Melissa

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Hobbies
Scrapbooking                    

I have just recently started scrapbooking.  Jake got me my first scrapbook for Christmas my first book will be about my college years.  I have been collecting pictures from family and friends to help fill it out.  I find that we are often having too much fun to document what we are doing.  I figure with the college years book I don't have to worry about messing up.  

Next I will do a small brag book sized book for our honeymoon.  

And maybe one with pictures of our new townhouse.  

After I am good at it I will do a book on the wedding.

I should be an expert by the time I start on baby books.  Which is the ultimate goal anyway.
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Kiragami                                                                                                 

The word "Kirigami" is Japanese; Kiru means "to cut" and gami means "paper.". The word "Origami" is Japanese; oru means "to fold", and gami means "paper."

I really got started with kirigami when I bought a day-by day kirigami calendar in December. 

Calendar

I have had lots of fun  taping up my designs around my cubicle at work.   I bought my calendar at the Ballston Commons Mall but you can also buy them on line.

Kirigami is the Japanese art of folding and cutting paper. This online program lets you create similar figures on your computer by cutting a polygonal wedge from a virtual piece of folded paper. You can change the regular polygon, your wedge, and your paper color. You can then see the figure that results when the paper is unfolded. Requires a JAVA-capable browser.

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Origami                                                                                                   

 (Japanese: oru, to fold, and kami, paper lit. "folding paper") is the art of paper folding. The goal of this art is to create a given result using geometric folds and crease patterns. Origami refers to all types of paper folding, even those of non-Japanese origin.

I have been playing around with origami for years.  I especially like to play around with folding dollar bills.
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Gardening                                                                                               

I haven't really started gardening yet.  But I can't wait for spring. 

Jake and I bought a townhouse in December, which has a lovely backyard which has beautiful long stem Roses.  Under the roses is some lavender. The previous owner said “It smells great, but gets wild and overgrown if you don't bundle it or cut it back. We put some bunches in the bathrooms for a potpourri.”

lavender

Lavandula angustifolia

Also under the roses are some bulbs; Yellow Lilies that grow to be four feet tall, and some Narcissus as well. There are mums which bloom late over on the far side of the rose bed, near the gate.

Over by the barbecue is a big Hosta that will come up, and next to the sliding glass door, I will have some beautiful while lilies. 

 My friend gave me a Tulip in a pot for a house worming present.  I plan to plant it but other than that I plan to buy baskets of flowers to hang on the hooks that are on each of the fence posts.

Pink Tulip

Gardening  Sites 

http://www.garden.org/home

http://www.nvrpa.org/meadowlark.html

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Indoor Plants                                                                                          
I have always loved indoor plants. Growing up in Michigan my mom had a jungle in which ever was the best window for it.

I have a special affinity for Philodendrons and I had them as the centerpiece for my wedding. I still have a few of the centerpieces all grown up. Philodendron

Another of my favorites is Spider Plants(Chlorophytum comosum). I have a bunch of them because I cut off the babies each year and plant new plants instead of just cutting them back and throwing away the cuttings.

My biggest plant is a Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura) that I saved from imminent death on an end cap at a store. I saved it from a couple of battered leaves to a giant plant.  

My most surprising plant is my Panda Plant (Philodendron panduraeforme) it took several years to mature. It starts out looking like a Philodendron (it is actually in the same family) but then it begins to develop large odd shaped I think they look like Moose heads. They are often described as shaped like fiddle heads.