Sunday Outing

Today was a perfect day to take the "kids" outside! Normally the trio enjoys watching the world from behind a screened window. Molly was the bravest and ventured out on the deck first. She inspected all of the fairy gardens:Not to be out done, Merlin joined in the fun:
There was much sniffing and sun bathing!
Until..... what has caught Merlin's attention?
After much consideration, Maya cautiously made her way around the perimeter. She is usually the most curious but not today!
Soon is was time to find a shady spot for a quick cat nap. Merlin decided to snooze under the vinca:

The girls found spots underneath the chairs:

What a perfect Sunday afternoon!

Early Girls!

Can you see the little fruit among the leaves?

Surely these will be the first of the homegrown tomatoes to go in my salad.

There are even new buds on the second plant!

Project: Fairy Houses

Welcome home little fairies! With clay and wire and moss I fashioned some very stylish round houses for the wee guests.

This one has a clay saucer for a roof:

We'll see how the moss weathers out in the soft rains that are coming this afternoon.

Looks like I got my photo shoot completed in the nick of time!

My Ugly Duckling in the Garden

What a tangle of the nicest smelling leaves and buds! But what an ugly duckling compared to its regal cousin:Check out all of those buds! I am very excited to harvest my lavender this year after waiting out their first year.

I am snipping my "ugly duckling" buds as they flower and drying them next to my bed.

Sweet dreams!

Itty Bitty Accessories

It has been terribly addicting to research the world of miniatures... so many ideas!

I found the wooden chairs at the craft store (Pat Catans) and made a matching table from a spool and scrap balsa. I painted them with wood stain and accessorized with a tiny coffee pot, etc.

The mini park bench from the previous post all painted:
The beginning of a tiny bathroom sink (where did I put my mini mirror?). It's hard to see but those are all seashells.
Polymer clay pots... one regular, one fairy ring. I think some plants might do alright inside of them.
Although technically a birdhouse I think this little hut has fairy potential! It is sitting atop some pieces of bark and slate. That's a troll bridge in the foreground (made from clay, wire, and wood sticks).

I experimented with this cookie mold:

and got this:
Eventually these fairy doors will get a patina-ed copper finish like this:

I only wish I could get outside to paint some more containers... unfortunately the midge bugs are staked out and waiting to swarm on me!

Project: Fairy Gardens

One of my first attempts at a (simple) Fairy garden! I'm thinking that the bench will need to be painted a dark color for contrast against the light stones. Really liking the fence around the roses though!

This one is very Asian inspired with a pagoda and a tiny statue of Quan Yin. That's Chinese sedum in the little pot but it also could have been bamboo. Over all it reminds me of a mini zen garden.

The begining of the next garden with both creeping thyme and irish moss. The moss has the cutest white flowers that bloom mid-day. Both plants are perenial so I can move this indoors over the winter. Thoughts about what to add? Picket fence? Wire arbor? Teeny table and chairs?


Next up:

Ideas: Necklace display

When the necklaces started piling up on the design table I decided they needed a proper home. You know... somewhere that keeps them organized (i.e. not tangled in one big mess!) This is just one idea that I'll have to modify. But it works for now! This is simply a piece of decorative molding from the craft store and penny nails. It's hung with a piece of cording, however I'll need to find a better way to attach it. The molding tends to twist forward when I add or remove a necklace. So I'm thinking of either cutting the molding in half or attaching eye screws through the top (then attaching the cording).

Now where did I put my tool box?