Tuesday Evening...A Few More Pics

Hi, there!

 

A few more photos for you tonight...

 

Hope everyone's having a good evening ~ I know, Tuesday's almost over...

 

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I said I wouldn't post any more tuberose photos...



I fibbed.



(Last one ~ this year ~ I promise!)



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Remember my vintage chair (Great Aunt Anna's)



with the birdcage and ornaments at Christmas?



(Okay, it was after Christmas...)



I couldn't resist putting a big basket of petunias in it ~



These are Wave Petunias, but they look like the old-fashioned kind,



don't you think?



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My supper!



(It was delicious!)



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I will tell you a secret...

 

I can't make myself clean house unless I rearrange something...

 

If I have a new plant or flowers from the garden to add, all the better!

 

We were having company last week and I had to do something...

 

(In the photo above, I've repurposed a little vintage perfume bottle that

 

belonged to Mr. B's mom...)

 

I just don't want to do housework at all anymore.

 

At ALL...

 

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So, I found "inspiration" in blue and white transferware and Zinnias...



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Someone told me they thought Zinnias were such a happy flower,



and they really are!



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I played with putting vases under some of my cloches...



Full disclosure here; if you keep your AC as low (some say cold)




as I do, they WILL fog...I thought when the flowers acclimated to the inside



temperature, it would stop, but no.



I'll bet I wiped them inside a dozen times before our company got here...



even folded little squares of paper towels



 and put under the edges to get some air in there ~



they still fogged.



I always had that trouble with terrariums, too.



They looked good for a few minutes, though, if I do say so myself!



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Isn't this the sweetest little transferware tureen?



It's not a family piece; I got it on eBay quite a few years ago...



Still, I just love it ~



I like to think about the little girl who owned it originally,



maybe serving tea to her dolls...



Can you imagine having the whole set of dishes that went with it?



That would be fabulous..."Awesome Possum" as my girls say...;)



I'm happy with just this little tureen, though.



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And finally, a couple more Fairy Houses...

 

"Toad Hollow" has gone to live with my dear friend Elaine in New York.

 

 That's it for this evening...back to painting!



Love,

 

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"Ladybird" ~ (or Bug!) ~ House Tutorial...

When I was small, I thought it was so confusing to hear Ladybugs

 

 referred to as "Ladybirds"...(that was First Lady Mrs. Johnson, right?)

 

Weren't they bugs?

 

I probably read this somewhere...maybe a book I had called them that.

 

Anyway, Cornell University refers to them as Ladybugs, Ladybirds and Lady Beetles.

 

You can read more about them here...

 

They are so good for the garden!

 

So, even though they are not birds, the Fairies can refer to them as such if they want.

 

And provide little houses for them.

 

;^)

 

♥

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Here's what I used; a marble-sized amount of lavender polymer clay;



a tiny bit of brown clay, an acorn cap, a sort-of straight twig



(I used chopsticks for the first ones, and you can do that...I rubbed a



little brown antiquing gel on them ~ but this looks better, I think);



liquid polymer, and a little Pearl Ex mica powder.



A paintbrush was my only tool.



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Condition the lavender clay well by kneading it until soft;



roll it into a sort of egg-shape; flattening the ends a little.



You want your house's roof to have a little overhang,



so you may have to adjust the amount of clay you use, depending on the size of the cap.



I used a drop of the liquid polymer as "glue", but if you don't have any,



just pretend that you do and put the "roof" on, anyway ~



then you can use regular glue to attach it permanently after it's baked.



The liquid polymer just saves a step.



Set the house aside for now.



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I could have used a toothpick for the perch...



I knew that a twig that small would be too fragile...



But I liked the fact that I could make a tiny snake of clay,



bake it, and then cut it to size with scissors and it would look



more like a miniature "dowel"; the look I was going for.



I rolled it out super-skinny and baked it for 30 minutes.



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While waiting for the perch to bake, I used the end of the brush handle to make a door.



Then I used the handle again to make texture on the surface of the clay.



The house will probably be a little misshapen now, but you can re-shape it



and give it texture at the same time...


 

After it had cooled completely (it will be too soft and flexible to do this

 

with while it's still warm), I pushed the perch into the clay, right under the door.

 

Then I removed it and put a drop of liquid polymer in the hole

 

before replacing the perch. I also trimmed it a little more with scissors at this point.

 
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Use the paintbrush handle (it's much sturdier!) to make a hole in the bottom



of the house for the twig. I used a drop of liquid polymer here, too.



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Lightly brush with a little Pearl Ex powder, and bake for 45 minutes at 275° ~



(Using Premo...refer to specific directions if using another clay.)



 Ta-Da! ~ You have a Ladybird
Ladybug house for your Fae!



I think they would look cute in a potted plant, too.



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Update on the robins...



I read that it takes 12-14 days for the eggs to hatch, and I think this is only day 8...



In the meantime, the parents watch me carefully when I go near



their little willow!




When the babies hatch, I will take pictures every day. :^)



Just to reassure myself, and maybe some of you, I looked this up about baby birds  ~ ♥



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Cyrus has chosen a new napping-spot, I discovered this afternoon ~



(Look at his little tongue...he often leaves it sticking out a little ~ I think it's so cute!



Sometimes it's way out...)



His spot is behind the door, behind the sack of kitty food...



He wants to be sure he's the first to know when I put more in the bowls!



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And finally, Tallulah ~ helping me from her little cushion by the computer...



(If she doesn't have this, she sits on the keyboard...)



Have a Happy Mother's Day, all!



Love,

 

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There Are Fairies at the Bottom of My Garden...

THERE ARE FAIRIES AT THE BOTTOM OF OUR GARDEN

(Rose Fyleman / Bea Lillie - 1934)

 

I first came across this song in some of my aunt's sheet music from the 30s...

I love it!

 

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There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!

It's not so very, very far away;

You pass the gardener's shed
and you just keep straight ahead
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I do so hope they've come to stay.

There's a little wood with moss in it and beetles,

And a little stream that quietly runs through;

You wouldn't think they'd dare

to come merrymaking there ~

Well, they do!

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!

They often have a dance on summer nights;

The butterflies and bees

Make a lovely little breeze,

And the rabbits stand about and hold the lights.

Did you know that they could sit upon the moonbeams

And pick a little star to make a fan?

And dance away up there

In the middle of the air ~

Well, they can!

There are fairies at the bottom of our garden!

You cannot think how beautiful they are;

They all stand up and sing

When the fairy queen and king

Come gently floating down upon their car.

The king is very proud and handsome;

The queen, now can you guess who that would be?

She's a little girl all day

But at night she steals away.

Well, it's me!

♥

Hi, Everyone!

 

I hope Spring has finally "sprung" for most of you!

 

I've been busy making little houses...

 

I was planning on setting up a little village in one of my herb beds in a couple of weeks,

 

kind of like I did last year, "landscaping" using tiny-leaved herbs and those sweet

 

little flowers that look like mini-petunias...



Calibrachoa



(I always have to look up the name!)

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They are so pretty!



(And I am still going to do this ~)

 

However, all of a sudden our yard was covered in drifts of these

 

charming little wildflowers..."Bluettes"...tiny, fairy-sized flowers!

 

They won't last long....

 

So, my picture-taking plans were hurried up a bit...

 

I know there are lots of photos...

 

(Believe me, there are lots more....;^)...)

 

I couldn't stop snapping pictures...the little flowers, the late afternoon sun ~

 

I had such fun...

 

I hope the neighbors weren't watching!

 

(My knees were stiff the next day from crawling around in the grass...

 

I am just an old child...)

 

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Oh, my...after I started snapping pictures,



all these sparkly little orbs appeared!



A flock of house-hunting Fae, maybe? ;^)



Maybe??



♥

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A row of "Painted Ladies"...like in Charleston, South Carolina...kind of?



For Fairy Folk....;^)



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This one was a lot of fun...



it is on its way to a Fairy in Saint Charles, Missouri.



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Mr. B did an excellent job roofing this one!



He said the tall roof was a challenge, but I think it looks extra-whimsical...♥



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Every single one is as unique as the gourds themselves...



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This one started out all blue, then I decided to add some sunny-yellow roses...



it is going to New Mexico...



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Don't you just LOVE the little Bluettes?



I could just squeal!! :^)



I wish they would last all summer, but they are fleeting...



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Thank you for bearing with me, scrolling through the photos



from all different angles...



These little cottages have been such a joy for me; making them..."playing" with them...



We have to make a trip back to Pumpkin Hollow



for more gourds next week...



Dogwood Azalea Festival is coming up this weekend in Charleston, Missouri,



and I will be doing fanciful faces there...



lots of Fairies, I think...



My sister-in-law Marcena is bringing one of her little Grand-Girls



over tomorrow night to be a model for some new designs for me...



Fairies-on-the-Brain, I have ~



My daughter Mandy told me she thought I was a Fairy in a previous incarnation.



;^)



Maybe that explains things....





Oh, I almost forgot!



Leave me a comment and I will send one of you the two little pairs of "rainbow"



Fairy Shoes in the photo above!



Have a wonderful Wednesday!



Love,

 

 

P.S. ~ I think I have managed to label all...or most ~ (I am bad about having a mix

 

of things in a post!) of the posts about the Fairy Houses...just put "Fairy" or "Fairy House"

 

in the "Search This Blog" box in the right side-bar...:)

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Yes, I Believe it Truly is Spring!....:^)

Finally!




I truly believe it is Spring! :^)



65° and sunny, and I am thoroughly enjoying it!



I sat in the grass "playing" with photographing my Fairy Houses ~



In the midst of drifts of little Bluettes...



Love these sweet little baby-blue flowers!



They are so tiny that you would really never



notice them unless you were looking for them...



 I took the photos in the neighboring lot....recently planted with a multitude of trees,



so we probably don't have to worry about any actual



 building going on in the foreseeable future...




Happy that I have never been allergic to anything (except poison ivy)!

 

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Here is the newest, (slightly smaller than the first ones) ~



 Fairy House ~  (shingled by Mr. B.) ~



 I so wish these charming



little Bluettes could last the season long ~ they are fleeting, though



so I'll have to get as many photos as I can, while they last.



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Maybe the Fae will move right in...;^)

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The most distinguished Fae, of course, leave their footwear at the door...;^)



I have to tell you about the first pair of little green Fairy Shoes that I made...



you may notice them on the steps of one of the Fairy House photos...



Well, I just picked up that house (to move it to a better location for the Bluettes)



without a second thought to the shoes...



They probably fell right down to the ground, past the reach



of mowers and such...



I hope they stay there for years and years...to be found some day by



some little folk, sure the Fae had been there!



♥

 

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This is my prototype for the first "Mini" Fairy House...



made on a glass ornament, the details on this one are tiny!



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Awww.....Max....my remaining boy-bunny, in his side of the Bunny-Duplex...



Sadly, his mate, Ruby, passed on to that great Bunny-Hutch in Heaven last summer...



We don't know why; she was spayed



(unspayed female bunnies can have so many health problems),



and was cared for in the best bunny-way possible...



Sweet Max remains, and has since learned how to go down



 to the lower level (where he can pick his own greens, if he likes...



(The bunny duplex has 3 levels; the main one, then an upper level



where it's warmer for winter, and the bottom level that goes down to



the ground where they can eat grass if they want; Max is the only



one that has learned to go down there!) ~ ♥





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A tiny little visitor to the Bunny Hutch...



would have made me squeal and jump away in the past...



now I just try to get a picture...
♥

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Winter Savory!



Last year the savory was this size by the first of March....

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Also, last year our winter was SO mild that the petunias...



and most of the annuals...didn't freeze ~



 It was strange,  just continuing 2011's flowers into Summer 2012!



Although we didn't have a "bad" 2012 winter, considering...



maybe a few nights into the 'teens.



I'm actually glad that we can begin with a clean slate



 this year and start with all new annuals....



with no guilt...:^)



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...Cat Mint...


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Pretty "Henbit"
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Okay, I don't recommend the "draw" feature on  many of



the "photo-shop-type" software things available....they are pretty crude ~



But they can convey the message ~



I will always
think that pretty purple Henbit looks like little Llamas...



♥



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While I was sitting at one of the patio tables photographing the little



Fairy Shoes, I kept hearing cooing and rustling behind me...



on top of the arbor, in the dried Cypress Vines from last year,



Mourning Doves had again made a nest...



(Honestly, I don't see how these little creatures exist,



such shabby nest-makers they are...



The hymn should be
"His Eye is on the Dove" instead of the sparrow!)



They are still hanging in there, despite all the wind we have had today!



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Whilst I was trying to make my finicky camera focus on the little Mama dove's eye,



and not all the dried vines, her mate came to check me out...



♥



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Have a wonderful Spring Sunday, All!



Love,


 

 

Linking to Beverly's Pink Saturday!

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