Leaves and Other Little Details....

Looking Closer....

I thought it was Time, Dear Readers, that I experiment with making leaves for my Lilac bush(es) so that I could get a better idea of the work that lay before me for the Summer and Fall versions of my bush. (Remember I am planning to make a bush for each season...!) I have done very little in the way of flower making and plant kit assembling, but I have watched several other bloggers accomplish great things with the making of plants both large and small... so I have hope that I will succeed! Above you can see a sample of my second or third attempt at making a branch with lilac-looking leaves.  The lilac leaves are roughly heart shaped and have one prominent vein down the center of each leaf, with finer veins that are almost unnoticeable to the casual observer, spreading off of the main vein. Here, let me show you.....

This is from the lilac in my yard.... 

and the leaves are set in opposing pairs along the stem, 

every other pair turned at 90 degrees from the previous one... 

thus maximizing exposure to the sun!

For my mini leaves, I had experimented with ways

 of attaching the "hearts" to the stem...

 and decided that I must use wire in order to

 be able to control the position of the leaves along the stem

Maybe you can see the stem with the shorter wires being glued on here...?

I was not being careful about the pictures I was taking.....

 because I was just experimenting...

It is the same process as the "twigged branches"

 I was making for the shrubs to begin with... 

only many more twigs on each branch!

Then I attach the "heart" leaves to each twig.

Then I paint the leaves with my acrylic paints... 

hoping I am coming up with a color

 that is close to the lilac leaves in RL.....

 

Adding the veins down the center of the leaves...

Testing the look with the mini blossoms.....

(adding the crease to the leaves too...)

Then trying to compare the mini with the Real thing.....

My green is a bit too blue... 

but I think that is partly the lighting...

(it doesn't look blue at all indoors!)

Here is a closer shot... and the color even looks closer to the lilac color! 

Clearly, I will have to pursue the color equation more closely!

And how about seeing what it looks like on the mini shrub....?

I think it looks pretty sweet!...

And terribly lonely...!

Look at all those branches.... 

each one needing how many leafy twigs???

No, I have not done the math....

I am simply going to start making them....

 and keep on making them for as long as it takes!

(For two entire shrubs....!)

But the good news is that the leafy twig

 takes nowhere near as long to make as the blossoms do!

(Which really is a big relief!)

And while I was busy sporadically working on

 these leafy twig experiments, Dear Readers,

 I was also adding tiny details to other ongoing projects.

I can't tell you how many times I have cast my eyes

 on the porch of Hardwick Hall and

 noticed the incomplete trim at the base...

In particular the corner where those pesky tabs show....

(I apologize for the dark pictures... 

it has be excruciatingly hot here this weekend (97 degrees F)

 and I have my blinds closed....)

And the view along the front where the tab for the construction shows.....

It was two years ago already that I added

 the lattice panels to the porch... 

(which led me on an interesting migration 

through brick-making to the Folly landscape

 and the Glass House construction...!)

And all along I knew I needed to finish the trim on the porch!

 I even painted a suitable piece of wood trim ages ago!

It was such a simple task to complete it!

And the other pieces too....

So Simple... and so satisfying to have it done!

Now all I need to do is finish the steps... 

and the railings..... and the landscaping....

and we won't even look at the list of what still needs doing here!

 

Because I was also adding a little bit of detail to the Gypsy Wagon...

I wanted to paint the bars of the cages before I attached them...

 but I couldn't decide on the color.

As you can imagine, when these wagons are finished,

 they will have quite a lot of colorful painted trims... 

and I needed to be sure of the colors I planned to use.

I have painted them a lovely sky blue....

 but the lighting in this picture doesn't show that well...

I will have to get better pictures.

And lest you think I am forgetting the lilac blossoms....

I completed blossom number fifteen!

And here it is with all the others...

Maybe I am a quarter of the way through making the blossoms....?

We shall see!

So that is what I accomplished this weekend, Dear Readers,

Lots of looking closer at the Details of the Leaves 

Along with several other little things...

I do Love those details!

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