With a Faerie Hand in Hand

So today was a day off, and with my mom and Grandma and dad on their way to visit my sister in St. Louis, garage saleing wasn't an option.  Soo it was creative day!!!

I ran a few errands, including stopping by Hobby Lobby...I try to make sure I go there when Tom doesn't have to, because I always end up aimlessly meandering all the aisles, brainstorming craft and decorating projects and taking hours.  

I hunted down some silk flowers I had seen last time.  I love these not only because they appeal to my "things made from words and stories" side, but also because if you're going to do silk flowers, you might as well utilize the fact that they aren't real. 

After taking this picture, I looked at the price tag and realized they were on sale.  So I took one home with me.

I've had this little miniature glass-sided box (it's probably about 5" tall by 7" wide by 4" deep) I bought at the infamous local antique mall for a week or two, and was trying to figure out what to put inside.  The 'things made with words' theme goes so well with everything else I've made for the Dreaming Room (book butterflies, book page silhouettes, etc)

I also had some Henry Ford illustrations I had printed out for an earlier project that didn't come to fruition, and I love it when things aren't wasted, so I knew they'd be perfect for this.

(Please do click on the images...Blogspot's newest update is really nice in some ways, but the images are either too large or too small for my blog format.  So clicking on images does them better justice)

The scrolls read "With a / Faerie / Hand in Hand"

I also thought it might be fun to check in with the Hollyhock seedlings I planted a little while ago.  Here they are!  Some of them are getting large enough that I really should probably transplant them to styrofoam cups or something larger.  But I'm hoping I can keep them all in here for a week or two longer until they're ready to be hardened off and planted outside.

Finally, the plan was to focus on getting our side yard, where we cut down the evergreen tree last fall, looking nice this year, and then next year we would try planting a veggie garden.  But a sweet older patron at the library had other plans...he brought me in three tomato plants, and of course now I'm going to have to plant them!  Thankfully I think I have a spot in mind that already gets lots of sun and won't get in the way of other plantings.

Titania, Oberon, and Hydrangeas

 I've had a project on my "work bench" for a few weeks now...the design was ready to go, but I just never got around to completing it until last night.  Here's the result...a new silhouette set of Titania and Oberon for the Dreaming Room.  Click photos to see larger:

I think there's a chance I might still change out the background a little bit.  I dry-brushed metallic gold over the blue damask paper, but if I find something a little more ethereal, I might still switch it out.

The art cabinet in the Dreaming Room, with Ophelia peeking out from the hallway.

Another shot of the silhouette, this time with flash...details are a bit clearer.

Finally, here's my hydrangea in the front yard...remember the one I had such trouble with last year?  Yeah...it's not doing so hot again.  Can anyone with more plant knowledge than me tell me...is this just from the hot and cold weather, and do you think it'll spring back?  Click image to see better, but you can see a lot of the leaves are not only browned, but curled up.

Spring Mid-Week Plants

Yesterday Tom and I took a day off work mid-week to unwind and work on a few projects around the house. It was one of those gorgeous spring days with not a cloud in the sky, and I'm quite happy at how much we got done.

The plants are already springing up around the house quite lushly. We're dying to put down mulch, but have heard it's still a *little* bit too early in the season to do so (you want to wait till after the worst of the spring rains, apparently, as heavy wet mulch can kill small seedlings, etc)

The Ajuga 'Burgundy Glow' I planted in the side bed last year has taken off and is gorgeous in its tri-color leaves and blooms.

The Columbine is growing in lush, and shooting up its closed blossoms. Can't wait till they open!

The Hellebore I thrilled to see bloom earlier in spring is still going strong. I really love the way the blooms come in deep red-purple, like the above blossom, and then fade to a green-purple, like the bottom blossom.

Hard to believe this plant was so small last year and all through last winter. It has really taken off this spring.

Finally, I have an admission to make. Last fall, I planted tons of seeds around the yard, and I suspect most of them were dug up by hungry birds. But the problem is, this spring I've been letting some green things in the flower beds go, because I'm not really sure if they're weeds, or they're plants. I have two of these in my flower bed by the back deck, and I'm not sure if I should pull them because they're weeds, or let them go because they're plants. Anyone know?