Playing in the Garden...

with a paint program.

Original Photo

Softened and Warmed

As an Oil Painting

I'm so happy my red roses have finally bloomed.

Hummer's Roses

Thank you dear friends for all the well-wishes we received. I was somehow able to avoid the flu bug and the rest of my family was well by Easter. We enjoyed a pot-luck with both sides of the family. We had a wonderful day even though we had to move it inside due to the cold, rainy weather. I was so busy I didn't take any photos! I know, I know ~ Bad Blogger! Lacking Easter photos, I thought I'd return with more roses. This bush is just outside my kitchen window. I don't know the variety but the family just calls it Hummer's Rose, for hubby's grandmother.

It starts with outside petals in a dark pink, almost red.







But quickly opens to layers and layers of soft pink.

It looks like folds of silky fabric to me.

The petals' edges are always curling, not crisp and defined like the rose in the previous post.
No wonder it was Hummer's favorite. It's also the one every one wants cuttings from. I'll have to study up on rose care so I can learn how to do that!


Hope you all had a wonderful Easter. I'll be catching up on my visits over the next couple of days. I've really missed you all!

Rednesday ~ Rose Print

It's Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World. Please visit our wonderful hostess Sue and see how a shot of beautiful red can brighten your day.

Roses in a shabby red frame.

Need I say more?


No, but you know I will so here's the story.

I was at Strawberry Saturday just to browse one day. I wasn't planning on buying anything. I was just killing time between running errands and picking up the kids. I walked in and Cheryl told me she got a new shipment of pictures in. She indicated they were stacked in the back as she hadn't priced them yet but I could look through them. I thanked her but walked the opposite direction, knowing my walls were full I was determined to avoid that pile. "I've got shabby roses this time", she added like it was an afterthought. Oh, she knows my weaknesses so well! As my mind was saying, "No, no, no..." my body did an about face and literally ran to the pile. This beauty was right on top, I'm sure she saw me coming and did it on purpose! I left with it and two others. I'm not a compulsive shopper, really I'm not, but when it's love at first sight you can't fight it. Right?

Frosted Roses

Frozen Perfection

Winter in the San Joaquin Valley

Hubby's off work for a week and the kids have two weeks so I'll be checking in periodically as we try to mix in some projects with some winter fun. Maybe I'll even find some time one evening to curl up with a book or a good chick flick while everyone else is bowling in the living room. Wii had a great Christmas and hope you all did too!

Thrifty Thursday ~ French Doors Times 4

Yard sale season may be slowing down but there are still plenty of good finds out there. As Leigh pointed out a few weeks ago, there are all kinds of other ways to be thrifty too. Please stop by her place and see what's cooking today.

I really hit the jackpot this week at Strawberry Saturday. Imagine walking in to a place that usually has clothes and knick knacks and seeing...French Doors. 1, 2, 3, 4, sets of French Doors! That's 8 doors. Eight old doors. My brain was doing cartwheels!

Heavy, solid doors.

Hinges still attached.

Door knobs.

Double pane windows!

Cheryl told my one set had already been paid for and she was waiting for them to be picked up. The set shown here in front was actually 3 inches taller than the others and didn't have any hardware so I think they may have been used as transoms, not functioning doors. That still left 2 sets with hardware and one that could probably be re-worked into doors. But at what cost???

$40.00 per set!

Remember our old "wash house"?

I posted about it here. Ever since we moved here I've been dreaming about making it into an arts and crafts studio for me and my daughter. I envisioned this being a wall of French doors letting in the light for a nice bright space that would open onto a brick patio by the old outdoor fireplace. Of course the whole building would still be covered in these incredible pink roses.

Insert the sound of glass shattering here.

Not the doors, my broken heart. Hubby couldn't see my vision, at least not as these particular doors were concerned. It's okay, he's being practical. I get it.

On the bright side. The doors are still available. Someone else will get to enjoy the same thrill as I did when they discover them. And I guess sometimes that's what it's all about...the thrill of the hunt!

Wordless Wednesday ~ Sunflowers

Please visit Heather at Simply Joyful Photos to see other Wordless Wednesday photos. She is guest hosting while Dixie takes a break in French Lique, Texas.

Pink Saturday ~ A Riot of Pink Roses

Today I'm joining Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for my first Pink Saturday. I'm posting a bit early because I've got a sick child and I'm not sure if I'll have a chance to post later. I don't want to miss it like I did last week! LOL! Please click on the photo to join Beverly for all the wonderful pinkness!

Each spring, for about three weeks, there is a riot of roses in our yard. Two old, climbing, rose bushes burst out with hundreds of raucous pink blooms, taking over the whole scene. One has become part of the structure of the old abandoned wash house, busting through windows and wrapping around the door frame. The branches literally hold up the side of the building against the weight of the roses rampaging over the top and into nearby trees.

An adjacent fence barely contains the masses. It was made from scraps by the neighbor and includes many posts made of railroad ties. Evidently he knew the assault was coming. It stands strong...for now.

There is nothing delicate about these roses. They're aggressive and hardy, reaching out to grab hold of anything that doesn't move. Even the color is a bright, bold, hot pink. No soothing pastels here. Their overgrown foliage hides secret lairs for wild cats who have created paths among the big, spiky thorns over the years. The air gets heavy with their strong, old fashioned scent. At their peak I can barely breathe yet I can't bare the thought of trimming them back.

At some point we will reach this area as we slowly reclaim this property. A decision will have to be made as to the fate of the old wash house. The building holds many family memories and should be restored but it's in terrible condition and may need to come down. It is so intertwined with the roses I'm not sure if either can be managed without destroying the other. I've often dreamed of turning it into a studio for me, something out of a magazine with beautiful french doors framed by glorious climbing roses. Until then, the wild nature of the roses is winning this war and for a few weeks each spring my vision comes to life.

Wishing you a Happy Pink Saturday!
Dawn

Milk Glass and Scotties ~ From the Attic

These are a few of the things we recently pulled down from the attic.

I could not believe it when my dear mother-in-law showed me this gorgeous fabric. There is a about a yard and a half. It's actually a curtain panel with lining but the lining is coming undone. It may become a chair pad for my big rocker on the porch. Now that my daughter is doing better I need to get back to work out there. We'll be having temps in the 90's this week so I'll have to get up early...he he he...slim chance when I'm blogging and it's almost midnight! Anyway, there are tons of other fabrics up there but this is my favorite so far.

These plates are adorable but didn't clean up too well. They have a lot of crazing and stains. They are still sweet to decorate with though.

I just love the unusual color combination on this child's teapot. Well, maybe not so unusual for the time, it's blending with the fabric just fine.

These milk glass pieces reminded me of Mary at Little Red House. I actually gasped when I spotted them because she aways sets such a pretty table with her milk glass collection.

I don't know much about milk glass.



These don't seem as detailed as hers.





So they may be less expensive reproductions.




Here's the label still on one. It says:


Milk White Anchorglass, Anchor Hocking Glass Corp. Lancaster, O. USA

Maybe I'll drop by Mary's and see what she thinks.

Those of you with a good pair of bi-focals may have noticed the milk glass vase was filled with some strange little creatures in the first photo on this post.

Know what they are?



Vintage cake decorations/candle holders! Little pink birds...

...and the cutest little Scotties you ever saw! Now, I know there are a few Scotty fans out there. But have you ever seen a yellow Scotty? Or a blue one? You have to see these guys close up. By the way, the macro setting isn't just for flowers! Don't you just love it?

So here he is, one ear up and one ear down. He looks a little sleepy to me. Probably ate a little too much frosting and needs a nap now that the sugar has worn off.

Oops!Dog Pile! Bad dogs!

See the little holes for candles? OK, back in the box. I promise you won't have to stay there for another 40 or 50 years. Does anyone have instructions for making those faux cakes? I don't think they would be good for a real cake any more, the metal sticks are a bit rusty.

Speaking of vintage...

This vintage, red rose, flour sifter makes me want to re-model my kitchen. Shhhh...don't tell hubby!

I think maybe just changing the wallpaper to a nice vintage pattern...did you hear that Sis? Ha, Ha, I think I still have glue in my hair from when my awesome sister helped me wallpaper the walls and ceiling! I have never laughed so hard in all my life! I better quit now before I get into real trouble with my hubby and sister!

For all you Western bloggers looking for the cowgirls I mentioned, hold that thought. I had trouble getting a good photo but will try to get them up soon. And please forgive me if my spacing is all goofed up on this post. I was playing with photo placement and things kept moving on me...I finally gave up!


Dawn

Interior Inspiration ~ Pomegranates!

Here's peek at those interior pomegranates I mentioned a couple of posts ago.




This fabric was the inspiration for my interior. It's by Raymond Waites and is called "Conservatory". This color way is called "Sunglow" but I have seen it in a beautiful blue also. I bought it before we were even sure we were going to be able to get this house. It is not one of my better bargains. I paid an astronomically high price in an Ebay bidding war! But I loved the colors, the roses and the pomegranates. They are one of those items that bring back childhood memories. And it fit the cottage feeling of this home.

This photo is from Christmas '07 and shows the valances in our living room. I bought drapes to match the background and made the valances myself. I don't really sew much so this was a major project. We recently painted the room and I decided to re-work the valances because they've always seemed too long to me. I'll share them when I get it all back together!

This is some fabric I recently purchased at Jo Anns. I plan on making some crazy-quilt type cottagey throw pillows. Those are pomegranates, right?

My favorite piece of art, chosen because almost all of the fruits and nuts shown in it were at one time grown here by my hubby's grandparents. This is just a close up of a small portion. I didn't want you to miss those glorious pomegranate seeds! It is a print of a 1840 painting by Adolf Senff.

I have some other items, serving dishes, Christmas decorations and such that also have pomegranates. It's funny how these little themes work their way into our lives. I never planned on collecting pomegranates. Just like I never planned on collecting roosters or french inspired items or salt and pepper shakers...the list goes on and on....but the point is one day you look around and notice a lot of red transfer ware...then blue transfer ware... roses...sunflowers...oh my gosh I don't know how it all works together. But that's the beauty of cottage style...it all works together!

Dawn

Hollyhocks

On my way to the attic yesterday I spotted the hollyhocks blooming around the corner in a tiny side yard. They get almost no light there except when the sun is straight overhead. This one was just peeking around the corner.

There are two different petal types growing here. This frilly one...

and one that has rounded edges.

Some white ones too. The first year we moved here I fell in love with these. After the blooms faded and the seed pods dried I collected a gallon size bag of seeds. I planned to plant them everywhere. A week later I went to get the bag to share some seeds with a friend. Imagine my shock when it was full of mosquitos! Hundreds of mosquitos! I should have known not to use a plastic bag but who would have thought those seed pods were full of mosquito eggs? Live and Learn.

Dawn