A Cozy Corner and some New Posies

Hi Y'All, Yep, I am a Southern Girl, so I just had to make a nice cozy corner where I could sit on hot days and drink lemonade and read "Gone with the Wind". These old wicker chairs have got some fresh pillows to brighten them up and I added a little potted cyclamen to pick up the red color in the pillows. Would you like to join me for some ice cold lemonade? I went to the Garden Center the other day and bought a new rose called Knock Out. It is supposed to resist the heat admirably and bloom constantly. I hope it will. They seem to be new here, so we will see.

I got a tropical foliage plant, too, for the back porch to pot in a larger pot.

Here is a close up of the cyclamen which I will have to re pot, too. I'm trying to get some pretty plants for my porch and make it more inviting. I have a shelf I am going to bring out there and fill with plants. Ever since doing the stove make over, I have been interested in doing more with the porch!

As I do things there, I will post and show you, so keep looking.

Have a creative day!

Bunnies everywhere!

Hello everybody from Ten Gables Cottage, It is that time of year again. Bunny time. I guess I got carried away making chenille bunnies. I posted a few the other day, and just couldn't stop making them! I have a booth in an antique mall, and thought they would look cute to decorate it for Easter. Old chenille bedspreads are all the rage, now and I have several, so that soft fabric just calls out, "make bunnies, make bunnies"! I'm sure they will sell out quickly in my booth.

This little fellow is a painting I did of a bunny, in acrylic paint. I see little rabbits like this all the time at the edge of the wild part of our property. They love the tender blades of Spring grass.

Hope you are having a great Spring!

A Friday Walk

Hi everybody, It is a lovely day here, even on the hot side! I just went for a little walk to see how things are growing. We have had a very nice rain, so things are really growing and blooming. I have several different hibiscus bushes. The first photo is of a single hibiscus and it always has saucer sized blooms on it...very pretty. Another red hibiscus has double flowers on it, as you can see. They are smaller blooms and tend to hang down with the weight of the petals. The blooms also have a touch of white on the edges which is very pretty.

The orange girl is also a double bloom flower. A very pretty color, too.

Now what is this monster? Just look at all those long pods on the Golden Tree. About 3 weeks ago it was full of beautiful golden flowers. They all fell off after being on a few weeks, and then the twigs were bare, then all the pods appeared and finally it is getting green leaves, too. A strange tree indeed!

Making Chenille bunnies

Hi everyone from Ten Gables Cottage, What do you do with an old Chenille bedspread? Well, I decided to make Easter bunnies out of it, so I cut a simple paper pattern, placed it on the part of the chenille that had a bit of color in flowers and greenery and cut it out. I sewed it up and stuffed it with soft fiber fill. The first one I made, I had a little trouble with the ears. Does it look like a dog or a bunny.? Anyway, he is very lovable and cute, whatever he is!

On the bigger one, I used pipe stems in the ears so I could bend them in different positions and instead of embroidering the eyes on, I used gray buttons. I think he looks more like a bunny. But they became fast friends, so it really doesn't matter..both are quite cute, fun and creative.

Rainy Day and Strawberries

Hello everyone from Ten Gables Cottage, It is a very rainy day today here in South Florida. I awoke to the sounds of crashing thunder and lightening, and rain was hitting the windows hard! It soon settled down into a very rainy day, but brightened up somewhat and has just rained steadily all day. We certainly need this rain, as we are in a drought, the worse one in 80 years for this time of year. After it brightened up a bit, I decided to go to the market, as I really needed some staples. The first thing I saw was a big display of strawberries from Plant City, Florida, famous for delicious strawberries. So of course, I had to buy some. Yum! They are beautiful and sweet and juicy!

I am once again on a diet, or at least trying to avoid sugary desserts like cake and cookies, so I thought I would just make a jello dessert, using strawberry jello, finely diced and mashed strawberries, crushed pineapple, and banana. With just a small dab of Cool Whip (we won't even THINK whipped cream), I think this will appease my sweet tooth and be a fine dessert tonight.

Off it goes into the fridge to get firm and off I go to enjoy painting in the studio, listening to the gentle rain outside. Such a COZY day!

Before and After...Little Stove Make Over

Hello and Welcome to Ten Gables Cottage,
Have I had a fun time today! I asked what in the world I could do with this little stove sitting in a corner of the back porch. I got some great suggestions, so today I tackled it using most of the suggestions! I just took white and green paint and dabbed it like crazy here and there on some of the rust spots and where the paint was flaking off. I didn't really want to carry the really heavy cast iron stove out into the yard to spray paint it, so I just dabbed here and there. Then I planted the back where a stove pipe would go if one really used it (Not going to happen in Florida). I used a spiky tropical plant and some Wandering Jew or Zebrina pendula. It is easy to grow and I have some already in the yard, so I just pulled up some pieces to use. It will root in soil, no problem.



















Then I put a pot inside the stove and planted a Polka Dot plant turned on it's side and impatiens. It is sort of dark inside, but in the morning will get some sun, so it should be o.k. I added more Wandering Jew and you might see a couple springs of variegated ivy, which is artificial, but it does add a bit to the whole affect. But it still needed something, so I found a bag of different mosses and lichen I had bought and I got out the old glue gun and glued some here and there. I sat the old chair next to it with Begonias in a pot and more Wandering Jew in the pot pockets. An iron bunny completes my display. It is right by the back door, where everyone comes to when they visit, so now I have a welcoming display. I think it is a big improvement, don't you?


Happy week end! Egretta

Wordless Friday