April Showers...and May Showers...

RAIN is the word of the day around here lately.  Last summer it was a drought, this spring we're swimming in the puddles of our backyards.  But how can I complain when we get results like these? 

These beautiful photos were taken at the Missouri Botanical Gardens last week.  I like to think of it as my home away from home.  I'm a member of the gardens now, so of course I feel like I'm part owner.  Which, I'm sure, makes me partly responsible for these lovely grounds.  Right?  (Don't you love how my logic works?) 

I still have these little rain boots my son wore years ago. I just can't get rid of them!  I'll do something crafty with them and show you when I'm finished.

If you can see the people sitting behind the tulips they are all artists.  That was so nice they came to visit my gardens on the same day I was there. 

 

Here's a closer look, they don't mind. 

 Back at home, I've been so excited to see my Amsterdam tulips blooming!  I brought these back last summer and planted them on Thanksgiving Day.  And 'poof!', like magic they explode into these beautiful bursts of color. 

 

 I brought a few in and they bloomed until the petals folded backwards!  They're finished blooming now, but only for awhile, they'll be back again next year.  And I'll be waiting.

I should add that I'll be on vacation soon.  I'll be back in business and ready to go (painting, of course!) on May27th.  For those that don't know, I have a 2nd Etsy shop...PremierPendants.etsy.com.  I create lovely pendants from images.  A few are my own design, such as this one...  

Perfect for the beginning of summer, wouldn't you say?  The hummingbird flying dreamingly (think 'summer afternoons') in the background is from one of my original paintings.  Each of these pendants are $14, but unfortunately while I'm on "vacation mode" on Etsy you won't be able to see them.  Be sure to come back on the 27th and until then, have a dreamy, summer-afternoon kind of May!

Signs of Spring

My little hand painted Easter Bunny pendant.  He's so sweet and leads us right into spring with his smile.  He knows warmer weather is coming, I can tell.

 

 

We did have snow the other day.  A LOT of snow, by our standards.  Ten to twelve inches.  I love the way it melted through the holes of our patio furniture.

We started feeding the birds on our patio this winter.  I have to admit, it was just as much for Lucy as it was for the birds.  She's an inside cat but the closer I throw the seed to the house, the happier she is.

 

My second sure sign of spring. These are the tulips I brought back from our trip last summer to Amsterdam. If I could only bring one thing home from Holland it would be a tulip bulb.  But luckily for me, I was able to bring back four bags :). I shared one bag but kept the rest for myself! I couldn't resist, I'm weak. Their colors remain a mystery. These should be either white or pink.  But as long as they bloom I'll be oh so happy.
 
Ducks!  These were our visitors today.  Or I should say, only two of many that roamed around our yard and neighborhood.  There's a pond down the street so spring usually brings the excitement of ducks into the yard.  I wonder if any will have a nest by our house?  I'll have to take photos of the turtles this year. They come every spring and I'm sure they'll be coming around again next month.  Last year we had four turtles lay eggs in our yard.  We still can't figure out why they like it here so much.  Did you notice our snow is pretty much gone?  Twelve inches on Sunday and by Friday it disappears!  Just in time for Easter and Easter egg hunting.  Happy Spring! 

St. Nicholas Day

 

Happy St. Nicholas Day to all!  This is a special request pendant I painted to celebrate this special day. 

It's been getting all Christmasy around here lately.We've been putting the fall decorations safely back in their boxes until next year, and slowly, one by one we bring out our Christmas items.  Happily remembering past years and looking forward to this year as our house transforms into a holiday home.



Enjoy your holiday baking, Christmas shopping and decorating as you prepare your homes for this beautiful season!

Beautiful Autumn Gardens

The St. Louis Botanical Gardens is the perfect place for a Fall day (or any day, as far as that goes!).  I didn't expect to see many flowers in bloom, but thankfully I was wrong.  It's amazing to me how they can get these mums to hang over that stone wall. 

 

The Japanese garden area is gorgeous in every season.

My daughter can never seem to keep her fingers (hands, arms) out of the water, no matter what the temperature is.

One lonely, happy iris still in bloom. 

I don't know what it is about this photo (my husband took this one!) but I love it.  Maybe it's the colors, or that it looks like it's both spinning and sitting still at the same time.  It just looks so peaceful.

And, on this beautiful Autumn day, I want to wish everyone a yummy, friend and family-filled

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yummy (and easy!) Pumpkin Muffins

These muffins are so yummy and so easy! I believe this is a Weight Watchers recipe, but it was passed on to me by a friend. I just had to share...

1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin

1 box spice cake mix

1/8 cup water

**option... 2/3 bag of mini chocolate chips for the chocolate lovers! Yum!

Mix together with mixer and fill muffin cups half full, or bake in muffin tins sprayed with cooking spray. Bake approx. 12 minutes or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Bake at temperature according to directions on the box.

The Butterfly House

 IT WAS A nice first trip to the Butterfly House with my daughter.  They were so delicate...so beautiful...and there were oh so many!  I loved the butterfly on this leaf, I just had to paint him.

   

These are just a few of the many (many!) chrysalises hanging around.  We waited for butterflies to emerge.  

 

I'm not sure what he's eating, but it must be yummy.  He stayed there for quite some time.  None of the butterflies landed on us that day, but I was hoping!

 

What a nice (and huge!) statue outside the Butterfly House.  The gardens were just as beautiful and inspiring outside as they were inside.

 

 

I love how the "eyes"on this butterfly scare away those pesky predators.

 

It was such a fun day, I wasn't quite ready to leave.  But that's okay, because now I have my photos, and my pendant, and my great memories.  And we'll be back.  Maybe this winter, when it's so cold out that I just can't stand it any longer.  We can go inside, find the butterflies and feel like we're back in summer once again. 



Make Your Own Chalkboard

I loved making this chalkboard and it was oh so easy, too!  (This article was also featured in the Spring and Summer 2011 issue of the Shabby Lane Shops magazine.)

I found this cabinet door at a yard sale and noticed right away it was the perfect size for a chalkboard.  The surface was great too...nice and smooth for writing lists, menus, doodling.  Whatever makes you happy!  The edges also had the look of a built-in frame which I really liked.  I was able to finish off the sides with a different color to give it the look of a frame without having to actually frame it.

These are the supplies I used...

-          Cabinet door (or you could use another smooth, flat surface)
-          Chalkboard paint
-          Acrylic paint color(s) of your choice
-          Paint brushes
-          Primer
-          Varnish

Since I worked with a wooden surface, I lightly sanded the work area so the paint would adhere easily.  After wiping it clean I primed the entire surface.  Now on to the blackboard paint, applying a few coats and allowing each coat to dry in between.

 I trimmed the edges of my cabinet door with a red and brown acrylic paint mix.  When dry, I used a dry brush and lightly painted red to add highlights.

I thought it would be a little more fun to add some wording at the top.  "Menu" fit the kitchen theme I was going for.  (I found a font on WORD I liked.)  Other wording examples could be “To Do”, “Notes”, "Dream" or you can even personalize with children’s names. 

When all paints were completely dry I applied a couple of coats of varnish to the edges where I added the acrylic paint.

 

You can ever create chalkboards on tiny surfaces, like this chalkboard tag I made from wooden circles I found at Michael's craft store.  So easy!  Then I added an extra touch by painting tiny roses.

But I made the mistake of hanging it by Lucy.  Our fierce kitty doesn't let anything get by her!

 

Yep, she loves it!