Just Tuesday.

The theme for this week's Texture Tuesday is "dream".

I just couldn't stop at "dream" because it means nothing to me without the hope.

So, I was going to link up with Texture Tuesday and had the post ready. Then, I realized that I actually didn't use a texture when I processed these images.  Hmmmm, I took a few minutes to try and add one and well ... it just didn't work, and I'm out of time.  So it goes. :)

(I took these photos Sunday night at our county fair when my daughter was wearing her new sunglasses.  I thought she looked a bit like Janis Joplin.)

Have a great week!

More Garden Pictures...

Recognize the stumps from here?!

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I still hope to get the doors mounted and mulch in place yet this summer/fall, but we'll see.  I have so many ideas, but it is a work in progress.   And, that is an OK thing. :)  

I hope you've all had a nice weekend!

Tea on Tuesday::Texture Tuesday::Tuesday with the "Kims"

The challenge this week at Kim Klassen's Cafe for Texture Tuesday was to use her new free texture "Aurora".

Last week the girls were out playing and pulled this table that I bought from my Uncle's Estate off of the porch and filled it with treasures.  Then, it started to rain and I thought it looked neat so stepped out to take some pictures when the rain let up.

On both of the photos I used "Aurora" on the lighter color blend mode then brushed away some of it.  I also clipped a levels adjustment to the texture layer to darken it a bit more.

Rain sound really good right now...boy, it's hot here!

For Tea today, I'm taking liberties once again. :)  No tea, just a lovely old Pyrex coffee pot that was in the "no bid" pile of the last auction I mentioned.
I added a tin can in the center to hold the flowers a bit tighter.  It looked really neat until it started to rust and the water turned orange, not so neat. Oh well.

I used Kim's Magic textures on this photo with other various adjustments.

We have a full week with our county fair and niece's wedding coming up.  My husband's foot is healing but he's still out of the hog barns, dirt, and water.

You can visit the other Tea drinkers here at Kim's blog and see some wonderful texture work here at the Cafe.

Stay cool!

A Thank You... for a Thank You... for a Thank You...

A while back I received a surprise in the mail. It was a thank you for a thank you that I sent her :)  Was not my hope or intent when I sent off my little package....but I gladly accepted this package from Kimmie at Art in Red Wagons!

See that flag banner hanging there in all it's glory?  It's vintage hymnal music that has been dipped in beeswax and sewn on to twine.  Kim has one for sale in her Etsy shop.

If you wish, you may ignore the green pom pom garland...but as it turned out (quite accidentally) I think it compliments my wonderful banner above it.  (More on the pom poms later)

My intent is to move this to my sewing room, but for now I love it hanging in the natural light in the dining room.

It's romantic and rustic all at the same time, and it's truly beautiful.  I've read about bees wax in a few publications, but haven't tried using it myself.  Now, I know why people love it.  It's adds such depth to the pages.

There was also this little magnet that she created with a vintage bottle top and hand embossed metal.

These can also be found here.  Kim calls them "Fridge Jewelry"

I'm calling mine "tin can art".


Cool, isn't it?!

So, thank you Kim so very much for the thank you for the thank you!!






























I'm linking up with Debra for Vintage Inspiration Friday!

Herb Wreath

The herbs in the garden are growing well, so,  I decided to try to make an herbal wreath to dry.

Included in this wreath are two kinds of basil, variegated marjoram, sage, parsley, and ...one more that I can't remember the name of.  Yes, this seems to be a recurring problem. :)  ..or would that be :(  ...

I wired the herb sprigs to an embroidery hoop for the base and then moved it around the garden for a photo shoot.

The aroma was divine!

Looks great under my little chandelier I added to the space!

Oh, if it could stay looking like this and outside...but alas!  We all know cut leaves droop. And, they say dry them out of the sun.

If only,  it could stay like this!  The drooping set in strong about 20 minutes later.  Now, if I can get it to dry nicely it will be beautiful again.  The challenge will be let it dry with "nice looking droopiness".  I currently have it hanging horizontally upside down in my laundry room.  I think I need to add a few more wires.  I'll let you know how it progresses.

I showed my small 4-H club (four members, two are my girls) my herbs and we made herbal infused sparkling water to drink.  I loved it, one of my girls liked it, but the other three girls didn't think too much of it.

More on that pom pom garland and paper banner later!

I hope you are having a very pleasant day!

Mosaic Monday

~up close in the garden~

Ruth

Ruth waiting in the garden...for me to find her a new spot so she no longer has to hold this big door up...poor dear.

Credits

Both of the templates used for the mosaics above are from the Coffee Shop Blog and they are free :)  Find them here.

Texture in the second mosaic is one of Kim's free textures.  You can sign up to receive them here.

Linking up with Mary for Mosaic Monday.

I hope your week is off to a good start!

Tank Garden Update

~ an annual I can't remember the name of ~

 ~ the big center plant is fennel with other herbs around it ~

~ vine in back is a weed, but I liked it ~

  

~ Chinese lantern and marigolds ~

 ~ basil with other herbs getting smothered inside ~

~ thumbelina zinnias ~

~ somehow I ended up with quite a bit of orange in the garden and actually like it ~

~ waiting for blooms ~

~ dill planted by lavender??? ~

~ dill is so pretty though ~

~ found this Larro feeder at the farm ~

 ~ filled with a small variety of morning glories ~

please bloom soon

~ black eyed susan vine ~

~ drift wood and zinnias ~  

hoping to get more weeding and more mulch in place yet this summer

 ~ snaps and dianthus ~

not much selection in the garden area here at all :(

~ we have so many trees here and I love to add decaying pieces to the garden ~

~ a malformed or perfectly formed?! blanket flower ~

I took these photos last week and am finally starting to see some more blooms come this week, yay!

I hope you are having a few wonderful summer days!

Pleasant Surprises

These past weeks have been full of very unpleasant surprises, but now life is settling back down, people are healing, and I thought I'd share a couple of pleasant surprises with you.  I thank all of you for the prayers!!!

I have these yellow flowers that grow like crazy in my sand.  They are like daisies and are pretty as long as you cut them as soon as they open otherwise they get scraggly looking (ugly).  The other day my little girls brought me some in with stems crushed in their little hands of course.  Well, I stuck them in a vase and they died and dried up within the day.  The surprise?  They looked awesome dried!!!  So I went out and gathered more quickly to hang to dry.  I will now cut bunches of them for dried bouquets!

Surprise number 2.  There was  a HUGE auction in town on THE best junk last Sunday.  I was unable to go because of my husband being in the hospital and because of other family obligations.  I went down on Sat. and left a couple of bids.  I did get a few things I left bids on.  When I went to pay and pick them up, I asked to see the "no bid" pile.  Well, I found a nice stash of treasures for 50 cents!  Among my treasures were two rag balls of brown suiting.  I snipped a piece to tie up my flowers.  Rag balls?  No bid?  Really?  Silly people.

I'm hooking up with Kim from the Cafe today for texture Tuesday and the challenge was "3"  This is weak, I know, but I made a triptych (three pictures) to tie in.  That works, right? I used two layers of Kim's textures, "hello" and "brushed linen".

I wish I have having Tea today with Kimmie of Art in Red Wagons but I am seriously behind here and no picture for tea.  

Off to do some weeding while the sun is under the clouds!