Free Recipe Cards For The Red White and Blue

The Dye Garden

Some easy to grow plants for dye.


• Yarrow (Achillea hybrids). The plant tops produce mostly yellow, tan and gold colors. It is a tough and hardy perennial in the garden and flowers from early summer to late fall.


• Marigolds (Tagetes spp. and hybrids). The flowers and leaves will produce a variety of colors, depending on the mordant, from bright yellow and gold to dark brown.

• Yellow cosmos (Cosmos surphureus). This annual flower blooms in yellow, orange, even red, including cultivars such as ‘Bright Lights’, ‘Diablo’ and ‘Sunny Red’. The flowers in a dye bath produce golden colors, oranges and rusty browns.

• Sunflower (Helianthus annuus). This common, cheerful flower is an annual that can tower to 4 or 6 feet by season’s end. It yields a array of soft green colors in the dye bath.

• Hibiscus (Hibiscus hybrids), also called rose mallow. Look for red-blooming varieties of this perennial shrub, and in the garden, give it about 2 feet of space on all sides. Harvest the flowers as they bloom, as they won’t last more than a day or so. The petals can yield many colors, from purple and green to gray, even black.

• Indigo (Indigofera suffruticosa, I. tinctoria). This perennial shrub thrives in warm climates, and elsewhere is an annual. The fresh leaves contain the classic blue pigment.

• Purple basil (Ocimum basilicum purple-leaved varieties such as ‘Dark Opal’, ‘Red Rubin’ and ‘Purple Ruffles’). Annual in most climates, purple basil can reach about 2 feet. Use fresh tops in a dye bath for a variety of greens and browns.

• Marjoram (Origanum majorana). Generally an annual, this oregano relative yields yellows, oranges, browns and grays, depending on the mordant used. It stays under 12 inches and is easy to grow.

• Weld (Reseda luteola). This biennial or annual is a traditional European dye herb, with flower stalks that can reach 3 feet or more. The leaves and flower stalks produce strong yellows and pale greens.

• Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.). This easy, popular perennial plant blooms summer to fall. The leaves and flowers produce golds, browns, oranges and dark greens.

• Goldenrod (Solidago spp.). This native perennial can reach 4 or 5 feet by season’s end, so give it some space. Plant stalks produce yellow and orange to tan, brown and rust colors.

• Zinnias (Zinnia elegans and other species). This easy annual bedding plant is available in both transplants and seeds. Harvest the flowers regularly to keep it blooming all summer. The flowers yield pale yellow colors.
Colors blended from Plants

BLACKS
Alder Bark
Ash Bark
Walnut Hulls
Bugleweed

BLUES
Indigo
Larkspur
Bayberry Berries
Blueberry Fruit

BROWNS
Apple Bark
Laurel Leaves
Maple
Tea Root

PURPLES
Cedar Root
Dandelion Root
Vine Plant Berries
Elderberry Fruit

REDS
Bedstraw
Cochineal
Pokeberry
Dogwood Root

YELLOWS
Broom Plant
Catnip Stalk
Onion Skins
Tomato Vine

GOLDS
Aster Plant
Cocklebur Plant
Dahlia Flower
Madder Root

GREENS
Ash - White
Cane Leaves
Solomon's Seal
Mistletoe Leaves
 
 http://www.herbcompanion.com/gardening-plans/garden-spaces-grow-these-herbs-to-make-natural-dyes.aspx#ixzz1LUFwmGC0

Apple Crostata with Caramel Sauce

PREP TIME
20 Min

TOTAL TIME

1 Hr 25 Min

SERVINGS - 8

 

INGREDIENTSCrust
1 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup firm butter or margarine, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons cold water
1/4 teaspoon vanilla


Filling and Topping
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
4 cups chopped peeled apples (4 medium)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup caramel topping


 In medium bowl, mix 1 1/4 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar and the salt. Cut in butter, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. In small bowl, mix water and vanilla; sprinkle over flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and dough almost cleans side of bowl (up to 1 tablespoon more water can be added if necessary).
2 Gather dough into a ball; shape into flattened 5-inch round on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 30 minutes or until firm.
3 Heat oven to 400°F. With floured rolling pin, roll pastry into 12-inch round. Place on ungreased large cookie sheet.
4 In large bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons flour. Stir in apples until coated. Mound apple mixture on center of dough round to within 2 inches of edge. Fold edge of dough over apple mixture; crimp edge of dough slightly. In small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle over apples and dough.


5 Bake 27 to 32 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cut into wedges. Serve warm drizzled with caramel topping.
A bettycrockerRepice

Frisbee Bird Feeder

Bird feeder made from mainly recycled materials.

Approximate Time: 30 min - 1 hour

Supplies:
•2 bolts, washers, and nuts
1 empty grated cheese container
strong glue - like Goop
screw driver
2 Frisbees
drill
long needle nose tool
wire and "s" hook
Instructions:


I have two Chihuahuas and the last thing they would ever do is play with a Frisbee, so when we received two free ones I knew I had to come up with something. Here's what I did:

1.Drill holes in the center of the Frisbees top and bottom, also top and bottom of the container, the same size as the bolts you will be putting through.

2.Drill the bottom Frisbee with several holes for water drainage. Drill two small holes (across from each other) near the bottom of the container about 1/2 inch from the bottom. These holes should be about 1/3 inch wide.


3.Match up the container top to the underside of the top Frisbee and glue.

4.Put bolt through top and bottom set of holes, add washer and then the bolt, tighten. For top section have a loop of wire ready to wrap around the bolt before tightening. For the bottom use the needle nose to brace the bolt from inside the container while using the screw driver on the outside of the Frisbee.

5.Now it's ready to fill, turn the top Frisbee and the container cap should screw right off with it. Some bird seed may come out of the bottom feeding holes, but if the drainage holes are small the seed will stay in the Frisbee. Add your "s" hook and it's ready to hang.


Hope I have explained this well enough, if not let me know. I just set it out this morning so I haven't seen any birds yet, but once I do I am going to try to get some photos.

By NoRulesArt from Sunny FL

Tool Belt Dads card

This delightful card was made by forum member Crazysue.
A DAD card that resembles a tool belt.
Very creative Sue !

A tutorial can be found HERE

And another HERE