Rained Out

There wasn't alot to do today due to the rain.
We lost cable, phone and internet for the majority of the day, so that is why I am just now getting around to a new post.

I did get some pruning done to the biggest rose bush before the rain started and I am really looking forward to this weekend and getting something to take care of the Japanese beetles.
Those little monsters think my plant is a hotel!

Mom and I were out earlier in the week for a trip to the local fabric shops.
I found some of the softest material and the first thing I thought of to make out of it was pajamas!  You can just never go wrong with comfy pajamas.

First, we checked out JoAnn's and wound up at Hancock Fabrics by the end, but I have forgotten the second placed we stopped at.

As I have mentioned before, I do want to take on a sewing project, and I think I just found a few after that little excursion!

Hopefully, I will have more to write about this weekend as both of the butterfly bushes are taking off finally.

Have a good night!

All That Glitters Is....

Today I'm going to show some of the fairies that I have painted over the last couple of years and I'll try to remember list what all was used in the process.
I will apologize now for the less than perfect camera quality because I'm down to the ipod until the battery for the good camera is charged.

This little girl had been bleached by the sun for years when I picked her up and took on the task of brightening her up.  I used FolkArt Metallic paints in Amethyst and Blue Sapphire for her dress/wings, Metallic Christmas Green for her hat, FolkArt Extreme Glitter paint in Hologram on her wings and the neckline of the dress and Light Fleshtone for the face, arms and legs.
I mixed the blonde color for her hair using Sunshine Yellow and a few blops of Sienna and then went back over some of the wavy areas with the Extreme Glitter in Champagne.
Craftsmart paint in Orchid was used for the flower she sits on, then I covered over that with Martha Stewart Multi-Surface Acrylic Glitter Paint in Charoite.

I also replaced the gems on her wings as best I could. The gems have flat bottoms and are clear, blue and pink on both upper and lower wings.

A better angle of the wings to show the glitter and gems.

This is the Halloween themed fairy, inspired by our neighbor's daughter, who thought that a Halloween fairy would be cool!

She is unfinished as of right now, but I'm going to be getting back to her tomorrow, provided I haven't spent the whole day in the garden!

In addition to what was used on the little fairy above, I also used FolkArt acrylic paint in Autumn Leaves / Extreme Glitter in Orange for the dress and hat, accented by Metallic Black in the sleeves and the edges. Light Fleshtone for the skin and mouth, Metallic Amethyst for the flowers, then I lightly brushed over them in places with Metallic Gunmetal Gray. I also did the same with the flower leaves and grass, only in two different shades of metallic green.

I'm still working on the wings as they do not or will not come off so I can better reach some of the inside towards her back.

And lastly, this bigger girl that I started on last month, who will eventually make her way intothe north side of the yard once we get the landscaping there laid out the way we want.

The only things left to be done on her are her wings, which I have been blending to match her color scheme.

I do know that in the garden, I need to pick up some stuff to take care of the Japanese Beetles.

I noticed a couple of them on my big rose bush and my tri-color butterfly bush yesterday.

Last year the beetles were eating on the rosebuds before they could open!

Its really frustrating to see something so small rummaging through your beautiful plant like it was a sock drawer.

I'm hoping Mom will be in the mood to hit up Michael's or Hobby Lobby sometime this coming week because I really want to go check out some more card stock for my card list idea and maybe some stamps and punchers while I'm at it!

This crafting is contagious!  Every time I start with one idea, about fifteen more sprout out from it.

And it will come in so handy over the long winter to have a variety of things to keep me occupied so I don't get too stir crazy from being cooped up.

That is all I have for today as its just been hot and stuffy, but it should be good out for a few days, until the dreaded 101 degree day hits!

Have a great weekend!

So we're getting rained on sporadically through the day, but that's alright with us.
We've been in need of a good shower or two to relieve our poor plants!

I was out a bit ago and got a few more pictures of the blooms in between sprinkles.

This is the big rose bush that I nursed back to health last summer.  As you can see, I was rewarded for my efforts! :)   This thing is a beast, but its a beautiful beast!

Some of the cute, little pansies I did in the flower garden around the roses. They were one of my grandmother's favorite flowers, so I thought it would be a nice way to remember her.

This is one of the fairies that I painted when Honey's mom and I would have our painting marathons.

You can barely see this girl now for all the flora and fauna around her!

My Tri-Color Butterfly bush is growing well and starting to bloom! It does have a light fragrance to it as of right now.

"The Oddball Rose", as I like to call it, has four good looking blooms on it that should start to open within the next week or so!

I'm going to be moving the one small rose that I thought was going to die because when we had bought it, it looked puny.  But it too now has small blooms and is thriving along with the others, so we shall see what color pops from it!

When I planted all of the new roses, I had five young children helping me and all of  them were trying to make sure the plants had enough dirt and watering!

It was terribly cute to see all of these kids so interested and involved and I have a hard time saying "No" to someone who is so eager to help!

There might be some sewing project(s) coming up soon and I'm looking at card stock in different places because I would like to start a homemade card list this year for all my friends and family.

And for those who know me, I got the pictures of my son's class graduation last Saturday and am very proud and thrilled to say that I am Mommy to a First Grader! Hooray!

I will keep posting as things develop, which seems to happen everyday as far as the garden goes!

L.

These things..

One of these days I'll get the hang of these technological nuisances that people think are so precious.
Like phones for instance, with their tiny buttons and options.

But I have better, more important things to concentrate on at this point in time.
For now though, in my down time, I'll be posting up the creative happenings around my neck of the woods and everything that entails, so there will be pictures!

The gardening has been going well so far.  All of my roses are growing and blooming in varied stages.

I need to get another picture of the big, pink rose plant because I have pruned and all of the new growth from the bottom shot up almost overnight and are in "rapid fire bloom" mode!

Its awesome! Every morning I come out and stroll around the flower garden, quietly tending and watering.  Its so enjoyable!