#Scoutspiration // Preserving Leaves and Flowers

Spring might not have officially "sprung" everywhere, but there's no doubt the trees and flowers will start budding and blooming soon. How do you make a little piece of spring last longer? One way is to collect your favorite leaves and flowers and preserve them.

(above) A collection of pressed flowers from the garden of My Petal Press ($7).

pressed flower tutorial

To get you started, The Dainty Squid has some great plant pressing tips. You may have done this process in grade school, but it's definitely not just child's play.

Herbarium

Once your plants are properly pressed, you'll need somewhere to keep them. If you're the type of person who likes systematic categorization, this herbarium folder by ARMINHO ($54) is a perfect way to archive spring.

pressed flower jackelope art

Of course, you don't need to keep the pressed flowers in a notebook or herbarium. There are numerous ways you can put them on display year-round. Here one idea from Sofia Rose Vintage ($26).

light switch plate pressed flower

And another crafty idea in the form of a light switch plate by My Petal Press ($11).

pressed flower necklace

With a little bit of help from some resin, pressed flowers can also make gorgeous wearable items, like this Queen Anne's Lace necklace by Lowe Lowe Jewelry ($26).

pressed flower artwork

Or, if you're feeling particularly ambitious, you can try your hand at pressed flower art. This amazing, intricate work is by Irina's Art by Nature ($150). Yes, those are all real pressed plants!

pressed plant print

If you're not a plant-pressing pro yet, you can also purchase prints like this one by Day Three Creations ($10) for your home. Happy pressing!

Recipes from Abroad // Spike Your Coffee the German Way

siegfriends-mechanical-music-museum-rudesheim-copy

Walking around the narrow, cobbled streets of Rüdesheim felt like a trip through a movie set designed to look like a “typical” German town. It was all there: half-timbered houses, taverns that open up into old courtyards, overhanging signs carved out of wood with gilded letters, and even some token characters dressed in traditional garb. To make things even more Disney-esque, our first stop was Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet, a museum filled with automated musical instruments. At first Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet seemed like a musty tourist trap filled with weird antique toys. That is, until our guide started showing us how the 18th- and 19th-century instruments worked. Puppets came to life and danced to music and player pianos and violins with mechanical fingers sang to us. I even got to hand-crank a melody from a giant music box (with the help of our tour guide, of course). We were still looking at weird antique toys, but these were fascinating weird antique toys!

siegfriends-mechanical-music-museum-rudesheim-2

There were about 350 self-playing musical instruments in all at the museum, some so tiny they could fit in your hand and others that filled up entire rooms. It was truly impressive.

drosselhoff-rudesheim

After the museum, we wandered down the famously cramped pedestrian street named ‘Drosselgasse’ or ‘Thrush Alley’ that is lined with wine pubs and restaurants on both sides. It was a brisk morning, and we soon found ourselves warming up with some Rüdesheimer Kaffee, a local treat that is similar to Irish coffee. This coffee, however, is served in a traditional cup (see top image) and the key ingredients are some flaming brandy, a huge dollop of whipped cream, and some shaved chocolate on top. How could you go wrong?

rudesheim-kaffee-2

Of course, you don't have to have a special cup — or even travel all the way to Germany — to enjoy this treat. Here's how to make it at home.

Rüdesheimer Kaffee

• Place three sugar cubes in a coffee cup
• Add a shot (1.5 fluid ounces) of brandy and set alight with a long match
• Stir with a long spoon until sugar is dissolved
• Fill the cup with hot coffee and top generously with whipped cream and chocolate.

For the most authentic version of this drink, the brand of alcohol used in Rüdesheim is Asbach Uralt, which is manufactured there.

Scout Adventure #2 // Searching for the "Real" Puerto Rico

These photos are something of a local's guide to Puerto Rico. The beach, hotel casinos, and the Barcardi plant are fun to visit, but those places are not the "real" Puerto Rico. 

Puerto Rico for Scout Project by Stacey Viera - 1

The Camuy Caverns - 17 stories high inside - and the drive to get to them show the beauty the interior of the island.

Puerto Rico for Scout Project by Stacey Viera-2

Another town, Cayey, in the mountains, is known for local lechoneras, or restaurants offering roast pig.

Puerto Rico for Scout Project by Stacey Viera-7

The pig is chopped up into servings with a machete.

Puerto Rico for Scout Project by Stacey Viera-5

Machetes are useful for lots of island delicacies. At the fruit stand and grocery on Avenida Esmeralda in Guaynabo, a San Juan suburb, my mother-in-law, Vivian, and I were led to a room in the back of the shop where we were treated to a show of how coconuts are enjoyed.

Puerto Rico for Scout Project by Stacey Viera-4

Our machete-wielding friend made a utensil out of some of the coconut shell so that we could eat the meat.

Puerto Rico for Scout Project by Stacey Viera-10

No trip to Puerto Rico is complete without visiting Viejo (Old) San Juan. Walking the streets paved with adoquines, unique blue cobblestones, is a rich experience as a tourist or as a local - and even as a French bulldog.

Puerto Rico for Scout Project by Stacey Viera-8

There is a rich sense of history in the 500-year-old stones and colorfully painted buildings and townhomes. And so many breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and mountains on the other.

Puerto Rico for Scout Project by Stacey Viera-6

And always, always more pigeons than you can count.

Puerto Rico for Scout Project by Stacey Viera

The "Isla del Encanto" is indeed charming in many respects, though crime also plagues it. Bars on every window, door, and carport are a reminder of the crime and poverty that is prevalent.

Puerto Rico for Scout Project by Stacey Viera-9

But for me, having married into the Puerto Rican culture (pictured is my husband's abuelo on his 100th birthday), the island will always be a symbol of delicious smells, tastes, laughter, kindness, and adventure.