Christmas Cottage Garden

Welcome.  I am so happy that you stopped by.  My garden gate is always open for you to come in and sit and relax with a cup of tea.  The recent rains and cold weather really helped our gardens in Southern California and Christmas flowers are now in full bloom.  Let's join Bentley, my Studio Assistant, in the garden to show you some of the plants and flowers we are growing and ideas for simple and inexpensive Christmas gifts for our garden friends as well as fun ways to add pops of color to your winter garden.

The white Campanula's make wonderful little gifts for a teacher or neighbor and bloom for a month or so in a pot - add a cute gift tag and red bow for an instant little gift from the garden.

The living Christmas tree made it through our drought and is ready to be taken inside for a few weeks.

I love to use ladders in the garden for display and to add height .

The little snowmen paintings are a fun way to add a touch of Christmas whimsy to the garden and also made fun little gifts.  There are lots of instructions on how to paint them under Art 101 that can be found on my blog header.

Bulbs planted in cute containers make great gifts and the containers can be reused.  The Asparagus Ferns are so pretty and fluffy and look so festive with a cute pick, Christmas tag or red bow tied around the pot - they are one of my favorite gifts to give and I grow lots of them this time of year. Primroses are starting to bloom and they are fun little gifts to tuck in a basket of goodies.

Vintage boxes are great to use as containers to hold potted gifts.

Containers of herbs also make great gifts.

A cute tea pot with a missing lid makes an adorable container for a small ivy plant - this one is for a teacher friend.

I bring out the red and white check indoor/outdoor cushions for Christmas.  The reindeer cushions are new and I purchased them at a discount store.

The wooden sleigh purchased from a discount store  with several pots makes an adorable gift for a garden friend

A burlap bag makes a fun container for Christmas greens - wrap greens with damp paper towel and put in a plastic baggie to keep them fresh.

Another ladder adds interest and height to a corner in the garden.  The old funnel makes a fun planter for a pot of winter Primroses.

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I found the vintage bird house welcome sign at a flea market for $5.00.

Thank you for stopping by.  I sincerely appreciate your visits, e-mails, comments and those following my blog.

Have a lovely week.  Holiday Blessings,  Erin

                              "Let your good spirit lead me on a level path."  Psalm  143:10

Creating Christmas Ornaments with Eastside

Welcome.  I am so happy that you stopped by.  We are having beautiful cold weather this week in California and it is beginning to feel like Christmas. Come inside and have a cup of tea and freshly baked gingerbread and relax for a few minutes while I share with you the beautiful Christmas ornaments Marilyn taught our Eastside Art Group to make.

Let's join Bentley. my Studio Assistant, to look at the ornaments that we made in my studio.

Marilyn showed us how to pour special glue inside the ornaments and swirl it around and then add glitter, mica and various materials - she even showed us how to add floor wax - yes floor wax to the ones with glitter!

Every time we create together - each artist's individual style shows through.

Linda is very creative and whimsical and  used Epsom salts in hers to look like snow and made "melting snowmen".

Jacki loves the color orange and she created orange ornaments.  Libby likes turquoise and she used a lot of turquoise in hers,

I wanted mine to have a cottage look and used red check ribbons, added Epsom salts in the bottom with red berries and a sprig of pine.

I like to start decorating for Christmas after Thanksgiving and this year plan to keep things very simple using greenery and seashells with touches of red check.  I used the star shape basket filled with sea shells as a base for my new ornaments.

I love to use the red and white check cushions for Christmas and  how festive they look this time of year.

Thank you for stopping by.  I sincerely appreciate your visits, e-mails, comments and those who follow my blog.  

We are so thankful for the rain we have had recently- our Iceberg Roses love it and are making up for lost time by blooming one more time before the end of the year.

Have a lovely week.  Blessings,
Erin

                      "Let  the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice."  1 Chronicles 16:31

Fall Gathering

Welcome. My garden gate is always open for you to come in and sit and rest with a cup of hot spiced tea. I am so happy that you stopped by.  This is the time of year that I try and slow down from art and gallery shows and take time to count my blessings and say Thank You to everyone who takes time out of their busy days to visit my blog, leave  me lovely comments and send me e-mails.  I am so grateful  to you and all of my blog friends for brightening my days all through the year.

Let's join Bentley, my Studio Assistant, to go on a little garden tour to gather our pumpkins to take them to the Soup kitchen to use for pumpkin pies and look for flowers to take to my church to decorate the tables for our  Thanksgiving annual community gathering to feed the homeless and those in need.

Thank you for stopping by.  Wishing you and your family a Peaceful, Happy and Joyful Thanksgiving.

Blessings,  Erin
                                               

                                 "To set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace."  Romans 8:6

Painting Fall Pansies

Welcome.  I am so happy that you stopped by.  My garden gate is always open for you to come in and sit and relax with a cup of tea while I share with you the inspirations for my art.  The weather is perfect to plant Fall Pansies - cool nights and warm days.  I have been extra busy getting ready for another art show next week and have missed posting for you.  Let's join Bentley, My Studio Assistant. to look for Pansies to paint for the show.

I love using one of my ladders to display the Pansies when the start trailing down the sides of their post.

I came up with a new line of small 3x3 paintings called "Joyful Greetings"  for the art show and used the Pansy blooms as inspirations for the first test ones.

Thank you for sopping by.  I sincerely appreciate your visits, e-mails, comments and those following my blog.  I hope to start back with my weekly posts in a few weeks as I will be done with art shows for the year.

Have a lovely week.  Blessings,  Erin

                   "Happy is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates."  Proverbs 8:34