5/24/2010

Do you like butter?





I have spent the morning walking my dog and taking lots of photographs of buttercups in the meadow so I will have lots of reference material at the ready when the occasion demands. I hope to incorporate some of these yellow beauties in my ongoing illustration project.

There is something very innocent and child like about this flower. When you were a child did you ever hold a buttercup flower under your chin? If the petals reflected yellow onto your chin that meant that you liked butter. I never met anyone who answered no, did you?

I tried very hard to photograph some bumblebees, to no avail but they did seem to be quite a few around. Having said that I am never too sure what is a bumblebee and what is a solitary bee, according to the Bumblee Conservation Trust “there are 250 species of bee in the UK. This is made up of only one species of honey bee, 25 species of bumblebee and 225 solitary bees species which rarely get a mention.” The trust are looking for volunteers at the moment to record bees and to give talks etc. If you want to learn more you can follow this link.

Everyone knows that buttercups are yellow so imagine my surprise when I saw a red colourway of my buttercup design! It seems that it made more sense economically to switch the screens around from yellow to red rather than print a similar poppy design in the “Buttercup Farm” series by Makower.
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29 comments:

  1. Beautiful! It's like Classicism...

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  2. Buttercups... yes to butter! (smiles... I do remember the fun~)
    Your fabric is beautiful. Forget Me Not and Buttercup~ a favorite combination in late spring.
    Hope your day is wonderful~
    Michelle

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  3. What a coincidence - we were in the garden earlier and looking at the grass which ought to be cut but is covered at the moment with buttercups and daisies and I was saying how we used to sit in the school field making daisy chains and holding the buttercups under each other chins to test if we liked butter:) Love the buttercup photo and the fabric design:)

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  4. Oh, I do love that design.
    It's fabric?

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  5. I can quite see how they'd look good as poppies,too! :)

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  6. Just another picture to add to your great design:

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/5604398/Never-mind-daisies-its-a-good-year-for-buttercups.html

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  7. I always see the buttercup as the absolute epitome of summer, Valerie. I have a large blue jug and each year I fill it with buttercups when they are at their height - I look forward to that day soon.

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  8. My children still do buttercup chinning! Buttercups and forget me nots are both welcome in my garden. They dance with joy don't they?

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  9. I loved making buttercup and daisy chains as a child.
    Beautiful design is it a small fabric print?
    It would make a great buttercup tree! xx

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  10. Aw, so sweet Valerie! I love your buttercup print! Our garden is awash with daisies at the moment which far outnumber the buttercups. Thanks for the reminder to not overlook them. C x

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  11. That buttercup design is simply wonderful Valerie. I must have some! We bought a bee box on holiday, just trying to find a suitable site for it!

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  12. Love buttercups! They make me remember my childhood summers. There is something so comforting about them.

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  13. I fondly remember buttercups in the fields when I took shortcuts walking home from school. Yes, to the "hold a buttercup under your chin?" question!

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  14. Valerie, the buttercups in your painting and in the photos are just glorious.

    Of course I held a buttercup to my childish chin to find the inevitable answer to that classic question.

    Love butter!

    xo

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  15. Beautiful buttercups, a field of gold. I still pick wildflowers - and still like butter!
    The fabric pattern is simply beautiful.

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  16. valerie - i love wildflowers and i remember checking to see if that little yellow glow showed up under friend's chins. the design you posted at the top is beautiful! steven

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  17. They are beautiful, and toxic....But I have loved them since I was a child! Apparently bumblebees are in trouble here in the US too....I certainly do my bit with habitat! My yard is so too much left wild! But it does bring great joy.

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  18. Hello.
    Flowers are very beautiful.
    Thank you for visiting my blog.

    From the Far East.
    Best regards.
    ruma

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  19. Is that a buttercup fabric design of yours? It's wonderful - like a vintage feedsack design.

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  20. A lovely cheerful design, just like the smiling buttercups. I spent a long time fighting buttercups in my garden,thinking of them as an invasive weed. But I finally just gave in....it was hopeless. Now I let them pop up wherever they will and look at them with a different mind-set.Exuberant,happy and outgoing little flowers!

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  21. i remember using buttercups as a kid to find out if i liked butter or not! nostalgia! i love your blog!

    greetings from NY!
    follow me! at: rachelnextdoor.blogspot.com/

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  22. Absolutely yes. There is no substitute for butter. And no substitute for the simple pleasure
    of making daisy chains.

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  23. Hello Valerie, Your Buttercups made me smile. Sooooooo bright and definitely Summer. How very very exciting about your audio book and the tales sound perfect. I look forward to seeing pic of it. Hugs Judy

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  24. Hi Valerie, i do love buttercups, and no i never yet met a person wh did not try the butter test! What a beautiful happy print, that is.

    i am happy to report an increase in the number of bees spotted here this year, whether due to my spending more time looking for them though im not too sure ;-)
    thank you for your lovely wishes on my blog, im slowly getting my head around my rapidly emptying nest!! and our little anna is doing so very well. 2lb now.

    have a wonderful weekend.

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  25. We don't have buttercups here but we did the butter thing with dandelions!

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  26. Your buttercups are charming - I can so see your fabric in a little smocked dress or quilt or a valance in a sunny kitchen!

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  28. How to I go about purchasing this fabric? I'm getting married and the theme is Princess Bride so I want all the men to wear buttercup ties. This pattern is lovely and I want it for my special day.

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    Replies

    1. hello, the fabric is no longer in production but you might find it on ebay or similar. It is called Buttercup farm by Makower.

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