Happy Valentine’s Day!

I have discovered the Golden Gel Mediums at the Blicks Art Supply store in Philadelphia last year with friends after we attended the flower show. I love its ability to form various texture and mixing with colors. It is flexible and clear after dried. I bought one to make cards.

Sometimes I just love designs like this. It is totally spontaneous. Just draw out something free handed without any pre-plans. The result is so carefree and relaxed. I love the texture of this card. The gel hearts, the skeleton leaves, the pressed roses, and paper all having different texture. I think handmade cards are such that we not only have the visual effects but are also having interesting texture. After call, cards are meant to be held in hands and meant to be touched.

2010 WWPFG Conference Part 2

There are 5 categories in the competition.

Cellestine Hannemann Best of the Show Award – Shelley Xie (USA)

Category 1 (A Beautiful Arrangement)

1^st place – Yingying Li (China)

2^nd place – Huayu Yin (Korea)

3^rd place – Bin Huang (China)

Honorable mention – Yujin Cheng (China)

Fine work – Denise Stirrup (UK), Yue Wu (China), Lihuan Zhuo (China), Mingli Chen (China)

Category 2 (Beauty of the Nature)

1^st place – Yulan Zhou (China)

2^nd place – Qinzhi Yang (China)

3^rd place – Yunying Yang (China), Yujin Cheng (China)

Honorable mention – Dongju Gao (China)

Fine work – EunKyoung Seo (Korea)

Category 3 (A Beautiful Place)

1^st place – Shelley Xie (USA)

2^nd place – Jingjing He (China), Xianghuan Liu (China)

3^rd place – Qin Wang (China), Yi Liu (China, Yingying Li (China)

Honorable mention – He Cang (China), Huixin Lu (China), Cui Liu (China), Yuefang Wang (China)

Fine Work – Qingjun Fu (China)

Category 4 (A Beautiful Garden)

1^st place – Jia Xu (China)

2^nd place – Hui Chen Wu (Taiwan)

3^rd place – Elaine McMahon (USA)

Honorable mention – Yujin Cheng (China)

Category 5 (My Beautiful Gift) Age 9 and under

1^st place – Stella Zhu (Canada) 5 years old

2^nd place – Yuejun Liu (China) 9 years old

3^rd place – Zhuolan Li (China) 9 years old, Helen Pham (USA) 8 years old

Honorable mention – Remi Nguyen (USA) 7 years old

Fine work – Xinyi Yang (China) 9 years old

Category 5 (My Beautiful Gift) Age 10 and above

1^st place – Panfeng Xu (China) 10 years old

2^nd place – Catlinh Nguyen (USA) 10 years old

3^rd place – Tracy Nguyen (USA) 10 years old

Honorable mention – Yin Huang (China) 12 years old

Fine work – Zhiying Zhu (China)

To see all of the pictures, click one of the following links:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=614310398905:381348142&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharer

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=378185398905:735189031&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=245625909905%3A125503167&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=eMail-_-Share-_-Photos-_-Sharee

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2010 WWPFG Conference Part 1

The 2010 World Wide Pressed Flower Guild Conference was held in Guangzhou, China Oct 28 – Nov 1.

The judges have just finished their works and announced winners.

Shelley Xie from Michigan, USA has won the Best of the Show and 1st Place in Category 3 (A Beautiful Place). 

Zhou Yu Lan from Beijing, China has won the 1st place in category 2 (Beauty of the Nature).

My children students were doing very well. Catlinh (10 years old) has won 2nd place. Her little brother (7 years old) has won honorable mention. Tracy and Helen (10 and 8 years old sisters) have both won 3rd place awards. 

Little Stella (5 years old) from Canada has won 1st place award in children age 9 and below category 5 (My beautiful Gift). 

Looking at pictures with school and province officials.

Our opening was help in Hometown Hall in the South China Agricultural University.

Attendees and award winners at the opening.

Opening Ceremony was hosted by the dean of College of Horticulture.   

Chair of 2010 Conference Dr. Guoju Chen

Award Ceremony

I have received a gift from the vice chancellor of the university.

Award winners

2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show Part 2

The pressed plant competition is very exciting. It just gets better every year. What a tough job to judge! We started at 8 in the morning but did not finish until after 1:30PM.
See all the pictures from my photo album:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=723309129805%3A999931427

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=823309129805%3A497100634

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=923309129805%3A697419296

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=133309129805%3A418908499

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=533309129805%3A302541363

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=333309129805%3A575972120

2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show Part 1

The record breaking snowstorms did not stop this grand show. It is the best ever.
Theme this year is Passport to the World. Sure enough, we have seen landscapes, arrangements, and pressed flower art illustrating the colorful world that we all live in. It was a great time for me to spend in Philadelphia.

The snowstorm that started on Thursday just before the show was not as bad as the first two. Being a California girl, I was fully prepared for very cold weather going to Philadelphia although I really did not have the right cloths and shoes. I was lucky that it was not as cold as I thought it to be. My plane landed on schedule. Rushing to the hotel, Micki, Li, and Bridget were there waiting for me. Li wasn't sure if she was able to make it with heavier snow in NY but she made it safely.

We went to China Town after checked-in. After a very delicious meal, we went to the convention center to have a quick preview.

The entrance of the flower show.

A corner of a garden. This would make a good pressed flower picture too.

The African Themed Garden. This garden has won the best of the show. It is rather large with animals, birds, and lots of masks. It is very creative and unique.

An English Garden. Isn't this a great theme for pressed flower landscape design?

A floating garden featuring the sea, the land, the trees, and the snow mountain. I have discovered a new flower - Dianthus barbatus Green Trick. This flower does not look like our familiar carnation but is related. Its petals are finely cut so the flower forming a pom-pom. It is the green flower in this floating garden. I think it will look great for pressed flower landscape design. I am going to see if I can find it in LA Flower Market.

Pyramids - 2009 Vacation Part 11

Saqqara (or Sakkara) is a vast, ancient burial ground in Egypt. This is the massive funerary complex of Djoser dated back 5000 years.

Inside of the funerary complex of Djoser.

Step pyramid - one of the oldest pyramids in the world (5000 years old) is in danger of claps with weather decay. Major restoration work is in progress. The desert wind is strong.

Museum of Memphis: This giant Ramses II statue was discovered in the sand. With all the modern heavy lifting equipment, it was still too heavy to be lifted to upright position. The museum is built around it. I wonder how ancient Egyptians had lifted standing up.

I have found that there were multiple sphinxes in the Memphis Museum. Ancient Egyptian must really found of the power of lion.
We went to a 5 star hotel to have buffet lunch. This is such a beautiful view of the great pyramid of Giza.
The Great Pyramid of Giza.

I went inside! It was a fitness exercise for sure. The tunnel was low and narrow going steep down and then up. Everyone had to bend their knees and bow heads to get through. There was not enough air!!! Fortunately it was not too hot. I cannot imagine going inside in the summer. It was such a mighty human achievement. Stones are all cut and smoothed to the same size. Back then, all this was done by hand! Each stone is so huge. I don't know how they transport and then build to perfection. Thousands of years later, I am standing marveling this last remaining 7 wonders of ancient times.

This is the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The Great Sphinx of Giza.


Visiting the papyrus gallery.

Bethlehem - 2009 Vacation Part 10

We have visited the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is under the Palestinian control so our tour guide from Jerusalem had to leave the bus before the gate. A new tour guide was with us in Bethlehem.
Entrance to the Church of Nativity. Door is built low and small to prevent donkeys from getting in.
Inside of the church. We were all waiting in line to see the birth place of Jesus.


Decoration of the entrance to the lower level where Jesus was born.
This is the place where Jesus was born.
The hall of the church.
Stained glass on window.
A sculpture depicted birth of Jesus.
Out side in the court yard.
In the court yard of the Church of Nativity.
Walking in the street of Bethlehem.