Seasons of Creativity

The Book Club book is Gok Wan   Work Your Wardrobe .  Probably not something I would have bought but I have enjoyed reading as his style is very creative and that appeals to my aesthetic. He talks about Chic Classics  (basics) and how to style them to suit ones personal style.  The second section is all about Elegant Extras (accessories) which I have learned are what makes one's style unique.  Then in section 3, Timeless Style he puts looks together. This book is ten years old but I didn't find it dated at all. He luvs waistcoats which are what vests are called in the UK.  This reminded me that I want to incorporate them into my own style.  An additional challenge was to choose a look inspired by the book and then another look inspired by an accessory. I decided to chose from the shoe section although the tote bag, scarves and jewelry all are mentioned. The hair section didn't really influence me but I have just got so tir...

If you really want to learn something, then teach it!  I am the art department for my 3 homeschooled grand kiddies.  And I learn as much, if not more, than they do. I began a few years ago and focused on the elements and principles of art with a cobbled together curriculum of my own.  Art/creativity is a broad topic and I wanted to explore its roots, art in history.  So I tried to add that.  A visit to an exhibit at the Winnipeg Art Gallery expanded our horizons even more.  Nothing like up close and personal to get an art student excited!  We are getting quite a list of artists whose work we can recognize.  Two years ago I was encouraged to check out The Sparklers Club and was delighted to find many of the things I wanted to include in my classes was already explained, sequenced and user friendly.  Not without cost but the multigrade levels and variety will be a big help as I encourage creativity in my grand students and myself....

Well, did we get a deluge.  Filled up the extra sump water hole that will be camouflaged by the little wishing well.  Now its a mucky mess to work in. Good thing this east garden is going to be phased out. Now the front west garden had a 'visitor' that luvs beets.  perhaps our 'guard' dog is too busy keeping bears out of the Saskatoon's!    I want to prune out the larger trees as this is such a lovely perfect wall of shrubs.  The blue island for the frog follies will  be accessed by a path along the Saskatoon's.  The apricot forest is striving to keep their trunks upright with all the wind and rain but I am so pleased that they are all doing well.  The stakes are more to cause Maya to detour on her dog barking runs! So glad my lilies have transplanted from the farm so well.  I hope the lily beetle/bug never finds them! I thought the roses were kinda stressed.  They are short but the blooms are stellar! ...

Summer time and the living is easy! Too true.   I definitely have a softer persona in the summer. The local flowers may be bold and beautiful but I do luv the soft pink peonies, my favourite peach lilies and my white shade garden.   This would be my dressier look for church, dinners and such. This would be my out and about look, lunches and town trips. I really, really like mixing refinement levels and I doubt I wear the same things the same way very often. This would be bike rides around town, mail trips or a quick grocery run to the nearest small town.  Its almost a looser more feminine side that shows when I am not in my summer uniform which is carpi's or cut-offs, tees or shirts, and thongs.  (they were thongs to me long before they became flip flops! ) .  Hats do keep the sun out of my eyes and the hair out of my face.  Both of the skirts in the above photos were from my first serious thrifting trip.  They have been in the e...

Another week of garden obsessing.  But this may slow with the arrival of some serious summer heat! The grand kiddo spent the week and he and the grand gardener cleaned up a couple of brush piles he and the grandkiddies gathered last fall.  So now things are looking much tidier. They also began the hole for my 'wishing well'.  The hole wille be deep because we want to study the layers of soil.  We also want to know the water table depth.  This hole will be a collection spot for extra ground water and the 'wishing well' will disguise the pump.   We have a foot of black earth and then a good 4 feet of lovely sand which will be used for laying the front terrace pavers.  Below that is gravel and then a grey silt.  We have a relatively high water table. Next on the list is to bury the pipe that carries the water from the house sump pump.  Likely a berm will go over it on which I hope to have shrubs and fence posts with bird house...

White and green are the colours for the side shade garden,  I have seen no problem with my Labrador Violets which are tiny flowers,  white with bits of purple tinges. The vivid purple irises are so early that they pretty much stand alone as they surround the above ground cement tank. I thought the variegated iris with its brief lilac blooms later in the season could probably get by for after all, gardens are relaxing places and these few bits won't jar the eye.  But 4 pots of Rapido White carpathian bellfowers that are showing distinctly purple cannot remain.  I shall replace them when I see the whites of their blooms in the nursery. I never had any luck with astilbes at the farm so I am pleased to see my latest try blooming well. The west shade garden is doing so well.  The white swan clematis is looking a bit limey but that could be because of the rain and warmer weather/  I hope so. The mock orange is showing two flowers!  The wave...