Winter Garden at The Vintage Lady

Welcome. I am so glad that you stopped by. With snow on the ground in all fifty states you are just in time to take a break from the weather and join me. My friend Kathy, who owns the Vintage Lady in Old Town Tustin, CA, invited us to have tea with her and take a tour of her Winter Vintage Garden. We are having a break in our very rainy weather in Southern California today . . . . I don't know about you, but I am anxious for Spring and Spring garden planting and need to get outside. Kathy has a way of adding color to her garden even in the winter.

Let's get Bentley, my Studio Assistant, and go for a visit.

Bentley is ready to go - he loves going in the car and exploring Kathy's garden.

Old Town Tustin is like going back in time. The mail man picks up the Vintage Lady's mail in a basket left by the front door .

Let's take a peek inside before we go out in the back to her charming little garden filled with old Vintage finds.

Kathy does such a great job "bringing the outside inside" by decorating her shop with old vintage garden furniture.

Every room in her little cottage is painted a different color.

Let's go outside into the garden. Her vintage garden is charming year round - even in the Winter when very few flowers are in bloom.

Kathy adds color with charming signs and vintage figurines .

Love her red winter primroses.

The addition of adorable blue birds to a simple ivy plant is a great way to brighten winter garden plants.

A sweet little ferry with a wicker heart supporting the green plant is adorable and not a bloom in sight.

Looks like a few blooms are starting to peek out inspired by all of our rain.

Kathy designs her darling signs and has a local artist paint them. The red brings so much life and color to her winter garden.

The darling little blue birds are going to go home with me to live in my winter garden.

I love how bright and cheerful the red settee looks in the garden. Hmm - I may have to take this home with me.

Look how cute the old red wagon looks with hearty green plants .

Another sweet cherub brightens a green plant.

I hope you enjoyed your visit to the Vintage Lady. Kathy has a website where you can see more of her adorable shop and garden:

http://thevintagelady.com/

The Vintage Lady

434 El Camino Real

Old Town Tustin, CA 92780

714 731-0422

Thank you for stopping by. I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate your visits, comments and those who follow my blog. Please let me know if you would like to see me paint something special or have any questions.

Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin

Winter Pansey Garden

Welcome. I am so happy that you stopped by. We are having a break from all of the rain in Southern California. In spite of our unusually cold weather the sun is shining and the sky is blue - a perfect day for me to invite you to join me in my little garden to see what is blooming. I usually drink tea, however, when the weather is in the low 50's I like to make hot chocolate - I made a cup just for you.

Looks like Bentley found a pot of Inpatients that survived the frost.

I planted Winter pansies last month and they are blooming in spite of the cold - they loved all of the rain. We plant them in the Winter as they do not do well in the Summer heat in Southern California.

I love painting outside in " en Plein Air" (French word for in open air) and want to paint pansies in Terra cotta pots. Let's look for inspiration.

Finding inspiration . . . . .

Looks like Bentley, my helpful studio assistant, found some terra cotta pots.

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There . . . .

Everywhere . . . . . .

I ended up painting on a very small canvas since it was getting cold and the clouds started blowing in off the ocean. Looks like we are in for more welcome rain. Everyone hopes it will help end our bad drought. I hope those of you who are in really cold climates or snowed in enjoyed getting out with me enjoying the pansies.

Thank you for visiting. I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate everyone who visits me, leaves me a comment and follows my blog. Please leave me a comment if you would like to see me paint something special or have any questions.

Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin

Helping Hands for Haiti

Welcome. I am so happy that you stopped by . There is so much going on in the world - the tragedy in Haiti is on every one's mind and it is heartwarming to see so many wonderful relief agencies and individuals helping out by raising money . In my neighborhood a group of children have been selling lemonade ( in between the rain squalls) .

I feel blessed that I have been able to donate my art to help raise money . Please have a cup of hot tea with me and I will share the inspirations behind the art projects I created to help out. The weather in Southern California has been dreary and rainy with thunderstorms, hail and tornado's and I decided to think Spring and paint pink roses I purchased from the market.

Looks like my studio assistant, Bentley, has been waiting for you.

Finding inspiration . . . .

Pink roses were the inspiration behind the little rose painting - I added a green French clock
and tea set to the gift.

Here . . . .

There . . . . . .

Everywhere . . . . . .

I painted a tea cup with pink roses and created a gift basket with the mosaic birdhouse, vintage handkerchiefs and little ballet slippers. I also added a white lace tablecloth.

The pink tea pot and tea cup finished off the gift raffle basket.

The basket was finished off with an addition of pink garden gloves.

To our neighbors in Haiti - " You are in our thoughts and prayers".

Jennifer 's The Old Painted Cottage blog has links to a blog listing various ways to help out our neighbors in Haiti:

http://theoldpaintedcottage.blogspot.com

Thank you for stopping by. I love hearing from you and sincerely appreciate your visit, comments and those who follow my blog. Please let me know if you would like to see me paint something special or have any questions.

Have a lovely week. Blessings, Erin