Flower Lamp

Garden art?

My friend, Judy, is downsizing her house.  She asked me if I would like this lamp.  I told her I would love to have it, if she didn’t care what I did with it.

I told her it would make good garden art.  She just laughed and said go for it.

I spray painted the base a fun garden green.

Then I turned the lamp shade the opposite way. I tried to plant a cute ivy geranium in it, but it was just too top heavy.  It kept tipping over.

I call it garden art.  It makes me smile.

I am joining What Ever Goes Wednesday at Someday Crafts for the first time.  Please check it out here.

Painting the potting shed

I had this potting shed for about 11 years and I have never painted it.  I just didn't know what color or how I wanted to paint it.

I picked out the orange color "New Penny" for the main color.  (Because orange is my favorite color.) I tried a jade and yellow as the accents.  I just did not like that color combination. So I went back to pick out different trim colors.  When I found the green color sample chart, the first color on the chart was called "Garden Spot". I just knew it was going to work.  The next two colors were "Geranium Leaf and Happy Camper".  Yep, those were the colors I bought.  I just love them.

I used gray primer and spray painted the front porch floor.  Then I used 2 different sizes of sponges to make the bricks.  I used a little of the jade and yellow samples that I bought but didn’t like for the trim to add some extra dimension in the brick red.

These rod iron chairs used to belong to my grandparents and they always had them on the front porch of their house.  I remember sitting in these chair when I was a small child.  I few years ago my aunt and uncle had an auction, and these chairs were on the auction.  I just had to have them.  I bought them and had them in my garden.  They got a little rusty from the water and old age, so I spray painted them white.  They look like new again.

It was fun to put them on the new "brick" porch.

The sun was starting to set last night, and I was not done painting.  I quick took this photo.

I was pretty dark when I took this last shot, but I got the second side painted.  I still have 2 sides to go.  I went through a whole gallon on the orange paint, "New Penny."  The wood was pretty dry.

My husband's name is Peter.  I kept saying this rhyme.  The true meaning of this rhyme is not so nice, but the rhyme is cute. He knows how much I love it outside and my pumpkin shell is one of my favorite places!

Peter, Peter pumpkin eater,

Had a wife but couldn't keep her;

He put her in a pumpkin shell

And there he kept her very well.

Making Dragonflies

My friend, Kathy, at http://glacialridgeknits.blogspot.com/ taught me how to make these cute dragonflies.

 Some of my friends and I got together to make some more.  They are so much fun to make. 

Cement Garden Mushroom

These Cement Garden Mushroom are so much fun to make!  You can find the the directions on how to make them at Dustbathladies.blogspot.com. Click here to see the directions.

We made them one evening and painted them another. 

My girlfriends husband made us this stand to put the bottles in so they were easy to paint.  We are going on a camping vacation in a week and are planning on making more.  They add so much to the garden!

Today is Mosaic Monday. Please check out the others here. Thanks to Mary at LittleRedHouse!

I am joining Handmade Monday, Please check out the others here.  This is a new thanks to Olga's Home and Garden.

New bed

We are doing major remolding this year including; new kitchen, new flooring in most of the house, new lighting in most of the house, new ceiling, new front steps, new driveway and new garage floor. That was what was planned. But the new garage floor led to painting the garage walls. Then led to a new door in the garage to the house. Pretty much the whole house is torn apart and I am now living out of boxes.

After the new driveway was done there was a mess in the front yard. At first I was very disappointed. Then I thought maybe I could make a new bed.

This is the shrub I posted yesterday.

I am moving plants from my other beds to fill this bed. It is just the start.

This is the view coming out of the garage.

Hosta's of the Year

I have two new things to share with you. First thing: no more dial up internet. We finally got rid of our dial up internet and moved into the 21 century.

Second thing: this new bed. This bed used to be my native Minnesota bed. I really love the native plants of Minnesota. I just don’t like them all in the same bed. This new bed is the start of the” Hosta’s of the Year”. Last night I planted the 2008 Hosta “Blue Mouse Ears”, 2004 Hosta “Sum and Substance”, 1999 Hosta “Pauls Glory”, 1998 Hosta “Fragrant Bouquet”, and the 1996 Hosta “So Sweet”. I will add the other "Hosta’s of the Year" when I find them.

The bird house stand was made by my dad 4 years ago. It was a Christmas present. That year our family had to give recycled gifts. The license plate is was found in a shed at my grandparents farm before they sold it. The date on the plate is the year I was born. My uncle, Dave, gave it to me, and my dad added it into the design.

This bed is a work in progress. I will be adding stepping stones and will build it out when I get more hosta’s. It is the start to a project I had wanted to do for a long time. I am excited to start collecting these hosta’s.

Off to the Rodeo

I read an article a few years back that stated you should make your gardens reflect some of your favorite memories. This year I decided to do this with my flower beds.

Today we are leaving for the Crystal Springs Ranch Rodeo in Clear Lake South Dakota. This tradition started in my family when my dad was young his parents brought him to the rodeo. I remember, when I was very young, looking out the window and seeing a ranch with a pond and a little boy figuring fishing off a dock. Some years there was water in that pond, and some years it was dry. I hope to take a photo of that pond when we go by there today.

This flower bed brings me right to that place, and the excitement I felt knowing we were close to the Rodeo. I love going to the rodeo and it brings that same joy when I look at this bed. After I made this bed this spring, I asked my husband and my dad what it reminded them of. The both had the same answer, the ranch before you get to the rodeo.

Parsonage

Our church has called a new pastor that will be moving into the parsonage the first week in July.

They love roses, so Louise and I planted 3 rose bushes in the front of the parsonage.

We added MN mums, dianthus, snapdragons, and geraniums. This flower bed should fill in nice before they arrive.