Gardener's Folly

A series of experiments. 

My garden this year is a series of experiments. 

July 2015

July 2015

Last year's project was 100% grown in pots and other containers, using fencing and wire plant stands for trellises. Everything was collected around a small temporary green house than was very effective for starting seeds, and protecting small plants from the frost. 

Early garden, 2015

This year I decided to recycle some of my potting soil, a small amount of compost, and some of my containers, to make a garden where some plants were in the ground, and some in pots and containers. I did minimal digging, trying a no-dig technique. And I did find myself buying at least 8 bags of potting and garden soil. 

Never did get the plastic on the greenhouse frame. Now it's a trellis.

Zucchini...eventually.

Somewhere under the leaves is a developing Kohlrabi bulb.

So this year's garden includes tomatoes growing in the ground, and peppers, cucumbers and a couple of other things that are in bags of soil. 

The pumpkin I put in the compost is growing beautifully, using the greenhouse frame as a trellis. 

More pumpkin vine, and some herbs just spouting.

Most of the garden.

As usual, I can't wait to harvest something, all we have had so far are fresh herbs...on just about everything. 

Pine Ridge Treasures - I Wish it Were Summer

Time for some forward thinking!

When I signed up for the Blog Hop "I Wish it Were Summer" sponsored by Lisa Lodge of A Grateful Artist-Pine Ridge Treasures, I thought that by the time the blog hop arrived, I would be more than ready for Summer, since winter would be almost over. Well, here it is, and although Summer sounds good to me, I don't have that longing a hard winter inspires. We have been very lucky to get hardly any snow, and few super cold days. 

So the other day I settled in to create a little summer. I combined beads from the bag Lisa sent with a few more beads from other collections of hers, and a few things, like acrylic flowers, and out popped a bracelet and some earrings.  

My wondrous new set of beads.

I love the cool but summery look of this bracelet! The flower clasp just nails it!

Bracelet in cool summer colors. 

The cool look again, but this time in a pair of small but swing-y earrings. 

Love me some blue and green. 

These little earrings are light, colorful and so fun!

These green beads look good this some flower petal bead caps.

These green beads go perfectly with some purple beads from my stash.

Simple but so succulent! 

So we finally get to the garden! I have lots of these acrylic flower beads, and they look so good with these colors. 

Lovely bell flowers!

Thanks for taking a look into the possibilities of summer!

Now, you can take a look at the rest of the items made for this challenge. 

Your hostess:  Lisa Lodge, A Grateful Artist

Kari Asbury, Hippie Chick Design

Kim Dworak, Cianci Blue

Shaiha Williams, Shaiha’s Ramblings

Becky Pancake, Becky Pancake Bead Designs

Beti Horvath, Stringing Fool Jewelry <<< You are here!

Jacqui Kipfer, Seven Oaks Jewellery

Rosee Hanemaayer, Silver Penny Artisans

Catching up!

As Summer ends....

.....I realize that I have been neglecting my blog. 

Whether it is jewelry or photography, or simply daily life, there is not much reflected on these pages.

So here you are.

The first four pictures are from a visit Sara and I paid to the Orange County Arboretum, in Montgomery NY.

This is a bee balm flower from my yard.

One of my displays from the Catskill Fly Fishing Center in Livingston Manor NY. They have a marketplace every summer, and I had pretty good luck this year selling my jewelry there. 

Fox Glove growing wild at the Fly Fishing Center.

Cardinal Flowers.

Had a great crop of White Eggplant!

I'll try to post some more during the week!

Grow Your Blog!

Another opportunity to see who is out there, and make new friends. 

Self Portrait taken for the Focus on Life Challenge.

Last year, I happened upon a blog hop aimed at helping us spread the word about our blogs, and maybe even get new followers. Vicki at 2 Bags Full hosts the "Grow Your Blog" hop, and it is quite an endeavor. 

So, here we are, and I hope that you are enjoying your hop! 

I started my blog when I decided that I wanted to communicate with more people who had an interest in hand crafted jewelry. I participated in my first jewelry blog hops, and joined several Facebook groups. Then I joined a photography challenge that went on for TWO years! Currently, I am participating in Shelley Graham Turner's CREATE. SHARE. INSPIRE challenge. 

Some of my interests include making Jewelry, Creating in Polymer Clay, Photography (especially birds and flowers) our Family, Pets, Cooking, and anything else that sparks my interest. 

How would you like this mug to hold your pens, pencils or paintbrushes? You can win it by leaving a comment below. The winner will be chosen at random on February 17. The mug is covered in polymer clay. 

You can read more about how it was made here. 

Here are some other recent projects. 

Jewelry Display at Christkindlmarkt, Port Jervis NY

Fruit Cake. 100% fresh fruit.

Polymer Clay Beads, Made to match the scarf in the picture.

Queen Ann's Lace

Orioles on the Apple Tree.

Holiday Pins, made of Polymer Clay!

More Polymer Pins. 

Colorful Fungus!

Old Clemson Bros. Building, Middletown, NY

Special order Pendant.

Focus on Life: Let's Celebrate - Celebrate Sweetness!

Some Random Sweetness From My Day!

This week's Focus on Life prompt asks us to show some sweetness. I had already decided: NO MORE FOOD! So, I just kept my eye out for the sweetness around me. Here's what I found.

Sweet kitty Merry

Bebop says sweetly, "You gonna give me the cookie, or what?"

Wild Roses, so sweet!

Random yellow flower, pretty sweet. 

Let's see what others did with Sally Russick's  prompt.

An InLinkz Link-up

Focus on Life: In, At, and About - In Bloom!

Love flowers? Check these out. 

Sally sent us a wonderful present for the end of May's "In, At, And About" theme: our prompt was "In Bloom." I thought I would feature some flowers that might usually be overlooked. 

A tiny wild blackberry blossom. 

The chives are blooming, too!

Tucked away underneath leaves in swampy areas, Jack-in-the-Pulpet. 

Tomorrow's berry, today's strawberry blossom. 

And to end our list: Some wishes for you, a dandelion seed head.

I hope you have enjoyed the flowers we sometimes ignore....Let's see what others have found. 

An InLinkz Link-up

Focus on Life: In, At, About - In Our Hands

Hands are a big deal around here. 

My Grandmother's hands earned her living; cooking and sewing for years, a movie made about her culinary prowess, (Jaraslwa, 1975, Dee Dee Halleck)  and many compliments. The Woman with the "Golden Hands."

My mom's hands were not as famous, but she did many wonderful things, including cooking, drawing, needlework, bead work and knitting. 

In honor of my mother's birthday on Monday (she would have been 95 this year,) and Mother's Day next week, I present my hands, carrying out the tradition we have had in our family of a daughter presenting flowers to her mother. 

Let's see what the other members of Focus on Life have come up with for the monthly theme of "In, At, About", and this week's prompt "In your (their) hands."

An InLinkz Link-up