In choosing plants for the "50 Plants that Changed the Course of History" project. It dawned on my that many of these plants are already a part of my life. I love my garden and have seed, plants, vines and flowers that all had fascinating parts to play in history.
Since these plants are a part of my life, I wanted to weave my story in with theirs, and then share them with others to make these plants a part of their lives. These plants are part of our past, present, and future.
I chose plants that I knew I could make well into seed paper. The seeds needed to be small enough and common enough in home gardens that I could get my hands on them. Two (opium poppies and chives, meant to represent onions) were seeds I harvested from my own plants this year. The other three (lavender, jalapeno peppers and foxglove) were bought at my local gardening store where I buy many of my own seeds.
The materials I used, other than the new seeds, were all remnants of previous projects, representing my past creations. The paper was recycled scraps from my practicum. The thread used to colour the paper was left from sewing projects. The kits I used to make the stamps were remnants from an art night I hosted with friends last summer. This project was connected to many things I consider a part of my identity - I am a teacher, a gardener and a maker.
I selected images for the stamps based on the history of each plant:
Opium poppies: a prescription bottle to represent their importance as a drug
Foxglove: a human heart to represent their use as medicine for the heart and kidneys
Jalapeno: a fire to represent their introduction to Europe as a shocking source of heat in food
Chives: Chives here represent onion, an important plant in creating our current classification of plant species. The stamp includes the genus name "Allium", common to both chives and onions. It also has a crying eye to show that the tears from cutting onions are shown to be chemically different from tears of sadness.
Lavender: was the first official eau de cologne and is represented by a perfume bottle.
I also colour coded the paper:
Opium poppy: Black
Foxglove: Magenta
Jalapeno: Olive green
Chives: Yellow
Lavender: Blue
Seed paper is great to give as gifts. In general, the seeds are sprouted by just putting them in the ground covered with a little soil and keeping them damp until they grow, though some seeds may be a little more complicated (jalapeno needs warmth and lavender is stubborn). If you want to make your own, here is a little info on how I made the paper and the rubber stamps:
SEED PAPER
Seed paper is basically made by tearing up paper and blending it with water to make a mash. Create a mold with a mesh bottom (mine was just panty hose attached to a round of pop bottle with an elastic) and put your seeds and any other bits of decoration (thread or flower petals) in the bottom. Then add a few spoonfuls of the wet paper pulp on top, smoothing it out. Let the water drain from the bottom as much as possible. Try to dry it quickly in a warm area with good airflow, or else the seeds may start to grow.
Here is a tutorial from NASA: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/seed-paper/
You can buy kits to make the rubber stamps. Basically, you draw what you want to stamp using a pencil on a piece of paper, rub it onto a layer of stamp rubber, and carve away anything you don't want included in your design using the provided tools. It is super easy and fun - just watch that you don't carve into your finger. Those tools are sharp!
Since these plants are a part of my life, I wanted to weave my story in with theirs, and then share them with others to make these plants a part of their lives. These plants are part of our past, present, and future.
I chose plants that I knew I could make well into seed paper. The seeds needed to be small enough and common enough in home gardens that I could get my hands on them. Two (opium poppies and chives, meant to represent onions) were seeds I harvested from my own plants this year. The other three (lavender, jalapeno peppers and foxglove) were bought at my local gardening store where I buy many of my own seeds.
My garden:
The materials I used, other than the new seeds, were all remnants of previous projects, representing my past creations. The paper was recycled scraps from my practicum. The thread used to colour the paper was left from sewing projects. The kits I used to make the stamps were remnants from an art night I hosted with friends last summer. This project was connected to many things I consider a part of my identity - I am a teacher, a gardener and a maker.
Making seed paper:
I selected images for the stamps based on the history of each plant:
Opium poppies: a prescription bottle to represent their importance as a drug
Foxglove: a human heart to represent their use as medicine for the heart and kidneys
Jalapeno: a fire to represent their introduction to Europe as a shocking source of heat in food
Chives: Chives here represent onion, an important plant in creating our current classification of plant species. The stamp includes the genus name "Allium", common to both chives and onions. It also has a crying eye to show that the tears from cutting onions are shown to be chemically different from tears of sadness.
Lavender: was the first official eau de cologne and is represented by a perfume bottle.
Rubber stamps:
Opium poppy: Black
Foxglove: Magenta
Jalapeno: Olive green
Chives: Yellow
Lavender: Blue
Finished product:
Seed paper is great to give as gifts. In general, the seeds are sprouted by just putting them in the ground covered with a little soil and keeping them damp until they grow, though some seeds may be a little more complicated (jalapeno needs warmth and lavender is stubborn). If you want to make your own, here is a little info on how I made the paper and the rubber stamps:
SEED PAPER
Seed paper is basically made by tearing up paper and blending it with water to make a mash. Create a mold with a mesh bottom (mine was just panty hose attached to a round of pop bottle with an elastic) and put your seeds and any other bits of decoration (thread or flower petals) in the bottom. Then add a few spoonfuls of the wet paper pulp on top, smoothing it out. Let the water drain from the bottom as much as possible. Try to dry it quickly in a warm area with good airflow, or else the seeds may start to grow.
Here is a tutorial from NASA: https://climatekids.nasa.gov/seed-paper/
Seed paper drying :
You can buy kits to make the rubber stamps. Basically, you draw what you want to stamp using a pencil on a piece of paper, rub it onto a layer of stamp rubber, and carve away anything you don't want included in your design using the provided tools. It is super easy and fun - just watch that you don't carve into your finger. Those tools are sharp!
Carving rubber stamps:
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