Friday, July 31, 2009

I'm Looking Over Some 4 Leaf Clovers... how to find a four leaf clover?




I find four leaf clovers wherever I go... so long as there's grass.


When I was younger I thought I'd try for the Guinness Book world record on clover finding...& after finding a few hundred...gave up that goal once I realized how many the winner at the time had found. I didn't want to put that much time into searching for them!


If you've never found one yourself, I have a few clover finding tips for you that just might help!

Now I can't guarantee you'll find one, but I figure it can't hurt & so far it's worked for me.


The human eye is attracted to things that are symmetrical, so we have that in our favor. Rather than looking closely at every single clover, which takes a lot of time, just 'scan' the ground for them instead.

When I'm outside playing with the kids....I'll find a nice big patch of clover in our lawn & just kneel down & scan the area for them. When I find one, it's like my eye is just drawn to a four leaf clover because of the symmetry.

I've found more 4 leaf clovers within 'patches' of clover...rather than by them self growing up in the grass... so no need to check every square inch of lawn for them. Cut to the chase & find a nice big fat patch of clover to get started.

Try to look for 4 leaf clovers on an overcast day. It's so much easier to actually see them when you don't have to squint & there aren't any hard shadows.

I find four leaf clovers more often after I've mowed the lawn too... because if the grass is short...they just seem to stand out more. When the grass is tall, I have to brush the grass out of the way with my hand to see the clover better.


After you find one you'll probably want to press it for safekeeping. You'll need to press it pretty quickly, as they start to wilt within 15 min. or so. I use my phone book...because it's thick & heavy. If I'm outside looking for a bunch, I'll take a small paperback book with me to press them as I find them...so the leaves don't get all curled up...and that saves me time running back into the house to press them in the phone book. Sometimes if I have a bunch of clovers drying in the phone book at once, I will put something heavy on top to weigh it down.

When you press your clover, be sure to spread out the leaves so they aren't overlapping each other too much.

When I find 4 leaf clovers 'away from home' I press the clover between two credit cards & stick them in my wallet for safekeeping until I get home.

I hope these tips help you & also maybe your kids to find four leaf clovers more easily. Once you find one...you might be hooked on finding more!


You might like to try crafting with resin...to preserve your clover. Check out my easy to follow resin tutorial with pictures on how to get started...simply replace the tatted butterfly with your clover! Pressed clovers hold up very well in resin. Just be sure they're completely dry. I don't use clovers that haven't dried for less than a week to ensure no moisture is left in the clover. If the idea of working with resin due to the cost to get started...or the fumes intimidates you, there are other crafts you can use your clovers in such as laminating them to turn them into a nifty bookmark...or put them in a bottle cap & use some diamond glaze to give them that glassy look & add a magnet to the back! You can add pressed clovers to your scrap booking pages too!


Can you find the 4 leaf clovers in these photos? :o)





I love it when I find a mini-bouquet of 4 leaf clovers!



Here are some freshly pressed clovers ready to be made into fabulous one of a kind jewelry!

I love the variety ...so many sizes with different shaped leaves & subtle changes in color!




If you would like one of my clover creations, I have some available in my etsy & love to do fabulous custom orders if you'd prefer I make something for you that you don't see available at the moment. I can make jewelry, key rings, zipper pulls, or cell phone charms.

I'll be listing many new clover items over the next few weeks, so check back often for something unique. Happy clover hunting & good luck!


:o)

3 comments:

EmbellishYourself said...

What a fun post! I really enjoyed trying to find the four leaf clovers in the pictures!

Cari Byers said...

Your jewelry is just the funnest!!! Thanks for the how to!

Caroline Yonts said...

Wow! I'll have to try it. :o)