Tag: balloon flowers

New Starts

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This canvas is 16 X 20 and I really felt the calling to paint a garden scene again. I like to do one every so often. This one will majorly morph but I started it out with Cleomes, then I have plans for purple Liatris. The various colored background gives it so much interest behind the flowers. It will also have various mediums and marks too. I love doing these paintings and they are not fast to do. It takes much research and thought behind it.
I have so many quilt tops, quilts in progress, quilt material that I would not need to buy anything for the rest of my life. My Mother quilted and I quilted and that is where I acquired all these wonderful items. I have made a pact with myself to get working on these a little at a time and not buy anything extra.

This quilt is my own design and I love needlework and applique so this has both. I decided not to use a hoop to quilt so I can just fold it up and take it easily where ever I go. I found a cute piece of fabric in my stash made by Riley Blake Designs for the backing. Then I decided it would make a great mask too.

I am not being picky about the quilting because I haven’t quilted for a while and if I am too picky it will take too long to get it finished.
This is our resident turtle that goes between retention ponds. I am always surprised when I see him come out of the water making his way to the other pond. He looks like a pretty good size and we can’t see the rest of his body in the water when he is popping his head up. We always wonder what makes him go back and forth. One is much more shallow, maybe one has better food. He moves pretty fast for a turtle.
These next pictures are the flowers that are blooming right now. This daylily is so big and pretty. It is so smooth and buttery.
I say this every year, this is my favorite. It is named Betsy Ross and starts blooming during the Fourth of July. I think the red is just fabulous!
The balloon flowers always amaze me and they bloom around the fourth of July too. The star shaped blooms are perfect for this time of year.
These coneflowers have the most beautiful color. Just vivid!

Another thing I have started working on is sorting all the loose pictures I have before digital. They need documentation and then we have old pictures from Tom’s family and mine too. This is a large project also. Something to do a little at a time.

Hope your fourth was fun, we had quite the fireworks all around us. Our heads were spinning back and forth plus we watched the Macy’s fireworks on tv which had to be spectacular over New York!

Pretty Flowers and Tips to live with

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A favorite place to sit and look out. Before I clicked the camera, they were both looking at something. We have lots of birds in the back yard so that is more than likely what they were focused on. The big cat on the left is Miggy and the other is Pavel.
Pavel at times does not squat when he piddles and it goes over the side. With six cats we need four large boxes. I was changing the litter in the two not pictured. This is a great recipe for urine smell.

Removing Urine Smell

Baking Soda (I used two boxes for this)
Peroxide

Put the Peroxide in a spray bottle and spray liberally on the area that smells. We used this on a car seat, but you can use it on carpeting or flooring like I am doing. If you have to use it on clothing make sure that the peroxide doesn’t do any harm.

Then take the baking soda and sprinkle it on the wet area and then take a stiff brush and scrub it. You can also add more peroxide. Let it dry and then sweep it up. The peroxide and baking soda neutralize the urine.
Hope this helps you. It is better than anything you can buy off the shelves.
I had this book in my piles of books and opened it to the kitchen decluttering section. I have had this book for quite a while but with life happening, I didn’t read it. I am now because we have been trying to just lighten things up in the house. We just had an association garage sale and made us look at cutting down the piles.

I love the way that the author writes – Dana K. White – because I have had all the things she refers about happen to me. So the part I am going to talk about is storage containers. I had three drawers for them. One for miscellaneous items, one for lids and one for the containers and I thought I was ahead of the game. She said that the big key is to store the containers with their lids on. No more searching for the lids, just put them together coming out of the dishwasher after making sure they are thoroughly dried. No nesting the containers and I thought that will take up so much room. Not so my friends! I even have space left over plus I have weeded out the lids that have no containers and visa versa.
The top narrow drawer has the small containers.
The second deeper drawer.
The third deep drawer. How organized I felt!
Give it a try. As Dana puts it….you don’t need a bazillion of everything. Also it helps clean out the refrigerator that can become a big deep hole, containing shape shifting food that makes you gag when you open the lid.
What you are looking at here is my new copper hummingbird feeder. The red part comes out and is a small plastic container that holds the nectar. In the lid is a tiny hole that the bird can drink out of. It is sitting in a flower pot. I have not witnessed a hummingbird come to it yet and it has been out for two days. I am not staring at it 24/7 though. I looked at the FAQ’s and Nancy Biggins suggested moving the pot a little bit or putting a red ribbon on it.
I have seen many visits of hummingbirds recently at the catmint that you see in the background. I thought it was a no brainer to put it near there, maybe it is bothering the birds. Something out of the norm. Also this picture shows the little feeding hole. The Art Shop is Copper Hummingbird so click and it will take you to her site. Catmint is kind of amazing because it draws hummingbirds, finches, bees, butterflies and cats!
My load of 5 X 7 canvases that I will be adding to my store and will be for sale soon. I will be sure to send out a store update. Sign up to get an email when I do a blog post. It is on my homepage.
This is “Field Heart” 5 X 7 original and is up in the store right now. Click here and it will take you right to it. Still offering free shipping, just use FREESHIP in the coupon code. It is $50.00.
The oregano is doing pretty well. The Basil is growing and smells so good but I am moving these to a different area because I don’t think they get enough direct sunlight.
A sweet watering can that was Sam’s when he was young.
The allium is about to bloom. I like it when the outer coating sheds.
The first balloon flower is about to pop. I get amazed when they puff up before showing their star like flowers. Hence the name -balloon flowers.
This is lambs ear that is flowering. I have not seen this happen before. I have had it 6 or 7 years. I have now seen this happening all over.
A teeny dark purple clematis, I have been nurturing this plant and thought it was a goner but it has surprised me. I hope it keeps it up.
Two colors of hollyhocks. The one on the left is almost black.
A lighter purple clematis that is doing great.
Then there is the big bunch of pink hollyhock. I really love these.
I also have columbine, daisies, salvia, wild blue indigo and beards tongue. By next near it will be more full and stunning!
This little gal -Sophie- has her face pressed against the door all the time, to be able to slip out. She loves to roll on the warm cement. She doesn’t run away but plops down and rolls making noises of happiness.

We had a nice Fathers Day and I hope the same for you and your family even if you mailed your packages, zoomed with each other or got together. Please stay well and see you next week.

It all Happens so fast

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This is just a little offset from the original plant of a balloon flower. With the hot, dry summer that we had I am so surprised that I have little ones popping up all over the front flower garden. It should be really pretty next year if they survive the winter. Last week we had very warm days of almost 90 degrees and the cold front whooshed in and now the plants are really changing. I love the weather where it is cool and I can smell peoples fires. It really reminds me of our honeymoon when we went to Gatlinburg, TN in October. It’s a good memory. I am one that relates smells a lot, especially good memories.

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Here are the purple asters. It didn’t fair too well from the summer.

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Last year I picked up different colored cone flowers, not your usual pink ones and they did make it through the winter. They grew and bloomed and now have many off shoots also. I am so surprised. I did do some watering, so that must have helped, but there is nothing like the rain water.

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Burning bushes are a very favorite, especially this picture. I love the burgundy, and the pinks with the greens.

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My Little Pine was doing so well this spring but then the summer beat it up. I hope that it looks better next year.

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The farmers corn behind us is getting near picking time. I remember when it was just little sprouts from the warm brown dirt. It must have gotten rain at key times because it seems to look pretty good. I love fall, the trees are not changing yet but very soon and boom it will be over before we know it. Chili, fires in our fireplace, the bugs going away. Wonder what kind of winter we will be having this year? All is good on our end, how bout you? Thanks for stopping.

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Here’s What’s Going On

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First off with our warm and wet weather my morning glorys will be reaching up to climb soon. The week has just shown a growth spurt. There is a rotten dandelion weed behind the trellis that I just can’t get the roots out and it keeps coming back.

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The hollyhocks are putting on a good show this year. I have really dark maroon ones.

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Also some really light pink ones.

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My candystriped daylilies are just going to be a profusion of blooms very soon. They are going to be mighty pretty. I have several bunches planted around the yard.

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The pots of begonias like the sun and wetness. Full and vibrant these are.

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I signed up for this online course last October but was not able to participate in it when it opened. It is still up until October 1st, 2015 and I am going to start it again, possibly today. I signed up because I needed more work with drawing faces. These ladies have different styles and there is a lesson with each one and also Effy Wild who is the wonderful lady that put the class together. It looks like you can take the course for half price right now and she is putting together a second Radiant Faces Course that will be starting in October.

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In the first lesson we were to choose a picture to use, so I am that far.

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I did get the notebook done though and even made a few for my friends.

Indiana Woodlands with watermark

Yesterday I finished up my Indiana Woodlands poster. My inspiration was from a biology class that I took, where we tromped around the woods in search of species. I added some of the critters that we found also. Prints can be purchased in my Etsy shop.

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All the drawings are from pictures that I took from our journeys.

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Since I finished my painting I am putting my attention back onto my little quilt so I can get it finished and posted in my shop. I will be adding much embroidery. I really love quilting and needlework together. This little quilt is named “Words to Live By”.

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Another flower that is blooming in my garden is the balloon flower. What a wonderful blueish purple.

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I love the way it blows up like a balloon before it blooms.

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A decorating project that I am going to start is recovering the dining room chairs. I found this fabric on the greatly discounted rack at Joann’s and it was just what I was looking for. The green will be the chair pad covers and then the others I am making a banner to go at the top of my three windows in that room.

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I have picked up this book again and have gotten into it. When I finish it I will give it a review.

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I got an email that this book has shipped. I bet it is out in my mailbox now! Tomorrow my niece Wendy and I are going to his an Antiques fair and an Art fair in Fort Wayne. I also plan to go to the Farmers Market in the morning. I should come back with lots of pictures to share. Hope you have a great weekend! and as always….. Thanks for stopping!