A Sunday at Home

Today we spent virtually the entire day working outside.  The sun was a little warm, but the shade was heaven, and the humidity was very low.  I took a gazillion pictures when we were done, because you know, we put a lot of work into it.

The Hawthorn tree starting to bloom.  If only the internet was scratch and sniff.

I took in a branch or two of blossoms.  I love how they bring a bit of verdant green spring into the hall.

The hall table looking quite cheerful.  I'm so happy with how this looks right now.

Aaaaaaaaaaaand, we got the infamous window boxes planted!!!!
Cabaret Calibrachoa, Starry Night Viola, Lamium, and "Imagination" Verbena.

I'm very very happy with how they look...just enough color, just enough trailing and enough upright.  Now to keep them looking healthy....

The rhododendrons are starting to bloom too.  Here's the front of the house as of tonight.  I'm so very happy with how everything's coming in.

The left side of the front:

The porch:

The right side of the front:

Is this Queen Ann's Lace I've planted here?  I don't recall what this is supposed to be.

The back patio area.  Someday I'd love to put up a pergola over this area, but that's long-term.  The day lilies are coming in well....I can't wait for them to start blooming.

The planter has a good start of morning glories and ivy...hopefully they'll start climbing soon.

Rural Society Antique and Garden Show

 Today my mom and I went to the Rural Society Antique and Garden Show in Mount Vernon Ohio.  This biannual show happens in the fall and the spring at Warwick Farm, and we went to our first one on a rainy day last fall.  It was cold and wet, but we still had a wonderful time at the event.  And today's was even better.

Today was just one of those days you never want to see end.  From beginning to end, everything just seemed to fit into place perfectly.  The day started when I woke up to discover that our beautiful Hawthorn in the back yard has finally begun its annual blossom.  It was a beautiful day for a drive, and mom and I enjoyed our trip to Mount Vernon via scenic roads.  And we were greeted at the farm with scenes like the above.  The honey vendor in the fourth photo is a family with talented teens who help raise the bees and make the honey, and play lovely music on their violins.  How magical and wonderful is that?

 There was a plant vendor with really beautiful combined planters.  I loved this plant I thought looked like moose antlers.

Mom peruses one of a plethora of displays with beautiful antiques combined in artistic and beautiful ways.

There were a large number of pieces I could have easily taken home.  I loved this antique Art Nouveau figural mirror for $25. 

And this hand-done crewel-work curtain for $50.

And these leaded glass display boxes for around $12-20 a piece

Everything was displayed so beautifully, it was a joy just to walk around and take it all in.

 This foxglove in a bird cage was quite lovely:

Love these!  I could just see them with skirts made of trained ivy.

This was another piece I almost bought.  It was a weathered plaque with a faded image of a parrot.  I was going to paint over the central image and do a new mythic artwork.  It was $10.

Mom holding up a bolt of fabric I suspect of being either a Morris print, or definitely inspired by his work.  $45, yardage unknown.

A beautiful antique collection of real pressed butterflies.  $100

Mom and me posing with an adorable collie dog at the farm.

Modeling a velvet antique slouch-style hat.

The farm plants and greenery were so lush.  There were cozy corners and sanctuaries everywhere.

 I loved this line of little white flowers along a creek bed.

Here's what I brought home...an heirloom tomato plant for $1.  Black Cherry tomato.

 Last night we had a visit from my dear friend Lindsey, who brought me Hollyhock seeds from her garden.  I love the way that gardening can be about sharing and making connections with other people. 

Mom and I also stopped by an estate sale where I got a lovely little frame with black hinges on it for a dollar.

 But here's my favorite find of the whole day.  This bust is about 1/2 or 3/4 life size, and her smile took my breath away.  How often have you seen a smiling classical bust?  She was only $12 at one of the vendors today, and her beautiful dried floral head wreath was $3 from another vendor.  She wears one of my Parrish Relics and welcomes visitors to our home on our entry table. 

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?