Flower bed progress

I've had a successful day off from work (Statutory holiday in Newfoundland) and I've been busy in my real garden and in my mini garden.  I've completed all the tulips (actually I still have lots left over) and I completed one of the Hollyhock kits I purchased in Toronto last week. 
First a little Kit Review.........
This is the third type of flower kit I've assembled, the first two being Hanky Panky flower kits and Bonnie Lavish flower kits.  This kit was produced by Carrie Domm and Connie Stitt in Ontario.  The kit is ten years old (based on the copyright date on the instructions) so I don't know if they still produce them.

By far Bonnie Lavish kits are my favourite to assemble, with very little instructions they are so easy to work with.  Hanky Panky kits vary by the flower, the best individual kit I have ever put together was from Hanky Panky, the geranium kits, but I've tried others that I have even yet to complete. 

This particular kit today also had it's good points and not so good points.  I absolutely loved the paper they used, I would have to say it's the best paper from any kit I've assembled.  Even though there was a full page of instructions, the only picture was very low resolution and there was no other drawings, so I had to consult a picture of a hollyhock to completely understand the instructions.  Overall I think each stem doesn't have enough flowers, but that's something that I can fix in the future when making more Hollyhocks.  I was pleased with my finished product though, and I completely in all in one day, so that's great.

The real value in kits I find is I learn so much from them, that in the future I can usually make the item without the assistance of a kit.  I definitely feel this way about the Hollyhocks.

Now on to the flower bed....
I started to fill in the garden flower beds, nothing is glued right now, and I haven't added the mulch, so this is just a dry run.

Around the fence, I had already added the forsythia before, but now I have added the tulips (made from scratch by me) and the daisy's (made from a Bonnie Lavish kit).  It was a odd angle to take a picture because the shed itself is there, so this was my best shot.

I think I need to bend the flowers a little and I have to add the mulch, right now it looks a little sparse.  The orange stems are pieces cut from a full size artificial flower.

On the other side of the shed, in the larger flower bed, I got a little more creative.  I had received a fig tree in a garden swap from Ira last year, that was wrapped in burlap the same way you would get any new tree.  I thought I would incorporate this into my display as a "work in progress", the gardener is in the process of planting the new tree.  He doesn't want to get any dirt on the freshly mowed grass, so he has laid down some newspaper to collect the soil taken to make the hole.  It also gave me the great opportunity to cover the seam in the sheet grass I used.  You can see another seam on the other side in the first picture above, I still have to figure out how to disguise that one in the future as well.

The ground was typical Newfoundland soil.  You couldn't just use a shovel, a pickaxe was required to get through the tough Newfoundland dirt.  They call it "The Rock" for a reason!!  Now I don't think Fig trees grow in Newfoundland, but we won't tell the gardener this, he'll find out from himself when the tree, doesn't thrive!!  And one never knows, he may have such a green thumb that he is able to get it to grow! 

I've placed all the plants, including the new hollyhocks in the flower bed under the window.  I still have to glue everything and add mulch.  But I think this one is full enough.  Again the tulips were made by me from scratch, the pansies are purchased, the hollyhocks are the kit I assembled today, the lilies are from a swap with Kim last year and then I've added some ready made greenery from full size artificial flowers and the same orange stems I used in the other flower bed, plus I had some red ones like the orange stems and I have added those.  I think I will switch those out for the pink hollyhocks when I get those made.

The geraniums in the window box were made last year from the Hanky Panky kit, they are my favourite I've assembled so far, the kit only made half of what is in the window box, but once I made those, I was easily able to duplicate them myself.

So I'm going to sit on this much for a day or two, assemble the second hollyhock kit, and then once I am pleased with it all I'll glue everything in place and add the mulch.

Welcome to the new followers, thanks for taking an interest in my blog.

I welcome feedback from everyone, it's what keeps me going back to create more minis.

Until next time.....

Wanda

My Toronto Trip

I've just returned from two trips back to back, first to visit my mom, and then off to Toronto for a business trip.  Even when it's business I have to find a little "me" time for my minis.  I took a few hours on Friday morning to drive to the Little Dollhouse Company on Mt Pleasant Rd in Toronto and again I found lots of new minis to add to my overgrowing collection.

If you notice in my wish list on the side of my blog, one of my future projects I would like to make is an interior designer's shop.  I found this wonderful drafting board with a work in progress.

I also found some wonderful mini drafting tools to add to this future room.  They are so detailed, I wish my camera could have been able to zoom in closer for more detail.  They are made in Italy by "le mini di Pierluigi"  check out their web site, it's fantastic work.  I've emailed the artisan with hopes of seeing more of their minis while visiting Italy in September.  I like to see things before I purchase them, I know that's not always possible in today's world, but if I can see more, I will be so happy.

For years I have been collecting items for a wine cellar project I have in mine.  I have an old wine crate that I plan to build it in and I have so many bottles of wine, I have lost count.  I also found this great crate for Dom Perignon.   I popped a few of the wine bottles I have already collected in the picture, but they were from another purchase made last year.  I don't have a mini bottle of Dom Perignon, so I will have to add it to my list of wants.....ha!

I also found these great mini books by Chaucer.  Let's face it, we can fit books in any project, but I was thinking I will put them in my castle room project.

I purchased this potato bin kit from The Daisy House for my dollhouse kitchen.  I've purchased several Daily House kits and I always like them.

I tried to keep my other current projects in mine and not start planning new ones, (I am so bad sometimes), so I did purchase some items for my garden shed.  I got this lawnmower for the garden shed.  It's just an inexpensive piece, but I think I can "antique" it like I did with the bike, and give it a little more of that well used character.  The white tires definitely have to go!!

I also got this vine, it looks like Coleus to me, and even though I've never seen Coleus grow on a vine, I thought I could cut it up and make it into a plant for the garden shed project.  It's beautifully made from clay and wire.  Such wonderful detail.

 There's a few Cala Lillies on the vine as well, I will keep them for a floral arrangement in another project. 

I also purchased two Hollyhock kits, one in pink and one in red.  Still require lots of flowers for the Garden Shed.  I've been away so much in the past ten days that I've fallen behind again.

My last purchase may be used in either my Garden Shed project or the Bakery, not sure just yet.  But I've always wanted a Al Chandronnait Basket, so now I have one.  Don't you love it.

I purchased one last item, another crate with a Guiness label, and my husband claimed it immediately, since he is the Guiness lover (I had purchased it from him anyway, so no harm done!)  It's amazing, he's even starting to collect a few minis himself as I drag him to all the mini stores on our travels.  It's a contagious hobby isn't it!

Until the next time......

Wanda