Monday, February 4, 2019

More Buds And Blossoms....




Not Very Exciting....

I am Sure you will be getting tired, Dear Readers, of seeing nothing here on this blog but endless lilac blossom updates and the occasional dot of glue, interspersed with a stray paper leaf.... but such has been the Nature of this project! I spent my weekend applying little dots of glue to one of the shrubs, striving to only put the glue where there would really be a bud on a lilac bush! (They are not as random as one would think!) Above you can see the shrub with about half of the branches sporting little white blobs! It actually went a lot faster than I thought it would! (Yes, I had been dreading this task.) Of course, it is difficult to get a good picture of these blobs....

Can you see them here?
 By the time I had finished applying them, 
it was late and dark....

Here you can see them a little better... 
except that the focus is not great....
No I did not count them!
And the following day when they had all dried thoroughly... 
I began to paint them....

I know it is a lousy picture, Dear Readers, 
but about one third of the stems to the right have been painted....
Once the glue has dried, the "buds" become much less visible....
If you poke the picture you might see them.

This step did take several hours...
but even it went faster than I thought it might!

Here they are all painted..... for the first shrub at least!
In case you have forgotten, 
the shrubs are going to be the different seasons....
One with blossoms, One with only leaves
 and two with bare branches...
because winter lasts a long time around here
 and offers a variety of "conditions"!
Only the two bare branches ones will need the buds.

Here it is in The Folly Garden....
And yes, there are still a few details missing....!

But meanwhile I was also completing 
the Blossom number Forty-two
 (I do believe we can only count the finished ones!)

And with the rest in the box......

They are becoming quite a collection!
But I really must get started on the leaves....!
I will need to add them to the shrub branches
 at the same time as the blossoms....
(It is a little hard to tell which to do first!)

So that was my weekend Dear Readers, 
More Buds than Blossoms...
And Not very Exciting...
But Slowly and surely the shrubs are getting Done!

13 comments:

  1. Your lilac posts reminds me so much of my 'embroidery in progress'... a lot of time spend on something that, on its own, does not look like much. But then, at the very end, when all those individual, time-consuming little things finally come together the true beauty of the endless hours finally make sense. You may the think the buds 'don't look like much. but I think they have made a great difference to the scrub and 42 blossoms - that is an achievement.
    Anna

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  2. Un trabajo lento,pero seguro!! Se verá compensado cuando el árbol luzca toda su floración!!
    Besos.

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  3. Hello Betsy,
    Your dedication to this project is impressive and the results of your work are inspiring! The bushes are coming along so nicely and they already look like real life in pictures. Keep up this amazing work.
    Big hug
    Giac

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  4. I'm really amazed at how detailed and precise you are with these lilac bushes. They're going to be absolutely gorgeous.

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  5. It takes a lot of patience but the end result is worth every minute of your work. The shrubs are amazingly life like.
    Hugs, Drora

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  6. Betsy, Betsy.......noooo, you didn't count all these buds, why not ;O) LOL???
    No, I'm joking, but making these buds is maybe boring, but it's also neccessary for making these shrubs as realistic as you can!! I truly admire your patience, dear friend.
    Hugs, Ilona

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  7. I bet you're glad now that you decided to have two bare with buds! The moment is slowly creeping up when we can see the flowers in place.

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  8. I think you are the ultimate realist! Imagine not being satisfied with a lovely lilac bush full of lavender blossoms... Will you change the shrubs 3 or 4 times a year? Wow...
    The little blobs were very visible on my screen.
    Carry on - lots of love,
    Mom

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  9. Your mom has said it all!!! You ARE the Ultimate Realist and the buds take your shrub to yet another level!

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  10. Hello, Betsy - Just for the record, I never get tired of seeing the continual progress of the lilac bushes, whether you're making those lovely blossoms, building up the trunks and stems, or dabbing on glue for the buds. Who would think that a blob of glue could look so realistically like a lilac bud? I think the painted buds are so beautiful; they give just a hint of how spectacular the finished bush will be. Forty-two blossoms and counting!
    Yes, it's very exciting!
    Marjorie

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  11. How could you ever suppose I could ever get tired of seeing the progress of your lilac shrubs - whatever you're doing, you never stop to amaze me. The buds make such a difference… and I'm glad to hear they were not as time consuming as you supposed them to be. But I must say I'm a bit disappointed… no counting of the buds? This is not the Betsy I know… the Betsy I know would make a plan marking the exact position of every single bud to make sure they're identical on every shrub… *very-broad-grin* Oh, and without any bad joking: Welcome to No. 42!!!

    Hugs
    Birgit

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  12. The buds look so realistic wow. I love watching your progress.
    Hugs Maria

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  13. Sorry I am so late with my comment this week Betsy! I am completely out of my normal routine, and it feels almost like a free fall! Must... Regain... Order...lol!
    I just love the second photo, seeing the Folly through the lilac branches! It's gong to be such a thrilling and magical moment to see each of the seasons' shrubs in their place in front of that happy little house! I hope this week's progress has been steady and fun for you, and that whatever next step was necessary has been relaxing and enjoyable to achieve!

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