Mosaic Monday - Chihuly Arizona

Hello and welcome to Mosaic Monday.  Mary at Little Red House is our host.  Please visit her blog to see a variety of Mosaics from around the globe. 

Last March my husband and I went to Phoenix for Baseball Spring Training.  I am a huge Texas Rangers fanatic.  While we were there we visited the Desert Botanical Garden.  Much to my surprise they were exhibiting Dale Chihuly's glass all throughout the gardens. These are mosaics I created from the pictures I took in the garden.

These pictures don't do his work justice.  It is breath taking in a garden setting. 

Below are 2 kaleidoscopes I created using the picture in the first mosaic top left corner.

Thank you for visiting my blog. 

Until next time,

Still Busy in the Yard

This week I have been busy moving my tropical plants into the greenhouse.  It continues to get down into the low 40's at night and even though the plants looked good outside I didn't want to take the chance that they might get damaged. 

My little green house cannot hold another plant.  It is bursting at the seams.

I have a 9'x12' greenhouse that my husband built about 10 years ago.  It has gas heat and running water and works very well to over winter the tropicals.  I plan to build a larger greenhouse next fall and use this one for starting seedlings. 

The leaves have started changing colors.  These are the oaks in the front yard.

Aren't the red leaves on this tree just beautiful?  This is my neighbors tree and I have no idea what kind of tree it is.

And look what is blooming again...my bird of paradise!  This plant is still sitting outside and is a very happy camper.  Somehow I will have to squeeze it into the greenhouse soon.

To end this post I thought I would show some of the plants that are still blooming.  Stella de Ore daylily, Queen Sophia Marigold, ToadLily, Purple Wave Petunia and Mums.

Until next time,

I'm a Winner

Dee at Red Dirt Ramblings had a give away to celebrate RDR's 2nd year anniversary and I won one of the prizes...The Easy Bloom Plant Sensor. 

  You place it in the ground, in a spot where you want to plant or near existing plants.  It measures the amount of sunlight the area receives, reads soil moisture and drainage, and collects temperature and humidity data.  You then connect it to your computer (PC or Mac) using a USB cable.  It analyzes the data and makes recommendations of what to plant or how to get existing plants to thrive.  I have not tried it yet but am looking forward to seeing it in action.  Thanks Dee!! 

While I was in Houston I bought some new software called Kaleidoscope Kreator.  Here are some of the photos I have created with it.

  This is a mini rose that is in my back yard x 20. 

Purple mums growing in the front yard x 12.








Until next time,

Mosaic Monday - More Chihuly

Hello everyone and welcome to another Mosaic Monday.  I want to thank Mary over at the Little Red House for being our host.  Please visit her blog to see more beautiful Mosaics.

Here are a few more mosaics that I created using pictures of Chihuly glass sculptures that were in the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis in 2006.  If you are not familiar with Dale Chihuly's work please visit his website at this link.

Hey, did X-large picture size just appear in Blogger?  I don't think I have ever noticed it before.  I'm trying it...here goes.

Okay, I am going to post this so I can see what these X-large pictures look like.
I hope you have a great week. 

Houston Here I Come

Early tomorrow I am driving to Houston to attend the Houston International Quilt Festival....woohoo!!  This will be my 4th year to attend.  If you are a quilter this is an event that you will want to attend some time in the future if you get the chance. 

Before I leave I wanted to post a few pictures that I took in the yard this week. 

This orb weaver has decided to weave her web on my front porch. Luckly it rained and I could see the web before I ran into it!

This is a english ivy covered dead tree that fell across my fence and onto the path that runs along with side of the house.  Husband, get out the chain saw. 

I love the moss that grows on dead trees.  There is moss growing all over the acreage.

Papaya, Moon flowers, native cactus, zinnia and Knockout roses are still looking pretty good.

When I get home from Houston, high on quilty inspiration I will start sharing some of my quilt projects.

Until next time,

Mosaic Monday - Chihuly Glass part 2

Hello everyone and welcome to another Mosaic Monday.  This week I am again sharing images of Chihuly glass taken in garden settings in Columbus, Ohio and St. Louis, Missouri.  My husband knows that I love this glass and while he is planning our vacations he seeks out places with Chihuly exhibits.  I always think we are simply visiting gardens unaware that the Chihuly display is also in the garden.  I am surprised, I am happy, he is happy.  He is so good to me.

I took these photos back in 2004 at The Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio.  This was the first exhibit of Chihuly glass I had ever seen in a garden setting.  I see that they are now called The Franklin Park Conservatory & Chihuly Collection.  Looks like we may have to visit Columbus soon.

These pictures were taken in July 2006 at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis Missouri.

This is my favorite botanical garden.  I got to actually hold a piece of the glass while I was here.  Can you tell that seeing this glass really makes my day?

 I have another mosaic or 2 from this exhibit that I will be sharing next Monday. 

Thank you Mary at Little Red House for hosting Mosaic Monday.  Please be sure to check out her blog to see some beautiful mosaics from all over the blogging world. 

Until next time,

Fertilizer Friday - A Blooming Surprise

It's Fertilizer Friday again and this week I found a surprise bloom in my garden.

This is a Bird of Paradise that I bought in Houston about 3 years ago.  It bloomed last November while it was in the greenhouse.  I never dreamed it would bloom outside.

I keep this plant in a pot.  This year I just sat it in the middle of one of the flower beds, simply trying to keep it alive during our hot summers.  It was shaded a little by the castor beans.  I think I will go outside and cut it now.  The bloom lasts a week or so in the house.

The Stella de Ore daylily decided to bloom again.

Some of the mums are blooming but most are at the bud stage.  I hope they have opened by next week.

This is still my favorite.  The yellow Melampodium with the purple Gomphrena and the purple mum. 

This is the seed pod from the castor beans.  It is an eye catching vibrant red and everyone that comes to the house wants to know what they are.  I always tell people that the castor bean is one of the most poisonous plants that exists.  If a child or animal were to eat one of the seeds it could kill them.  I have never had any problems with my cats and my kids are grown and gone.  But I want everyone to be warned before attempting to grow this beautiful plant.

To help manage these seeds and try to make sure no living thing other than me comes in contact with them I cut off most of the seed pods when they start drying.  I will put knee high panty hose around a few of the drying pods and tie them at the bottom.  Once they are good and dry I will cut the stalk and harvest the seeds.

Thank you again Tootsie for hosting Fertilizer Friday - Flaunt Your Flowers.  Please visit Tootsie Time to see what others are sharing from their gardens.

Until next time,

Mosaic Monday - Chihuly Glass part 1

For the next few Mondays I will be creating mosaics from different Dale Chihuly exhibits I have photographed across America.  I am starting close to home.

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

This is a permanent exhibit at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. 

If you are ever in OKC the Museum of Art is a wonderful place to visit.  Thank you Mary at Little Red House for hosting Mosaic Monday.  Visit her blog and see more beautiful and interesting mosaics.

Until next time,

Cool Weather Inspiration

Now that our high temperatures are in the 70's I have been inspired to start a few projects in the yard that require some sweat and muscle.

Today my husband bought me 1 yard of mulch for my woodland gardens and....

(yes, that is my side yard between me and the next door neighbor)

1 ton of Oklahoma river rock for the paths that run through the woodland gardens.  It doesn't look like there is much rock until you start shoveling and moving it around with the wheel barrow.  And I moved it all by myself. 

I have had playground mulch in this path for the last 3 years.  It had basically decomposed and I wanted a permanent solution.  I was told that 1 ton of river rock layed 2 inches deep would cover about 100 square feet.  I think I covered about 120 square feet.  The picture does not show the remaining 800 square feet I have to cover.  Over the next few months I will be moving about 8 more tons.

I was able to put down a little of the new mulch.  This is Golden Tansy that I planted in September.  The ugly plant in the center is a Disciple plant that is a pass-a-long plant from my mother-in-law.  I also planted it in September. 






Until next time,