A Tiny Garden Oasis at the Edge of the Gypsy Camp Forest

 Summer is here and there are so many wonderful muses.

It delights my heart to be in the garden areas that are

dreamily growing. As many of you know it's A LOT

of work to create these areas of beauty!

I've been digging, moving rocks, pulling weeds, 

planning, planting and reading and watering!

Here are a few of my new friends~

Tutti Fruit Yarrow

I thought the color was so beautiful, soft and peachy.

I just HAD to have her! And there was only one.

 Other lovelies waiting their turn for a new home~

Phlox

 If you're familiar with this old fashioned beauty,

you know that  her fragrance fills the air with a heavenly, sweet aroma!

 Oh....Those pink blossoms..  and her bright green foliage!

So enchanting.

Much of the work is in camp.

 Our gypsy camp is not deep in the forest, but there are tall Pinon

 and Juniper trees that line the paths and surround some of the 

enchanting hide- a -ways that await us when we need a little 

get-away.  And we're planting bushes and trees.

We have OH so much work to do!

But it's slowly being transformed.

In a few weeks, I will be ready to reveal the terraced, rock garden.

But..... the refreshing comes from slowing down and knowing that

that's our sacred place for communing with God, each other and nature. 

~QUIET~

While resting in the hammock,

I heard the sweetest little chitterings of birds.

And then I saw the tiny creatures flitting about

through the branches looking for a snack.

Pine Siskins I believe. 

It was these little birds that inspired the tiny garden.

And so, equipped with petunias, lobelia,

a pewter dish, thrifted cake plate, bird seed,

two potted hens, a small wheel barrow and watering can,

I headed toward the chosen spot.

 I dug it up with and mixed a little garden soil in.

I planted the flowers and settled all of the pieces in their places.

Filled the containers and added some rocks and mulch.

 And now they have a place to stop and get a drink and grab a bite

during their travels. 

And the faeries are welcome too! ;)

I should make a sign.

WELCOME FAERIES

I believe I will.

What about your projects...gardens or plans..

I love to hear of them!

I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July weekend.

I'm so thankful for our forefathers and those that

still serve today to protect our country and freedoms.

Blessings to you and thank you, as always

for coming by!

Tamara xo

The Framing of Nature~ A Collage

Hello sweet people~

How are you?

( some music for you.. Brian Crain's  Summer)

I am FINALLY rested from my trip and have been successful in

fighting off a cold and stomach virus.

Life has been rich and full with 

visits, outings and celebrations.

Last Friday, three of my daughters and myself

watched Steel Magnolias and we

 had  the FuNnEsT  time....

Laughing ..crying... sitting with our mouths wide open in disbelief!

The gave me a card and the cutest little wheel barrow planter

made from rough cut lumber. It was a late Mother's Day gift.

They're so sweet

I will share that later.

**********

Today, Id like to show you all this little framed project using a few 

collected treasures from nature.

I painted my thrifted picture frame.

First I dry brushed the frame with Vintage White acrylic.

Then by mixing some paints, I created some colors that matched

and softly brushed and blended them together in a few places

on the frame to add a few highlites.

 French sheet music seemed a wonderful background for these natural beauties.

And here I share ONE of my treasure boxes filled with

collected treasures. Aren't treasure boxes so much fun?

I have several different kinds.

Special cards and notes..

Bits of papers from special events

and trips and places.

Trinkets... jewelry..

Do you have special treasures that you've kept tucked

away in a special place?

A beautiful, dried rose resting atop an old weathered bone.. 

It seems kind of strange but maybe they are a perfect contrast

of thought and substance~

********

Life is such a wonder and I've been enjoying it so much.

And of course there are the bumps too.

But they make us stronger and cultivate compassion in our hearts.

 And still, there's such beauty that surrounds and amazing people to celebrate.

And here we go into the next season of this year!

I hope that yours will be filled pleasures and quiet times of

resting in your special place reading or listening..

To your heart or .....

the buzzing of the bees and songs of happy birds.

HAPPY SUMMER

Thank you for coming by!  

Sending many good wishes your way.

xo

Blessings,

Tamara

Mixed Felt Florals and Lovely Patina~

A wonderful Thursday to you...

I just wanted to pop in and say hello and share

my little flowers and this lovely patina-covered tray with you.

I hope they brighten your day!

Warm evenings with the distant sounds of a Whippoorwill...

Playing guitar by the fire...

Trees and bushes bursting with life..

Flowers coming on and mama birds "setting"

Planting ever so many plants and rolling rocks with Jeff.

(yes..we get on our hands and knees and roll large rocks to where ever we

need them.. I'm sure we're quite the silly sight!)

These are just a few of the simple pleasures that I've been enjoying.

What's been happening with you?

Wishing you warm breezes and the sweet flutterings of butterfly wings~

Thank you so much for coming by :)

Hugs,

Tamara

Back From the Flea.. Inspiration and Happy Exhaustion!

Hello Dear Friends~

So many weeks have passed since we visited.

I'm sorry I have been away so long. 

I should know better than to make promises of visits 

and checking in.

I didn't make it to the library one time.

Next time I will declare a time of absence!

Honestly, when I'm traveling, I hardly have time to breathe.

By the time I get home I am literally ready to drop

into a happy heap. 

It's so delightful being held captive by family and friends.

Hugs 

laughter

 stories 

 talks 

movies 

and food.

There are two places where we eat that the 

pies are absolutely

HEAVENLY! 

And hunting for oh so many treasures!

At times I felt like I was over doing the shopping a bit

but I've learned when it's

available, you must dive in and relish

in the opportunities.

I sure hope that all is well with you, Lovelies. 

{{Hugs}}

This refreshing New Mexico rain shower left us

with a beautiful double rainbow.

It looks like that truck is headed straight for the

pot O' gold!

 Drying my anniversary flowers in the motel room.

Crossing the Mississippi is always a huge landmark. We always feel like we've crossed over from the west to the east. 

And actually, St Louis is considered the gateway to the west.

Remember learning about The Louis and Clark

Expedition? Do you love learning 

about the history and people of our land? 

I do.

 Do you keep your hands busy when you're on the road?

When I'm not watching the scenery roll by, I work on cutting out and sewing yo-yos. I love watching 

the pile of these lovely, pleated and 

colorful flowers grow. 

I'm so drawn to these gypsy colors lately! 

 Looking for movie posters at the flea market was fun.

Here are two of our favorite 

hollywood stars together.  

Jean Arthur and Gary Cooper.

We love old movies!

This one would have been perfect but $995

was a bit out of our price range.

But so amazing.

Don't you love the vintage graphics and colors?

It may have been an original movie ad poster because it

was about 8 foot tall!

 The day we went to the flea market, it rained a good part f the

day. But we had such a great time as we met so many good

folks that inspired us with their hard work and dedication.

There so many vendors! One thing we learned and will do next time is to make a once around and make notes 
of those vendors that we'd like to make a stop at.
It was such a wonderful learning experience 
and so much fun!

 And oh my... look who I found.

My heart gets so thrilled when I consider Beatrix Potter

and her story.  Such sweet characters and beautiful

watercolors. What she accomplished in her day was

phenomenal! 

 And guess who came home with me?
 Miss Jemima Puddle Duck.

Doesn't she look like she's

 ready to go out and play in the rain with her
 smart little bonnet and jacket?
So sophisticated. 

Getting ready to load some of our treasures.
Chippy pink spindles. 
Oh my!

A Sugartree sunset and dreamy clouds~

It rained most of the time during our stay.

Back to everyday life which is anything but ordinary!

I'm so excited to slip back into it all..

Every day is a gift.. 

If I think of it that way, I hold the time close

and appreciate it more.

Isn't it just glorious to have some warm summer like days?

I'm so happy to be back safe and to have all those

wonderful memories tucked away in my heart.

What the extra-ordinary in your days?

Thank you for coming by. I'm looking forward to

catching up!

Tamara xo