Eden - The Mediterranean Zone

I spent far too much time taking photos of the structure of the bio-dome roof but did sneak a few plants in here and there.

(I confess to a little bit of Prisma here)

Next time... the dinosaurs!

Eden - Rain forests and Colour!

Here are some of the leafy wonders of the Eden project in Cornwall. I'll just let the colours speak for themselves...

Next time... the Mediterranean zone.

Prisma and the Ammonite

There's a huge ammonite in the Eden Project down in Cornwall

It's about a foot across.
Here is what Prisma (the App) makes of it...

More Eden stuff to follow.

Prisma and the Sunset

Lovely husband has just installed this app on my photo-phone device, he says the world is crazy for it so I should play with it... and it was great fun.

So here are a variety of sunsets according to Prisma...

And here is the original one in its natural state.

Making Potions Bottles

Yesterday's blog mentioned using the magic words 'Free printable' before the Marauder's map. today's one is the same before the words 'potion labels'.

With these labels, a large matchbox and an assortment of small glass bottles (from craft store like the Range), a complete potions kit can be made...

 like this...

I just dripped a few drops of ink or paint into each bottle and swirled it around the sides of the glass by tipping the bottle. it dries, staining the sides of the glass but not filling the bottle for real, so no spills.

Making the Marauder's Map

This is surprisingly easy once I gave up on the ridikulus idea of drawing it out myself!

If you type into google images the words free printable marauders map' you get quite a lot of options. I copy and pasted one (in 5 parts) onto a word document and saved it: thank you http://littlefallingstar.deviantart.com/art/The-Marauders-Map-389921556 The one I chose also had the instructions on how to fit all the extra unfolding bits together on it, very necessary.

I had bought some goat's skin parchment (not real of course but a large sheet called that in the art shop) and cut it into A4 pieces which fitted through the ordinary printer as long as I added them one sheet at a time. It had a lovely crackly, old-map sound and feel when assembled.

My first trial attempt was on ordinary printer paper, as the map prints in an olde paper colour anyway but when I tried to stain it, the ink bled and went weird colours.

I also printed out a Hogwarts envelope to put it in and used sealing wax to fake seal a flap (with velcro underneath so it could be reopened and resealed at will).

Very good fun and a lovely present for a Potterite, along with a copy of the letter sent to first years to tell them what they need to buy from Diagon Alley

Next time: Potion bottles!

Fairy Gardens

Building a fairy garden is something I have planned to do since my daughter was little but never quite got around to. Now she is grown up and about to move out, we thought we'd better get on with it... so here are the first steps taken.

A dismantled beaded car seat was given to me years ago as a challenge "See what you can do with that" (initially Kokeshi dolls - somewhere in the blog past). What I had not managed to use was the long dark wooden beads till I looked up fairy gardens online and saw rope ladders to help gnomes get up into flower pots.

After that it was all systems go with a wooden bridge to get from one pot to another without jumping and risking a fall...

A little tea party until full.

Then a hammock for the portly little gentlemen to rest among the blueberry stems and sleep it off.

Here are the items before hanging