I've been trying to gauge just how many flowers I would need to landscape the area around the garden, so I thought I would play around outside with all the items I've built for the outside, purchased, swapped with others to receive, and I'm pleased with the look I'll be getting. None of this is glued in place yet, but I would love to hear your feedback.
I was set on having a little seating area on the side of the shed, and I found this faux wicker settee last year at the sale tables at Camp Mini Ha Ha. I love it.
Seated on the wicker settee is the fantastic basket I received from Caterina. It is absolutely stunning, and it's lined with newspaper, so detailed. I've filled the basket with lots of reading material for the avid gardener when they take a break on the settee. Some of these reading materials came from Caterina, and Norma when we swapped. Norma's little magazines were exquisite!
I have so many beautiful potted plants, that I thought this area would be a great place to display those. I've covered up the rustic bench I made several months ago, but it's a great ledge for Kim's potted pink lillies on the bench! Kim's swap items also included yellow daffodils, blue hydrangeas, and red lillies peeping out in the background. Also shown in the picture is Ira's beautiful seed box, filled with many more gardening books and seed packages, ready for our avid garden. Also shown is Monica's beautifully potted pansies, that's a flower I want to try and make myself as well, but Monica's are just perfect. Tucked in along side of the seed carrier is Ira's beautiful potted hyacinth and potted roses.
I always like a touch of humour in any display, and nothing does it better than animals, I love the cat crouching ready to spring on whatever it is spying between the potted flowers. Hope he doesn't knock any of the pots over!! I purchased the little potted plant while on my last trip to Las Vegas in January, I am not sure what type of plant it is, but I love it.
I purchased these butterfly jewelry findings at our local Micheals Arts & Crafts store, and I painted them off white. I remember many years ago it was the rage in Newfoundland to put these groupings of wooden butterfly folk art on the outside of homes. I might add a little bit of aging such as rust, just to make so less "new" like.
On the left side of the "wicker" settee I have added more of Monica's and Kim's flowers plus one of my potted ferns. I am not sure if I will use the barrel, but if I do so I will have to age it a little. I topped the barrel with a decorated birdhouse I purchased at Camp Mini Ha Ha from one of my fellow swappers from several years ago, Adrian. I love it!
I also didn't forget to get in on http://www.miniatures.com/ annual sale. In the past it's always been a 30% off sale, but I kept waiting for it, but instead they have done a 20% off sale. Considering how well the Canadian dollar is doing, I decided to go with the 20% off and I had a fun hour brousing their site and recent catalog and have placed my order for more exquisite little minis for the garden shed and more. Can't wait until I see my new purchases. For anyone who is interested, the sale ends tomorrow and the promo code is WPC3110. Drop by their site and have a look!
So enough of my playing for today, it's back to flower making, thrown in with a little fence making as well while my clay paving tiles dry!
Until the next time............
Wanda