Flower Power

the scrapbook

The vibrant beauty of the floral world serves as a treat for the senses. But all too often, these small wonders of nature go unnoticed as we fail to take a closer look at the world around us. So we have snapped this set of images to (hopefully) inspire you to take some time out of your busy schedules, and stop and smell the roses ... literally!

Rose

The flower that by any other name would smell just as sweet* but happens to be called a “rose”, this ever popular blossom is widely grown for its lovely appearance and distinctive fragrance. And of course its prickly perennial plant gives us a chance to rejoice that thorn bushes have roses**.

*William Shakespeare

**Abraham Lincoln

Canna Lily

Not a true lily, the canna can grow in most countries around the world, and is a rich source of starch. One of its many specimens, the Yellow King Hubert has artistic yellow petals with red/orange markings.

Zinnia

Named in honour of German botanist Johann Gottfried Zinn, the beautiful zinnia comes in a wide range of colours and shapes, and is a favourite of butterflies. Growing on annual, perennial plants, the flower’s ability to attract hummingbirds and wasps has also made it useful as a defence against pesky whiteflies.

Cockscomb

The resemblance of the flower to the head of a rooster has earned the celosia cristata the colloquial moniker of cockscomb. Its hardy plants grow well in most conditions, both out and indoors, and are used for both ornamental and edible purposes.

Hibiscus

The striking hibiscus often finds itself diagrammed in science books because of its distinctive features and is known for its attractiveness to hummingbirds. Its different species serve as the national flower of various nations and territories, including South Korea, Malaysia, Haiti, and Hawaii. Along with its ornamental charms, the flower also makes its way into foods and beverages.

Jasmine

The fragrant jasmine comes in many varieties, but is almost always white or yellow in colour. The blossoms are often used as adornments, especially in garlands. Additionally, syrups and oils are derived from these flowers, and they are also used to flavour tea.

Sunflower

Worshipped by the Incas because of its symbolic association with the Sun, the mighty sunflower is as useful as it is gorgeous. Its buds track the Sun across the sky, and its flowers are treasured for their seeds and oil.

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 13th March, 2015 *

Stampin’

the scrapbook   

They might just seem like small adhesive pieces of paper that fit in the corner of an envelope, but they serve a bigger purpose than facilitating the postage of letters and parcels. Take a closer look at them, and they give you a chance to explore different parts of the globe. So, this week, we are on a mission to discover a little bit more about the world through stamps.

Australia

Platypus

The duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed platypus looks like it’s made of random parts of other animals put together. And, to top it off, it’s a mammal that lays eggs! AND it’s venomous! The platypus sure is a curious creature. It lives in eastern Australia, and is an iconic symbol of the country as well as the animal emblem of the state of New South Wales.

Kookaburra

The kookaburra is a member of the kingfisher family and is primarily found in Australia and New Guinea. Its most distinctive characteristic is its loud call, which sounds like echoing human laughter (and if you haven’t heard it, then you’re totally missing out!). The Aussie men’s field hockey team is also nicknamed after the bird that is depicted on this stamp.

Hong Kong, China

Collared scops owl

Many species of birds live in Hong Kong, and the collared scops owl is one of them. The brownish, nocturnal bird that is pictured on this stamp inhabits well wooded areas of South Asia, and is the largest species of the scops owls, which are small and agile members of the Otus genus.

Long-tailed shrike

Beautiful shades of chestnut adorn the long-tailed shrike, a melodious bird that is known for its mimicry of the calls of other animals (including cuckoos, puppies, and squirrels). These shrikes are found across Asia, including parts of China.

Sweden

Fabrikstillverkad kakelugn (Factory-built fireplace)

This homage to factory-built fireplaces refers to the masonry heaters that are surrounded with ceramic tiles and are popular in Sweden. The stamp depicts a round heater from the late 1800s, which is a classic Swedish design. These Scandinavian tile stoves are used for both heat and decoration.

Mariebergs porslinfabrik (Marieberg’s porcelain factory)

Marieberg’s porcelain factory produced pottery during the 1700s, and was a leading manufacturer of exclusive tile stoves during that time. This stamp shows a closed brass door surrounded by decorative tiles that is mounted on a Marieberg tile stove.

New Zealand

Fiordland

The coastline of Fiordland, the south-western corner of New Zealand’s South Island (Te Waipounamu), is home to fascinating sea life. This stamp celebrates Fiordland’s coastal waters with a picture of the underwater beauty of Red Coral, a polymorphic hydrocoral which is a protected marine invertebrate.

United States of America

Bonsai

The beauty of the bonsai, the art of growing a small tree in a pot that originated in China and has become popular in America, is shown in this image, which depicts a common type of bonsai, known as banyan, in cascade style.

William H. Johnson

One of United States’ foremost African-American artists William Henry Johnson (1901 - 1970) is honoured through this stamp. Pictured here is his painting Flowers (1939 - 1940), an oil-on-plywood artwork that depicts brightly coloured blossoms in a dark container placed on a maroon table.

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 28th November, 2014 *

Boo!

the scrapbook 

Easy Halloween crafts

Paper jack-o’-lantern

Material:

- Sheet of orange card paper

- Pieces of green and black paper

- Scissors and/or paper cutter

- Glue

Procedure:

1. Take a sheet of thick orange coloured paper or card paper. Fold and refold lengthwise and cut into eight roughly equal strips. (You can add another two to four strips from a second sheet of paper if you want to decrease the empty space between strips in the finished jack-o’-lantern.)

2. Place the strips in an eight pointed asterisk arrangement with one end overlapping in the middle, gluing them together as you add each strip to the formation. You can staple the centre for reinforcement.

3. Lift the open ends of the strips upwards, and glue each of them at the top till they form a round shape.

4. Paste green paper leaves and stem on top and add black eyes, nose, and mouth to finish the jack-o’-lantern appearance.

Paper web

Material:

- Sheet of paper

- Scissors (or cutter)

Procedure:

1. Cut the sheet of paper into a square.

2. Fold across the diagonal to get a triangle.

3. Fold across the middle to get a smaller triangle.

4. Lift the right edge and fold one third of the way in. Repeat with the left. (This is the same fold that is commonly used for snowflakes.)

5. Cut equidistant (straight or slightly curved) slits across on one end while leaving one edge intact. Cut off the pointy end as well as the excess paper at the top.

6. Unfold.

Halloween candy wrappers

Material:

- Sheet of white paper

- Black marker

- Scissors

- Candy bar

Procedure:

1. Place your candy bar in the middle of a sheet of paper, and cut the paper to about three times the width of the bar and two inches longer than the bar’s length.

2. Cut a round shape at the top of the paper and draw a ghost face in it.

3. Fold the bottom of the paper inwards.

4. Fold the paper inwards from the left and right till it covers the bar.

- S.A.

Us Magazine, The News - 31st October, 2014 *