June! The Gnomes Are Home!

 Wow, it is June already & Bill has put out the gnome home!

I have missed looking out the dining room bay window & not seeing it there, happy days because now it is! And we have added to it with a window & window box!

The gnomes are home, the cast iron ones are out right now as it is so windy that the resin ones would not be standing for long.

Everything in our backyard needs to be nailed down, with cement or heavy cast iron to stay in place. lol

Bill made a window frame & header around the stained glass window & added a flower box for me to fill with daisies, ivy, & carnations. I added the resin ladybugs on the leaf to add some whimsy.

Bill routered the back of the window to hug the tree, I just love how it turned out!

We'll gather more stones to complete the walkway on one of our beach walks.

The cedar wood was destined to go to the dump or be burned, so glad I convinced Bill of its value to save. This box comprises memories of girlfriends of mine who have passed, daisies for Liz, ivy for Edie, & the recycled wood for Cecile. I know they would love this whimsical gnome window!

 

The back of the house is coming to life after being buried in snowdrifts this winter. The lamb's ear just loves this climate & I had so much trouble growing it in SW Ontario, it thrives here!

This tote bag has finally come to life! It was a pullover shirt of mine that had seen better days but I just loved the screen print on the front & knew it would make a great canvas bag. 

The cat was my beloved Egnaro that passed away in the mid-90s. But living on in memory in my heart & this screen print!

Now that idea has been with me for over 15+ yrs, I had cut the front, back, & sleeves to make the bag & it was on my 'round-to-it' list. lol

I was tired of moving it for fear of losing the pieces, so I made it in one morning!

Why do I procrastinate so much?!

I used leftover quilt backing for the interior lining & added pockets for easy finding of keys & glasses.

Bill cut me a 5" x 15" thin board for me to cover to add strength & stability to this canvas tote.

On a town visit to Park Place in Newcastle with Leslie, I found tea towels in the Wrendale pattern of Hanah Dale & knew they would make great pillow covers!

I did not have enough fabric in the tea towel so I added the ever-popular check fabric to it!

A zipper opening makes it easy to take off & for laundry if needed.

I wanted the two pillows to look different so the check is in the back & the whole rabbit, which is the same motif as our placemats, is in the front.

A different look from the back, I love the shade of blue used in these pillows.

The shade is like Laura Ashley's shade of Duck Egg Blue.

I was pleased to see my &12.99 tea towels transformed into pillows!

Shabby Fabrics had this free pattern on their website & it was so easy to make & quilt.

I have wild strawberries growing outside the great room window & this pattern was too familiar to me.

I had a stip of black background strawberry fabric leftover from the strawberry quilt I made & used scraps to complete it.

The backing was done in this pretty pansy print & the black gingham worked for both sides of the runner.

The appliqued strawberries were done in both wool & Bonnie Sullivan flannel.

I was pleased with how well the green houndstooth flannel was to handle & it looks like wool! 

This trio of black & white is enjoying the late morning warm sun in the foyer.

You can see the window silhouette that they are laying in. lol The sun is so warming these days.

Thank you for stopping by for a visit. I hope to post more as I know that summer is so fast here & I'd like to see it again, if only in my photos.

It is like living at a vacation spot here in the summer, fall, winter, & spring. Each season reveals its own beauty & wonderment that Mother Nature has to offer us.

For now, on June 21st it will be summer! And all the snow drifts & white tundra are gone.

Live one day at a time and make it a masterpiece.

Enjoy your day!

Cynthia xXx

Marvellous May!

 This has been such a marvellous month with the warm temperatures & no mosquitoes! However, the black flies are starting to wake up & annoy us as we do work in the garden.

The gardens look so good with various beautiful colours of yellow, pink, purple, & white!

And the dead-looking lavender plant is alive & slow-growing from our long harsh winter.

The plants are all coming alive!

These are sweet pea plants & marigolds that are growing until the threat of frost is gone.

For our 4b zone that is after the first full moon in June, which is June 14th. These wee guys will be hardened off before being planted.

The top of the birdbath was just placed on yesterday as it was painted a soft grey colour to help with the cleaning of it. The lovely urn will have to wait until next month to hold its summer flowers.

Although it may be filled with annuals & I'll place a blanket over them on frost warning nights.

The grass is greening up nicely but the ice did damage to some areas under the trees.

This climbing hydrangea bush made it through the winter but the other one did not.

The five Duke blueberry bushes are the newest in our food garden!

They have already flowered so we're hoping for berries this year!

Another new addition in the backyard is this Siberian cypress that is a zone 3. The backyard faces north & the winds off the water, everything must be very hardy to live there!

It adds a nice interest point to the corner of the house which will also make it easier to ride the lawnmower around the corner.

The daffodils really multiplied this year & the tulips are really enjoying the sun!

Blue skies & blue water makes my heart sing!

The purple grape hyacinth really pops in the front garden. The Anniversary Garden had been divided as they are plentiful there!

With the bulbs all coming to life I really thought that lavender plant was dead!!

We have so many lambs ear that we use them for edging & the bees really enjoy them when they flower later in the summer.

Again it too helps make mowing easier at the edge of the deck. June is the month of mowing as it grows so fast that month!

The orange daylilies are thick this year too & nice to view outside the bay window. 

This jellyroll Tula Pinkerville fabric collection really brought back memories to me as I looked at the pattern & colour choice that was used in my borrowed dress from my cousin for my grade eight graduation. I found the pattern a few years back at a thrift store & placed the photo of me at 13 with it. So many memories with fabric & style as I was already making my own skirts back then but not this dress that was borrowed for this special graduating day back in 1970.

What is old is new age!

The colours are exciting & alive, just like they were back in the '70s.

Sometimes I just like to play with something & make it my own. This was an embroidered piece that Liz Vicent did & made a mistake in the word Aster & was going to throw it out! I said I would use it in some form even if it was just cutting the flowers out to applique them. I've held on it this piece for years!

But it came to me... I would make a lumbar pillow out of this embroidery!

It really enhanced the tulip wallhanging as I used a scrap of purple batik for the ruffle to enhance the aster embroidered flowers!

I really like how it turned out!

I also played with some scraps & orphan blocks to make this table-topper & again see the Tukla Pink roses that mimick the 70s colours?

It is so nice to sit on the front porch right now & listen to the birds & frogs mating. lol

I finally sewed the white pussy willows down on the Wild & Wonderful wallhanging.

It now is hanging on the landing in the great room.

These were sample pieces of stained glass that I put together for the gnome home's window that Bill is making, complete with a window box underneath it!

This is the iridescent side of the glass & will add to the mysticism of the gnome home in the tree.

This is the other side of the glass window. Bill is looking for outdoor timer LED solar lights to put behind the window so it will glow at night. It is going to look so good, I'll post photos to show the finished home.

This orphan block was made into a mat for the sun porch.

Rexton was so happy with a gift from Leslie, so catnip bomb toy!

She gets to play with it at night when the Boston terriers are sleeping! lol

I  jingle the bell on the toy & she comes running!

Rexton is now eight years old & is still as playful as a kitten.

Thank you for stopping in for a visit & do stop by again!

Have a wonderful week & enjoy this time of spring, I sure am! 

Cynthia xXx