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Showing posts with the label garden art

A Time for Creating

This morning I had a wonderful time imagining and experimenting while soaking in autumnal sun bubbles. My intention was to make wreaths out of apple branches I pruned last week, but I couldn't find the green wire that I set aside for the wind chimes the Husband and I will make out of keys. I lost track of the wire on Friday. Yes, I know I should've put it away where I could find it, but that was where it was, until it wasn't. Just as well. The apple branches didn't look exciting, so I threw them in the compost bin. When I turned around, I saw a pot perfect for the pineapple sage plant (aka Pinya) we bought yesterday. Look at the photo above to see the painted result. The Husband said the combination of the colors reminded him of the Southwest. My inspiration for the blue was the blue in Sitting Bull's war shirt as portrayed in the movie Woman Walks Ahead . Have you seen it? It's about Catherine Weldon, the woman who painted Sitting Bull's portrait,

A Fair Tooting of Ribbons

Toot-toot. I came home with first, second, third, fourth, and honorable mention ribbons for my entries in our county fair this weekend. Toot-toot. "The Train Thistle" is what I call my dry floral arrangement for the category San Benito Hidden Beauty , in which participants must use dry vegetation native to our county. I picked thistles. I entered three dry arrangements and three fresh ones.  I entered one of the Mama's geraniums. I can imagine the Mama's spirit smiling as well as tsking as to why didn't she get a blue ribbon. My painted gourd for the garden art category got honorable mention. That was nice of the judges to give me a place, because there were only four of us participating. Each year fewer adults take part in the various baking, canning, crafts, floriculture, fine arts, sewing, and quilting divisions. That's too bad. When I brought in my flower arrangements, one of women in charge commented on me having the most entries.

More Garden Art

I decided to enter the garden art class in the repurposed and recycled crafts category for the county fair. The instructions were simple: Take one item (any item), photograph it, then turn it into garden art. My first idea was to make an asterisk out of a tree branch. It worked, but looked too clumsy. Next idea was to create an elephant out of chicken wire. It was turning out well but safety became an issue with all the sharp points. So I abandoned the project for another day. Then came the mini aluminum decorative milk can, pictured above. Too bad I painted the lid shut so I couldn't plant a succulent in it. (I'll work on getting it open later.) Finally, something worked. I painted one of the Mama's dried gourds that I found in the garage. It's one she grew for seeds. If anyone asks me what it's purpose will be in the garden, I'll say "Birdhouse." lol Time for me to clean up and take the entries to the fairgrounds. When I get back, I&#

Seeking the Color Brown

"How do you get brown?" asked I, standing outdoors at the patio door. "Mix green and blue," responded the Husband, washing dishes about 20 feet away. As I walked back to my temporary work table beneath the Miracle Tree, I realized I would have to first mix blue and yellow to get green. Sigh. Several hours later, when the Husband stopped, I showed him the rock I was painting. "The brown looks like dirt." Accomplishment achieved! Today is Our World Tuesday , where I'm participating. Here's the link . Grazie, OWT administrators.

The Couple That Works Together

The Husband and I finished and installed a fun project on Friday. Some of you may remember I talked about the work-in-progress fence project last Sunday. Amazingly it only took us six days from creating the first fence panel to the installation of seven panels weaved with branches from the backyard trees. That's a short time, considering who we are. It was lots of fun working with the Husband on it. He agreed. We love the final result. We don't know about the neighbors, who I hope simply think of us as those old hippies doing their thing. Hmmm. Maybe that's not a good idea. The Daddy warned me not to end up being a hippie, which to this day I have no idea what he considered made up a hippie. I can only hope I did not disappoint him. lol This morning the Husband showed me how to tie Boy Scout knots. One knot reminded me of the stitch the Mama taught me for hemming. Another knot had me thinking of knitting, and still another of crochet. I didn't do so well re

Havoc in Progress

Welcome to our havoc of a patio. The Husband calls it "lived in", the kind man. Most, if not all, of the placement of things on the patio was done by me. Thank you. That's not abandoned clutter, mind you. Nearly everything in sight is a work-in-progress of something, whether individually or collectively. They're all in different stages. Some, I grant you, are still at the starting line. For instance that brass lamp with many arms which friend Missus H gave me. I fell in love with it when I saw it hanging out in her barn. Not sure yet whether to dismantle the wiring. Towards the back end, by the miracle tree is a work-in-progress actually being worked on.  I pulled out the fence of twigs in the front yard by the sidewalk because it looked *gasp* messy. (That's right, these eyes of mine know messy from eclectic whimsy.) So, the Husband and I decided to make a sturdier fence. We've got two panels done. What do you think? I think they're cool. T

Garden Art

The paints came out last week. Splash! Splish! A blue elephant now dances across a dinner plate. A once-upon-a-time metal spoon holder now pirouettes in the breeze. This morning the Husband set up the portable table outside so I can play at being an artist. I envision a white pan being painted into a turtle, chicken wire being mangled into the shape of an elephant, and a branch being cut and put back together into something, maybe an asterisk. If any of those things turn out well, it becomes my entry for garden art in next month's county fair. We shall see. Time again for All Seasons , a weekly meme hosted by Jesh of The Jesh Studio , which is where I'm heading to share my post. Click here to check out Jesh. For the participants list, click here . Thanks, Jesh!

Painting within the Lines, Kinda

Was it last year that I painted the first of these wall plaques that the Mama had, but did not display, for over 40 years? A couple weeks ago, I finished painting the last of them. I don't know if painting is the exact term. Maybe it's coloring with paints. Anyway, now what shall I do with them?

What to Do with Branches

This spot in the front yard revealed itself to be the perfect place for geranium ivy to grow wildly upon that structure of strung branches. Originally I built the structure to be a trellis for bougainvillea in the backyard, but it didn't want to stand up straight. If I was building a raft, because I happened to be stranded on a deserted island, it would've made a perfect base for a sail. It was back in the Spring when I built the trellis/sail. Yesterday I cut the branches so that the structure collapsed into a v-shape. The Husband thought it looked like the frame for a canoe. (Guess what I want to eventually create with tree branches.) This morning, I set the now geranium trellis into its spot over a young geranium ivy plant that's slowly growing. I also planted cuttings from geranium vines that the Mama planted years ago.  We shall see. Previously sitting on this spot was another bunch of branches that I painted and tied together at the beginning of the year. I mo

Pollinating the Squash

I hand pollinated two budding squash fruits last week because I was worried the male and female flowers would not pop open at the same time. You can't count on the bees or other insects to pollinate, especially these days when there aren't a lot of natural pollinators around. Hand pollinating squash is easy to do. Carefully strip the petals of the female blossom, doing your best not to touch her stigma. Then strip the petals off a male flower, taking care not to spill any of his pollen. Now, dab the pollen onto the stigma. If you don't feel confident that the male had sufficient pollen, then pick another male flower and repeat. The summer that I was 17 I worked as a hand pollinator for a seed research company. I got the job purely through nepotism. The Mama was in charge of hiring summer help who were usually teenage girls. She waited until I graduated high school before she hired me. She also hired my friend Kathy, who let the Mama know on her last day on Earth how

Support for the Roses

Part of the pink tea rose plant leaned over the pathway to the front door, making it a sweet-smelling and annoying obstacle for us, humans. Molly the Cat had no complaints.  The Husband and I considered using the Mama's aluminum tiny step ladder. It was a perfect height for holding up the rose branches. But, as is our custom, the Husband and I left the thought hanging in the air. Last week the Husband called up to the second floor office window, "Where is the ladder?" He was outside watering the front yard. (I say "call" because the Husband and I don't like to shout or yell. We merely project our voice from our diaphragm like old-time actors on a stage. So I think.) "I don't know," I called out from my desk about 10 feet away from the window. My hand still posed over the keyboard, I said, "I'll go look." Fortunately the Husband called up, "Never mind." By then I was curious so I searched for the ladder. Yup. I

A Duck Pen

Quack, quack. Quack. Quack.  That's just one of our ducks. Four or five more ducks are hanging around the yard, each in their own little pen.  Quack. Quack.   

In the Pink

That wooden pink and white polka dot thing was one of the arm rests on the Mama's reading chair. When the Mama passed onward into the great beyond two years ago, I moved the chair outdoors. Other than Molly the Cat that chair couldn't support anyone heavier than the Mama. For a year, the chair held an umbrella tree in the front yard. Neither looked happy. So, back in March, I decided to take that chair apart and turn the parts into garden art. Pink was one of the Mama's favorite colors, and she liked polka dots, thus the new look for the arm rests. Curious about the other parts of the chair? Check out my Facebook album The Mama's Reading Chair . You don't need to be a Facebook member, or sign in, to view the album. Today I'm checking out a new meme for me called Pink Saturday , which is hosted by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound . To visit other participants, click here . Thank you, Beverly!

More Garden Art

Hello Visitors from the Blogging from A to Z April 2018 Challenge. This post is for the weekly All Seasons. You can find my posts for the April Challenge here . Sometimes it's right before I fall asleep that an idea for garden art comes to me. Other times an idea greets me when I open my eyes in the morning. Wait till you hear this! my inner voice says, as it waited patiently for me to be quiet to hear the idea. So, today I share with you my latest two pieces for the garden. Both are items from the 1960s that belonged to the Mama. The metal peacock in the above photo was once in black, brown, and burnt gold (is that a color?), which the Only and Older Brother gifted to the Mama one year. The lamp in the photo below was one of a pair that the Mama and the Daddy bought for our brand new house way back when. Its original color was a cross between yucky bronze and gold. I think it was supposed to be a take off on baroque style. Now, the lamp could be a prop in a carnival.

The Painted Chair in the Meadow

Last Sunday I shared with you the chair I painted that morning. There's the final product in the meadow. You may not see it at first. That's Okay. That's my intent. I don't want the chair to be obvious. I want it to suddenly be a delight in your sight. By the way, Molly the Cat hasn't noticed it yet. I wonder what she'll do when she does. I ended up painting details onto the chair's frame.  A hodgepodge of things to practice painting impressions of flowery vines, cat paws, flowers, and butterflies. Here's the back of the chair. For the front of the chair, I decided to paint one subject rather than several. What do you think? I love the way the chair looks in the meadow. The chair is too flimsy for anyone to sit on, except for Molly the Cat, so I asked the Husband to place it in a hard-to-get place. For humans, that is. While the Husband and I stood on the sidewalk admiring the chair in the meadow, I thought the yard looks just how I

A Painted Chair

Hello Visitors from the Blogging from A to Z April 2018 Challenge. This post is for the weekly All Seasons. You can find my posts for the April Challenge here . I'm pooped. Happily, though. I just came inside from painting that chair you see in the photo. I've been wanting to paint an artsy chair ever since I saw a bunch of painted chairs done by artists for a local fundraiser in town. That was over 10 years ago. By the time I mustered the confidence to consider painting a chair, the  group hosting the fundraiser stopped it. Last night I decided if it didn't rain today, I would paint the old broken redwood chair against the fence that has been wearing the fake evergreen bough since last Christmas. So, I did. Today is gorgeous. Sunny. A  bit of a breeze. Warm enough to peel off hat and sweater as the painting progressed. I hoped that Molly the Cat would hang out with me, but the rocking chair claimed her. That's okay, every so often a bee buzzed by to see what wa

Waiting for the Honey Bees

"People say nothing is impossible, but I do nothing every day." ~ A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh  

Pelican in the Front Yard

Cool pelican, don't you think? His head? I have no idea what happened to it. He's requesting a sparkle-sparkle body. The better to show off his plumage, so he says. Only then will he reveal his name.  Giggle.   

Sailing Away

"Sailing, sailing over the bounding main. . . ." In this case, the bounding main is a dinner plate standing tall in the front yard.  It didn't seem to mind the rain. Happy Monday to you!