HERB - rose beads

[sunshinegirl]

Christianna forwarded my question about making beads out of other plants
besides roses, to someone not on the list, and this is her answer.  She
said I could post it to the list, so hopefully some of you are as
interested as I was.
Melandra
 
> Hi, Melandra-
> 
> I'm not on the herbs list, but Christianna forwarded your post to me.
> You're welcome to post this to the list, too, if you think anyone's
> interested.
> 
> I've made bunches of beads, mostly with rose petals, but I've
experimented
> with other flowers as well. Most flower petals will work to some degree,
> and I've found that the most important variable is the other ingredients
> you add to it. For instance, I usually use gum arabic (binder) and orris
> root (fixative) in my rose petal beads. The actual proportions vary a bit
> each time, but if something gets really out of whack, you can always
crush
> the dried beads, soak and boil them again, add whatever you need, and
start
> over.
> 
> I was very excited about trying some of the yellow wild flowers we have
> growing in the yard. They were particularly nice since they dried to a
nice
> bright yellow with virtually _no_ loss of color. They would have been
> gorgeous. Unfortunately, I chose that batch to add flour to. Flour is a
> cheap and easy-to-find binder. It is also worthless. It will dissolve if
> exposed to any kind of moisture (including sweat). It will significantly
> change the color of your beads (the yellow turned into a nasty slimy
> chartreuse). And last but not least, there is a chance that it will mold
> and/or attract bugs.
> 
> My other notable failure was with mint leaves. Nothing really wrong with
> the beads themselves, but... they smelled like mint, not like roses, and
it
> just didn't do anything for me (except get some of that blasted mint out
of
> the garden!).
> 
> I know they can be made from daffodils, but again, I personally don't
care
> for the smell. Lavender is lovely. Hmmm.... I wonder about that sweet
> woodruff I bought recently.... Yum!
> 
> Pretty much any petals will lose some or all of their color. Of course,
if
> you're using an iron pot, they'll all be black anyway. That being the
case,
> my only recommendation is to steer clear of extremely fibrous plant part,
> as these will not make a smooth paste. And even if it seems obvious, I
feel
> compelled to say, stay away from poisonous plants. Even if you don't
ingest
> them, the toxins can irritate the skin.
> 
> It helps to add a small amount of rose oil (or whatever oil) to the paste
> itself to replace the fragrance that evaporates off. Also, I usually dip
my
> fingertips in the oil before rolling the beads to keep them from
sticking.
> 
> Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. Hope this helps, and feel free to
> contact me with any questions.
> 
> -Margritte of Ravenscoft (Kimberly Tuttle)
>  kimberly at gryphonsmoon.com
> 
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