what we really need is a femininomenon!!

"Okay, blue or dark purple... got it," she murmured, selecting some of the larger and crispier dried dahlias. It had been a good growing season last year and she had quite the haul of dried, purple dahlias. Most of the blooms were huge, even reduced to this smaller size from the gentle drying process. She set them to steep in a clean basin of water she had collected. Once the blooms hit the water, their vibrant color began to leech out. Finch uncorked a small bottle of some distilled witch hazel. The astringent liquid bit at her nose as she added just a few drops. Color began to seep out from the petals steadily now, encouraged by the touch of witch hazel. It resulted in a deep, moody purple, the edges of the water turning indigo while the center remained darker.

Jay returned with her haul of wood and Finch chuffed a soft greeting as she laid the last board down. Certainly, some were worse for wear than others. "How about we start at the shabbiest and work our way up?" she suggested. There was a dull knife laying nearby, more of a stone with a sharp edge, really. Finch picked it up and began to smooth out the roughest splinters by carefully scraping with the edge of the stone blade. She had to pull her lips back all the way while she held it to avoid splinters. When she finished the first one, she admired her handiwork. It could have been better, but... it would do! "And now I think we spread the beeswax thinly on them once they're prepared, and that should seal them at least a little bit from the elements."