Dogs at home.

Found this cute link via Camilla Engman. HundFotografi is a Swedish website that portrays dogs photographed in their homes.  I like how they re-worked the idea of a society-type magazine featuring homeowners in their abodes and instead made the dogs a central focus. Of course, this makes me want a furry companion even more so!! A couple of my favorites are posted below.

All things nature.

Recently I have been obsessed with all things nature. Whenever I wander down a quiet street in my town my eyes search the area for interesting-looking flower buds, branches, grasses. I feel like there is so much to be taken in that I get overwhelmed.

Since germinating the seeds for my outdoor garden I have become further interested in the process of raising the delicate little seeds till they become seedlings and then 'of the age' to be transplanted. My zucchini seeds have grown so much that I'm afraid they will get too big to transplant!! (I heard that this can be an actual problem.) We built a 4'x 4'x 6" box which we need to fill with a soil mixture that we are creating so that transplanting idea can become a reality.  Here is a blurry picture I hastily took of my current zucchini situation:

See how the zucchini is taking over the entire tray of seeds?  I think it is going to soon kill the other baby seeds.  So sad!!  I need to get my garden going!

I came across this amazing tabletop that you can grow plants in. What a great idea and so aesthetically pleasing!! If only the website was in English.

Speaking of brilliant ideas for the garden, have you heard of Terrain at Styer's?  It's basically a wonderland filled with beautiful and unique garden and home goodies (and more).  I have passed by it maybe twice and both times I wasn't able to stop by and go in to see it for myself.  Every time I kick myself for not going in!!

I would love to have these in my garden:

This amazing planter...

This bird fountain - a bit extravagant but it's humble enough to fit right into a country garden...

And maybe a few of these Pin Dot Spheres to light your patio when you are having those late summer outdoor dinner parties.  I would love to see the shadows these cast!

Plant tabletop found at Bloesem.


Images above are embedded with a link back to Terrain at Styer's.

New item in shop!

Hi there, I just wanted to post quickly to mention there is a new item in my shop. It's pictured below, and I'm happy to say there will be more on there way. I am planning on doing customized cards in the future, along with personalization! A lot more to come soon; very exciting times!

You can see my shop here.

Watercolor.

I have recently been experimenting with watercolor. This has been a difficult medium for me because it takes such control and practice, and sometimes I can be very impatient. For some reason I feel like I have broken through a bit with the medium and dare I say, have gotten a bit better. A tiny bit better. Very small amount. But it's something! Yesterday as I was drawing I discovered how much I love to combine watercolor with graphite. Placing the graphite on top of the watercolor after it dries allows me to add shading and texture subtly which otherwise would be quite difficult for a beginner. I hope any of you readers aren't tired of rabbits, because here are some more!

More photos on my flickr

gardening.

Though I think I'm a bit late on the start, this past weekend I tried seed germination for a garden I am planning on having this summer.  Trying two types of germination: the first, a conventional seed pod kit from Jiffy with seventy two pods that hopefully will germinate in the next few days.  The second is using a damp paper towel laid on a baking sheet that is covered with plastic wrap.  As you can see from the photos below, we have success! And in just four days!  It's a method that Square Foot Gardening uses that makes germinating seeds a much quicker process.  Soon I will be able to transplant to our full size 4' x 4' raised bed that we are building this weekend.  I'm really excited to start tending the garden.

April, finally.

March seemed like a very long month. What with the ending of winter, the cold, endless rainy days. April is a welcome change. Today is such a warm, sunny day that it makes all of that yucky weather seem like it happened so long ago. Here's something spring-y to brighten your day. Signing off for the rest of the week but will be back Monday. Have a great weekend!

Tim Knowles, source: Lines and Colors

 

I came across this awhile back, but I thought it would be so nice and appropriate for today, being the first day of a full month of spring.