Outdoor Garden Party

One way to always have guests

on your patio would be to have

these evergreen deer topiaries.

These two won't eat all the greens

and flowers either.

They have done a great job

shaping and trimming their antlers;

haven't they?  

Too cute!

Next time someone asks to get

a puppy or a kitten and you feel you

have enough already, get them

an animal topiary or two.

White Picket Fences and Paper Dolls

I love these little miniature white wooden picket fences. So sweet and they say cottage charm. (Haven't you heard them?) I like to rearrange this little fence with different vignettes of paper dolls and animals. So much fun can be possible with a pen, paper and scissors. This would look so sweet in a nursery, but I actually have this in my dining room at present. I collected moss from out in the shady garden. We love to bring greens inside when it turns chilly. This is the tiniest clay pot they make I think, but so cute. My little giraffe says, "Hi. How are you? Let's party."




We have to include our westie dog most of the time with my paper dolls. A boy and his dog!





Sometimes our kitty gets to babysit them, but usually ends up bathing them.





These roses were white with pink edges. I dried them and I think they still look pretty.





Miniature fence, miniature clothespins. This looks like a fairy fence with their flower petal aprons out to dry.

There are so many more little decorating ideas for these little picket fences. I've seen them stitched onto collages and on canvas.

I hope you had a little fun here with me. Be sure to stop by Faded Charm to
see all of the other White Wednesday posts as there are many white cottage decorating ideas and gorgeous photographs. All photographs here I've taken myself, no small feat. Have a great week!

Checked out of Hospital

Luckily my Dad got out of the hospital, not moved to a rehab facility, and is home. I gladly committed to being here night and day until he regains strength and can be back to his independent self. He is so happy to be home. Who would want to look out onto a gravel roof all day at the hospital?

When you have to stay in bed for weeks it really zaps your strength and it takes a bit of time to rebound especially when you are older. All of the physical and occupational therapists come here which is wonderful!

Right now I am looking out over the green fields at some Canada geese. When we came home from the hospital nine deer ran across the hillside jumping and kicking. A pleasant reception to be sure.

We are itching to get gardening again! The above photo is from the Green Animals Topiary Gardens in Rhode Island. (My husband checked out lots of beautiful books for my dad to look at.) One book says this is a camel and another says it is an elephant! Maybe it was originally an elephant that they let grow into a camel? It is formed from California privet which grows fast and is fairly cheap unlike yew. So we don't have any excuses for not growing topiary shaped animals.

Alice in Wonderland Party Planner Art Banner

THE PARTY PLANNER

I'm feeling like a party planner myself. We like fluffing up our nests for parties and Alice wants her party to be fun as well. She has cut a bunny banner to hang. Do you see the woodland evergreen rabbit topiaries in the background. It's been said they come to life for tea parties.

A mixture of papers, paint and graphite pencil were used to make this original mixed media piece. I am offering a print of it on etsy. It is soft and sweet with a dreamy quality about it and the background stirs up more imaginations. Imagination is very healthy when it comes to creating art.

The countdown is on and I wonder if I have enough pieces to sell and all of the other worries people have when they show their art. It definitely makes one pick up the pace from a slow stroll to a mad dash. Yes, I feel like the white rabbit! I have the calendar memorized every day of the week, this week, number and day!

Print for sale on etsy.

Frida Kahlo Black Boot Club Art

Frida always wore black boots and found some other friends who did too. These red foxes became friends and started the Black Boot Dance Club. Look around you for your friends. When you were little didn't you and your brothers and sisters or some neighbor kids have a few clubs going? The Make it Yourself Club, the Stitching Club, and I forget some of the other ones. It didn't matter if it was 4 members or 2 members it was still fun!

I painted this one with the fall colors around me. I've noticed that even on cloudy days the fields are still radiant color like they are glowing from within!

Black Boots Club is up on ebay for sale with free shipping in the us. Details here.

Westie Dog and Ground Hog Day

The other day our westie dog boy started barking ...the kind of bark that says "I can bark straight for 2 minutes without taking a breath." I ran to the window and this is what I saw. The groundhogs here in the countryside are rather large and plump. (And this one might now be slightly deaf from Sir Salty's warning barks.) I went outside and let the ground hog run back down to his home underground. Our westie thought he won and rolled around in the grass and raced back and forth to me in a happy craziness.

Westie dog grooming. I've bought our own electric dog shears and I'm letting his skirt grow out long, but trimmed his back, sides and neck, which I think looks lovely in this picture. Now to keep brushing vigorously and keep the tangles away.

Original Fox and Rabbit ACEO Paintings

Boys will be brave especially if they have company. These two scouts have camped out by themselves all night for the very first time. Yes, they are very happy to see the sunrise. I tried to make this one those colors somewhere between night and morning. This is an aceo which measures 2.5 by 3.5 and it is an original small acrylic painting.




More boys, bunny boys, mind you. How can you read a book when you are next to a ball field? This bookworm bunny can. Another aceo original acrylic painting. Up for sale on ebay.

I really love baby animals. I might chase out the rabbits and ground hogs from the gardens, but when you see the babies, it brings you to your knees. They are so cute!

Modern Frida Kahlo Green Earth Day Garden Art

Frida's Green Garden Painting

Green means clean

and safe for the

blooming majestic flowers,

inquisitive white rabbits

singing bluebirds

very clean black cat

Be safe and green

For sale on ebay

Chameleon Deer Watching Us

Deer blend into the wintery scenery here. They love hiding close by and they blend so well until I realize the trees are moving, and look closer and it's deer. They are wanting to come up close to eat our greenery, but they are watching our westie dog on top of the hill rolling around feeling full of himself. They eventually cross the creek and go on to other fields. But I know they will be back in a few hours for a little buffet outside.

Alice in Wonderland Loves Rabbits Aceo Art Painting

Alice in her pink dress adores rabbits. Here she is at home with her brother and their baby bunnies which they are keeping close to their hearts. (Who does not love baby bunnies?) A little curious red cardinal casts his tweet tweet vote in favor of rabbits as pets, too. Ahh, barefeet means the earth is warm!

This little painting is an aceo which measures 2.5 by 3.5-inches. A little treasure just like the baby bunnies. I used a large brush so there isn't much detail and it makes for a very folky style and CUTE faces.

For sale on ebay.

Rabbit Sculpture Gardening and Folk Art Painting

Gardening with rabbits can be fun when you mix the real ones with the topiary bunnies. What fun! Here is Frida Kahlo with her green thumb and her pet bunnies. The sky is the limit in topiary gardening. Your imagination and clippers decide how cute it will be. It helps to start with healthy plants and keep them well fed. Repot once a year and trim back the roots. They like to eat good like the rest of us. I am trying to keep my gardening impulses under control. We gardeners tend to get itchy by the end of January.

For the colors of this painting I went old world with rich yet muted orange, pink, and browns. Basically I just looked at some of my clay pots and used the colors I saw on them.

This original painting is up for sale on ebay.

Siamese Cats and Westie Dogs

Our not so shabby looking westie boy, Sir Salty. Snow or frost running is always on the daily agenda and he is wondering what is taking me so long to catch up. He has that look, "Don't tell me you're going back in the house now?

Two of our siamese cats getting some sun and waiting for spring like the rest of us. They are watching our westie run all around on the hill and thinking "He is crazy. It's much better to be a spectator today and move very little, but then that is what they say in the summer, too.