With warm weather, we again must fight bugs in the yard and home. Here in Florida it’s almost a year round battle. If you’re like me, the last thing you want t…

EASTER SHADOW BOX SECTION 5: FLOWERS OF SPRING PART 2: NARCISSUS The most well-known (at least to me) variety of Narcissus is the Barri variety. Their small trumpets,(length not more than 1/3 of petals) better described as cups, are brilliantly colored and their petals are white. They are oh, so fragrant. Grow them in clumps in your miniature garden, force bulbs indoors for a holiday treat, display them in bouquets, in or outdoors, or use them as part of a floral arrangement. Adding a toothpick in the photo as a point of reference to size as I had many people ask if last week's daffodils were actually miniature...thank you for the compliments btw. ---------------- You will need: #24 gauge green covered wire + golden-yellow & leaf-green acrylic craft paint + white and yellow lightweight paper + orange permanent marker pen or bright orange water color pencil or paint + green floral tape (craft/floral store purchase) + medium weight, leaf green paper + 1/8” round paper punch + 3/16” long diamond paper punch + scrap of Styrofoam + ¼” or more thick fun foam + pointed tweezers + tacky type glue Instructions: Cut wire to needed lengths and dip the tip of one end into golden yellow acrylic paint. Poke into a scrap of Styrofoam to dry. From lightweight, golden-yellow paper, punch out a 1/8” round for each bloom. Using a pointed stylus, poke a hole in the center of the punched rounds. Cut off one of the tapered ends of a round toothpick and sand that end rounded and smooth. Lay a prepared round on a piece of thick fun-foam. Use the prepared toothpick-tool to shape the round into a cut by pressing it into the center of the paper round and giving it a slight twist. This will cause the round to sink into the foam a bit and cup up. Pick the cup shape out with pointed tweezers. Poke a prepared stem into the hole in the cup. Slide the cup up the stem so the yellow tip on the stem sits down inside of the cup. Add the tiniest dab of glue to the back of the cup to hold in place. Use the edge of an orange felt tipped pen or water colors to tint the very edge of the cup. Punch out 6 white diamonds from bright white paper for the petals…they should be approx. 3/16” from top to bottom. Lay the petals in the palm of your hand and using a pointed stylus & medium pressure, “draw” three lines over them as shown. This will shape the petals. Using pointed tweezers pick up a petal; dip the bottom tip into glue, picking up just a dab. Place it on the stem just under the cup. Place three petals, evenly spaced around the stem, and then one between each for a total of 6 petals. Let glue set. Cut a 1/8” x ½” length of green floral tape; stretch it out. Wrap it tightly around the middle or so of the stem for the bloom’s ovary. Push it up the stem so it sits about 1/8” below the petals. Pinch the bottom so it is slightly tapered down from the top. Using a fine pointed paint brush, feather some green acrylic paint onto the bottom of the petals and continue down the stem, over & below the ovary. When paint has set, use needlenose pliers to bend the stem down to a slight angle, just below the ovary. For a narcissus almost in bloom, add the petals so they hug the trumpet. For buds wrap 2-4 petals tightly around the wire with glue. Make a wash of tan color acrylic craft paint & water and lightly feather it from the stem up onto the end of the bud. Like the Daffodil, Bari-Narcissus leaves are tall, slim, and fairly straight. They have slightly rounded-off tops. Fold a piece of green paper and cut very thin, long shapes on the fold. Slightly open on the top half of the fold. Narcissus may be potted, as is seen here, planted in a landscape, or used in flower arrangements by themselves or with other flowers. Surround plants by lots of leaves, which should be of a height just short of the blossom or shorter. I used a clay pot filled with unbaked, scrap Fimo. The Fimo was coated with a layer of glue and fine dust from sphagnum moss (bottom of package?) was pressed on. Holes were poked in the “soil” to take the stems and leaves. Here are some real-life images to help inspire you to add miniature Narcissus to your collection. FORCED INDOOR POTTING A 2ND LOOK AT THE PROJECT -------------------------------------------------- Second to Gardenias, Narcissus are my favorite flowers...their scents take me to "another place". I will see you soon with another flower (most likely an Iris) to help fill section 5 of the Easter Shadowbox. Joann =============================

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