paintings – Page 25 – Karla's Cottage

Dads, Fish, Pop Pops, and Jackpots

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), paintings, Sugarwings, tributes, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / June 17, 2007

Happy Fathers Day!

My dad was an avid fisherman.

His favorite spot was at his brother’s place. He also loved trips to the lake with the guys or to Florida with his wife and another brother.

My friends and family often roll their eyes or tease me about how much scrap booking I do. But having these pages done is more than just a hobby or a project. I love to look back and reminisce about the pictures.

This photo might mean the most to me. I visited my Dad in Indiana a few months before he was diagnosed with cancer. I didn’t see him again until the night before he died. This is our last photo together.

Man, I am crying right now as I look at it.

Ok, then, happier things!

My art journal/scrap book is filled with pages of Sugarwings (here with her Pop Pop), of course. I add a quick page or two every week.

By not fussing over it, or spending too much time worrying about it being ‘just right’, I can keep the book up to date. I leave the journal sitting out, so it is easy to pick up and flip through at any time. And I do look through it a lot.

By now the book is too full to close, I think that by the time I fill it up, it will be shaped like a full circle!

My husband is every bit as smitten with the fairy grand baby as I am.

You can see that my pages can be quite simple. Only a background sheet, a photo and some stickers on this one. Its more about being able to get them glued down into a book where they can be enjoyed, and doing it quickly and efficiently so that I can do it for fun, not as a chore.

I hear people moaning about boxes or drawers full of photos that they can’t face. But I have discovered that only printing what you want to add to an album (isn’t digital great??) and adding them right away solves that issue of all the pictures building up and overtaking a closet!

For Father’s Day, my husband took his dad (in a wheel chair now), and my oldest son (Sugarwing’s dad couldn’t go, he has a toothache, poor guy) to the casino. Rich, (my husband) put $100 in a machine to play as a group, and they hit an $8,000 jackpot! And I am always telling you that I am lucky- maybe he is even luckier!!

So, he gave his dad half, then split the other half with our son, Ryan. (named after RYAN STREET in Lake Charles, LA— NOT Ryan’s HOPE!!! I had been living in Germany for 2 years before he was born and had never heard of the soap opera Ryan’s Hope, but apparently, thousands of other mothers had, because it is a very popular name for his age group). My sweet son promptly went out and bought his dad the best grill that he could find for Fathers Day. I think someone raised that boy right. Maybe it is the influence of his generous and kind father?

I know I usually try to show pretty things on my blog, but don’t you think Ryan counts??

This watercolor is one that I did of my dad’s father. I never knew him, but think I might have liked him. He was a park ranger as well as a farmer.

Sugarwings is lucky to be growing up with a grandfather that loves her so much, wish I had that in my life.

My mother’s dad and I were never close, but he was ill most of the time I knew him. She loved him immensely and talked about him often.

And wasn’t my great grandfather a hunk?

While I am honoring all the fathers and grandfathers in my life, I can’t forget the most cuddly one of them all, Bookie! He has fathered litter after litter of SEVEN little Dorkie babies at a time. He’s an old guy now and kind of smells, but he still has my heart.

Will Work for Food, and garage sales that make your heart skip a beat!

antiques/junking, Food and Drink, give away, jewelry, paintings, swaps

By Karla Nathan / June 16, 2007

Lawrence, KS is full of beautiful homes, but when I get out of the car at a neighborhood garage sale and the houses look like this, my heart skips a beat. You just KNOW these people will have cool stuff!

I bought this mirror (to paint white with roses) for $7.50. Now, don’t ask me what I will do with it, the thing is about 4′ wide and didn’t fit in my car. I have to go back with the truck this afternoon. I have no place for it, but couldn’t resist. That happens to me a lot.

How can I stop myself from buying treasures when I am in such a pretty setting? It makes everything for sell look even better!

Speaking of pretty places, I had to go back to Junker Jo’s to see what I missed yesterday (the $20 trunk was sold, too bad)

Jo’s husband BUILT THIS PLAYHOUSE FOR HER!! (My husband is a great guy, but far, far from being handy- he’ll never build anything like this for me)

She stores inventory in it between sales and uses it for a showroom for the sale dates.

Look at the antique french doors on it!!

This is the 2nd day of the sale. The first day, her lawn was filled with furniture. I’d say she’d had a good weekend.

The kids were selling ice cold pop for a quarter.

What did I buy from Jo today? A pink chalk poodle ($2). Well, it isn’t a Dorkie, but she seems to fit in fine with the rest of the collection of vintage dog planters and fiures.

Last night, I went to Blue Plate Dinners, a friend, Lori Johns owns it. (her husband, Barry Fitzgerald, a professor of illustration at Kansas University, and a fine softball player, did the artwork on the wall)

Before she opened this winter, she hired me to decorate her public restroom. I used the blue plate theme by mosaicing an antique mirror and a child’s toy hutch in broken Blue Willow. no, I didn’t smash it for the mosaic, I had !eek! dropped a whole box of it. and saved the bits for a project.

My friend, Jen did the faux finish, and I provided the furnishings, custom painted to match.

I added round mirrors from a hobby store to 3 blue plates I found at a garage sale.

A vintage toy stove is a side table. I was glad she let me use these two child’s pieces (found at a flea market for about $50 for both). I thought it aded a whimsical touch to the place.

Lori paid for the supplies in cash, then paid for my labor in food!

So, last night, I made up 12 dinners from their menu and now have a fully stocked freezer. I just have to pull out a dinner, thaw and bake. Her meals have very generous portions and lean meats. Excellent recipes that I would never bother trying at home, but with all the ingredients out in front of you, organized and ready, it is easy to do at her shop.

I’ve bought food from her before and plan on going back again as a customer after we eat our way through this stash.

Lori made us all snacks and we had wine while we worked. My cooking budding, Shanna, and I had a blast. Its like a big night out on the town when you go with friends and cook together. Or am I just getting old? My "big nights" are a different classification than they used to be. I know that I prefer Blue Plate Dinners to going out to hear a band and have a cocktail.

Here is a reminder about my give away for June. A hand painted charm that you can win by leaving a comment or an email. I know that for some reason, some people have trouble leaving a comment with typepad.

And look at how pretty this is!! A little swap from Sonia, how sweet! Thanks, Sonia!!

http://ccraftscollectibles.blogspot.com/

Crowning Glories and Junker Jo

antiques/junking, Chandeliers, flowers, paintings, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / June 15, 2007

Tiara time is ending, it was a fun break from reality making such a frivolous piece of fluff. I loved working on it, and hope my swapper friend, Barb, http://www.123lavenderlollipoplane.blogspot.com/ enjoys wearing it!

I have been looking at the flickr site http://www.flickr.com/groups/400122@N23/ to check out the tiaras as they are finished, and man, what a sparkling group! I just wish we were all having a party and wearing them together.

Funny how my design morphed as I made the piece. I had gathered up a basket of things I liked to use, and as I crafted it, I switched plans often. I knew for sure that I needed to use lavender as a color because of Barb’s email address: lavender lollipop lane. Besides that, it just kind of came together as I glued things on.

I always work that way, I never sketch or plan. I have walked up to a blank 60 foot wall at a hotel and just started painting a mural, figuring it out as I went along.

Today started with garage sailing. Junker Jo had her annual spring sale and I was right there in the middle of it, watching the chaos as everyone grabbed tags off things and wildly picked out treasures. I don’t believe in fighting over junk, but it can be fun to watch other people go for it!

I got these plastic plant tags, I can see possibilities with scrap booking or collage with these. I got a giant box full. If anyone wants a dozen for a dollar (includes postage), let me know and I’ll pop some in an envelope for you.

I got some sparkling old jewels too for $10. These cameos will be wonderful to remake into a necklace and earrings with some old crystals!

This chandelier has no wiring, and I could fix it, but I like it as it is for my garden. I can stick a candle in it when we are eating dinner on the patio. It was only $5 and the drops are plastic, not glass, but are ideal for garden decor.

I also got an old typewriter ($6), a pressed glass compote with a lid ($2), a box of vintage Christmas ornaments ($1), a mini wooden toy vanity/jewel box ($2), and was sorry to miss out on an old trunk that would have made a great toy box for Sugarwings after I painted it. It was $20 and I was feeling too cheap. I am kicking my self now, should have gotten it.

After garage sailing, Sugarwings and I played in the sprinkler.

My little fairy grandbaby wasn’t over to visit for very long, so I was able to get some painting done. I’d bought a big bagful of wooden outlet and switch cover for only $5 at a Goodwill.

I primed and painted them all white, then added roses to these 3. I think I will list them on Ebay unless someone wants any for $6 each? I’d say $3 for postage, though. There are also plain ones yet, if anyone would like a custom paint job on one.

Don’t forget- leave a comment, enter the drawing for the handpainted charm!

I Heart Potatos, and I Heart Beth’s House too!

antiques/junking, jewelry, paintings, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / June 14, 2007

You know a day has to be a good one when it begins with a heart shaped potato! Now is that a good luck charm or what?

After scrubbing the lucky tater and tossing it in the crock pot with the roast, I went to see Beth http://bethleintz.typepad.com/ and give her the birthday gift. She added this painting of Maddie to her shelf with the painting of Milo along with the Christmas ornaments I had painted their portraits onto as gifts last year.

This is a little charm I made and tied to her package. I had made a dozen of these, vintage paper, an added word, some glitter and a pile of diamond glaze into an oval bezel that I soldered jump rings to. This is the ONLY one that turned out! On the rest, the diamond glaze never set right, it is still milky. It has been months, I keep thinking it will clear up, maybe it will. I keep checking to see, and the words are slowly appearing like the message in a magic 8 ball.

These Marie Antionettish boxes were sitting next to Beth’s computer. She has them listed on Ebay right now, and they are even prettier in person!

I love to poke around her house, she has the coolest displays.

We each bought one of these chalk ladies on a junk day together. I sold a couple and kept one in my bathroom to hang jewels on. I wish I had bought more, there were a bunch of them for $10 each. Some were guys though, I only like the females. The males had hats. And they were pilgrim hats. There is something not right about a naked guy in a pilgrim hat.

This is the mantel in Beth’s living room, she has such deep, rich colors. We painted a gold and bronze faux finish over the china red walls, I don’t know if it shows up too well on this picture, though.

I’ll give you a sneak peek at her tiara. I wanted to add lipstick to the glass head, but we had other things to do.

My tiara is not nearly as far along as hers. I need to glitter it up and add the fooferific stuff.

I’m always touched to see things I painted years ago on display in someone’s home. I gave this to Beth a few Christmases ago, along with a bunch of home made fudge (my specialty).

After messing with the tiaras, we went to Mission Road Antique Mall to redo Beth’s booth, that once upon a time, we shared. I miss working on it with her, so she lets me come and play sometimes. I’ll show photos of it later, we did it in a red, white, and blue Americana theme.

This photo is of Terry’s booth, she ships over containers of wildly expensive and beautiful things from France.

We had to go and visit my old booth there and see if the floor was still the way I left it painted. I miss my ‘garden stone’ floor.

Well, time to check the crock pot and see if the heart shaped potato tastes as good as it looks.

Don’t forget to enter the charm drawing by leaving a comment. And check out the last post if you are interested in a magazine article of your home.

Crowning around

how to's, paintings, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / June 13, 2007

If anyone thinks their home would look good in Country Almanac, Romantic Country, Small Room Decorating, or any of the other Harris Publications, please contact me about some sample photos.

Today is Beth (my buddy)’s birthday, and tomorrow we get to play all day. A redo of her booth at the mall (its always fun to rearrange things!) then lunch (I hope she picks Pei Wei-its her birthday, so I don’t want to interfere with her choice, but honestly,what food is better than Pei Wei???)

I wrapped up the ATC sized painting of her dog in a vintage magazine page that I got in the pack from Cheryl. It had a picture of cake on it, so I added a recipe for ice cream that was in an old cookbook I got garage sailing a couple weeks ago.

I topped off the package with a tag I made with a sparkling B for Beth, over some pattern covers (she likes anything to do with sewing), hand tinted with acrylic paints and distress ink. At the bottom of the tag, I glued "early plastic" leaves next to a vintage green button and added a crystal to the center of the button. I used the same crystals on the crowns of the two models in the picture.

Where do I store my crystals for projects? Well, one time I decorated a pair of jeans with crystals on the pockets. The jeans got paint spilled on them so are now work pants. Whenever I need a crystal, I reach back to the pocket and peel off a crystal to glue down to what I am working on.

I am still trying to figure out the tiara I am making. I hand painted some flowers on pink paper to cut out and use on it, but am not sure how or where, just wanted to have some ready if needed. You never know when you’ll need a hand painted flower to embellish something! I also glittered up the vintage grosgrain shoe clip that I thought might work on the crown. I’ll see tomorrow how it all pulls together, Beth and I will be working on them then.

I usually run on and on and on, but this is my 2nd post today, plus it is time for "Rescue Me"!! I am going to eat a bowl of Breyer’s Vanilla ice cream with Magic Shell and a fudge brownie and stare at Dennis Leary on the TV. Not a bad night! (I did go to the gym today, so don’t think too badly of me)

Don’t forget- any comment enters you in the drawing for the rose charm for June!

12,165 hits * 4 months * 100 posts * countless new friends *

give away, jewelry, paintings, Sugarwings, swaps, vintage paper/collage art

By Karla Nathan / June 12, 2007

So, today is my 100th post! Time for reflection? I’m not a very reflective type(although, I do like shiny objects and those sort of reflections).

Here is a list of what I love about blogging:

1- Well, I started doing it to promote my business, to show my paintings and use the blog to feature some Ebay things like these drawer pulls. I am not a frequent Ebayer yet, am still learning. And there are lots of nice bloggers who offer advice!

2- I keep up with my family who live far away. I sometimes feel like I am talking to them when I write. Sissy sends me photos of some good junk she finds and I can share that too. She just got this fairy tale book at Goodwill.

3- I am motivated to get things done! Not that I always need that, I do tend to keep busy. But I also have been known to not do anything creative for days on end, but with the blog, I am often thinking about what I can post tomorrow and that can be an incentive to work on a project instead of reading a book. But it won’t stop me from watching too much TV, nothing can get in the way of my TV addiction!

Here is the garage sale cabinet I picked up on Saturday when I was out junking with my friends. It needed a slight re-build, since it was in pieces. I re-enforced the back, added trim and repainted it while I was at it.

4- Have I mentioned the friends???? Great people that I have so much in common with and enjoy "talking" to. Big hearted and generous people too. Natasha http://natashaburns.blogspot.com/ arranged a mini fairy swap for me when I told her I was bummed about missing the fairy jar swap I saw on so many other blogs. Here is what she sent. Looks to me like it is just perfect for Sugarwing’s room. So many people gave me advice, added me to their links, and welcomed me when I started. I’ve met with nothing but kindness and friendship since I started doing this. The community was a bonus I never expected at all.

5- Having giveaways! I love doing the gifties and treats! I think I will always have one going, leave a comment, enter the giveaway for this month!

6- WINNING GIVEAWAYS!!! I have been lucky enough to win a few so far too. I won this vintage paper pack from Cheryl Connell. http://fromthepines.blogspot.com/ Look at all the great stuff she put in it!

I also won this tag with a card and some goodies from http://whispersofinspiration.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html I used it in a journal I made about our vacation.

7- Swaps- swaps- swaps- swaps!!! Yep, another addiction. A May Basket was my first swap and now I am joining them right and left. I am working on a tiara and a match box this week.

And look what I got in trade for one of my measley little charms! Michelle http://www.ginghamworld.blogspot.com wrote that she’d like to swap and I told her I liked her bags and the color pink. She sent this beautifully wrapped hand made bag as well as this pearly "K".

Not only that, there was a cute heart pin in the package. My sister, Bobbie Sue’s last name is Valentine, and I have a fondness for hearts.

See what I mean about the generous people I meet??

8- Comments! Why do you think I bribe you all with give aways? I LOVE TO GET COMMENTS. ( I’d do the give aways anyway, but I am not above using them as a bribe!) I love to leave comments too. You’ll see me scattered all over the web on comment pages. I like to sometimes go to a comment page from a favorite blog and click on every single name there, checking out their sites and leaving comments on them all.

9- Which brings me to How much money I have saved on magazine purchases! I read blog after blog and it is so much more satisfying (and cheaper) than buying a stack of decorating magazines. Hmm, should I say that since I sometimes write for magazines??

10- Beth http://bethleintz.typepad.com/ and I get to talk and gossip about the blog people we know like they are neighbors just down the road.

11- Sugarwings! Well, actually, my fairy grand baby is just the best thing about every part of my life, so I had to include her here. And my blog is a wonderful spot to show off photos of her.

You have no idea how hard it is to hold back on the granny urges to have an All Sugarwings, All the Time- blog. I could just stare at nothing but her. I found this little rose bud dress for her at a garage sale for $1, so she and I played dress up and took pictures in the garden.

Scents, Roses, and a Drawer full of Bubbles!

antiques/junking, flowers, give away, jewelry, paintings

By Karla Nathan / June 11, 2007

99 posts, almost 4 months, 11,912 hits and counting! I had no idea when I started this blog what it would turn into, or mean to me. I thought I’d use it only to show more of my work to clients. (like this rose painting that I did and then turned sepia in photo editing and this yard long rose painting I did on a door panel)

But, I soon learned, that not only did I get to show and sell my work, and have my family living in other states keep up with what I am doing, I was now in a wonderful social network of people who enjoy, crafts, art, junking, and just plain old surrounding themselves with pretty things!For my 100th post, I think I’ll do list of what blogging means to me

I can tell you right now, though- I LOVE GIVEAWAYS!!!!!

Not only winning them (yippee) but doing them. I think I will try to have one going all the time.

For June, I am giving away one of these hand painted charms. Out of the 30 that I made for the charm swap I am in (I LOVE SWAPS TOO), I have these 3 left over. (The other two are for sale $10 each plus $2.50 postage, if you are interested)

Oh, I forgot to show you a few gems from my garage sailing trip with my life long friends who came to visit this weekend.

I found this book to read to my fairy grand baby, for $3.

We will both enjoy the pop up flowers on each page, but I might save reading it to her for when she is better at looking at things with her eyes instead of her mouth.

And CRYSTAL BUBBLES silver ware!!! A huge box full, maybe 3 sets? Or more, I didn’t count them, for mearly five buckaroos.

So many that my drawer barely closes. I will need to weed a few out and save aside for later.

I often get comments about how much I can get done in one day. Well this silverware drawer is one of my little ways of prioritizing my life. Why sort silverware??? I dump the whole basket straight from the dishwasher to the drawer. I’d rather spend time on something else.

The silver ware, the book, all the fun things I bought out junking with my buddies will always remind me of them. Much as a song will bring you back to the first time you heard it, or a scent will remind of of what you were doing when you smelled it.

Michelle Ward http://michelleward.typepad.com/how_cool_is_that/ brings up that subject in this month’s challenge: "Whats that Smell?"

It is a coincidence for me that this is the challenge for June. I have recently started using scent on my packaging. If you received anything from me lately, and still have the envelope, let me know if it still smelled pretty when it arrived!

I went downtown Lawrence, KS to a cute shop that allows you to make your own scented oils. I mixed up a few old fashioned flower and vanilla ones. For years, I would add a single drop to the inside of an antique dresser before I sold it to combat mustiness and add a happy smell. Now, I am using a drop on the corner of each envelope I send out to someone who purchases my work, hoping to bring a smile to the recipient before they even open the package.

2am Fairies, and Fun with History

fairies, Food and Drink, give away, paintings, Travel

By Karla Nathan / June 7, 2007

My friends are here! And I learned more about the town I live in this afternoon than I have in all the years I have lived in Lawrence!

A couple of them are history buffs and Lawrence, KS had a major civil war battle take place here.

Of course, I knew about "Quantrill’s Raid" and the devastation of that battle, but not details. Like this stone house, that I have been in before, when a friend was renting it. I had no idea it was one of 6 houses that survived the sacking of the town. We picked up a map from the Convention and Visitors Bureau and took the self guided tour to the historical sites.

I told them that the only times I drove around and looked at the homes in Old West Lawrence was when there were garage sales there. They liked hearing about the sales, so we are going to get up early and go to some tomorrow.

Speaking of early, they didn’t arrive till about 4am! I stayed up and painted while I waited for them, was too excited to sleep. I knew that if I sat down to watch TV or read, I’d be OUT. So I painted a while.

BETH AVERT YOUR EYES IF YOU ARE READING THIS! http://bethleintz.typepad.com/ If you leave a comment to tell Beth Happy Birthday on her blog, I will enter you in my drawing too!!
I painted a little ATC card size portrait of Beth’s dog, Madison. Beth’s birthday is this week.

I also painted this fairy. I don’t know if she is done, I think I’ll foof up the painting a bit, add something later. And her ear is weird. But hey, it was 2:45 am!!

Everyone is napping now, I will go pop a casserole into the oven now so dinner will be ready when they get up. I made tortellini with grilled chicken, broccoli, rep peppers, Alfredo sauce and layered it with cheeses. Its ready to go, glad I made it last night, since we spent the day chasing down historical sites!

Hey, don’t forget to leave a comment to enter my charm drawing for June, any comment or email will be an entry!

Bargain Flowers, Rosey Lamps, and Lurking Fairies

Dorkies (Yorkshire Terrriers), fairies, flowers, how to's, paintings

By Karla Nathan / June 6, 2007

More flowers from the $1.99 clearance bundles! I bought these two days ago, and they still look fresh and pretty. I think I’ll get the better part of a week out of them, what a deal.

These are in the guest bathroom, ready for company. And I even made time to clean the shower after all!

I placed the large bunch in a jug I made YEARS ago at one of those paint it yourself ceramic places. Probably 25 years ago?? Maybe I can call it vintage??? The little kitty planter is definitely vintage, and just big enough for 2 rose buds.

Bookie, my dorkie, is on the wall in a frame my friend made. She thought he was so cute, he was her picture that she displayed in the frames to sell them! I loved it that way, just as she had them on display and kept her photo in it.

One last bouquet of pink roses by the door in my kitchen. I certainly feel like I got my money’s worth from the clearance flowers. There are vases with fresh blossoms in every room of the house now.

Tonight, I made a lampshade to fit this light in the guest room. Actually, I didn’t make it, I embellished it. A plain white shade came with this shiny brass lamp.

I primed and painted the lamp sagey-pale green and wired a sparkly bird to the base.

Then, I took pads of distress ink in pink and ‘old paper’ and rubbed the white shade down to age it a bit and take the bite out of the glaring white.

Next, I painted teeny roses in soft pink with minty green leaves scattered around the shade. All were simply done, the roses are barely a twist of the brush, one color, no detail. Almost like drawing a cinnamon roll. but pink.

After using a hair dryer on the paint, I coated the entire shade with clear acrylic top coat, and sprinkled sheer glitter all over it. Then dried it with the hair dryer again, and glued white fringe to the bottom and beaded fringe to the top with "The Ultimate" my favorite glue.

Hot glue would have been easier, but I always burn my fingers with it. So I used clamps to hold the fringe down as it dried and saved the skin of my finger tips.

The lamp is in place upstairs in Sugarwing’s room. I have it behind a big comfy chair perfect for us to cuddle up in and read together.

Her story books are in an old doll house that I found at a garage sale and painted white. It opens from the top instead of the back like most doll houses. I placed a pot of colorful silk flowers in the back and keep Sugarwing’s books in the front.

Next to our cozy reading chair, we have a bigger doll house to fix up together as my fairy grand baby grows older and wants to work on it with me. Right now, it is merely painted a blush pink with a green roof. I have fairies peeking out of the door and windows watching and waiting for Sugarwings be big enough to come and play.

My guests will be arriving soon, they are driving in from Indiana where we all grew up together. This weekend will be like the slumber parties we used to have through Jr high and High School! Except with alcohol. Well, I hate to admit it, but there might have been some of that in high school too.

Meandering thoughts on roses and Meandering paths in the garden

antiques/junking, fairies, flowers, paintings, Sugarwings

By Karla Nathan / June 5, 2007

Once again, my local grocery store had $1.99 a dozen roses on Monday! At those prices you can fill a house with them!

Actually, this bright pink bundle contained a lot more than a dozen. I used them in the matte white dog planters here in the guest bathroom and also up in one of the guest bedrooms.

Isn’t that a perfect pink for this room?

I placed a goody filled pot by the bed as a surprise. I added some chocolates too, that seemed to be the finishing touch that it needed.

The other guest room upstairs got pale, blushy pink roses.

The painting on the wall behind the daybed is an old one, not one that I painted myself.

I used the painting for a photo shoot that I did for Romantic Homes, and thought I would sell it after the article, but I just never could. I even had a lady call me from Florida after reading the magazine and offer to buy it.

I have made copies of the picture, maybe I should find some old frames to paint white and pop some prints into them?

I bought white roses for the dining room.

There were bunches of other flowers for $1.99 too. I divided them up and used some with a few of the roses in kitchen window.

That is the one place that I will ALWAYS have fresh flowers. I spend too much time cooking and washing up at the sink to not have something lovely to look at. If there are no markdown flowers and I have nothing to pick in my yard, I will indulge in at least one single bloom to put in the window to enjoy while I chop and peel at the sink!

I don’t have a green thumb, but I sure try. I have learned that I can cut ivy from my garden and grow it in vases of water, not dirt. So, I always have ivy in pots and vases in the window too. Potted plants don’t live long in my home, but sprigs of ivy or pothos seem to do well in just water.

Speaking of green thumbs, I had some help in the garden today. Sugarwings spent some time eating dirt while I set up a series of soaker hoses in and around the tomatoes.

Marigolds are planted to line the stepping stones that I use in between the veggies.

I started collecting stepping stones years ago. A lot of the garden step stones are cheapy, 90% off clearance ones from Hobby Lobby at the end of the season.

All of these stained glass mosaic stepping stones are from art shows, where I have been able to trade a necklace I made or a print of my paintings for a stone.

I just planted begonias to line the walkway, they are still quite a bit puny. Try to imagine them all full and flowering!

With my lack of a green thumb, that is the only way they’ll get to that point, is by imagination.

This is my favorite, but then, you might have guessed I love fairies.

Plus, I got this at an art show in Pendleton, Indiana where I grew up, so it is sentimental to me.

A friend made this one, I added a bit of paint to age it.

This round one is from Walmart!

I had to dig a trench to help the water flow away from the house. I turned the mucky project into a curving path, and filled the area with rock. then, I lined the path with white dessert plates.

Well, I’ve shown you a painting that is an antique, flowers from the grocery and stepping stones other people have made. I feel like I should show something I did myself!

This is a fairy watercolor using plates as a border like I have done in front of my own home.

I’ve probably ran on long enough, but don’t forget you can enter the charm give away simply by leaving a comment or email this month. And as many times as you’d like to leave one, too, they all count.