Texas style, words and photography.
Monday morning after the rain storms I spotted these two cotton tail bunnies in the front yard.
I went to get the camera and they were actually still in the same place when I got back. They do not look very old to me.
This was a great way to start off my week with wildlife in the front yard.
Life is good!
Everyday gives us the opportunity to enjoy life to the fullest.
Open your eyes to see nature and your ears to hear it.
Look around at the flowers, trees, grass, and the sky.
Listen to the birds sing.
Tune into to nature her beauty is wonderful.
I have been making concrete and hypertufa items for about the last year and half.
The Hypertufa has the look of aged concrete with dips & cracks and I love that look.
When I do a craft such as this it takes awhile to complete because it has to cure in a plastic bag for two days, then two days in the sun, then two days in a water bath then back in the sun to dry. That is when it can be completed with paint, stones or mirrors.
Normally it can take 8 – 9 days to complete one bird bath. Most of this time your waiting for each of the processes in the curing time. You have to be patient to do this.
Creating things with my hands and adding my own personal touch to them is something I love to do. I want each item I create to be unique.
These three birdbaths were created for our bird bath hill in the backyard. I will be working on a fourth this week. The pedestals came from broken bird baths or gazing ball holders.
I prefer the black metal stands I just need to find someone to make me some. These need to be repainted I noticed that in my pictures.
I just made my first hypertufa pedestal it is square and it will be for the fourth bird bath. Now I have to figure out the next paint scheme and accents.
Two of the bird baths I sealed the (outside only) with Marine Spar and one I did not but I think I will go back and do that one. I sort of the like the glazed pottery look that has a deeper contrast look to it.
These bird baths are deep and all will have something added to them to help the birds feel secure.
All the processes are very important and if not followed correctly the pots, or birdbaths will crack. When I first started making these I had many cracked pots I think this boiled down to finding what worked best in our Texas climate.
Creativity helps me clear my mind and rejuvenate for another day.
Everyday is a beautiful day make sure you spend it doing something you truly enjoy.
Happy Birthday to my little sister Sheri who is 57 years old today.
I made her a few Hypertufa pots for her birthday & filled them with plants.
We both love our plants and planters & we both love being creative.
Here is a picture of the largest planter with succulents and sedum. This pot is 20″ across and 10 ” deep. It is a bowl type planter and I love the look of them.
Every planter I make has slight imperfections in it but that is what makes them so unique.
Do something creative today that can bring joy to someone else.
There is 3 1/2 weeks difference in these pictures.
It is truly amazing how fast petunias grow.
I spent a lot of time making my huge planter and painting it with the metallic paints only to realize a few weeks later the pot does not even show anymore lol.
A good rule of thumb when it comes to finding the perfect place for your petunias is the lighter colors need filtered sun rather than full sun and brighter or darker colors can handle the sun better.
If you can find the perfect spot for your petunias they will really put on a show with lots of blooms every day to brighten up your yard.
You realize as you get older things are harder to do, you tire out easier and need more breaks. Honestly, that is okay because at least you are able to to do something you truly enjoy.
Listening to the birds sing early in the mornings is one of my favorite things to do.
I was talking to my mother n law and she told me she loves that too and she sits outside early in the morning waiting on her ride to mass.
The sun on your skin a fresh breeze in the air & being surrounded by nature is such a beautiful feeling.
Nature has a way of making you feel alive.
Vintage Windows are amazing I love the look of them and there are so many projects you can do with them.
I saw this project done on Pinterest many years ago and I saved it to one of my boards knowing that one day I would use this idea.
This project is so simple just hang an old window frame in a tree using some rope or chain then add a hook in the center of the frame up top and add your hanging basket of flowers.
I am a visual interest person I like to take areas of our yard that are sort of bland looking and wake them up.
This area gets some afternoon sun but it is filtered from the tree. I think the Vinca hanging basket and the window frame complement each other quite well.
Adding this small splash of color really made a big difference.
It is that time of year when the daylilies bloom.
This year they are doing really well I think its because we have had so much rain.
Through the years we have moved a few into the backyard secret garden area but I found a new place to move some in the front yard.
I love it when flowers multiply and you can share them with someone special or move a few to a new location.
I was in the front yard with the grandkids, Jeanelle and their new Cane Corso puppy.
The pup had just had its ears cut so they are super tender and we were trying to do some pics but Mako ( the pup) was not cooperating.
We went to the side yard in the front for fewer distractions and low and behold Daisy and Zoee were in the backyard and they did this pitiful pose at the gate.
These two are always trying to be the center of everyone’s attention.
