Plantings – Vine Supports

On By TimelessladyIn PlantingLeave a comment

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I love vining flowers of all types: morning-glory, cardinal vine, sweet pea, moon flowers, trumpet vine, these and vegetable vines can all be found growing in my gardens. What I don’t like is the need to purchase an expensive trellis or make do with garden twine. This year I have begun using Greenbrier vine as a support for my vines. Harvesting a bit of this vine from the woods does no harm, although it is a cover for wildlife, it can also be quite invasive and choke out trees and other native vines.

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I begin with my longest piece of Greenbrier and poke the end into the ground. I weave several additional pieces of the Greenbrier around this first vine. I then attach more strands to any wood that is not covered with aluminum using a small push-pin. So far, this has worked very well, As the vines become heavier, even though the Greenbrier has hardened, I will need to add some nails or staples for added support. I like the natural way the vines grow up these brambles. Instead of a formal pattern or a column of plants climbing twine, the vines follow the more natural path of the Greenbrier.

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Plants & Praise – Poppies/Winter Sown and Naturalized

On By TimelessladyIn Plant Tips, Praise5 Comments

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I love poppies of all kinds. Over the course of several years, I have faithfully sown the seeds in the spring only to have the heavy rains of April and May beat the small seedlings into sodden destruction. Finally, a year or two ago, I found a way to beat the rain; winter Sowing works for growing poppies. What is Winter Sowing? To winter sow a seed you cut a gallon milk carton, or other large plastic bottle, in half, punch some drainage holes in the bottom, fill with an inch or two of seed starting soil, sow a few seeds, close, duct tape and put in a sunny spot in your garden…oh and of course I forgot the most important part…you do this smack in the middle of the coldest months of the year.

Winter sowing is perfect for growing poppies. I have many new plants spread throughout my gardens, thriving and growing at the present time. I also have quite a few naturalized plants from poppies I grew last year, courtesy, once again, of winter sowing.

Here is a site that will tell you more about winter sowing: Winter Sowing

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I love the blue-green tones of poppy foliage. I also love the anticipation I feel when a bud is about to POP!

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An added bonus for me are the beautiful seedpods.

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Hello Gorgeous!

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I love this portrait I unknowingly captured of a little hover fly collecting nectar from the pink poppy. His or her face is visible, the delicacy of the wings highlighted and transparent against the bloom of the flower. God’s creations continuously amaze me. I must remember to thank him every day for the beauty all around me, the obvious glories that I see, and also the wonderful hidden things I often don’t notice.

Peace – The Cardinal

On By TimelessladyIn PeaceLeave a comment

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On a gorgeous sunny morning last week I noticed there was a nest in my vitex tree. Can you see the lady cardinal incubating her eggs? What is it about a nest that fills our hearts with joy? Perhaps it is the promise of new life waiting to burst out into the world.  For me, it is also a reminder of how very much the Lord God loves us all.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Matthew 6:25-34

I’ve included a link to information on Cardinal egg incubation. I think I can expect to hear the peeping of babies next week. Cardinal Incubation Period and Hatching

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Plant Tips – Nasturiums/Salad Flower

On By TimelessladyIn Plant Tips, PlantsLeave a comment

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My nasturiums are coming into bloom this week. I have these beauties planted in my Square Foot Garden. You might wonder why these flowers are planted in a vegetable garden. The answer is that all parts of the plant are edible.  Here is a good link on how to use nasturium flowers, leaves and seeds in your salads and other dishes. Happy Dining!

Wikihow’s Tips On Using Nasturiums In A Salad

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Painting – Three Art Tips

On By TimelessladyIn PaintingLeave a comment

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If you create an abundance of art you will find you must frequently measure out your canvas size. To save time and possible errors, I cut out a set of templates in standard sizes.

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Each template is labeled with the size and has a hole punched at the top for easy storage inside the art closet.

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Keep a look out for old painted cabinets on the curb on trash pick-up day. Carry them home, bind the raw edges with duct tape, and you have a perfect waterproof board for mounting watercolor or acrylic paper/canvas.

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A full sheet of plexiglass makes a durable and light mounting board for your larger size paper/canvas sheets. Painter’s tape/blue tape works perfectly with plexiglass and keeps your paper stable and flat until you are ready to remove it.

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Phascination – A Silent Witness

On By TimelessladyIn PhascinationLeave a comment

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On the way to Fortescue, NJ, a fishing town on the Delaware Bay, we pass this quiet scene. If you take another look at the same photograph below, enlarged and cropped for emphasis, you can see the sign that always attracts my attention and impresses me with it’s simplicity and quiet witness. I’m happy I was able to capture it with my camera as we drove past.

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Pinterest – Great Tip

On By TimelessladyIn Pinterest4 Comments

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My guest room bed is very high. I’ve wanted to let my grandsons sleep in it when we have sleepovers, but I’ve always worried about them falling out. Pinterest to the rescue. I used a plastic noodle, easily found at this time of year in dollar and variety stores, and tucked it under the side of the fitted sheet, near the edge of the bed. Voila! Success is a sure thing with this tip. The noodle becomes a soft barrier with just enough height to stop a young one from falling off the mattress. Thanks Pinterest.

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Praise – Sunrise on Elk Neck River/Happy Father’s Day

On By TimelessladyIn PraiseLeave a comment
 “From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’s name is to be praised.”  Psalm 113:3

Plant Tips – Avoiding Unnecessary Chemicals in the Garden – Part I

On By TimelessladyIn Plant TipsLeave a comment

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Yes, I’ll admit the scene is a little odd, but I am putting into practice my philosophy on gardening: use natural remedies before resorting to chemicals. All of us know of the dangers of chemicals in the environment. We all carry around residual bits of the poison in our bodies. An effective way to kill weeds that sprout in sidewalk and driveway cracks is to douse them with boiling water. If they are especially tough add a touch of salt. The weeds instantly wilt, dry up, become brown, and are gone in a day or two. Easy! All you need to do is put the kettle on!

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Painting – Watercolor Tip

On By TimelessladyIn PaintingLeave a comment

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I think I’ve mentioned one of my favorite watercolor tips in the past, but it is worth repeating. When mixing colors it is best to let them pool beside each other, just touching, instead of mixing them together with your brush. By laying them side by side on your palette you will get a more natural blending of the colors. Load your watercolor brush with the color that has swirled together to create the shade you are seeking. The samples below are my attempts to create natural looking greens. The watercolor shades I used are: Prussian Blue, Winsor Yellow, New Gamboge, Quinacridone Gold & Burnt Sienna.

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Phascination – The Toad House

On By TimelessladyIn Phascination1 Comment

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Recently, my husband and I took our Scamp camper to the Belleplain State Forest and spent a relaxing day and night enjoying the perfect weather and surroundings. You can see our small egg-shaped camper in the background. Check out the foreground of the photo…do you see a golden eye?

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This cute little forest toad tolerated our presence for a bit, and even let me take a few up close and personal photos. Soon he had enough of me though, and headed for his home. I was quite amused when he disappeared into a nearby tree. What a nice abode for a small toad. Sweet!

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Plants & Pressed Flowers – Angelonia

On By TimelessladyIn Plants, Pressed Flowers1 Comment

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A few years ago I bought my first Angelonia plant at a local nursery. It was expensive, a Proven Winner, but I was quite taken with it’s shape, the array of colors, and hoped it would also do double duty as a pressed flower. I wasn’t disappointed. The angelonia plant thrived and did press well for me.

Every year since my first purchase I have grown at least one angelonia plant. I was excited this year when I found angelonias being sold in peat packs. Now instead of just one plant, I have several lining my front walkway. O Happy Day!

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You can read more about angelonias here: Angelonia

Pressed flower tip: Press double or triple the amount of angelonia blossoms you intend to use. Some of the edges will brown. Also, the pressed flower is very fragile and thin and easily tears. The flower is still well worth taking the time to press since it is quite unique and interesting in appearance in pressed flower art.

Painting – Rocks on Tioga Road/WetCanvas Challenge

On By TimelessladyIn PaintingLeave a comment

I finally finished my attempt at the WetCanvas Watercolor Studio Challenge for April. You can find the finished work of all the participants in the challenge at: WetCanvas April Challenge

Rocks on Tioga Road near Tenaya Lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California.

Winsor and Newton Watercolors: Prussian Blue, Burnt Sienna, New Gamboge, Winsor Yellow, Quinacridone Gold & Neutral Tint/Arches Cold Press Watercolor Block 140 lb  Size: 12 x 16

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Finished!

Peculiarities – Shot Glass & Jack Daniels

On By TimelessladyIn QuirkinessLeave a comment

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This angelic shelf on a tree gave us quite a laugh…especially since it was mounted on a tree bordering a graveyard!

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Peace – A Sabbath Psalm

On By TimelessladyIn PeaceLeave a comment

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“Your Word, O Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
Psalm 119:90 & 105

 

Peculiarities and Projects – Hanging Basket Hook

On By TimelessladyIn Peculiarities, ProjectsLeave a comment

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In the photograph above you might think you are looking at a typical hanging basket…and you are of course! Look a little closer at how the basket is hung and you might see the purpose behind this “Peculiar” post.

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Yes, what you are looking at is a gigantic fishing lure. I found this a few years ago while beach-combing. After I carefully picked it up off the rocks of the Block Island coastline, I dropped it into my collecting bag. It hung alone from the rafters of my porch ceiling for a few years, a reminder of a happy day. This year, however, while looking for the ever elusive S-hook for attaching my hanging baskets to the chain, I came up with the idea to use the lure. It worked great, but just to be on the safe side I wound a bit of floral wire around it too. I’m very pleased with my unique hook!

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Perspective – Sand Crab

On By TimelessladyIn Perspective2 Comments

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Sometimes it’s fun to get up close and personal with a feisty sand crab. This was one of the biggest, and boldest, I have ever come across. He took offense at the close proximity of my camera and charged at me with claws clicking.