Inspiration Avenue - Theme Challenge

Linking up with Inspiration Avenue where the theme this week is 'Holiday or Vacation'.  Use whatever medium you like and create a piece that depicts your dream holiday or vacation...

click to enlarge

I used a glossy 5 x 4 inch piece of paper, a map I printed of Tuscany. alcohol inks, stickers, photos out of magazines and jewelry embellishments.

Tuscany, Italy is just one of the many dream vacations I have....

FF and GBBD

Weekend Garden Parties are FF over at Tootsie's and GBBD over at Carol's..  Drop by and link up or look around at some awesome gardens with lots of garden inspiration.

We have had rain at some point everday for the last week or more.  Yesterday we had 1 and 7/10 here, across town over 4 inches fell in two hours...feast or famine...sigh ..I went out to the gardens to take photos this morning I spotted my trusty rusty angel, she had been spun around in her container, it just seemed as if she were saying, "What will be will be." ..I need to adopt that attitude.

Some of you may remember the large Oak Tree right by the corner of our home had to be cut down some months back.  My husband had the tree doctors leave me a container as the tree was hollow.  After months of my husband trying to get soil to compact in the trunk, I now have my stump container.  25 Peacock Orchids have sprouted, there are a few Alyssum seedlings in there too.  The stump container is about 4 feet tall.

Rain drenched Susans

A most delightful pink Zinnia

The Crapes are beginning to bloom

Justicia brandegeana -- Shrimp Plant, False Hop or Shrimp Bush

Ms. Doris Three Doors Down has over 80 Hydrangeas...she is always rooting them and passing them along.  This is one she gifted me last year, quite an interesting bloom.  Do you know it?  A few weeks back Ms. Doris broke her arm...I am a terrible neighbor as I have not checked on her other than through speaking with Mr. Doris....sigh

Ruellia brittoniana --Mexican Petunia (I also have the purple)  for more information and warning for the our state Florida, click here.

Kalanchoe daigremotiana -Kalanchoe daigremontiana syn. Bryophyllum daigremontianum also called Devil's Backbone,Alligator Plant, Mexican Hat Plant or Mother of Thousands is a succulent plant native toMadagascar. This plant is distinguished by its ability to propagate via vegetative propagation. All parts of the plant are poisonous, which can even be fatal if ingested by infants or small pets. Info found here

If  you stopped by just to view plants stop now.

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Just completed a custom order for Alison - most of you know her as Bonney Lassie.

She sent the quote and the color scheme she was interested in.  This is a 12 x 12 ceramic floor tile made into a custom wall hanging.

The dimensional sealer is so shiny it really casts a glare...these can be used for tie tacks, lapel pins, hat pins....

Some  Christmas Pins....I am preparing for a Craft Fair in November.  To see these and more click my FB Business Page or Etsy up on the right.  Orders can be placed through email as well as Etsy.  These sites will be updated over the weekend.

*There is a place on my FB page for suggestions of a theme for a give-a-way tile in celebration of my Etsy Shop opening.  It will be a smaller size though.  Please stop by and add your suggestion to be entered.*

**FYI  I cannot post comments on Wordpress.  I have tried repeatedly for months.  I still read Wordpress blogs though**

WOYWW

Linking up with Stamping Ground For What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday.

Well, we moved from the kitchen table to the counter by the sink..

(items in various stages of drying waiting the next step)

And the bar on the island in the kitchen......youngest lending a helping hand.

View from the opposite side of the bar....

Click on the Stamping Ground link at the top and have a peek into the work spaces of others.

Bloomin' Tuesday on Monday.... :)

Finally!  The hole digging culprit!  I don't mind these culprits though.  I do however get concerned about the snakes eating the turtle eggs and then living in their holes....sigh

My husband saw him walking on the driveway yesterday afternoon, his shell is covered in soil.

My heart goes out to everyone located where the floods are taking place.  We have been receiving rain at some point everyday for the last couple of weeks, well actually since school has been out.  The girls still have  not been able to get in the swimming pool because of the unstable atmosphere...we get random lightning flashes/strikes when our weather is like this.

White Diamond Frost Euphorbia, Proven Winners -- containerized with a sign from DesignsbyDarlaG.

On top of the metal crate...two types of Sedum from Grace a year two ago.  A Semp (hen) in the ceramic tennis shoe.

Below the crate, ceramic frog with watering can, Marigolds and Celosia.

The rest of the Celosia from above in comparison to a small strawberry container.

Some of the Purple Coneflowers that have been here for about 8 years or so.

Just can't get enough of the Dolly Madison!

The Zinnias and the Susans are starting to bloom.

Here is a larger picture of the Turk's Cap...It's probably 2 ft tall and about 2 1/2 to 3 ft wide.  It will get much larger by the end of the summer.  This one is in full sun....easy peasy to root.

Linking up with Jean

Hope your weekend was a good one......see ya Wednesday for WOYWW..

Inspiration Avenue Art Challenge

As most of  my regular readers know I am always into or up to something new and different.  (Let's not forget though, gardening is still way up there on my favorite things to do, with my hip issues I just cannot get around like I need to, so while the doctors and surgeons are determining what exactly needs to be done, I'll keep trying different avenues of art)

I recently found Jenn over at Just Add Water Silly  through What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday over at Stamping Ground where artists/crafters post what their work spaces look like on Wednesdays.  I just love peeking into these spaces.

ANYWAY, Jenn is also a member of Inspiration Avenue, more info here, where artists and crafters across the globe are encouraged to stretch their artistic minds by themed challenges.

It is a bit confusing at first, but so worth getting to know these wonderful, helpful and most talented artists.

You have a chance to win prizes or be featured in the Red Carpet Gallery..

This weeks challenge theme over at Inspiration Avenue is Wishes...

The Little Mermaid came to my mind immediately.  I used my latest art form of alcohol inks, paper, stickers and protective sealant on ceramic tile and came up with what I imagined I would wish for if I were a Mermaid.....I tried to create a "Midnight Wish"... 

There is also another person named Darla in these challenges so I will be using DarlaG when posting.

**I do have an appointment on July 16th for a consultation about a hip scope... sigh**

Weekend Garden Parties! (rain or shine)

It's time for the weekend garden parties... Cottage Garden and Fertilizer Friday drop by and see how gardens in  your own back yard - to - gardens in other parts of the world are growing...isn't blogging wonderful?!

Here in North Florida everything is wet, wet, wet.  I am not complaining at all...

photos were taken this morning.

Love, love the Dolly Madison Lilies!

Perennial Hibiscus with a visitor in the center...

Caladiums, dark Coleus and Begonia

Plumbago

This is part of the strip that was posted in my last post on the edge of our yard by the road.  Marigold, short Celosia (you know if you pinch the blooms out of the Celosia the plant will grow bushier), Toffee Twist, Nasturtiams, Sedum filled wheelbarrow.

Potato vine returned in the wheelbarrow from last summer..

Turk's Cap....wonderful plant...and yes the color is even hotter in person.

Finally the name of this plant is back on file,  Dicliptera superecta.  Google Hummingbird bush, no.  Hummingbird shrub, no.  Hummingbird plant, yes!  

Salvia coccinea is a native.  I adore this color, I also have the scarlet color growing in the middle of the strawberries....yes, they are on the ever growing list of garden chores to be relocated.

I want to give a shout out, Thank You! to all of you for supporting my new online craft business.  Requests can be made via FB or purchased via my Etsy shop.  Both links located on the top right of this page.  Imagine....people like my art!  Feel free to like my FB page... :)

Bloomin' Tuesday

Late for Bloomin' Tuesday....getting those orders out !

This is a narrow strip that goes up and around one side and corner of our front yard by the road.  Brugmansia is showing off great this year.

Containerized Diamond Frost Euphorbia with Nasturtiam

Butterfly Bush

Drive way side of the full sun garden Dahlias and Marigolds

Full sun garden, the purple Coneflowers are putting on a nice show.  They love the heat!

This is such a soft medium colored yellow Glad.

Happy Tuesday everyone!