Embracing creativity
Lovely Quilt Cube Side Table:
Basic box store foam cube up-scaled into this lovely, rolling, quilt-cube side table.
Another empty-nest leftover transformed from this-
to this-
Scraps of vintage textiles camouflage tears and blemishes in the cutter quilt slip-cover
while pieces of salvaged wooden planks with lovely distressed paint make the base.
Simple wheels finished the project.
for more inspiration visit…
Glamping – it’s a girl thing and it is coming to the ridge! I’m hosting a clamping weekend this fall for my sisters and the planning is already underway. There will be activities like bread baking, hiking, crafting, outdoor chick-flicks (Mama Mia, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, How to Make an American Quilt- suggestions welcomed) a vineyard picnic, or maybe a trip to the orchard, campfires and of course glamping up our tents. This weekend sister Edna (my sister not a” Sister sister”) came by to help me on a trial tent glamp-up.
While it’s a must that our glamping accommodations be fabulous, here on the ridge we glamp on the cheap. To that end, our yard sale treasures this spring have been heavy on the glamping theme with lovely textiles, accessories and furnishings suitable for making our tents, which will be pop-ups and picnic tents, fabulously glamorous. With sister Enda’s pop-up tent and the yard sale’n inventory of lovely stuff, we put together a space that is the essence of glamor + camping.
Sis arrived with her pop-up tent and a vision of a filmy, white, shabby chic space; which I love, however I was feeling a bit more color. As it turned out, her tent was blue and we had only enough white sheers for three walls, so entered my colorful tablecloths and a touch of bohemian; the marriage of our visions resulted in a glorious space with a wonderful vibe.
The day was windy and we often found ourselves engulfed in a flowy mass of white, billowing in the breeze; so we anchored the bottom of the fabric by threading a string through the hems and securing the string under the stakes at each tent pole.
Then we invited the rest of the sisters out for a preview…
and a few treats.
I’m LOVE’N it!
Ever since my daughter chose to use succulents in her wedding, I have been in love with these beautiful, durable plants.
From bouquets, to planters, to the garden, even to the garden wall, their versatility makes them perfect for so many applications.
To add a splash of eclectic fun to my window, I recently used a colorful olive oil tin and re-purposed it into a sill sized planter. First I used a belt sander to grind off the top of the tin. Then using hot soapy water I cleaned the empty tin. Next, I punched a few holes into the bottom and filled it half way to the top with pea gravel, before filling it the rest of the way with a cactus potting mixture. Finally I added the succulents and finished by covering the soil with pea gravel.
Spread the love – plant some succulents!
for more inspiration check out the party…
http://www.commonground-do.com/
I am finally recovering from a very nasty sore throat that, along with an early tropical storm, made for a less than an enjoyable Memorial Day. However, our brave serves members past and present were, as they always are, in my thoughts, my heart and my prayers. So even though the sentiment is late it’s still timely: Thank you and God bless to all who serve or have served our nation – without you we could not be.
I’m on another painting retreat by the ocean; after all, I had a wonderfully creative and productive experience during my earlier retreat. This time however, has been a bit more frustrating. For my first painting I chose to attempt something a little different, but after a few days of struggling to get it right, I decided to set it aside – let it percolate in my mind for a while.
grabbing a fresh canvas I stared a new painting.
But once again I find myself struggling with the same ole’ frustrations; scale, perspective, color and composition. I guess that’s just the way some days go, so with a beach towel tucked under my arm and a glass of wine in my hand, I’m off to clear my head and refresh my creativity; an easy task with the ocean just fifty-two steps from the door.
I’ll keep you posted.
Hubby and I spent one day this past weekend aboard our flats boat exploring the local waterways. Most of the area is a minimum wake zone, so we slowly motored through channels and among the mangroves, taking pictures and watching for manatee and dolphins.
The day was beautiful, the sky wide and blue and the water calm. I snapped pictures of the scenery, wildlife and boaters until my memory card was full; they will be great inspiration for future paintings.
At lunch we moored up at a colorful fish camp, turned restaurant, for fish tacos and a margarita.
By mid-day the sandbar near the inlet, known locally as disappearing island because it is exposed only at low tide, was circled by boats nosed up to the sand so picnickers, volleyball players and Frisbee throwers, along with their dogs, could enjoy the temporary island.
It was such a wonderful day full of inspiration I wanted to share it with you – I hope you enjoyed the boat ride.
Living succulent wreath:
While my daughter Kate, of Twice Treasured, was visiting for Mother’s Day, she mentioned a beautiful living succulent wreath project she had recently pinned on Pinterest. She commented that sometimes she, like a lot of us, was guilty of pinning projects with the intention of doing them but then not following through. This project, however, was so perfect for us that we decided to make time and actually create this beautiful succulent wreath.
Supplies:
Two wire wreath forms
Medium gauge wire and wire cutters
Mat floral moss
Succulent soil
Succulents
Line one of the wire wreath forms with the mat moss
Pack with soil (the moss should keep the soil from passing through the back of the wire
Gently work the roots of the succulents through the wire of the other wire form so that the plants are on the outside and the roots are on the inside
Place the planted form on top of the soil form and wire them together working the roots into the soil
Using your fingers, gently work more moss into the wire around the plants
Cut four-inch pieces of wire and bend them into hairpin shapes. Press the hairpins into the wreath among the plants and moss to secure
Water thoroughly and keep the wreath flat for a couple of weeks or until the plants have rooted then it can be hung vertically.
check out inspiring links over at Yesterday on Tuesday
http://yesterdayontuesday.com/2013/06/project-inspired-19/
I have been so blessed throughout my life to be surrounded by amazing women;mothers, grandmothers, surrogate mothers and yet to be mothers. As a girl, my image of what it meant to be a woman was formed by wise, kind, strong woman. The mothers all around our small rural community were mothers to all the neighborhood kids. Grandmothers and aunts barely distinguished between their own and the extra kids that were always around and under-foot.
I count my mom and sisters among my greatest blessings…
and my daughters, along with my sweet son, are God’s greatest gifts to me.
Girlfriends are priceless; and mine, like my sisters, are wonderfully CRAZY!
So to women everywhere, past, present and yet to be – Happy Mother’s Day and God bless.
Recently, hubby and I decided to take a, spur-of-the-moment, drive down to the Florida Keys. It was a couple of days of tropical drinks, relaxation and inspiration. The unique and beautiful relationship between land, light and water in the keys is truly inspiring.
Here is my first attempt to capture the inspiring beauty of the Florida Keys on canvas
Using reclaimed pecky cypress, hubby constructed this beautiful frame for my painting of the fishing pier.
