Vintage Watering Can

The watering can is an old galvanized one from my husband’s family.   It is in regular use here in the Sandbox.   I wonder if anyone can guess what the flowers are.   Just a little hint.  They are not lilacs.   The texture I used this week was two layers of stained linen by Kim Klassen.  

I am joining Texture Tuesday with Kim Klassen and Paper Heart Camera for Touch Up Tuesday.  Have a great day.  Valerie

End of May Blooms and Garden Friend

 

 

Hope you have had a great weekend.   Yesterday was my Horticulture Society’s annual Spring Plant and Bake sale.   We had lots of shoppers through the doors and had very little left by closing.   Today it was back to the weeding and planting in the Sandbox.    My mosaic today is showing the dainty little flowers on the Akebia Vine, an Iris bloom that had fallen off a plant for the plant sale and I stuck it in water, a new addition for the Sandbox garden of a Japanese peony “High Noon”, the purple Aquilegia or Columbine, one of the giant Alliums that a now in bloom in the garden and one of our vocal frogs down by the pond.   

I am joining Mary for Mosaic Monday.   Have a great week.   I have my fingers and toes crossed that Blogger will let me make comments again.   I have not been able to leave any comments for many days this week.    Valerie

Rainy Day Poppies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is raining today in the Sandbox.   I took these photos when I went out to put fresh seed in the birdfeeders.    The poppies looked a little droopy with rain on them but still pretty.

I am off to set up for another plant sale that is happening tomorrow.  It is so busy at this time of the year.   I guess that is a good thing.    I will be joining Laura for Macro Friday and Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday.    Valerie

Magnolia Bud

I chose the bud of the Magnolia “Betty” for my texture edit today.  I used Kim Klassen’s texture “yesteryear”.  

It took me a while but I figured out how to print screen.   Now I need to learn how to blow it up.   Anyway here is the edit.
I am joining Texture Tuesday and also Touch Up Tuesday.   Have a great week.  Valerie


Just thought I would add a postscript that I have been visiting many of your blogs today but for some reason I am an annonymous commenter and if you are like me I do not accept annonymous comments so I please note that I enjoyed everyone I visited.   Hope Blogger or Google will be kinder to me in future.

More Birds and Blooms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Indigo Bunting and the Red breasted Grosbeak have been constant visitors to the feeders this weekend.  Just had to show them again.  They are so colourful.

This lovely little dwarf Iris has just bloomed.   I had a tag in the ground beside it but the weather over the winter erased it’s identification so I do not know its name.    The  giant Allium is just bursting out and will be a lovely purple ball in the garden in a day or two.

The apple tree is in full bloom also in the garden.  I could hear the bumble bee buzzing around in the blossoms when I was taking photos.  I hope you are having a wonderful long weekend.  In Canada we call it informally the 24 weekend.  The holiday was in honour of Queen Victoria and is the Victoria Day weekend. The first of the summer long weekends.  It is usually the time to open the cottage and enjoy time with family and friends.   My husband and I are working around the house.   Our garden is to be a part of a garden tour on June 18 and there is so much work to do. 

I am joining Mary for Mosaic Monday.    Valerie

A May Morning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week has been basically wet with not much sunshine.  The grass is growing quickly and so too the dandelions.   I was out early this morning to take some photos.   This one is the flowering quince just coming into bloom.  This is such a pretty shrub in the garden but on more than one occasion we have had thoughts of taking it out as it has become too happy in its space and is encroaching onto everything else in the garden.   It does not want to play nice.

This dwarf purple iris was all by its lonesome out in the flowerbed.  I don’t have a name for him but he is a pretty colour.

The Japanese Maple has survived another winter.  When I purchased it he was an inexpensive plant and I expected that it would not last in my zone and garden but here it is putting out its beautiful red leaves.  The rabbit gave it a pruning over the winter despite the fact that we put a guard around the trunk. 

It is to be a busy weekend as our Master Gardener plant sale is on this weekend.   Today is pricing and organizing.    I am joining Laura at Blogging from Bolivia for Macro Friday and Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday.    Have a great weekend.   Check out some garden sales this weekend.  Valerie

Vintage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have an old kitchen scale that I still use when buying in bulk and need to repackage.   It came from my husband’s family.    The textures I used for this photo were Shadowhouse “old world”  twice and one layer of Kim Klassen’s “history" texture.    I did use a layer mask in between to take off some of the textures in the apples and the lavender.

Today I am joining Kim Klassen for Texture Tuesday and Paper Heart Camera for Touch Up Tuesday

Valerie

Birds and Blooms Mosaic

This week the plants have been bursting from the warmth of the soil and I have been running around with the camera to document the blooms.   This weekend we had colour of a different kind come to the garden.   We have two hummingbird feeders up but one of them is most interesting to a pair of Orioles.   The male is in the top left corner.   The Rose-breasted Grosbeak appears in spring here. His colouring is so vivid.   On Friday I looked out the window just about suppertime to find an oddity at the feeder.   I thought my glasses needed cleaning.   It was the Indigo Bunting, a bird of the forest.   I was glad the camera was near and I got his picture.  How special to get these little gifts.  Magnolia “Betty” is beginning to bloom. Such a beautiful flower.  The Dicentra is in full bloom and I love how the stems arch heavily with these heart shaped flowers.   Little Tulipa “Tarda” is a reliable little bloomer each spring.  The flowers are so crisp and bright.
Monday is Mosaic Monday and I join Mary our host for Mosaic Monday.   Hope to see you there.   I love to see what is happening in your part of the world.   Valerie

The Beauty of Bulbs

 

Now that the weather is warming up and the soil is too the bulbs have been coming up fast and furious in the garden.  I thought I would show you a few of them today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a macro shot of the Emperor Tulip that I planted last fall.   I loved the variegation of the outside petals.

This is a bicolour daffodil.   The peachy and soft white petals are so pretty to me.

The dwarf iris has a lemon scent.   I found a clump of these by the side of the road many years ago and brought them home.   They are easy to grow and I have divided the patch many times as well as given clumps away. 

This red tulip is so iridescent that it is hard to photograph.   The colour is spectacular though.

One of my all time favourite spring bloomers is the pulsatilla.   I have them in shades of deep pink like this one, a white variety and a purple variety.   The flowers are blissful but the seedheads are a photographers delight.  

Thanks for visiting.   I enjoyed showing you some of my spring blooms.   Have a great weekend.   Valerie

I will attempt to join Tootsie for Fertilizer Friday and Laura for Macro Friday if blogger is behaving itself today.

Spring Daffodils

My yellow daffodils in the garden are the subject of my textured photo today.  I first used a high pass filter and then desaturated the photo. I added two layers of Kim Klassen’s “believe” texture with one layer being multiply and one softlight and then added Kim’s “trust” texture with a blending mode of softlight.   The vertical text was next and then a drop shadow frame.    I hope that you like what I did with this picture.
I will be joining Kim Klassen Cafe for Texture Tuesday and Paper Heart Camera for Touch Up Tuesday.   Valerie

A Happy Mother’s Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is a bright and sunny day today in the Sandbox.    I am wishing you all my blogging friends a very happy Mother’s Day and if you are not a Mother have a wonderful day just because you are you.     Have a great week.   Valerie

Join us at Mary’s for another addition of Mosaic Monday.   See you there. 

Shorty Tulip for Macro Friday

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have some very short tulips in the garden.  They are only about 6 inches tall.   I caught a bee inside this one just covered in pollen.   Have a great weekend.    Happy Mothers Day.   The garden really needs a lot of attention at the moment and I want to spend all my time out there when the weather is good.

I am joining Laura at Blogging from Bolivia for Macro Friday.    Valerie

April Showers Brought May Flowers to the Sandbox

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The April Showers we have been having lately have brought the flowers up in the garden.  Can you believe it is already May?   How fast the seasons go when you enjoy them.    My mosaic consists of a pink hyacinth, the double bloodroot, grape hyacinth, the tips of a hosta, red tulips planted 24 years ago are still making their entrance each spring, the white hyacinth and friend, red Pulsatilla or Pasque flower and finally the native bloodroot.

I will be adding my mosaic to Mosaic Monday with our host Mary.    Hope you have a great week.  Valerie