Mid-May in the Garden

After a busy day of errands and business planning (more on that later) with my friend, Nancy from Second Perfection, I came home and the garden was calling me. AFTER spending an hour cleaning up the debris from our shedding maple trees (thank goodness they only seed every two years), I took shovel in hand and spent some much needed time weeding and edging and expanding my ever-growing perennial beds. It felt good. So this morning I was anxious to see the fruits of my labour and took to the garden just as the sun was lighting up the flowers.

It seems like the bleeding heart grows a foot each day. It's in it's full glory right now in the "garage garden". I don't show you full beds too often because most of  my gardens are new so still look a little bare. But this border is filling in nicely in it's second full year. The clematis was here but totally overgrown so I cut it back the first year. (The chicken wire you see above it is a hope that one day the clematis will reach it and wind it's way around the corner of the garage). This garden is also home to our "wedding maple" - the Japanese maple that our beloved friends gave us on our wedding day (4 years on the 21st). It came with us from the old house.  It's variety is "Japanese maple orangeola" due to its coppery hues. Love the weeping variety.

Bleeding Heart

Also in full bloom is the forget-me-not (myosits) creating a blue carpet at the edge of the borders. Yes, it's invasive. Yes, it self seeds all over the place. BUT it's beauty defies it's problems in my eyes and I have it sprinkled around the garden for it's lovely fairy like flowers. At the end of the blooming season, I thin each clump to keep them under control. But I love the surprise of finding new ones each year as they scatter around the garden.

 How can you not love a flower that's this small but has so much impact?

 The flowering shrubs and trees are truly magnificent this year. You saw the magnolia in full bloom last week with pink everywhere. All the pink is gone for now and we are lit by some lovely whites including this viburnum - I don't know the species. It seems to have twice as many blossom clusters this year. It must be due to the cool, wet March and April we experienced in this area.

Whatever the reason is, I'm loving it. Can't you just see this in a bridal bouquet - all white and green?

Not to be outdone by the whites, this new columbine is dancing merrily along with all the lilacs. Already I've lost the tag that tells me it's name. (Since posting this, I found the tag and it is Aquilegia "songbird bunting") Another plant that is considered invasive because it self-seeds. Guess what, I don't care!! I would be quite happy if my garden was suddenly filled with these beauties.

And finally, this purple iris is getting ready to put on it's show. A gift last year from a curling friend who's front garden is full of these, I'm happy to see a few flower spikes this year.

There's still a lot more work to do to get the beds in order. If I didn't keep expanding them it would all be done by now. This weekend is a long weekend here in Ontario and the weather looks perfect for gardening. So I'm hoping to finish some work on Monday after my grandsons go home. There will be no gardening or work being done while my darlings are here!!


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Fishtail Cottage

Pillow Talk

I wouldn't call myself a sewer. Oh yes, I have a sewing machine and even have a serger. But I usually just stick to simple things like curtain panels and table runners. I gave up on getting too creative years ago after many failed attempts at dressmaking. I can take in a pair of pants and hem a skirt, but that's about as far as my dressmaking skills are concerned. However, I'm pretty confident with sewing a few straight line like in the Faux Roman Shade I showed you a few weeks ago or the Grain Sack Table Runner from last week.

That's Melanie on the right with her partner, Nicole in front of her store on Ottawa St., Hamilton

So when my friend, Melanie, the co-owner of a fabulous new store in Hamilton called The Painted Bench asked me for some pillows for her store, I must admit to being a bit nervous. But off to the fabric store I went, followed by some well spent time on The Graphics Fairy and I had some inspiration to make a few pillows. Here's the first one that I thought I would share with you today....

The base of the pillow is made from "shoe canvas" which is a sturdy natural canvas - kind of like a heavier "cleaner" drop cloth. It doesn't wrinkle very much, so that's why I choose it. In my stash, I found the striped fabric and laid it over the sides on a diagonal for more interest. The piping is pretty easy to make using more of the striped fabric and some cording - if you haven't done this, done be scared. Give it a try, you'll be amazed at how professional it makes the pillow.

Of course, it really all started because of the Paris Label from The Graphics Fairy. I've been wanting to use this image on a project ever since I first saw it. Thought the stripes on the fabric looked a bit French and thought this was the perfect piece for it.

I'm heading to Mel's store tomorrow with a few more pillows and another table runner, but for now this pillow is sitting on the guest bed. As I look at this photo, I realize how messy the bed is. Should have staged that one a bit better - certainly not magazine shot ready, is it?

And congratulations go out to Melanie and Nicole for becoming the latest Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stockists. For those of you in the Toronto area, you now have a place a bit closer to get your chalk paint - her stock should be arriving by mid-June.

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