The Garden

I love gardening.  Unfortunately the last couple of years have been so busy my garden was sadly neglected. (wish I had thought to take some before pictures lol).  So this year, while its still busy at my house, I decided that I was going to clean up the garden and whip the back yard back into shape.  I roto tilled a nice little spot for a vegetable and herb garden, fenced it off and weeded and planted all the beds along the fence and the garage. And then it hit the upper 90's with a bit of 100 degree weather thrown in for the fun of it.  My garden is struggling, despite the fact that my water bill has gone way up trying to keep everything alive!  There are some bright spots in the garden, this corner is doing very well.  And the weather is supposed to drop out of the 90's to a more reasonable mid 80's today and for the next couple of weeks.  I might actually get the rest of the garden up to par!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Well my garden is finally growing lol. Bit of a late start here this year, lots of rain, kind of cool. I finally got my topsy turvy tomato going (I have been dying to try this since its something my dogs can't trample lol). I also put the seeds in the seedling flats, the wildflowers are coming up already, the veggies, not yet. My daughter and son bought me roses for Mothers Day this year and I got those planted. Here are some pictures of the the roses and also of my irises which are doing very well this year. I am really hoping that the peppers, green beans and watermelon do well. I planted basil also and would like to add a couple more herbs to the collection. I would have liked to put in some cat nip for my cats but unfortunately there are a LOT of cats in our neighborhood and I have no desire to entice them all into my front yard lol.

Orange and Yellow Summer Flower Handmade Lampwork Bead

I have been working on my floral and encasing skills. I am quite happy with some of my most recent results. The florals can be quite challenging as they are a multi layer bead. The first layer is the base color or the background if you will. Then comes the vine or stem layer, usually a twisty of whatever combination you think will compliment the flowers. This is encased in a layer of clear. On top of that layer of clear go the flowers. Most flowers are also multi layer for depth. You base petal color, then usually a transparent on top of that for depth. This is melted in and then the centers are plunged, (many times with a contrasting color for the center of the flower). A dot of clear over the center if you want a bubble. Then of course you have another layer of clear to finish it off. This is the simple version, I have seen floral beads that have four to six layers of clear and are complete works of art! I am happy with my progress so far lol!

Another Peek At Our Zoo Trip

Moving along from the Australian Exhibit we have some pictures of beautiful foliage. Not what you were expecting is it lol! Actually on of my favorite things at the zoo is all of the different, exotic plants that seem to thrive in spite of being out of their natural habitat. (good job grounds keepers lol). Of course in my back yard the only thing left standing is the occasional blade of grass due to the three large dogs that think they own my yard lol. (apparently they do since I can't grow a darn thing back there!) Any way we move on from the pretty greenery to the giraffes. I am betting this guy is happy it not winter, I don't know how they would unstick his tongue from the pole! Onward to the butterfly house! (Right next to the giraffes) I know, I know, silly thing to get excited about lol! But they are so cool! This first butterfly doesn't look like much color wise but it is bigger than both of my hands together with all five fingers spread out. Now that's butterfly lol! And last but not least for this segment of our zoo trip are these bright colorful birds. I know what they are called, but the name escapes me, mostly because I need to remember it Right Now lol! Any way they are beautiful and you can buy cups of nectar to feed them. They will hop right down and try and take the whole cup from you. They also tend to squabble amongst themselves when presented with only one cup. I hope that you enjoyed this part of our zoo trip. Check back again and I will have another post up. The next one should include the polar bear who was actually up and moving, not curled up in a corner sleeping.

Free 8x10 Print Give Away from Infinite Vision!

Well this seems to by my month for give aways lol! The last one went really well and I hope that some of you found some hand made soap to try.

This week we are giving away an 8x10 print from Infinite Vision. You pick any print in his shop that you like, even the larger prints and if you are chosen you will receive that print as an 8x10. He has some beautiful work and this is a chance to get your hand on a piece of it lol! He also has very diverse subject matter and this would be a good chance to pick up something for the men in your life. Some of these prints would be excellent as a gift for husbands, boyfriends, dads, brothers or even your boss. I know I have the hardest time finding something unique and different for the men in my life. This would be a great option! Of course there is plenty to choose from for the women in your life also.

Pick which print you like the best and post it in the comments sections. Please leave a way for me to contact you at the end of the give away. Contest ends Sunday February 1st.

Edition Three of My Favorite Etsy Artists

Well it's time to check out some more great Etsy artists. The more time I spend in the forums and browsing the treasury, showcase and time machine, the more wonderful work I see. I have a feeling that there are going to many more editions featuring Etsy artists. Here is this weeks list.

FujiiroFae
Cassandra makes the most beautiful hair ornaments using a Japanese technique called TSUMAMI KANZASHI. Tsumami is the technique of using squares of silk to make flowers, birds or butterflies and is apparently a very old technique. I think the bright colors of the silk and the delicate petals are very unique and charming. These would make a wonderful gift for the holidays so go check her out.

JaredArt

Jared In Kansas

Jared is a multi-talented guy. Not only does he do original drawings and paintings he also takes beautiful photos. (more on those in a minute). I am totally drawn to the simplicity <---and passion and the use of color in these pieces of art. Then there is the photo side of the equation ha ha(read his profile you'll get it) which also rocks. Two sides of the same coin equal some really great talent in both the paint and pencil arena and the photography arena. Definitely worth the look.

Those are my two artists for this week. You can check out there shops by following the links on the right side of my blog. I think I will keep this to two or three artists a week instead of aiming for four or five due to the holidays rapidly approaching. I will have an update on the puppies in the next couple of days.