Mess, Muddle and Fun

I've never been a photographer.  I take the requisite photos of family and photos of places when we go on trips.  So the challenge from Carolyn Phillips over at Mess, Muddle and Fun got me thinking of photography in a whole different light.  So with that in mind I took a few photos at the weekend cottage this weekend trying to "see" though the camera lense some of the fantastic things that were literally laying there at my feet.

This is part of a log that is laying beside the fire pit.  I found the texture of the moss on the bark very interesting.

In the neighbor's yard I found this scene of a rock on top of a stump with some purple flowers.  Just thought it was very pretty.

Hope you enjoyed my photo.

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Weekend in Kentucky

This weekend was full of creativity.

First we finished planting the flower bed we started a few weekends ago.

I took a bagful of art supplies not knowing what if anything I wanted to work on.  I ended up making a cute little tag 

I stamped the fairy on white card stock and colored her with Inktense pencils then went over the color

 with a water brush.  Next I cut her out along with a little butterfly.  I inked the edges of the tag and covered the tag with this pretty paper and stuck the fairy and butterfly on.  I just love the quote.   I think she turned out pretty nice.  I am entering this tag in  Simon Says Stamp and Show and Crafts 4 Eternity.

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Mini Album

Over the last few days I completed a mini photo album.  I am in love with making these little paper covered jewels.  I'm not sure why because I am not much of a picture person but these little albums may just change my mind.  Maybe a new camera for my birthday?

The album was made using Steff Miller's tutorial that I found on Ustream here:
http://m.ustream.tv/recorded/30556715?rmalang=en_US

This is a matchbook style album using two small paper bags.  It such fun to make and fairly easy.  I believe I'll make a few more for gifts.

12 Months in View - Gardening With The Seasons

One of the things we are doing in 12 Months in View is taking a photo of one area whether it be in our own yard or a special place each month preferably at the same time of day and on the same day of the month.  Well, of course this month I'm a little late.   Here are the two photo's so far.  You can see what a difference a month (and a half almost) makes.

March 2013 Front Yard (taken 3/6/2013 at approximately 7:30 am)

April 2013 Front Yard (taken 4/18/2013 at approximately 7:30 am)

The grass has really greened up and the butterfly bush is starting to leaf.  The daffodils are gone but my tulips have bloomed.  And I really need to do some serious weeding. 

Don't you just love the big garden accent (i.e. dish) that my husband decided needed to be placed just there instead of somewhere OUTSIDE the flower bed?  Of course when it was put in I wasn't home so didn't get to weigh in on that particular decision and he just didn't understand why it made me so upset.  We have great TV with over 500 channels don't we?  (I don't watch the television very much)  I will say that we pruned the butterfly bush quite agressively last fall and before that it was quite large and spread out so that it kind of covered up the dish and made it not quite so "out there".  Hopefully the bush will take off and grow more by next month and start to take away that eye sore in my front yard.......LOL.

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Anything But a Card April Challange

The April Challange at Anything But A Card is to make a something with a water theme.  I choose to make a tag using this cute little girl with her umbrella.

I started by using a stamp, clear embossing ink and added clear embossing powder to the  tag.  Then after heat setting I added Distress Inks in squeezed lemonade, shaded lilac, salty ocean, and peacock feather.  I attached my little girl with umbrella image and added the quote I had printed out.  I used some Inktense pencils to color the little girl and add the illusion of water puddles and some white streaks to signify rain falling using a white colored pencil.  I inked the edges of the tag with walnut stain distress ink.   I added some ribbon and voila....my tag is complete.

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Butterfly Crafting

For some reason, a lot of my projects have included butterflies.  I thought it might be nice to post them together in one place.  So without further ado here are my butterfly projects.

Tags



I entered this tag in Country View Challange "Butterfly".





Art Canvas



Journal Page for Swap

Altered CD Art

I entered the Altered CD fridge magnet into the Country View Challange "Butterfly"

I believe there are a few more that I just haven't photographed yet.  But I will be sure to find them and add them to this post.

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Weekend Project

Our mission was to turn a piece of ground at the weekend cottage into a flower bed.  We have owned this cottage for almost 8 years and haven't put one flower in.  I keep wanting to but we just never started the project.

The Target

As you can see this spot in front of the porch is pretty bare.  My idea was to put in a bed that mimicked the curve of the patio.  We also wanted some type of edging.  Also, thought a small bush to anchor the corner of the porch would be just the thing so off to Lowes we went.

Home with our purchases and a digging we went.

There's nothing quite so sexy as a man digging up your new flower bed when he would rather be in watching the Masters.

End of Day one and the bed has been dug out and half of the edging placed and leveled.  We bought a  barberry bush with pretty reddish brown leaves and tiny yellow flowers.  It looks perfect at the corner of the bed.

Day 2 meant going for a few more edging pieces and a bag of mulch for the bush.  We finished the border.  Next weekend we will enrich the soil a little because it is mostly clay and ver compact.  And here is the mission complete......

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