Work in Progress~

Our new garden was inspired by a recent visit to a place called Cape Cod Lavender Farm http://www.capecodlavenderfarm.com/ on Cape Cod. It is just a heavenly place!... It was just us girls, ( My mom, daughter and a very dear aunt who was visiting from Reno). We soaked up the the scent, scenery and tranquility~ At first I thought I would plant the entire garden in JUST lavender, but I couldn't limit myself to just one flower no matter how intoxicated I was by it! I settled for a bottle of Lavender Body wash and decided to plant a wider variety of flowers. Once I got my head out of the clouds about an entire lavender field in my back yard a garden plan began to evolve! Because it is in the sunniest part of our back yard, I decided to create a bird and butterfly garden with many host plants for each. For starters I planted a Butterfly Bush, Bee Balm ( tall red flowers), Moonbeam Yarrow, Strawberry Yarrow, Orange Meadow Coneflower, lots of Black Eyed Susans (for the birds in fall) several Ornamental Grasses for texture and winter interest, and last but not least, seven Lavender plants. The vintage sink was hanging around in our shed for the longest time until I saw a photo of one placed in the middle of a garden! So there you have it! The sink ( now bird bath) is not my original idea but a darned good one for our new garden and the birds love it! Thanks to my hubby's safe installation it won't tip over due to a metal pole that the sink sits a top! This garden is most certainly a " work in progress" . There is still plenty of bare ground to fill, more" space" to think about. Ah.... my favorite part!

What's happening in your garden?

Creative Corner

This cabinet was a great  yard sale find! I chose to do an aged finish with a combed design on the front of the doors. It is an art cabinet after all, so I painted some fun designs on the inside as an added decorative
surprise!

Recipe: This cabinet was previously painted so I sanded off any loose paint and went right over it with a fresh base coat. I chose a deep plum shade with a satin sheen for my base coat. Once that dried, I mixed some glaze and black paint together in a small container. 1/2 paint to 1/2 glaze and applied it with a foam brush. Useing my rubber decorative paint comb I created a long curved design on the door fronts. Using a glaze/ paint mixture allows a longer drying time for the paint as well as " playing" time for experimenting with different designs.

If you are starting on bare wood, sand it slightly, use a clear sealer, prime, then apply your base coat.

Most artists ( myself included ) dream of a studio OR BARN of their own, tucked away in the woods, the country, by the sea side, over the garage, or in the basement. Many of us get by outfitting a little corner of a room for making art when creativity strikes.

Since the kids were little we have had this cabinet in our dining room at the ready stocked with tape, glue, paper, buttons, beads, paint, stamps, string, glitter, ( yes, I allow glitter in my dining room) ribbon, fabric, stapler, glue gun etc. Because it has been in our dining room, we have had the pleasure of watching all those fun ideas come to fruition allowing us all to share in the joy of making things together.

Don't let the lack of a proper " studio space" stop you from doing your thing! Just carve out a creative corner and get to it~

You'll just feel better! I promise!
Deborah Jean

Inspiration~

Get your creative juices going! Take yourself on an artist outing!
Some of my favorite places for inspiration are, fabric stores, craft stores, art galleries, antique stores, thrift and consignment stores, flea markets, historic houses, architectural salvage yards, farms and gardens, landscape nurseries, art studio’s, art shows, book stores the library ( free source for all things, home, garden, art and architecture) and more! Just wondering quietly through a special garden, an antique store or a gallery can get me inspired to get going on projects that have been waiting... Creating is like that…A new inspiration is like a breath of fresh air and it tickles your tummy too!
Setting up a craft day in your home (or studio if you are fortunate to have one) for friends is another great way to get going on some of those dormant projects or start a fresh one!…You will find that when you set aside time for working on your art new ideas seem to come to you more often while creating.

If you have creative kids or teenagers at home, host a " Young Artists Gathering" or organize a "Neighborhood Craft Club" to show your support of your childs " inner artist" . We keep a small cupboard in a corner of our dining room stocked with various art supplies and at the ready the minute an inspiration hits!

Daydreaming  is an essential part of the creative process… Our minds need stretching just like our bodies do, so pour yourself a cup of tea and let your imagination go… Don’t forget to write down all those great ideas in your Daydreams journal.