card etc., that my children made for me - even before they could even write properly and later when they were at school, and I treasure each one. XX

Dragonmum10 years ago

Great tip Vashti, my second this week! Has everyone heard of the tomtato, and it's just me wallowing in ignorance? My lovely garden man told me about it yesterday; it's grown in a container and produces toms above ground (cherry ones) and pots below. I might just give it a try for fun, can be grown inside or out.

Offcut• in reply toDragonmum10 years ago

I Thought you had been had at first but they do excist!

I did not know tomato is a member of the potato family?

TomTato®

Solanum lycopersicum, Solanum tuberosum

Half-hardy Annual

Dragonmum• in reply toOffcut10 years ago

Both members of the nightshade family - apparently on sale in Wyevale so have been well-tested. I think a d.i.y venture could prove a bit iffy so I won't be trying that - life is still sweet!

O2Trees• in reply toDragonmum10 years ago

Ordinary potatoes will grow fruit like green tomatoes but which are poisonous. A couple of years ago we had a cracked drain pipe at the bottom of the garden, raw poo everywhere, gruesome. Lots of digging to find the crack and replace that part of the sewage drain. The next summer the area which had never had spuds planted all the time we had been there (about 12 years at that point) sprouted potato plants with the said green tomato like fruits. Spooky, we pulled up all the plants.

Dragonmum• in reply toO2Trees10 years ago

This is apparently the outcome of years of experimentation and grafting - personally I think the time could have been better spent, but what do I know? If Wyevale have them on sale I would think they must be safe, but I have reservations.

O2Trees• in reply toDragonmum10 years ago

Well ours certainly wouldn't have been safe, fertilised by human poo

I don't think I'd want to eat the Wyevale ones either.

knitter10 years ago

Don't whatever you do , eat the fruits if a normal potato though....toxic

O2Trees• in reply toknitter10 years ago

You're right knitter, hadn't clocked your reply when i wrote mine above

stillmovin10 years ago

Wonderful find Vashti. Thanks for sharing it with us! Everyone I know, friends & family and even neighbours all get and give birthday, Christmas, Easter, etc. cards and I don't know of anyone yet who just wants an e-card, so don't despair, hand-given cards will never die! xxxx stillmovin1