“The joy of the creative process, minute by minute, hour after hour, day by day, is the sublime path to true happiness.” ~ George Lois
I always enjoy being part of Kat’s Photo-Heart Connection and visiting the other participants’ blogs. Haven’t done it before? You can learn more about how to find your Photo-Heart Connection here.
I never really considered that one could be creative in gardening just as much as in painting or mixed media work, but when I came across the quotation above on the exact same day that I drove past these lovely purple flowers hanging over a fence, it got my mind going. I had to turn around, stop the car, and snap a picture. Something about their delicate loveliness spoke to me. I started thinking about creating a sort of calming space in various areas of our backyard and driveway with plants and flowers, somehow invoking the same feeling I got when I drove past these purple flowers… one of peace, purposefulness, and welcome.
This is my way to combine my Photo-Heart Connection post with a garden update! I’ve wanted to bring in some interest and color to our space, so I got these windchimes as my first new additions. The one on the left is made of recycled wine bottles (that lowest blue circle is the bottom of the bottle) and the one on the right was handmade in India.
To add interest to a blank wall, I added these decorative trellises (or would it be trelli?). I have lots of boring areas just like this one was so if you have any other ideas, I’m all ears.
Just adding color to our containers made a huge difference.
My favorite new addition is a peach tree. We already have a little one growing! It’s in a perfect location to be able to see it from several areas of our house.
We enter the house from the side door off the driveway, so having that area be more welcoming was my primary focus. I have had these iron flowers for about a year and a half now and they have been leaning against this wall with their price tags on the entire time. Pathetic. (I got them half price at Marshalls Home Goods because some of their jewels had fallen off – easily fixed.) I need to get one more and figure out how to incorporate some color into this space around our door. I may have to (gasp!) paint those wood beams.
I added this green shelf last year (see that post here) and it’s been sitting rather neglected ever since July when the heat pretty much did all the plants in. This time I am focusing on the decor and adding only a few plants. Those are in larger planters with moisture-retention soil, whatever that is.
My other new addition this year… a welcoming line of pinwheels and flowers along the driveway. Luckily, these get whatever rainfall comes their way, so I don’t really have too many to remember to water.
Our rose, hibiscus, and agapanthus plants are looking luscious. I’ve been enjoying a new rose a day in our kitchen window.
I decided to try this trellis idea one more time before abandoning it. Last year, because the pots didn’t have drainage, they became cesspools of nastiness. So I carved holes into the bottoms this time and planted mandevillia again.
Our front yard got a color update too.
So that’s it! I hope you enjoyed my tour. Click here to view my other Photo-Heart connection posts.
Linking this to Lori Moon’s May Flower Challenge too.
Remember when I mentioned that I went on a search for some ugly art at thrift stores and bought some? Here’s the pile of my hidden treasures:
For this project, I used the one at the far right in the photo above. I covered the original panels with gesso and then added some background papers, paint, and I started doodling.
I was excited to try using glass beads to add some dimension.
by Xorin Balbes, which is simply amazing. It’s all about how your home should reflect and celebrate you and how you make sense of the world. I’m only just in the beginning stages of his 8 steps (ASSESS), so I’ll tell you more about this book as I progress, I’m sure.
