Miniature Garden: a Challenge

My Blogging Business Artisans team on etsy hosts a monthly Challenge.  You don't even have to be a team member to participate!  The idea is to be inspired to create!

This month, Jenny of A Bird in the Hand Art gave us the following Challenge:

Create anything summer-related, love-related, and/or GREASE (the movie) related.

I've been inspired by miniature or fairy gardens.  I attempted to create a little scene in a rectangular pot that hugs the railing of my deck.  It was challenging and fun!  

Wander up the stone pathway.  Twist the knob of glass and enter into this little dwelling by opening the door made of bark and pieces of raspberry cane.

It's a great day for a picnic!  Journey to the High Stone where you can spread out your feast for two.  
(The picnic basket was made of bark and grapevine and hot glued together.  The plates are little pieces of bark cut in circles.  The blanket was made from a scrap of cloth and the squares were colored with a red sharpie.  I may cover this in something like polyurethane or perhaps clear nail polish to make it more weather resistant.)

In the late afternoon, perhaps you will climb the stone steps and sit on the bench overlooking the valley below.  
(The bench was made out of grapevine hot glued together.)

Before you turn in for the night, check to see if the baby birds have left the nest.
(The birdhouse was made of pieces of bark glued together.  The perch is a piece of grapevine.  The fence is made of raspberry canes around which I twisted copper wire.  The copper will eventually weather and turn darker giving a more natural look.)

I've been collecting miniature/fairy garden ideas.  Come over to my Pinterest board and see what I've found!

Intrigued by our team challenge?  Come on over to our BBA team BLOG and see what others have made!  Create something yourself that fits the theme and link up!   

QUESTION:  What inspires you to create?     

photos by me © 2012  all rights reserved 

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

PAINT

a silk scrunchie painted with dyes

GREEN 

The wind plastered this leaf to a window during one of the many recent storms. 

EYELASHES

Huck, the farm kitty, once again!

SHAPES 

We've had numerous rainstorms in the past week.  They've been accompanied by great winds causing trees to snap and power outages.  A storm blew up as I was driving to the library last Tuesday.  I waited in my car before going in so as not to be drenched to the bone.  I had my camera with me!  So I amused myself.  This is a shot of a store window through my rain-splotted car window.  

and another

CLOUDS

such drama in the skies lately!  Here the sky is the bluest blue of fair Summer with puffy white clouds, and some menacing dark thunderous clouds thrown in for effect!

This is a very fun meme hostessed by Ashley Sisk in which 5 prompts are given and one must then take a photo to illustrate each one.  Come see how others have interpreted these words HERE!  (And you'll get to see photos of Ashley's newly born baby girl!)  You have till Tuesday, July 31 at midnight EST to join in.

Next week's words are Going Back in Time, Something Just for Me, Best Part of My Day, Night & Day, Look Up

photos by me © 2012    all rights reserved

journeys

I love to explore new places, to immerse myself in the beauty of this wonderous Earth.  Today I share with you a few photos of favorite places to which I've journeyed.  

Ophir Pass, Colorado, 11789'

Ophir Pass is near Telluride in Southeastern Colorado.  The road is dirt, narrow, rocky, and often with steep drop offs.  The view is magnificent!  The path climbs out of aspen groves littered with wildflowers, and ascends into fields of gray, green, and maroon talas.  I was there in late September of 2007 and 2 days later the pass was closed due to snow.  See the San Miguel Mountains in the distance?  To get to Ophir Pass, we took US Highway 550 North from Durango.  Between Silverton and Ouray 550 is known as the "Million Dollar Highway."  The scenery is absolutely breathtaking!

Logan Pass, Glacier National Park, Montana

The sweeping vistas in the mountains are so majestic!  Beauty abounds in the smaller things as well--colorful rocks, wild animals, gorgeous flowers.  Breathe the air and let joy fill your spirit! 

Sint Maarten, Netherland Antilles

Oh how I do love St. Maarten!  The beaches are gorgeous.  Some are small; some are long.  Some are crowded and busy; some are secluded and serene.  There's always something to explore here...and time to let your soul simply be alive.  

LINKS:

description of Ophir Pass drive

Hidden Lake trail 
St. Maarten beaches 


LINKS to my past posts:

Glacier National Park:

escape  one of a view along Ophir Pass; most are of Grinnell Glacier
Majesty  Hidden Lake near Logan Pass
along the Hidden Lake Treail with some fun questions asked of Park Rangers 
Glacier Skies  Hidden Lake Trail

St. Maarten:

Cupecoy (one of my favorite photos)

Sail Away  Cupecoy beach with a poem by John Masefield
maps + a couple photos
sunset and sunset (Cupecoy)
Baie Longue  
Pointe de Bluff 

I'm linking up with my favorite teacher, Ms Jenny Matlock, as we work our way through the alphabet.  Please do go visit the other students, for you never know what gems you may find--humor, poignancy, information, visions of far away places, stuff you've never even dreamed of!  Check it out HERE.  You may even wish to join in yourself!  This week our letter is "J."


photos by me © 2007 and 2008  all rights reserved

searching for some

inspiration....

“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature -- the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.”
~ Rachel Carson

But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.”

~ William Blake

“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
~Maya Angelou

“Do stuff. be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration's shove or society's kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It's all about paying attention. attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. stay eager.”

~ Susan Sontag

In those times when inspiration seems to escape me or I'm feeling down, I'll often take my camera, walk out my door, and go for a hunt about the yard.  It's amazing what you can see by observing closely.  Nature never ceases to amaze me!

QUESTION:  What do you do when you're lacking inspiration?

I'm linking up with my favorite teacher, Ms Jenny Matlock, as we work our way through the alphabet.  Please do go visit the other students, for you never know what gems you may find--humor, poignancy, information, visions of far away places, stuff you've never even dreamed of!  Check it out HERE.  You may even wish to join in yourself!  This week our letter is "I."

photos by me ©  2011 and 2012

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

Water 

A ripening tomato is covered in fresh water droplets after a much need rainstorm.

Petal 

true blue petals!  I forget the name of this flower.

Fresh 

Eight 

A stack of hand dyed cotton, silk, and silk velvet scrunchies await new homes in my SHOP.

Calm 

Amidst all the chickens clucking and foraging, bugs prowling, and customers picking up food, Huck the farm cat is very relaxed!

This is a very fun meme hostessed by Ashley Sisk in which 5 prompts are given and one must then take a photo to illustrate each one.  Come see how others have interpreted these words HERE!  (And you'll get to see photos of Ashley's newly born baby girl!)  You have till Tuesday, July 17 at midnight EST to join in.

Next week's words are wrapped, time together, tell me a story, love or couple, and duplicated.

photos by me © 2012    all rights reserved

A Bird in the Hand Art Giveaway

The fabulous Blogging Business Artisans on etsy is once again hosting a wonderful giveaway!  (We hope to do this monthly.)

Jenny of A Bird in the Hand Art is giving away this lovely hand painted jewelry box.  

Not only did Jenny paint it, but she hand carved the stamp with which she created the owls.  Inside, there are 2 compartments and a soft fabric ring holder, also made by Jenny.

  Here's where you can find Jenny:

Shop: www.etsy.com/shop/ABirdInTheHandArt
Blog: abirdinthehandart.com/
Facebook: www.facebook.com/#!/abirdinthehandart
Twitter: twitter.com/#!/BirdInHandArt

HURRY!  ends soon!  It's easy to enter!

CONTEST DEADLINE:

July 19, 2012 at 11am central

CONTEST ELIGIBILITY:

Contest open USA and Canada 

Don't miss a giveaway!  Like us on facebook!

and/or

Follow our blog!
Click on this LINK to enter.

photos by A Bird in the Hand Art © 2012

Meet Huck

facts about Huck

1.  named after Huckleberry Finn

2.  lives on Finn Meadows Farm with Claire and Marc who practice sustainable agriculture using organic methods

3.  is very mellow

4.  is very sweet

5.  is very friendly

6.  loves to sleep on the vegetable tables  (excuse me a minute.  What's that, Huck?  Oh, I see.  You're NOT sleeping, you're watching over the produce!)

7.  hangs out with the chickens 

8.  has acres and acres to explore

9.  likes to visit the geese and the piglets

PS:  Huck will make another appearance on this blog in the near future. 

PSS:  HERE is a photo I took of Claire and Marc holding a couple of their chickens.

I'm linking up with my favorite teacher, Ms Jenny Matlock, as we work our way through the alphabet.  Please do go visit the other students, for you never know what gems you may find--humor, poignancy, information, visions of far away places, stuff you've never even dreamed of!  Check it out HERE.  You may even wish to join in yourself!  This week our letter is "H."

photo by me © 2012

Treasury Round Up: Part Three

I've been featured in lovely treasuries lately!  Many thanks to the treasury makers!
(All treasuries and items within the treasuries are clickable.) 

Becky of antiquebeginnings featured my hand dyed Summer Carnival silk scarf in her lovely soft treasury Light, Airy,Transparent.  She says, "A collection to make your mind float in a cloud. These items are luminescent in nature and light is a big factor here."

Becky's shop is filled with hand crocheted items "made with love."  Looking through her shop filled with nearly 100 items, it seems if she can dream it she will crochet it!--cute little booties, lace collars, pillows, doilies, sweaters, dresses, bookmarks and more!  Look at this cute butterfly ponytail holder!

Sharla of Beaded Tail curated this lovely tribute treasury to her online friends in memory of her loved dog Sadie.  Sharla featured my tie dyed heart T shirt in this special treasury, Fill Your Heart with Love, Friends and Furbabies.

Sharla makes lovely beaded jewelry--earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.  Many items have an animal theme.  Oh yes.  She's started making journals like this one as well!  And a portion of ALL sales is given to organizations benefiting animals.  (See her profile for a list of charities she supports.)

"At 100 plus degrees this week, I thought a summer theme would be in order."  This was the inspiration behind Sher's of Sher Hastings Designs treasury, Thoughts of Summer.  Almost every item featured is one made by the fabulous Blogging Business Artisans team.  Sher featured my Dragonfly Dreams swing dress.

Sher creates and sells the most wonderful graphics for paper--sets, printables, stamps, planners, and papers, as well as  sewing patterns and templates.  What could be cuter than this owl PDF pattern/template?!

I'm linking up with Random Creative's Treasury Round Up.   For more awesome treasuries, go HERE!




photos by each individual artist © 2011-2012  all rights reserved!

Treasury Round Up: Part Two

I've been featured in lovely treasuries lately!  Many thanks to the treasury makers!
(All treasuries and items within the treasuries are clickable.) 

Erika of Artful Rising featured my hand dyed blue silk scrunchie in her treasury Nothing shabby about it, in lovely shades of pink, blue, and green.

Erika has wonderful journals in her shop with covers that say things such as--"Show Up.  No one ever drowned in their sweat." and "You are meant to be whole.  Tell your story."  Besides journals, Erika is selling this wonderful mixed media art print, "Let Your Dream Soar."

Sue of Lemon Drop Treasures featured my hand dyed pastel rainbow scrunchie in her sweet, dreamy treasury Sunshine Happy.

Sue's shop is filled with treasures of every variety!  Who know what goodies you may find!  You'll have to visit to find out.  Here's a 1940s little Lefton porcelain creamer that caught my eye.  Almost everything is on sale, so hurry on over!

Kathy of tapestry316 featured my pink tie dyed swirl T shirt in her treasury I'm thinking PINK!  Kathy has a new granddaughter on the way!  

Kathy is a wonderful watercolor artist!  Her animals are her favorite subjects, particularly her horses.  I love that she offers ACEOs of her paintings.  I'm a cat lover, so I can't help but find Oranges Bajoranges most alluring! 







Sarah of Magnolia Surprise featured my patriotic "flag" T shirt in her very fun patriotic treasury Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue!

Sarah creates the most fabulously wonderful crochet items!  Here's her latest--sea creatures play set which includes the felt storage bag.  Besides very imaginative interactive toys, Sarah also sells coasters, cloths, and other items to decorate your home

Polina of PoStra featured my hand dyed silk pastel rainbow scrunchie in her delightful treasury So fresh!

Polina creates the most exquisite jewelry!  Here is a beautiful bead woven bracelet "Black Sea"--so named because it reminds her of her trip to Abhazia.  There are three marine rubbles from Black Sea incorporated into this bracelet.







And here is a treasury I created to honor the BBA team's monthly Challenge for June, Under the Sea.

To see what team members created for this Challenge, go HERE.

I'm linking up with Random Creative's Treasury Round Up.   For more awesome treasuries, go HERE!

photos by each individual artist © 2011-2012  all rights reserved! 

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

patriotic

Fireworks explode in the dark sky on the 4th of July.   (Do you see the heart?!)

view from above

A Japenese beetle dives into the center of this rose. 

mosaic

a Freedom Trail Mosaic mounted on the outside of a building in Over the Rhine, Cincinnati.  This was taken about a month ago while on an American Legacy Tour called Queen City Underground.

says my friend Carol Rucker:   "My women jewelry students and I created this mosaic as part of the Over the Rhine Freedom Trail project a few years ago. We created individual copper enameled hands, angels and other details, and used tile cutters to cut each piece of tile to fit our design. We collaborated on the design and learned basic mosaic techniques from local artist, Suzanne Fisher to complete it. The design depicts women entering the Sarah Center women's ministry, then exiting as angels."

more information

something tiny

Tiny cinnamon basil seedlings emerge in a pot on my deck. 

vibrant

Echinacea blooming in my garden.  The pink petals and orange center vibrate against green leaves.

This is a very fun meme hostessed by Ashley Sisk in which 5 prompts are given and one must then take a photo to illustrate each one.  Come see how others have interpreted these words HERE!  Ashley just had a baby girl, so Sarah Halstead of The Naptime Momtog is hosting for now.  You have till Tuesday, July 10 at midnight EST to join in.


PS:  I've discovered there are various blogs hosting linky parties for fireworks--or patriotic themes, or summer fun.  Here are the ones I've linked with: 

Chickens on the Moon  (link up all your photos from your celebrations and such from all around the world!  Fireworks, Family, Barbecues, and whatever!)

Paper Heart Camera:  Show and Tell: Patriotic

 
 

photos by me © 2012    all rights reserved

glorious blooms and bee guides

Many species of  flowers display patterns or "guides" on their petals to direct pollinators to the nectar or pollen they possess.  Sometimes these patterns are visible to humans, sometimes not.  In some flowers, these patterns are visible to humans only under ultraviolet light.  This is the case of many of the "sunflower" type flowers.

(Note that "bee guides" have also been called "pollen guides" or "honey guides.")

Besides the guide lines on flower petals, pollinators are also attracted by flower shape, size, scent, and color.

Next time you're looking at flowers, think of the patterns as landing strips!

LINKS:

Plant Pollination Strategies US Forest Service (an interesting site to peruse--lots of facts on "Celebrating Wildflowers.")

Flower Adaptations for Pollination, a teacher resource guide by Diane Wang

I'm linking up with my favorite teacher, Ms Jenny Matlock, as we work our way through the alphabet.  Please do go visit the other students, for you never know what gems you may find--humor, poignancy, information, visions of far away places, stuff you've never even dreamed of!  Check it out HERE.  You may even wish to join in yourself!  This week our letter is "G."

photos by me © 2009 and 2010