createaerie Archives - Linda Nelson

GARDEN HAPPENINGS AT THE CREATEAERIE

June 8, 2015

Today I decided to take a little extra morning time for myself. The trade-off….. I’ll work a little bit later into the evening. It’s no problem, though.

It’s a peculiar, rather coolish June here in the eastern most tip of New York. I feel borderline silly wearing a sweatshirt and turtleneck, but hey, I’ve done sillier things than that. Anyway, this is what’s happening among the garden beds at the createaerie.

©Linda Nelson 2015

The peonies are looking gorgeous, don’t you think? And, while I’m not exactly fond of the current color combination pictured below, I’m enjoying the lovely show, courtesy of my Baptisia australis, achillea ‘Moonshine’, and the scarlet foliage of the Cotinus in the background.

©Linda Nelson 2015

I delight in the quirky looking stalks of Euphorbia ‘Fireglow’ poking up among the ferns and Alchemilla mollis. Some folks might categorize this plant as a nuisance, but mine behaves quite nicely.

©Linda Nelson 2015

And, I’m super delighted that my Euphorbia ‘Ascot Rainbow’ weathered the severe winter just fine, as you can see here. They’re known for being a little temperamental in this region.

©Linda Nelson 2015

I’m a big fan of gray. Are you? I know that Dusty Miller can have the reputation of being a bit stale with regard to all the wonderful plant material out there, but it works. It just works….. especially paired with a nice decorative rock.

©Linda Nelson

Oh, let’s take a quick peak at my vegetable garden.

©Linda Nelson 2015

The potato plants are looking good and are just setting some flowers. My swiss chard………I think it’s time for a small harvest.

©Linda Nelson 2015

The kale, pictured above, is coming along nicely. Last year it experienced a premature bolt, then crop failure. That was on account of unusually high temperatures early on in the season. This year we are experiencing the exact opposite.

Though not in my vegetable, and not exactly a culinary pick, my citronella balm(a little less hardy than lemon balm) wintered over in the ground just fine. I chose to pot it up and place it near my patio sitting area.

©Linda Nelson 2015

And, finally…… my first little summertime bud vase, set upon my kitchen windowsill. I enjoy creating dainty sized arrangements. To me, they’re little bursts of sunshine and happiness.

©Linda Nelson 2015

Enjoy your day!

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LATE SUMMER SCAVENGING AND MORE…

September 13, 2014

Done any late summer garden scavenging? I have, and this is what I did with some of my findings. If you’d like to make something similar, then read on.

©Linda Nelson 2014

I grabbed a ten foot length of scrap chicken wire, gently scrunched and twisted it, wrapped it around itself to double it up, then flattened it out and shaped it to my liking. I then simply shoved my findings into the twisted and kinked wire form.

©Linda Nelson 2014

A scrap piece of triple-ply jute as an added embellishment, and I was done. Now, it’s your turn to scavenge around and give it a try.

These little garden jewel stalks are actually the fertile fronds of the sensitive fern (Onoclea sensibilis). Aren’t they pretty? They look like dark emerald beads on a stick, hence their other nickname, the ‘bead fern’.

©Linda Nelson 2014

I also scavenged my basement for some stored fall decor. I grew the Oaxacan blue corn last year, the bottleneck gourds, about seven years ago. These dried props will be used indoors, most likely displayed in a shallow platter or bowl. I prefer an ‘au naturel’ look when it comes to fall decorating. No cute, store bought embellishments for me, thank you.

©Linda Nelson 2014

I thought it somewhat amusing that throughout the summer I had been clipping off the spent Colocasia leaves as they declined in looks and performance; however, it is these very colors that are appreciated this time of year. I took the photo just because of that mere observation.

And finally…. who says chum pots are just for chum. Whoever says that is just talking chum.

Happy late summer!

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SPRINGTIME ALTERED PICTURE FRAME

March 25, 2014

I altered this picture frame using scrap materials I had on hand. My “scratch technique” for the glass was literally that; I removed the glass from the frame, placed it on my garage floor, then used a “Cinderella floor scrubbing” motion to create the effect. *CAUTION! DO NOT USE THIS TECHNIQUE WITH TEMPERED GLASS; IT WILL EXPLODE INTO LITTLE PIECES.* I rubbed in a small amount of gesso onto the surface, and wiped the excess off. Gesso is one of my favorite go-to materials; I custom make my own opaque paint colors by mixing it with chalk pastel powder. The linen scrap bow was dyed using a technique I created on the fly. Read my post from the past if you’d like to try it yourself. The sweet little book pages are from a 1929 edition of Bambi that was discarded at the library. A few torn pieces are used to embellish the egg.

This spring time assemblage will find a place among my other decorative musings. It makes me smile.

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LIFE AT THE CREATEAERIE

March 14, 2013

Welcome, and come on in. What goes on at the createaerie? Well, quite a bit. It’s my design and make it motivator, and my name for a lifestyle that fuels me each and every day. At this time of the year I have one foot in the door finishing winter projects, and one foot outside springing into garden action.

Life is a garden…

feed it,

tend it,

nurture it,

and most of all…

…enjoy the stroll.
Linda Nelson

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