Phairy – Alec & Derek Build a Fairy House

On By TimelessladyIn Phairy10 Comments

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Here is the fairy house my grandson Alec built in the back yard.  I told him he needed to build it without the help of an adult and only include things that were natural. He thought a few moments, studied the contents of a container of woodland and seashore treasures I’ve collected over the years, and began to build an amazing fairy house. Building a fairy house is a perfect late summer activity. Find a shady spot beneath the shade of a tree, use the roots for stabilizing the frame of the house, and build. So much fun! 🙂

 

 

Praise – Monarch Butterfly

On By TimelessladyIn PraiseLeave a comment

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“…May all who search for you
    be filled with joy and gladness in you.
May those who love your salvation
    repeatedly shout, “God is great!”

Psalm 70:4

Plant – Verbena bonariensis

On By TimelessladyIn PlantsLeave a comment

blog 028Last year I wrote about a plant I loved by the name of Verbena bonariensis. Well, this year I love the plant and its flowers even more! The plant self-seeded and now I have dozens of this tall and beautiful perennial adorning my mid-summer garden. The flowers draw honeybees, bumblebees and butterflies.

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I get a lift each time I walk by and see the blossoms swaying in the breeze or playing host to a hungry bee or butterfly.

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Some great information about verbena bonariensis can be found here: Verbena bonariensis

Phairy, Phun and Phascination – Fairy Houses/Part I

On By TimelessladyIn Phairy, Phascination, Phun2 Comments

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I have been fascinated by the creation of fairy houses since…well…since forever I guess. I remember creating tiny homes at the edge of a woodland when I was a young child. Looking back I realize I was creating fairy houses. My maternal grandmother delighted in stories of dolls coming alive and leprechauns and fairies hiding behind trees. I know her stories and imagination still live on in me. I am a grandmother of four amazing grandchildren, the oldest is seven, the youngest grandchild is seven months. I try to bring a little of the magical into their lives. This week the older two became very interested in the books and video I had on Fairy Houses.  Both of the books pictured in this blog post are excellent. “Fairy Houses of the Maine Coast,” by Maureen Heffernan, and “Fairy Houses…Everywhere,” by Barry and Tracy Kane, are filled with beautiful photographs and ideas for creating your own Fairy House.

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The DVD, “Kristen’s Fairy House,” was fun to watch with the grandchildren. It shows how a little girl and her aunt create and illustrate the story of building a fairy house. The video is only forty minutes long and a joy to watch. The videography is just beautiful. Family Fun magazine says of the DVD, “It has the timeless, transporting feel of a great storybook.”
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Alec and Derek, my oldest grandsons, created their own fairy house after looking at the books and watching the DVD. Tomorrow I’ll post their step by step progress.

Also…take a look at the post I reblogged today from “becreativemary.”

Problem Solving – Over the Top Success/Worm Farm/Final Chapter

On By TimelessladyIn Problem-SolvingLeave a comment

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This is the new home of my red wiggler worms. No, my worm farm didn’t fail. The reality is it was too successful. Suddenly, there was a population explosion in the worm bin. This meant more feedings, more liquid to drain off, in short more maintenance, and in one heartbeat I decided I had had enough of the worm bin. Thankfully, I have a compost bin outdoors and it was easy to act on my impulse and carry the whole bucket outside and dump it. I have not regretted it for a moment. The worm bin was a fun experiment, but I will stick to the outdoor composter now. Moral of the tale: Try new things, but when you have had enough…get rid of it! 🙂

People – Block Island Heart Rocks Part I/Robin Langsdorf

On By TimelessladyIn PeopleLeave a comment

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Wednesday mornings are a pleasure for us while on Block Island. We never miss the Farmer’s Market in the Manisses Parking lot. This year I found this lovely card by photographer Robin Langsdorf. I really enjoyed taking a look at her many works of art framed and in greeting card format. I purchased the one above and asked if I could include it on one of my blog posts and she kindly agreed.  Please take a look at her gorgeous site: Robin B. Langsdorf

Place, Peculiarities & Phun- Block Island Mud on Clayhead Beach

On By TimelessladyIn Peculiarities, Phun, Place2 Comments

Block Island 2013 278 One of our very favorite beaches on Block Island, Rhode Island, is Clayhead Beach. The bluffs on this beach are one of the first sights you see when you approach on the Point Judith Ferry. Within these bluffs is a clay that gives the beach its name. Those who pass by often take a handful of the clay and spread it on their bodies. Clay packs draw out toxins and are beneficial to your body. These girls were so sweet and allowed me to photograph them as they applied the clay. Block Island 2013 279

Here are the girls again before their walk back up the shoreline to Mansion Beach. Cute!

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Here is a bit of information about Clayhead Beach and Preserve: Clayhead Beach and Preserve

Photographs and Place – Block Island Getaway

On By TimelessladyIn Photographs, Place2 Comments

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My husband and I have just returned from our yearly vacation to Block Island. Block Island is a gorgeous island off the coast of Rhode Island. This beautiful butterfly was photographed outside of the cottage we rented on the island. You can find more information on “The Cottage” and “The Upstairs,” at this link: The Upstairs at Block Island. We love this spot on the island, secluded, yet the center of town is only an easy walk or bike ride away.

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This butterfly bush on the property kept me fascinated. Each time I passed by I found a beautiful winged creature to admire and photograph.

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This gorgeous hummingbird moth visited the butterfly bush every day. What an amazing sight, imagine my delight when I spied two of these beauties on the same bush. Here’s a bit of information about Hummingbird Moths: Hummingbird Moths

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Sweet little skipper butterflies also stopped by the bush.

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Although their season is almost over, the wild roses are still putting on quite a show. This one was photographed beside “The Cottage” where we stayed the week.

Phun – Cicada Skin Hunt

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Tree Branches

When cicadas molt from a nymph into their final stage, the adult bugs shed their skin. My grandsons enjoy searching the yard and trees for all the crazy places the cicadas leave behind their abandoned exoskeleton.

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Fence posts

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Large Leaves

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Tires

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On the ground

Project – Photographing Spider Webs

On By TimelessladyIn ProjectsLeave a comment

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Spider webs photograph well in the subtle light of morning sunshine.  A good way to highlight the silken strands even more is to douse the surface of the web with a fine spray of water. A cleaned out hairspray bottle works great. Larger spray bottles will have droplets that are too large, and their size and the force with which they are propelled will tear the web.

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Spider web with sprayed-on dewdrops. Lovely!

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Peculiarities – In Love with Bugs/Dragonflies, Hoverflies and Bumblebees

On By TimelessladyIn Peculiarities3 Comments

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Dragonfly on Stick

I’ll admit I’ve always been in love with bugs. They are fascinating. Many of the ones I’ve included in this post are beneficial to have in your yard. Dragonflies, beyond their amazing beauty, are voracious mosquito-eaters. Hoverflies, besides sipping nectar from flowers, are a predator of aphids. Bumblebees, in their velvety jackets, are amazing pollinators.

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Place – National Park, New Jersey

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National Park, New Jersey, Red Bank Battlefield

“The Red Bank Battlefield is located along the Delaware River in National Park, New Jersey. It was the location of the Battle of Red Bank in the American Revolutionary War on October 22, 1777.”-Wikipedia

Red Bank Battlefield is an interesting piece of history located along the Delaware River across from the City of Philadelphia.

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The park has a long stretch of walkways along the Delaware giving those strolling beside the riverbank a good view of passing ships, tugboats and barges.

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The piers also provide a perfect view of airplanes taking off from the Philadelphia International Airport.

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Red Bank Battlefield Park has a great picnic area with pavilions and playgrounds for children. For more information and directions to the park check out these links:

Red Bank Battlefield Park
Red Bank, National Park, New Jersey

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Pleasures – Chickenfoot Dominoes

On By TimelessladyIn Pleasures2 Comments

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I love playing Chickenfoot Dominoes. It’s similar to the dominoes you know and love, but it has a fun twist. Below is a game of Chickenfoot dominoes with a chickenfoot in the works. Until one of the players completes the third toe of the foot the game is locked. It is so much fun, and a great game for all ages 6 and up.

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Here’s a link to the rules: How to play Chickenfoot Dominoes

Having specialty racks for dominoes makes the play much easier.

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I fill up small dessert cups with jelly beans, goldfish crackers, grasshopper cookies, cashews, candy, etc. It’s adds to the fun to have something to nibble on.

This is a great game to play with your family and friends. We have a notebook that we keep with the date and everyone’s score. It’s fun to page through it and remember the good times we had playing. Also, a calculator makes counting up a bit easier for those who lose with a full rack of dominoes.

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Games.com has an free online version of Chickenfoot. Give it a try! Play Chickenfoot Online Too!

Phavorites & Praise – Feather on Moss

On By TimelessladyIn Phavorites, Praise2 Comments

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“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him, all creatures here below;

Praise him above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.”

Problem-Solving – Preventing Rust on Wire Ornamentals

On By TimelessladyIn Problem-SolvingLeave a comment

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I love wire fixtures and knick-knacks in my house. The above photograph shows one of my favorites. Since this wire fixture holds bottles that are filled with water, it was inevitable it would begin to rust.

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A little rust is not a big deal, but it is growing, and beginning to transfer itself to the windowsill it sits on. (This was removed with a Mr. Clean Eraser)

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Break out some of your clear nail polish for a quick, easy and economical solution.

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Dab a bit of the clear polish on the bottom of the wire, make sure to cover all parts of the wire that will come in contact with a surface.

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As you can see from the photograph you want to be careful to paint the protection only on areas that won’t be seen. The polish dries with a shine. To solve this problem you can purchase a matte sealer, but then the entire objective of quick, easy and inexpensive is defeated.

Photographs – Summer Sizzlers in the Garden

On By TimelessladyIn Photographs2 Comments

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These flowers are sizzling hot in the garden right now. Gorgeous!

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Climbing Rose

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Bee Balm

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Mandevilla

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Coleus and Pentis

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Salvia

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Hibiscus

 

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Geranium

Painting – Quick Computer Sketches for Reference Photos/Gimp Download

On By TimelessladyIn PaintingLeave a comment

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I love these pictures of crows my cousin recently sent to me. Check out the way the crow on the right seems to be supervising the one who is drinking. This photo would make a cute painting.

When I want to jump start a sketch from a reference photo I often begin the work in my Photo Explosion Image Editor. Even the most basic of computer programs will usually have some sort of photo editor. There are many photo workshop programs you can purchase, there are even some free downloads. Gimp is a great choice for a free program. I have a link to the website here: Free Gimp Download
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Remove the color from your photo by taking the color saturation down to zero. This will leave you with a nice black and white image.

If you have a filter system with your program, find the edge command and highlight the edges either with “Find all edges, Glowing Edges or Trace Contour.” Resize the photo to your finished dimensions. Save it. If you cannot print it out at the size it is, crop it and print it, but don’t save at this point.  Close, reopen, crop and print the other areas of the picture. You can tape these together and have a good head start on sketching your reference photograph. It’s good to be able to sketch freehand, but this process of sketching saves hours and hours of time.

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Find Edges

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Trace Contour

If you don’t want to print out the photo you can also put clear plastic sheets over computer screen and sketch that way. Not quite as easy, but it works.

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Perspective – Gone Fishing

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Well, maybe not fishing, but it’s been a busy week, and it is only getting busier. Wonderful Wednesday to you all!