BEFORE & AFTER
Such wonderful fun!... Sometimes we don't go out gathering raw materials - they come to us
instead!... We're probably the only people in the world who WELCOME the appearance of
tumbleweeds! ("Quick! Grab it before the wind blows it away!")
instead!... We're probably the only people in the world who WELCOME the appearance of
tumbleweeds! ("Quick! Grab it before the wind blows it away!")
For curiosity's sake, we'll see how many items can be made JUST from this one prickly visitor
(no other woods). Photos will be posted as items are completed :)
(no other woods). Photos will be posted as items are completed :)
#1 - simple necklace of thin tumbleweed beads (stabilized), separated
by beads of reconstituted turquoise.
by beads of reconstituted turquoise.
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How does your garden grow?...
Curiosity is a marvelous thing! It sometimes spurs us to do quirky things - and we're just quirky enough to share some of those things...
Last year we permitted a tumbleweed to grow uninhibited on our property, though its location was anything but convenient. Harvested last winter, it will make an appearance on these pages one day.
This year's experiment is probably a first: we are tending and nurturing a tumbleweed plant. Yep! Making a well for it, watering it (gray water from washing dishes); maybe we'll even gift it with a little Miracle Grow!
Why? (a valid question!)... we want to see how the plant responds in its growth patterns and how it might change the size and quality of the wood it contains; wood we use for art.
If tumbleweed can grow and thrive extremely well on its own, with little water and in horrible soil conditions, what will happen if it's tended?... It may die of shock! LOL ("Oh my gosh! Someone cares!") - or it may produce wood of a size not seen before.
It may make no difference at all.
The 2nd part of our experiment is DEFINITELY a first - but we're keeping it a secret for now! Let's just say we're putting on some gloves and seeing if we can coax the plant into doing something unusual; something to help us. If it works, we'll be offering some VERY unusual tumbleweed pieces this winter!
Our "pet" tumbleweed on 4/24/10 - the height of the tallest branches is now 20 inches.
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UPDATE: December 16,2010
Our "pet tumbleweed" - lol - is now dry and ready to blow away...
and it scarcely grew at all!
Our "pet tumbleweed" - lol - is now dry and ready to blow away...
and it scarcely grew at all!
UNLIKE other tumbleweeds which were ignored...
On the PLUS side - our pet tumbleweed DID show us that the roots of the plant
(when they can be found!) have unusual properties for creating art! The grain
sometimes resembles a fingerprint; other times a feather!
(when they can be found!) have unusual properties for creating art! The grain
sometimes resembles a fingerprint; other times a feather!
The second part of our experiment didn't go well either, so we'll spare the details and
say that the tumbleweed we now use is "ALL NATURAL"; as found in the desert...
and up against the cars...
tangled in the fence...
and caught in patio furniture...
stuck in the rose bushes...
say that the tumbleweed we now use is "ALL NATURAL"; as found in the desert...
and up against the cars...
tangled in the fence...
and caught in patio furniture...
stuck in the rose bushes...