ROSE PETAL BEADS
Can
never have enough roses!! when you think your blooms are about done...pick
them!!! It is nice to pick them when they are still new, but for this project,
you can use older blooms too..just be sure they are not near dead!!! when you
are done with your rose petal jelly, rose water....and drying the petals for
winter....make beads!!!!
Pick
4 c petals , pack a measuring cup well..I use a glass Pyrex one. You want to
pack full, a cast iron frying pan, I use the 12" size, but any size you have, or
want to use, is fine. This recipe is very forgiving, and is a "make what you
have.." For the 12" you would need 8 c petals..but, if you only have enough for
4 c..then that is fine too. Cover the petals with distilled water, just to
cover. Set on medium high heat, and bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour.
Turn heat off..leave pan sit until the next day. do the same thing again, over
medium heat, then to a simmer- only do not add any more water..simmer and stir 1
hour. You will do this boil, to a simmer , process for 3 days. Now..IF, on the
second or third day, the petals seem a little too dry, add just enough distilled
water to keep the petals from scorching. what you are going for is a black
paste.....the petals are not the most pleasant smelling when cooking down, but
it is not that bad either.....The petals will really shrink down- the cast iron
helps them to turn color, so it does not matter if you use red only, or mixed
colored, petals.
When
you have the petal paste, you now begin to roll your beads....roll them the size
of a medium pearl....and roll them tight! after each one is rolled, stick a long
straight pin thru the center......and turn it around a few times, and "pin" that
bead onto a pin cushion. and continue making your beads. They will dry rock
hard...and shrink a bit..but do not make them too big, as they will never dry.
Once you have them all pinned on a pin cushion( leave a little space between
each one for drying), set it somewhere you will see it everyday....sunlight
will not bother these. Every day, pick each bead up, and rotate the pin- you
have to keep the hole open, it can shrink closed on you, or the pin can become
"glued" to it!
It
will take about a month for them to be completely dry, and hard. Pull the pins
out, and now you can thread them! Use a silk thread, most hobby stores have the
type that has a needle attached to the thread, use black, and maybe get some
other beads to use in-between them....I get close to 45 beads, when I do the 4
cups of petals.....I double knot between each bead- the double knot allows for
spacing, and even if you intersperse with different beads, still knot between
them. After they are all strung, I use rose oil on each bead, just a drop..and
then hang it to dry for a day.....and it is ready to wear, or give. They sort of
smell "rosy" after they dry......When they are drying on the pins and you are
turning them each day, do not panic if they get a little musty looking..it will
go away, it is NOT must. What I do if they seem that way, once dried, and
strung, I rub a little mineral oil on each one with my fingers, and hang them to
dry...maybe 2 days, then add the scent.
This
is a very organic project..and a fun one too....imagine telling your friends you
are cooking down rose petals! My friend KNOW I am goofy!!!
Now,
stories have always been told, that Rosaries, used by the Catholic church, were
originally made from rose petals..but I do not know the truth on that...what I
DID find out, about 2 years ago..there were some nuns in another State..cannot
remember..and they were making rose petal bead rosaries...to sell...So that is
interesting. I have been making them for 30 plus years and never knew another
person to make them!
An easy butter....PARSLEY AND CHIVE BUTTER
2
T chopped fresh parsley
1
T chopped fresh chives
8
oz. softened butter
1
T lemon juice
salt
and pepper to taste.
Mix
all together well....til creamy- put in butter molds, or just put in a container
and store in the fridge.....A new flavoe for dinner rolls!!!
5 comments:
Good Morning Everyone,
Hope you like Sue Ann's Rose Petals. I don't know if it is going to rain or shine today. It was sunny and now it is cloudy. Hope it is nice this weekend as it is Pirate's Day here.
Marilyn
oh my gosh we dod this when I was a child, I have never read about it in blog land though, brought back such good memories,
Fantastic!! This is something I will definitely try. Can I distill my own water by boiling it, or is it something I should buy? I can't wait to collect some petals and get started. I never heard of this before. Thank you for this idea, (and the butter recipe too).
Doreen
Hi Doreen- yes, I distill my water all the time! Let it boil for 3 mins, then sit over night.....
I forgot to add, do not cover the water while it sits over night, you want to evaporate any residual chemicals.
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