Hey Karen, Great pics! I am trying out a service on the web called Snapfish.com. They are a company of HP. I just ordered prints from my digital and they should be here any day now. Hoping the quality is good. Here are the poster prices: Snapfish Rebecca

Hi matriarchy, I have been pressing flowers for a while now and can help you a bit. Using a phone book certainly works with a number of flowers and leaves. If using paper towels, make sure to only use Viva brand as they are the only ones without an embossed design on them (that could show up on thin petals. I usually use computer paper to dry petals like hydrangeas, pansies, leaves, etc. Rosebuds should be sliced in half first as they are too bulky whole, and you get 2 buds for the price of one! With full petaled roses, I take the petals off and press each one individually, then reassemble some to look the the original. The point is that the flowers must be pressed under weights until completely dry. Never press a damp or wet flower or leaf. Know that some flowers will change color during pressing. The fresher the petals, the better. Some people use microwave presses, solar presses,or air presses, but all presses require wiights of some kind to flatten out the piece. I have pressed many fall leaves, and most are just as bright several years later. Storage- you can store most dried petals in the phone books themselves, in baggies, between sheets of computer paper. At Michael's or AC Moore, you can buy cans of silica which can be reactivated as needed. Put some in the bottom of a bin, lay on the layers of computer paper with flowers, then put on a tight sealing lid. Moisture and light cause deterioration. I started making cards with pressed flowers, and still do, but also, I now use the petals and leaves as paint, and do many scenes. I will try to upload some later. There are several processes to seal pictures to keep out moisture and sun, but that's too complicated to explain now! What kind of projects are you interested in doing? jpressed

i suggest you call these 2 places and ask if they have any silver poplars in their collection and that you'd like to come see them: the Arnold Arboretum in JP and Longhill in Ipswich(owned by Trustees of Reservations). You might also call the Town of Lexington Tree Warden. best, mindy

Ann you room is so cool! I have a very similar wedding ring quilt from my grandma, but the background of mine is cream. It was on my bed as a kid and one day when I should have been napping, I drew on it with a pen! (I was four, not recently!) I hope I can someday find a way to restore the quilt (some of the squares have disintegrated too) and use it in a room. Edited to add that I just may use your room as MY inspiration in my current bedroom redo. I have a dresser across from the bed and an old antique rocker from grandma too. And windows in the same spot. And I have a white blanket I could use on my bed, along with another intact quilt. And white pillow shams and a white dustruffle. The only problem with my room is that it has ugly blue carpet that I am not able to get rid of right now. But it is actually the same color as that dresser, so your color scheme would actually sort of work for me. Another difference is that my woodwork is not painted, but I think I can still bring some elements in from your room to great effect! I am a total ditz when it comes to decorating so I do well to "copy" others as a base. Of course not an exact copy, but the general aesthetic.