A little taste of Spring

By this time of the year, I am usually itching for signs of Spring to arrive.  This year is a little different...they never really seemed to leave.  Driving to northern Maryland, I saw flowering quince blooming along the roadway.  Daffodils have been blooming in Crystal City for two weeks.  This has been a very strange winter.  That being said, I thought I would share a little project I did because I just couldn't wait to get my hands into the soil.  I had a nifty urn that didn't survive the freezing/thawing weather intact but I really love the antique look it provides for this project.  It is very simple...plants can be found in your yard or your local garden center.  If you are in a colder zone, look for plants that are outside in your garden center.  They will survive being left outside until Spring truly arrives.
Supplies...including that all important cup of coffee!
  • Container
  • Soil
  • Digging implement
  • Plants
  • Imagination
  • Watering can

Fill container with soil and add moss (I scooped this up right from a wet, shady spot in my yard)

I collected ivy from my shade garden. In fact, it grows up an entire outside wall of my house.  English Ivy is cold hardy to 10 to 20 degrees below zero Fahrenheit when in the ground or 10-15 degrees when potted.  It can be difficult to contain in a garden but in this planting it should not be a problem.

Urn planted with moss and ivy

I added smooth stones for definition. I also made a polymer clay mushroom for some pizzazz.

Finished product!  I dug up some emerging fern fronds. I don't know if they will survive but I have a whole hillside of them and they can be replaced when necessary.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CC3C #3

Image
Here I am again with the third project in this challenge using a faux tea rose. We are not posting instructions on the techniques of the challenge in order to insure that people who want to learn buy Tim Holtz' fabulous book from where we get all our inspiration! I skipped #2 because it used a product that I did not own and I have vowed to not purchase any more art supplies until I make a good dent in those that I already own.  However, this week's challenge is sponsored by Inspiration Emporium .  If I win the $50 gift certificate, I can buy enough new products to ensure I never have to skip a challenge again! On to the Challenge! Products used: Distress Ink pads in forest moss and frayed burlap, Distress Paints in bundled sage and picket fence, Ranger's Archival Ink in Jet Black, Ranger's Inkssentials Glossy Accents, My stash: 6X6 chipboard panel, hand-dyed paper, sage ribbon, quote stamp. Painted chipboard with Bundled Sage distress paint, went over with p
Read more

Altered Clogs using Stencils with Texture Paste

Image
I suffer from neuropathy and often have a difficult time walking.  I'm always looking for shoes that are comfortable and also supply enough support.  I had a pair of clogs that I wore when I was going through Esthetics training...the typical 'nurses' shoe.  I know the saying goes that we can wear white after Memorial Day, but trust me...no one should wear white clogs unless the occasion warrants it. Today's picture tutorial shows how I altered my training clogs into a stylish pair of gardening clogs. The original shoes are very white and made of some type of poly material.  Ranger's Distress Paints are permanent once they are dry so I decided that would be the way to go to paint my shoes. I decided to go with three shades that would bring a woodsy, natural look.  I started with Walnut Stain Distress Paint.  It took a couple of coats to get the desired coverage. I used  Forest Moss as my  second color and Bundled Sage around the band at
Read more

CC3C #7 Painted Industrial

Image
OK...so you may have noticed that the previous post said CC3C #4 and this one is #7.  Where did #5 and #6 go?  Remember how I said that I was not going to purchase any additional supplies this year? Well, if I don't have everything I need to complete a challenge, then I skip it and hope I can participate in the next one. So, Hurrah! I had everything I needed to complete this wonderful Painted Industrial challenge and I really love this technique.  In fact, I thought my soon-to-be 11 year old grandson would love it, too so my project is his birthday card.  He reads incessantly (and NOBODY is complaining about that!) so I thought he would enjoy a tag bookmark that matched the card. I hope you enjoy this project. If you would like more information on the techniques we are working through, purchase Tim Holtz' latest book, Compendium of Curiosities III...he will even sign it for you if you buy though this link ! Each odd-numbered challenge is sponsored by Inspiration Emporium
Read more