The director, producer, writer, production manager/coordinator, post production supervisor, first assistant director, second assistant director, production assistant, production accountant, location manager, publicist and as if you didn’t think that was enough, casting director of this classic is brought to you by Ms. Brianne.

 

Our lovely leading lady, who will also be providing the voices of horses Apple and Carrot, is none other then Ms. Emma.

 

We ask that you be especially forthcoming with flash photography, clapping and cheering throughout the presentation.

 

Intermission refreshments brought to you by, “The Family Refrigerator”.

We hope you enjoy this wonderful production brought to you by Picture-Frame Theatre.

 

For your own Picture-Frame Theatre you will need the following from your local arts and supply craft store:

 

Picture frame or window frame (size of your choosing)

• 1 yard of fabric
• Iron
• Sewing machine or needle and thread
• 3 eye screws
• Braided wire
• Ribbon
• Decorative garland

 

Choose a picture frame or window frame at the size according to your needs. While you can pick up either frame at a craft store or home improvement store, flea markets and second hand shops may offer better deals. Should you choose a window frame make sure it is free of lead-paint and rusty nails or hardware.

 

Curtain

Measure out fabric according to the width and height of the inside of your frame, allowing extra length for draping and seams allowances should you sew a hem or add ruffles.  Cut in half, hem and then iron-press 1 to 2 inches of folded material along the top (wrong sides together) and sew. This will be where you will thread the braided wire.

 

Depending on how you wish to hang your curtain, measure out and mark with a pencil three areas for your eye screws. You’ll want one at each top corner on the back of your frame and one right in the center.

 

Hang your curtain, overlapping the wire over the eye screw at the center or threading through as you desire.

 

Tie back your curtains with ribbon and decorate the remainder of the frame with decorative garland or battery-operated miniature LED lights.

 

Extra tips and suggestions! Picture-frame theatres can be lean-tos if using small, light-weight frames. For heavier pieces glue/screw two sets of large, plain bookends to the front and back of the frame; this method is great for standing your theatre on tables. Also, though it may be cost effective to use wire and eye screws, a small, inexpensive curtain rod can be attached to the back of larger frames. Follow directions included with the rod.

 

And don’t forget your ticket!

OK, so you want to be a florist? I hope you are ready to be overworked and under appreciated. It sounds mean but it is true. You work long hours on your feet. You work 'til your fingers bleed (literally). You work 'til the work is done, no excuses. You have a wedding to put out? The bride doesn't care if you have a 103 fever or you are running to the bathroom every 5 minutes. All she knows is her bouquet better be perfect. You know, the one she ordered filled with roses and diamond studded stephanodis. The one she cried about being $150.00. That probably cost me $149.00 to make. The one that would have cost her $300.00 in a big city. Yes that's the one. After she pays for her limos, photographer, ceremony, reception, and cake, she comes back to you and has the nerve to say we have to cut some of the flowers. There is no money left. Can you believe that?

I love it when they ask "What can I get for 20 bucks?" I would love to just be able to say NOTHING! Just once would be nice. Or say, "How about cutting out the 12 limos instead?" The brides always come in to make cuts on the flowers to save money. I guess they don't realize that the flowers will be in almost every picture.

Maybe I am being a little harsh (not really). Not all Brides are Bridezillas. On occasion, we do get lucky with a bride that loves everything you make and will pay anything for it. We love that kind of bride. You don't mind adding a few extras for the people that appreciate it.

No one really knows how much work goes into making a floral arrangement, of any kind. There is a lot of preparation involved. All the flowers we receive in the shop have to be cleaned. Daisies need all their little leaves removed from their long stems so they don't mold. Everything has to come out of its wrappers and placed in water so it can open up. Roses need to be stripped of their thorns without injuring their stems. This is where the "bleeding fingers" come in. All flowers need to be cleaned and preserved a different way just about. There are some flowers that can't even be stored together. This is do to ethylene being produced by the flower and ruining other flowers in the cooler. Click here for more information on this subject.

Just loving flowers isn't going to make you a great florist. You really need to LOVE the flowers even after the long hours and sore backs and bleeding fingers, and broken nails and blistering feet and whining brides. Should I go on? I think you get the picture. Before you jump in and say HEY! this looks like fun, remember that it just "looks" like fun for the most part. It really is a lot of hard work.

If you really want to open your own shop, I suggest that you go work in one for about three months. You will learn flower arranging techniques and tips. You will learn to work with fresh flowers, dried flowers and silks. You will either love it or hate it by then. That's what I did. I went to buy a woman's shop and ended up working there for five years. I really LOVE the floral business. I would still consider opening a shop of my own some day.

Buying out someone else's business isn't always the best route to go. Customers love their florist and when a new owner takes over they don't think you can keep up with their needs. When word got out that this woman was selling her shop and I was their learning the business, a funeral director called and complained about the casket spray. He said the new girl doesn't know what she is doing and everything was a mess. The best part about this is that I didn't make the casket spray; the owner did. So loyal customers assume you won't do well. I think I would be better starting from scratch without someone else's troubles and building my own clientele. That way I can't blame anyone but myself if I fail or succeed.

Lastly, don't be discouraged. If this is something you truly love and can be dedicated to, you will do well. You definitely need to be positive and believe you can offer services someone needs. Make sure you also have a sound business plan. You can get in over your head quickly with bills. Plan wisely.  Think about it for a while before you jump in.

I love flower arranging. I love to do up a vase or a bouquet just to see the joy it brings someone. Fresh flower arranging is my favorite. The colors and the scents are magnificent. You don't have to be overly creative to do this as long as you follow a few basic tips. You can go to your local grocery store and buy a mixed bouquet with all you need to make a beautiful arrangement.

One of the first tips I will share is, make sure you always snip the end of the stems, at an angle, before you place them in your arrangement. This fresh cut allows the flower to drink up the water. Also, use a preservative in your vase. This usually comes with the bouquet. It helps them last longer. A little known fact; when florists receive their flowers from a wholesaler, they are often dry packed in boxes, and could have been in cold storage with no water for over a month. So be sure to hydrate them. Do this even when you receive a new bouquet.

My basic flower arranging instructions:

• Fill vase with plain water and any greens that may have come with the bouquet or that you may have purchased. This can include baker or tree fern, or other greens used as fillers. Tree fern is fluffy and looks nice to finish off the edge of a vase. Place them in one at a time at an angle, so they crisscross in the vase. This will act as a grid and allow you to hold your primary flowers in place. I used some Seeded Eucalyptus in my vase. I love this stuff

• Place primary flowers in vase first. A primary flower is usually your focal point, or the prettiest and largest flower you are using. Cut stems as you place them. If they are big, put them a little lower so the arrangement doesn't look top heavy.

• Determine at what length you wish to cut your flowers. You can easily do this by moving the vase to the edge of the table or counter, where ever you are working. Hold the flower up to the greens, where you want it to sit in the vase. You will see the stem lower than the counter top. You then snip the bottom, right where it lines up with the counter top.

• Next, use the smaller flowers to place in between the larger ones to fill in the spaces. Cut them to the right length as above.

• If you have tall flowers like Liatris or Snapdragon, use them in the top to give your arrangement some height.

• When finished arranging flowers, grab the bouquet tightly and remove it from the vase. This will allow you to dump the water and put fresh preservative water in the vase. If you have two of the same vases, arrange in one and display in the other. You do this when arranging in a clear vase. Flowers are actually pretty filthy and the water turns brown and nasty when arranging. Plus, little leaves and pieces of stems will be floating about.

The following pictures show some steps. This will give you an idea of how easy this is. You will want to give flowers to someone special every day, and they will think it came from a florist.

I am currently unable to share images but will be posting pictures as soon as this is resolved. 

My holiday crafts are coming right along.  The Christmas ornaments for the girls are completed.  I have one blanket finished and two left to knot.  The paper mache  boxes were started last night and are looking good.  I have to work on the tops today.  Sophie and I picked up some supplies at our local craft store yesterday to add to the tops of the boxes and I can't wait to get them finished. 

In the rest of my Christmas world, the baking is well under way.  I haven't started the cards yet.  I am waiting on one package before sending off my box of gifts (as well as finishing up a blanket and two boxes).  Things are starting to come together but my house is starting to fall apart!  I am leaving B in charge of gifts for his father and brother, so I don't have to worry about that, at least.

Because I am not with my family this Christmas and everyone will be at my parents' house on Christmas Eve, I called the local florist to have a fresh flower arrangement sent to my mother.  I know Linda (she's been our florist for years - my mother used to babysit her daughter, and I tutored her daughter... all years and years ago) will do an excellent job with the arrangement.

Once Christmas is over, I'll be able to work on my knitting and hopefully finish up the baby blanket I started... in January of last year (yes, I feel shame).  It's probably about half done, but if I'm not careful, my niece will be graduated by the time she receives it!  I would like to knit Sophie another scarf since I wound up giving hers away by accident.  I don't remember the pattern I used (I made it up) but I still have the yarn I used (Misty Alpaca, if I recall correctly - very soft and cozy) so I should be able to come up with something.  I might make a hat to match.  I think I'm ready to knit another purse and felt it.  Perhaps I can make a bag big enough to be a diaper bag.  I might even take the time to try my hand at crochet again.  I really just need to master my tension.  However, the baby blanket must be finished first!!

Pictures will be forthcoming as soon as I am able to upload again.  I can't wait to show off the decoupaged paper mache boxes!  For now, back to baking and blanket knotting!!

I would like to share with you one of my favorite things to make for holiday decorating. The Christmas Garland, made from fresh greens I gather myself. This is a little more time consuming. It involves gathering, trimming, wiring, and finally decorating. A labor of love for me.

I only make a few pieces of the natural garland for myself. I place it around the front door of my home, my mail box, and my lamp post. I use the fake stuff for everything else. Makes my decorating much easier. I'm just a tad bit lazy sometimes or too busy to fuss.

Here are a few pro's and con's for using fake garland:

Pro's

• I can start my decorating earlier and not have to worry about it dying on me.

• It is easier to add lights to.
  

• It has metal in its branches to wrap the wires and decorations in place.

Con's

• They don't smell good like the natural evergreens.

• After a few years they need replacing because they tend to get out of shape from storage.

• When used outside, the metal wires rust and break.

The greens I use are gathered from around my home. I live in a wooded area and it is easy to find. Most of the greens come from my yard. I don't let my husband trim my trees during the summer so I will have enough to make my garlands. I mainly use the cedar trees and my holly bush that are a part of my landscaping . My holly doesn't have many berries on it. Apparently you need to plant a male and female plant together in order for it to have berries. Luckily, I have nice neighbors. They let me cut theirs. The white pine I use is found in the woods near my home. I can go hike through the woods and cut it. Or, when I am in lazy mode, I go to Lowes and buy it. I also have juniper but it is very picky and I don't like to work with it.


When I have all my greens collected I begin trimming them. I like to cut each piece around the same length so my garland will look uniform when I begin to wire it together. I would say the branches are about 8 inches in length. It doesn't have to be perfect. I keep them in different piles so it is easy to pick up each piece as I add to the garland as I wire it.

Christmas Garland Supplies

Evergreens (Your choice. I chose cedar, white pine, and Holly.)

Lights

Ribbon

Pine cones

Berries (Either artificial or real)

Small red ornaments (Plastic, even though I hate plastic. They are better for outdoor use.)

Tools:

Spool wire

Wire cutters

Trimming shears

Scissors

Gardening gloves

Now that I am set up and organized, I am ready to begin. My first step is to pick up a nice full piece of cedar. I hold it in my hand, pretty side up (they all have pretty sides). I then wrap my wire around the end a few times. Next I add a piece of the white pine, wrap the wire around a few times. Next is a piece of holly. As you add each piece you will see that you can add more than one piece to each layer to make it fuller. As you go, you add each piece or layer, up a little further on the end and keep wrapping. You will gradually give it length doing this over and over again. It is important to wrap the wire around tight in order to hold it together. It gets very heavy, depending on how much you add. When you hang it up, the weight will stretch the wire and it will pull apart if you don't use enough.

The length you need depends on where you are hanging it. When I hang it around my door, I measure from the bottom of my door frame to the top and halfway over to the other side. I make two this size. When I have them made, I hang them from the center of my door frame over to each side. I have nails I hook this on. (My husband couldn't believe I could hammer 3" penny nails into the siding of my house. He thinks I am crazy.) Where it meets in the center I overlap it and wire it together. I then add a bow giving it a finished look. I use outdoor red velvet ribbon for this.

OK, with that said, I made a mistake this year. I made mine too short and I was way to lazy to take down my garlands from the house. So, in order to give it a finished look. I made a swag with the greens. I put a bow in the middle and added that over my door. You will see that in the pictures that follow.

The swag is made the same way you make the garland. You wire together the various greens and continue adding them until you reach the desired length. When you have both sides finished, you wire them together, end to end, and add the bow in the middle, where you wired it together.

Decorating your garland is the fun part. You can do this before you hang them up or after. Whatever is easier for you. I do it when it is hanging up so I can see exactly where I want the decorations. I start decorating my garlands with the lights. I wire them into place where needed. Next I add the berries, here and there, giving a natural look to it. I then wire in a few pine cones. Being lazy again, I bought the pine cones. I can find them almost any place in the woods. I like to buy them since they are dried and ready to go. I found them at KMart this time. My next step will be weaving the red velvet ribbon through it. After the ribbon I add some ornaments for a little bit of glitz.

To finish this presentation of my home, I add a wreath to my door. The wreath is an artificial one. I decorate it to match my garlands. Now it is done and ready to enjoy. You will get the hang of it as you go. It does get easier. It is truly something you can brag about. If you have any questions please feel free to leave a comment. I will be happy to respond to you with an email.

Happy decorating!

 

The following pictures show me wiring the garlands and different stages of assembly as described above.