A Fairy Garden Cottage

"Hand in hand, with Fairy grace,

Will we sing, and bless this place."

~ William Shakespeare (Titania, the Fairy

queen in A Midsummer Night’s Dream)

My little cottage built by my

husband many years ago. A

quiet studio to listen to nature,

 smell the roses and write.

A place full of his memories

And visited by Garden Fairies.

Spread your wings and let the fairy in you fly! ~Author Unknown

Where Oh Where Is Spring????

Is anyone as sick of the weather as I am? One lovely day this week that gave me hope spring was right around the corner. Then rain and coldness to chill your bones today.
But Saturday was a dream day to make you smile. My friend Sylvia showed me her garden with the creek running through the front yard and her violas and pansies blooming in pots stacked everywhere. Her 40's cottage home painted the sweetest shade of yellow with green shutters. I am thinking of painting my red brick au natural house yellow. How do you feel about painting brick? I am thinking hard on it.  A yellow ranch house sitting nestled in a huge yard far from the street. So much more appealing than just plain brick. Dare I do it?
Sylvia sent me home with a bit of yellow. A huge pot of forsythia tall and willowy with its tiny yellow blossoms.  I almost hugged it when I placed it on my patio.
Rain, rain, go away, come again......well, come again when I need to water my garden. When the grass smells sweet and my lavendar and rosemary are growing in my herb planters. When the elephant ears that my husband planted years ago peek through the ground again, a loving reminder of our days together in the garden. Rain come when my Butterfly Bush is waving in the breeze and little butterflies are flying by its lovely long purple blossoms. And maybe a little rain as my one lone rose bush starts to blossom on the trellis in the back bed. But shoo for now rain, and cold, I've had it. Oh how I want the sun on my face!
I am getting ready for Spring. Tomorrow, no matter what the weather brings, I will be at Home Depot in their gardening center. I am going to pebble in a huge area off my small deck and add stone pavers around it. The grass no longer grows there because of the tall tree blocking the sun. And six dogs running in the yard can make a mess of it. I am out to find stone and gravel and pebbles and brick pavers. I have a design in mind from an old gardening magazine and can't wait to get started.
What are your garden plans? I'd love to be inspired with some thoughts on how to make a large yard cozy. And what to use in place of grass, grass that does not grow in my back yard.

The Winners Are...............

     

  Foxy has put on her favorite sunflower band to announce tonight's winners! 

Also mark your calendars, starting in April another one-of-a-kind botanical garden necklace will kick off a month of giveaways. So be sure to check back April lst, no foolin.

Also, check back often to see what's blooming in the garden!

Now for the winners.............................................

The winner pick from my list of followers is Hippie Dog. Starting with the earliest follower the number count began. A random number calculator was used to pick the winning number. Her prize is my little steampunk frozen Charlotte necklace.

And the winner of my frog necklace is GPC! Picked from the list of comments left.  All comments were added up, using all comments on all postings after the contest was announced. The earliest comment was number one. I then used the random number calculator to find the winning number.

Congrats to both winners.  I hope you love your necklaces! 

Remember, check back, lots happening in the garden in April!

DRAWING TOMORROW MARCH 24 6PM EST

A REMINDER, LEAVE A COMMENT AND BE INCLUDED IN MY FREE GIVEAWAY FOR THE LOVELY ONE-OF-A-KIND PIECE OF JEWELRY BELOW.  DON'T MISS OUT. DRAWING MARCH 24TH 6PM EST! GOOD LUCK.

Giveaway Jewelry Items! Leave A Comment By March 24th

WIN ME! WIN ME! You have until March 24th to enter my drawing! Winners to be picked by random number generator. You have two chances to win. Leave a comment and/or become a follower. You can do both and double your luck.
I've had a lot of lookers on this blog, my little counter tells me it's so, but there are only 8 - 12 entries for my giveaway. Here are the two pieces that will go to two lucky winners on March 24th at 10PM EST.
If you become a follower of my blog you will be entered in the drawing for this little steampunk botanical lady pendant and chain. A little frozen Charlotte with her orchid.

She is made with a Victorian porcelain watch face, a frozen Charlotte German doll and a vintage yellow orchid pin. On a silver toned chain with beads. Chain is new. Shown with a quarter for size.

Then leave a comment on my blog on this entry (or if you have already left a comment as early as Feb. 24th when I started my giveaway you are already entered).That winner will get this sweet frog pendant and choker chain. I love frogs and this one is very sweet!  A perfect reminder Spring is just around the corner!
I will start my numbering for the drawing with the earliest comment and count til the last comment, no matter which entry you are on.  Hope that is clear. My brain is not in full swing, but I am sipping my coffee and thinking hard and fast.

You can enter both! Drawing will be done with a random number generator on March 24th at 10PM EST. Be sure I have an e-mail address to contact you. I will let the winner know on the 24th and you will have five days to write me back and send shipping info! Good luck!

Botanical Gardens Show Weekend! Remember March 24th Giveaway

 Oh my, not used to being up this early. A night owl does not the early bird worm catch.  But off and running to my show. Will tell you all about it on Monday and will show the pieces of jewelry for my giveaway then. Some folks are having trouble finding which entry to leave a comment on.(Its on Feb 24)  BUT leave one anywhere and you will be entered! If you sign up as a follower you are in my second giveaway too.  Have a lovely weekend. Weather here - Sunny And Bright. A perfect day to be at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens! Cheers to you!

I'm In Denial That Was Not Snow, But Sugar Drops

My own Mr. Bill, folk art sculpture. OH NOOOOO. It snowed today, not a lot, but enough that you knew it was snow. Over it, over it, over it. Spring came knockin on my door yesterday teasing me. The air so sweet with a hint of coolness. Sun bright in the sky. Dogs rollin' on the grass. I was in a glorious mood. Walked around the yard wondering where I'll plant my flowers soon. They said snow on the weather channel, but I didn't take them seriously. They got it right. Darn. Today a snuggle bug day with the dogs and new issues of my favorite magazines. Glorious roses peeking out from the pages and folk art filling yards with pink blooms all around them. Thats a photo of my Mr. Bill from last spring. He and I are waiting to sit in that comfy chair again and sip a cool lemonade on a warm sunny day. Soon. Soon. Soon. I am in denial it snowed today. My head in a cloud of spring.

Meet Florrie Funk, Artist, Poet and Her Mosaic Garden Mary

The most incredible yard art by my artist and poet friend Florrie M Funk. Florrie lives in Midtown, an intown neighborhood of Atlanta, minutes from downtown. I had to share this with you. It takes my breath away. Florrie has a gift for finding beauty in things many would overlook and is a true artist who can turn the ordinary into a masterful creation.
Here is Florrie's story on her Mary:
The bath tub came out of our house in Newton, Mass when we had a 1920's bathroom renovated. We brought it with us when we moved to Atlanta. I creatd the inside mosaic with bits of broken china, glass, stones and miscellaneous junk and figurines. Some of the pieces I picked up from the ground as I walked my dog around my Midtown neighborhood, pieces of broken street lights, car windows, ceramic tiles, mirrors, "found objects"... We bought the statue of the Virgen in Miami while visiting my Cuban mother-in-law. (Miami is a town that loves its lawn ornaments, sacred and profane) Mary arrived home via UPS with her head broken off so I Gorilla Glued it back on. I call her Nuestra Senora de la Caridad de Midtown ATL. The tub measures 28 inches wide by 36 inches tall with another 12 inches or so planted in the ground. This is my belief: "In all creation there are no insignificant pieces." I believe that to be true in terms of biological diversity, mosaic art, poetry, and other stuff.