Friday, February 29, 2008

Making Cape Gooseberry lanterns

Are you longing for the sun as much as I do my fellow orange lovers? While I am writing this post I can hear the wind and the rain outside. The sun has shown her face a few times today but the wind took over.I guess I have to wait a while before outside becomes inside again and I can spend my days in the garden and in the sun. Until that time I will have to get my daily orange glow from the colours in my house. How I love those deep orange colours combined with dark wood and yellow. They make me feel warm and cosy like the sunbeams I am longing for :)) I love little lights and I have them in baskets throughout my house. They give a lovely glow. If you turn the basket up side down or use a hanging basket it gives beautiful shades at night. In the summer I have small baskets filled with little electric outdoor lights in my garden. They bring such an peaceful atmosphere when it gets dark.
When you want to add some warm orange tones to your home Cape Gooseberry (Psysalis) lanterns are a beautiful solution. I received a question about how to make the lanterns I showed in My Kitchen post. They are very easy to make and their soft glow makes them my favourite decoration all year long. At Christmas they are always shining in my Christmas tree and afterwards they are in my kitchen or in bowls throughout the house.When they are fresh their orange colour is much deeper. The ones above are at least four years old and I want to replace them. There were some Cape Gooseberries growing in my garden last year so I hope that after this summer I will have a whole new stock :)If you want to make these lanterns just collect some (dried) Cape Gooseberries and little electric lights. Dried Gooseberries from a branch with shrinked fruits inside are the most solid. Make a small hole at the bottom of a Gooseberry and carefully stitch a lights through at one side. I never use glue because this way I can easily remove them when I do my cleaning.They are ready in no time and you can enjoy them all year long. Look for a branch at the florist shop or grow them in your garden. Just give it a try and I think you will love them as much as I do for their warm glow. Hope your day will be orange :))

8 comments:

vk said...

Very nice post Sas. I love the warm atmosphere these cape gooseberry lanterns seem to create. Thanks for the details on how to make them. Inspired by your Kitchen post, I have started collecting them. I buy ripe gooseberries from the fruit market, remove the capes and keep them aside. The capes seem very brittle, fragile, almost like thin crisp paper and I am very careful not to break them. Are these naturally dry ones very brittle too?

Great idea about filling up baskets with little lights. What a simple yet beautiful idea. Love your warm creative nature. Thanks for sharing :)

Have a lovely weekend.
Vani

Chandan said...

Your site is such a sight for sore eyes... I do miss the sun, I do, I do....It has been a long winter and these past two sunny days have been precious.. !... Love the warm tones of your arangements.....

Sas said...

Dear Vani,

I am glad to hear you liked the post. I was in need for some warm orange tones when I wrote it. There is a lot of wind and rain here at the moment brrrr

The Gooseberry fruits you find on the market are very fragile indeed. I prefer to use the ones which haven't a grown fruit yet and dry them. They will keep their colour for years. Maybe you can find some branches at the flower market or your floral shop. Just hang them up side down for a while on a dry spot.

I would love to send you some of the ones which are growing in my garden in the summer, but I am afraid they won't make it all the way to India :)

Hope you have a fine and warm weekend :))

Sas

Sas said...

Thank you Chandan for the warm comment, there is a storm going on here and extra warmth is welcome hihi

Hope at least your weekend will be sunny :)))

Sas

Vineeta said...

What a beautiful orange post! Loved your little sun & your description of how to make the pretty lights. I dont get cape gooseberries where I live or I probably dont know of its availability- or this one I would have really been tempted to try. Its a brilliant idea though & now Im wondering if I should try something else which will be as effective :)

Sas said...

Thanks for the nice feedback Vineeta :)

It is very easy to grown your own Cape Gooseberries in a flower pot on your balcony or garden.

I will think about a replacement for the Gooseberries for you, if I have an idea I will let you know.

Have yourself a lovely Sunday :))

Sas

rkramadh said...

Sas, thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing tips on how to make gooseberry lights. I have seen them grow in a friend's house and will try growing them in my garden this summer. Oh, where is that spring? I have been browsing through garden catalogs aching to start gardening but it won't be for a while! It's been cold and wet with snow still on the ground. My only salvation is to warm myself looking at your beautiful orange glow blog!

Sas said...

So wonderful to hear you like it and will grow Cape gooseberries in your garden dear Rupa :)

They grow very fast and look lovely on a branch too.

I wish you an early spring and lots of Cape gooseberries :))

Sas