Feeling a bit 'meh' and some nice things

 You know how sometimes you just have a day/week that is a bit 'meh'?  You can't necessarily say what is wrong, but you just feel out of sorts.  I had one of those last week.  I am usually a fairly content person, but things got to me a bit last week and I was feeling a bit down.  My lovely husband bought me these flowers to cheer me up, which was very thoughtful of him.  Sunflowers, agapanthus, lilies and some foliage.  I have been enjoying seeing the lilies open and although sometimes the scent can be overpowering, this one has a gentle scent, which is just there in the background.

To quote Winnie the Pooh, "Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon" (or flowers!).

I had noticed this self sown foxglove and was watching it grow.  It has surprised me as it is at the front of the house, growing through gravel and a weed suppressing membrane.  However, it seems to be doing well.

Also at the front of the house, in a pot, is this phlox, which is a division from a plant in the back.  I divided it earlier in the year and it had rewarded me with the biggest flowers it has ever had.  I have another division planted in the shadier border in the back garden and that is also starting to flower.  The other division is back in the original pot, but with refreshed compost and is also looking good.  

There are always good things to be grateful for, which is something I need to remember on those 'meh' days!

Sunshine and Mandalas

We haven't see a lot of sun recently and while the cooler temperatures have been fine for me, I agree that a little sun now and again would be nice.  There are some plants giving that sunshine vibe, such as this sunflower.  My sister-in-law grew it and I plonked it rather unceremoniously into a pot under the lilac tree.  However, it has rewarded me with this rather lovely flower.

It is like a burst of sunshine, isn't it?

Rose Roald Dahl is also flowering, somewhat later than the other roses, but it is not in the best place as it it rather shaded.  I shall have to see whether I can move it into the light a bit more.

In other news, I was asked to draw some mandalas by a friend, who wasn't sure whether she preferred black and white or coloured, so I did both. They were very enjoyable to make and quite a relaxing activity.  I was inspired after taking a class with Kate Crane - For the Love of Circles.  She showed how with simple shapes, you can build up what looks like a complicated pattern.  My friend chose the black and white one, which I must admit, I liked best too!  I need to draw some more.

Some cards from this year...so far

Here are some of the cards I have been making this year, so far.  Above was one for my brother-in-law, using some layering stencils. 

This collaged one was for my colleague at work, celebrating her love of entomology.  I was really pleased with how the collaged beetles turned out.  I had made the papers previously so this really is all my own work.

I added an extra beetle on the back and stamped the gift envelope.

A pretty butterfly...with some white on white flower die cuts behind it which look really effective and add some texture.

A card for my sister-in-law using some slow drawing patterns on the front, the envelope...

...and the inside.

A card for a fox loving friend.  

Collage, stamping and die cuts were used for this one.  She has used the fox tag as a bookmark, I believe.

A card inspired by Alison Bomber (Words and Pictures) who is my latest 'must see' creator on Youtube. I have recently bought several of her beautiful stamp sets and although this flower isn't one of hers, the background is inspired by one of her videos. 

There will no doubt be more cards made in the next six months!
 

William, Ferdinand, Perle and others

The garden plants have enjoyed all the rain we had in Spring and are flowering away happily at the moment. Above is Clematis Perle D'Azur growing on the arch... 

...and from the other side.  These were taken a few days ago.

Here it is this morning, being very floriferous!

Rose William Shakespeare 2000 is also in full flower and attempting to take over that part of the garden.

Rose Ferdinand Pichard is well behaved and produces flowers packed with scent.

Rose Blush Noisette is also having a good year.

Clematis Princess Kate has been flowering for a few weeks now and... 

is still doing well.  Clematis Prince Charles is in the background.  Things will start to change again as we go into July and August, but I'm looking forward to seeing the phlox, the agapanthus and then the perennial sunflower and asters.  Gardening always gives you something to look forward to.

Rust dyeing

In readiness for the next Wanderlust lesson tomorrow, we have been asked to prepare some rust dyed papers.  I have seen this done by others, but have never tried it myself, so it gave me the opportunity to try it.  I used some book pages and other paper scraps, some with gesso, some not.  I sprayed the various metal bits and pieces with white vinegar, covered them and left them, making sure to check them after a few hours.  If they looked dry, I gave them another spray.

The next morning, the papers were dry, so I took the metal bits off and was pleased with the results.

I have some interesting patterns left by the rust and it worked on both the gesso and non-gesso pages.  Now to find out what we are going to do with them...

Wanderlust 2024 - weeks seventeen to twenty-four - Writing

We started this theme with a patchwork of all kinds of writing.  I really enjoyed this and used a photo of my Granny aged around eight as a focal point.  We added words which we had stitched too.

The next week was lettering with a paintbrush.  I used a waterbrush as for some reason, I seem to get a better end result.  We did lots of practise for this one, using different paints and pens.  The lettering is much more effective in real life, with a lot of shimmer - sadly it looks a little flat here.

Being bold with our writing was the next lesson.  Underneath this black paint is a whole page of writing using swear words - we were told that this is a good way to get people to loosen up - especially if the  whole thing is going to be covered up!  We were encouraged to using big swoopy writing, no gaps, and move our whole arm while we wrote. It was a very freeing exercise.

Underneath this page is more of the loopy writing, which was dictated to us. There is no swearing in this one. We had to write one way and then cross the writing, so that even though I know what I wrote did make sense, it is quite difficult to make it out.  I did enjoy the loopy writing and you might notice it appearing now and again in future pages.

We used stencils, pens, gel plate, stamping to create the next page, in my favourite blue/green colours.it also features my favourite numbers.

This page was based on a stage of our life although mine ended up being all about the garden in April/May with alliums.

Lists were the focus here and I took the opportunity to crate little cards with the lists of some of my favourite books, films, food, plants and music.  I used some of my gel prints stash to cover the pockets and cards.

I 'cheated' somewhat with this page. We used brush pens to create the background smooshing and then to draw the wreath.  We were then shown how to create lovely brush lettering.  I did try, but wasn't happy with my attempt.  I wasn't surprised as with many things, you do need to practise, practise, practise.  I decided life was too short and I wasn't particularly desperate to learn, so I used some brush lettering stamps instead.  I was very happy with the end result.

The last page for this theme was the 'artful musings' and we were given prompts, together with a collage sheet of images to choose from. The prompts were:  Use a watersoluble pencil to make marks and activate it with water; Spread inks/watercolour on a page and blot or move it with a paper towel; Add a little black; Add a collage element (for me it was the owl on a branch and the mushroom); Yellow; Extend your collage element (I extended the branch and made a tree); Use a skewer and ink and make a fine pattern; Add some words; Turn the composition upside down and add something to it based on what you see upside down; Use something on your desk as a stamp (mine was the base of a glue stick which gave me the red circles).  Considering I had no idea what this would turn into when I started, it looks a bit like a rather abstract forest to me. 

Next we move on to Printing - I am really hoping this will be right up my street!

Roses, roses, roses...and clematis

The roses are blooming, despite the wet Spring we have had and I am loving them!.  Above, starting top left, going clockwise: Jacques Cartier; Mary Rose; Kew Gardens and Cottage Rose.

Again, top left, going clockwise: Olivia Rose Austin; Susan Williams-Ellis; Geoff Hamilton and Charles de Mills.

Top left, clockwise: Blush Noisette; Emily Bronte; Eyes for You and For Your Eyes Only.

Top is Dannahue, bottom right is Constance Spry and finally Gertrude Jekyll.  I still have a few which aren't in flower yet - William Shakespeare 2000, Ferdinand Pichard, New Dawn and Roald Dahl.  For a small garden, I have managed to squeeze a lot of roses in!  (I still have my eye on Bring me Sunshine, but I haven't quite got room for it...yet!)  

To add to the lovely roses, a couple of clematis are flowering too and they make good companions.  Above is Venosa Violacea.

Here is Prince Charles.  Princess Kate, Blue Angel and Perle D'Azur are not quite there yet, but are budding up.  No doubt there will be more photos to come...

RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2024

It was the RHS Chelsea Flower Show last week.  I have never been in person (I think the numbers of people would not be conducive to an enjoyable visit), but I watch all the TV coverage avidly.  There are always some gardens, or elements in gardens that appeal to me and all the photos are from the RHS Chelsea website.

I liked the Bridgerton garden designed by Holly Johnston and inspired by a character in the TV series Bridgerton ( I haven't watched the series).  This garden can be seen in the first four photos here.  The moongate was very beautiful and draws the eye through.

I wasn't keen on the tiered fountain, but loved the stone seats set into the wall.  

Lots of  pastel flowers surrounded the sunken seating area.  I would be very happy if this was outside my back door (with a different water feature, of course!)

The 'Terrence Higgins Trust Bridge to 2030 Garden' designed by Matthew Childs was inspired by the slate quarries in Wales and also by the scary Aids information film with a huge tombstone crashing down, which was seen in the 1980s.  The 'tombstone' had become a bridge here, with the hope of no more Aids cases by 2030.  There was some beautiful naturalistic planting here too. 

The Muscular Dystrophy UK – Forest Bathing Garden designed by Ula Maria won best in show.  I like this woodland style planting.

The National Garden Scheme Garden, designed by Tom Stuart Smith was probably my favourite garden overall.  I love the NGS and have been to many gardens opening under this scheme and raising money for charity.

Again, there was a woodland feel with calming shades of green and white.

There was an extremely well appointed building (too posh to be called a shed) with a cooker, gardening tools and a table inside.  I like the water trough outside too.

The Octavia Hill Garden by Blue Diamond with the National Trust, designed by Anne Marie Powell won the Children's Choice award as well as the People's Choice award (voted for by visitors to the show as well as tv viewers).  I particularly like those carved benches.

The planting was more vibrant in this garden too.

The St James’s Piccadilly: Imagine the World to be Different garden was inspired by the ruins of St James' church, Piccadilly, built by Sir Christopher Wren.  Elements of this garden will be going to St Pancras, Euston Road.  Other parts of the garden will be going to the real St James' Church.  I like the peacefulness of this courtyard setting.

I particularly liked the S shaped stone bench and the naturalistic planting in the Burma Skincare Initiative Spirit of Partnership Garden designed by Helen Olney.

So, what do my choices say about what I like?  Naturalistic planting, woodland planting, seats, and formal areas with exuberant planting seem to be the themes here. Ultimately, I always ask myself "would I like this outside my back door?"