SUMMER STILL...

Summer is definitely still here 

but, at times,

 there is a feeling of fall

 in the air.

 Leaves are steadily covering

 the floor of 

the Secret Garden...

...and the zinnia blooms 

are showing signs of slowing down, 

along with the old-school phlox

 going to seed...

...and one last picking,

 among the store bought blooms,

 keep us satisfied until

 next summer.

I really don't approve 

of shutting one season down

 before it is time. 

 But, 

some coming attractions 

just can't wait 

so I have taken the liberty of

 bringing a little bit of fall

 to the Cottage.

 These little owls 

were a purchase from Antique Farmhouse. 

 I just couldn't

 resist their cuteness.

The Chinese Lanterns

 are now a mass of brightness 

peeking through a jumble of 

greenery, phlox and spirea in the garden.

  A sure sign

 that fall is almost here and 

they make a very autumnal statement

 in the scheme of things.

I "borrowed" the lamp

 from the Captain's library. 

 I like the feel of it

 for fall

 along with the wreath 

I made a few years ago 

out of coffee filters.

 This is the Limelight hydrangea bush 

when we first planted it two years ago. 

 It had a few blooms

 which I picked and dried...

...here are those

 same blooms

 today.

Last year 

it didn't grow much bigger and 

there were only a few blooms and 

they dried like this.

All summer long, 

sitting on the front porch,

 we kept smelling this 

soft, wonderful scent and 

didn't know where it was coming from. 

 One of the Limelights stem 

was bent so when I picked it,

 I found out what that scent was. 

This is the third year 

the bush has been in place and

 I never noticed it smelled so beautifully.

  I think there will be 

another bumper crop of dried Limelights

 again this year.

Did you notice 

the reflection of one of the paintings 

I attempted last week? 

 Well, I tried another similar one and 

it did not turn out well. 

 I also tried another, 

with different subjects and 

it was no good either. 

 I have decided 

that painting Santa's

 is my niche 

as I did this one and

 am pretty pleased, again,

 of how it 

turned out.

 

 

 

 

He is a little different in style. 

 A round, quirky little fella 

who seems to take his job 

of carrying Old Glory 

quite seriously.

 
 
 

I want to thank you all 

for your kind compliments. 

 They mean a lot to me and 

I am now on the lookout 

for more Santas.

 

 Be prepared 

to be 

overwhelmed!

 

...Judy..

 

 

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WHAT'S NEW...

These little silhouettes

 were taken from my childhood bedroom

 once upon a time...

...even though 
I wasn't fishing for compliments,
 I certainly received many from you all,
 my dear friends, 
on my crafting experiments
 in the "good old days", 
and I appreciate them and
 thank you so much. 

 As I said,
 I ordered some
 "new" old pattern books 
and got to work...

...and this is my first attempt.
  OK, even I can see some problems here. 

 The jug looks like it is 
leaning forward a bit too much.
  I think the mouth
 should be flatter on top and
 the pumpkin is too flat on the bottom.

 I don't know exactly 
how to describe it, 
but I can see it. 
 The problem is that 
somewhere between my brain and my hand, 
the perspective
 gets lost.

The photo in the book 
was too small 
so I enlarged it by making a graph. 
 The colors of paint 
used in the instructions 
are not available to me at my craft store, 
so I picked ones I thought would match.
  So if you want to get technical,
 I (almost) drew and painted 
the picture by myself. 
Ha Ha! 
 I think it is good enough 
and will fill a tiny space
 when fall decorating 
begins.

This is my next attempt
 and I was excited to try it 
as you know how I love 
all things Christmas related...

I have to admit, 
I am quite proud of it.
  I was able to
 trace the pattern and
 even though I had to
 choose my own colors, 
I am very pleased 
how it turned out.

He is the cutest little guy
 and looks so right beside the chimney.
  I will be proud 
to have him in attendance
 come Christmas time.

Another trip 
to pick up a peach pie 
was successful...

.

...a bowl full of 
fresh peaches and ice cream
 to share on the ride
 back home...

...and a game of
 "find the skunk", 
all add up to 
some very fine
 summer days.

...Judy...


What's new with you?

Thanks for your help, Robin.
 I couldn't have done it without you.

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LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THE GOOD OLD DAYS...

I am always so in awe 
of the many wonderful friends
 I have made through blogging.

  Whether it is
 painting pictures,
 painting furniture, 
sewing, cooking, gardening, decorating 
or vacationing.
  
I can appreciate
 all the ways that everyone 
uses their talents 
to enjoy life.

When you reach a certain age, 
life does slow down and
 that doesn't have to be a bad thing. 
 It actually 
gives you the time 
to think about and appreciate all
 that you have accomplished. 
 When you are raising kids and
 are in the work place 
it isn't always so easy 
to do that.

Our daughter and son-in-law,
 Tami and Tim, 
are now empty nesters 
and Jake, our grandson, with Jacenda,
 is  making a home for himself. 
 We moved, 
before Jake was born,
 to our beautiful little Cottage and 
now thirty years have passed. 
 Time has flown by. 
 Just you wait and see!
  
So now, 
I am going to go all Grandma on you 
and tell you about
 the Good Old Days!

The plan for this post
 started with some of my talented friends
 who have been making some 
really beautiful art. 
 I have always been so envious 
of anyone who can
 draw and paint...

...not only was my dad 
an accomplished self-taught artist,
 he was also a master wood worker. 
 Above, 
he is pictured beside 
the black walnut baby grand style case 
he built around 
an electronic key board.

My brother and sister
 can also draw 
but I didn't get that gene.

  I am happy
 that I did get my mom's genes 
for decorating.
 I have accomplished 
some artistic endeavors, however, 
that turned out quite successfully 
for their times.

(All the photos shown in this post
 are a result of those times and
 are only a small portion of what we did)

 I apologize for the poor quality 
of the photos 
but, as I said, they are old,
taken in the good old days.

I did a lot of ceramics 
back in the 70's and 80's. 
I had my own kiln 
that I have since sold and 
in looking over this post
 before publishing, 
the Captain asked me 
where some of these items are and 
it makes me sad to say 
that almost all were sold.
 There is very little 
that I kept 
as I thought I was over 
this "country" period in my life. 
As in so many other ways 
I am learning 
never to say never. 
I think that may be why 
I have a problem with 
getting rid of stuff now. 

I painted pictures 
but I had to have
 a pattern to trace and
 a definite color chart 
to follow. 
 I also used 
a lot of stencils 
in connection with 
the other mediums.

I had my own jigsaw and 
cut out figures and
 painted them.

The Captain mostly, 
with a little help from me,
 rebuilt and refinished
 antique furniture.
 That was back in the days 
when painting antiques, 
or good wood pieces,
 was very much
 frowned upon.

I even made costumes 
for the Captain and myself 
when we did craft shows...

...and painted sweat shirts 
marketed under
 "Bearable Wearables". 
 I even had an ad 
in a prominent magazine.

I am not as crafty 
as I once was 
but seeing what my friends are doing 
has made me want
 to get my hands dirty again, 
so to speak.

Since I had gotten rid 
of all my pattern painting books, 
I found a few more on Amazon.  
I have in mind
 to try a 
country Santa...

...and I found this one
 that I'm going to try.
  
I don't think
 there is much call 
for this type of art anymore 
but it is the kind that was popular
 back then 
and that I enjoyed doing and,
 believe it or not,
 sold a lot of it.  
I have a thought in mind
 to make it a little different and 
will let you know
 how and when 
that turns out.

I know you have seen
 this paint by number picture
 that I painted. 
 I sent my photo of the Cottage in 
and they made it into a paint by number kit.
  I am so glad 
that I have it and 
am quite happy with it.  
The only thing is
 while it really looks like the Cottage,
 I just don't think that it has that 
specific flair 
that makes it look like
the old 50's and 60's 
paint by number paintings.
  Remember those?
  You knew right away 
you were looking at a paint by number.
  The only way to describe them for me
 is big, bold splotches of bright colors
 put together to make a scene.

They are quite collectible now 
and I always have my eyes open 
when thrifting 
but have never been lucky enough 
to find one.
  I did a few back then and 
wish I had kept them.

Well, guess what?  
I found a company 
that makes them and 
they look exactly like 
back in the good old days. 
 I've ordered a couple
 but they haven't come yet and
 I'm very anxious to see them.  
They are really quite cheap 
so I hope they are worth it.
 If I feel that they are, 
I will let you in on 
all the info about the 
company and the product. 

Thanks for taking the trip with me 
to the Good Old Days. 
 Sometimes it is great fun
 to look backwards...

...and to all my artistic friends,
 thank you so much for the inspirations and 
even though I know
 there will be no comparison,
 I once heard a sentiment that states 
you are only as good 
as the company you keep. 
 I hope that is true.


...Judy...



I just wanted to 
thank all of you who 
read and commented on my last week's post.

 Along with 
many other problems that we are facing now
 in our country,
 it is one of the worst.

 This should not be an issue of 
a connection to any political party.

 This is a 
common sense human being issue
 and we all need to stand up
 for what we believe 
and make our voices heard 
however we can. 
I certainly appreciate 
your thoughts and input. 

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