New Garden Favorites




Hanging Mason Jar Solar light Lanterns by Treasureagain on Etsy. 

I stumbled upon these wonderful solar lights for your garden by Treasureagain on Etsy.

 I thought they were so clever and

  adore the idea of upcycling vintage mason jars into useful items for your garden!

 I was hooked!

 As I pictured how wonderful they would look in my garden, I decided to buy them!

 I can't wait for them to arrive!!

Take a peek at some of the other great items they offer at their Etsy Shop,

 I think you will be hooked like I was!

Solar Garden Stakes



Hanging mason jar vases with frogs to hold flowers.

Chalkboard Wedding Table Number Center Pieces

 These would  make such charming center pieces at any garden

 wedding or party, especially paired up with the solar hanging lights!

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I look forward to sharing more great garden items in the weeks to come. If you have any favorite garden items you'd like to share let me know!

No Joke!

It's hard to believe that this picture was taken yesterday!

It WAS April Fool's Day, but this was no joke! We actually woke up to this beautiful snowy winter scene on April 1, 2011! I'm sure our resident Red Bellied Woodpecker was wondering what happened! Only the week before we were enjoying 80 degree weather (Also not typical for NJ) and I planted these gorgeous Violas!

Aren't they amazing! 

Violas and Pansies are my favorite spring flowers to plant in early spring. They are extremely hardy and have bounced back already after being snow laden yesterday! My garden is in full bloom with white snowdrops and blue snow glories are just beginning to dot my garden!

A week ago during our short lived warm spell, things were just beginning to come back to life after a very long, cold winter. Anxious to get out and work in my garden, I got my first blisters of the season raking around my gardens! I cleaned up our two ponds and got the waterfall working again only to find out it has a leak somewhere along its path. The frogs came out to enjoy the warmth of the sun and watch me fuss around the pond, patiently waiting for me to leave.

Hopefully this snow melts quickly and we've seen the last of it until next winter! I'm so ready for spring!

I love hearing the birds happily singing, watching the chipmunks busy scurrying around looking for seed at the base of the bird feeder, and laughing how the squirrels have managed to make the feeder into their version of McDonalds, dining on my bird seed!

Spring is here ---- if only the weather would co-operate! !

Have a great day!

Birdhouses & Recycled Soda Cans!

Swirling Flowers Birdhouse

I just love creating these wonderful whimsical birdhouses! They can be found in my Etsy and Artfire Shops.

 Move in ready! These adorable wood birdhouses are both pretty and functional for outdoor use by any lucky bird!  (nice for indoor decoration also)

Recycled soda cans create these funky flowers, birds and other decorations that make each birdhouse unique. Copper and brass nails, securely attach all the flowers and edges are sanded for the safety of our feathered occupants!

Recycled Charm Birdhouse

These charming wooden birdhouses have been hand painted with a high quality outdoor acrylic paint in a variety of beautiful colors!  The inside of these houses have been left natural for the safety of the birds.

There is a front latch for security and easy cleaning. Venting in the back allows for good air circulation. A wire hook is included on all birdhouses to provide easy hanging!

If you think your backyard birds may like a different color combination, I would be happy to make one that will make them sing!

The dimensions are 7”x 5 1/2” x 8”ht. It has a 1” hole.

Love Birds Birdhouse

Springtime is the busiest time for house hunting, so hurry and treat your birds with a beautiful place to live! Look for more houses coming soon!

Treat yourself and family to a wonderful opportunity to watch nature in action!

A great gift for any Bird lover or Gardener. 

Time To Start Planning Your Vegetable Garden!

Gardener's Supply Company

Spring is finally here, and it's that time to start planning your vegetable garden! Each year I like to start some of my vegetables by seed. It's so satisfying to see that first little sprout come up!

 Most of my vegetables and herbs have been incorporated into my plant beds. I like to do this because it doesn't scream vegetable garden! However, the downfall of this strategy for me, has been forgetting about them!! I may try a raised bed veggie garden this year if I can find a spot in the sun.

While browsing around the web for this years plants, I found that the Garden Supply Company has a new Kitchen Garden Planning Tool that helps you design your own vegetable and herb garden. It's easy and fun to use!

For those of you who don't want to custom design your garden, they

 also provide eight pre-planned gardens. They are all designed for a 3ft. x 6ft. raised bed  like the above picture of the All American Garden or the Fun Children's Garden below.

Gardener's Supply Company

It's great to get the kids involved in growing their own vegetables. This garden looks perfect for children. I've always liked to get my children involved in helping me plant our vegetables.   They loved being able to go out and munch on the lettuce or whatever was ready to be harvested.  They even began to like spinach!

So, if you are thinking about starting a garden, take a peek at this site and see if you can find a garden that fits your taste. I thought the Salad bar Garden  and the Salsa and Tomato Sauce Garden, sounds like fun too!
All you have to do is print out the plan that's right for you, the planting guide, and you're ready to go!

If you have a favorite site for purchasing your seeds or vegetables, share it with us!
White Flower Farm is also another favorite of mine!

Happy Planning!:-)

Sunday Featured Artist!

I just love this wonderful whimsical Lady made from glass! She makes me chuckle with her great smile and crazy eyes! The little bee sitting on the end of her hat is really adorable! It has been created by Sonnee McCabe and can be seen in her etsy shop, http://www.eccentricity.etsy.com/ along with other beautifully handmade unique fused glass jewelry, mirrors, masks, tiles & wall decor.

This fantastic one-of-a-kind mask was inspired by her love of gardening and the outdoors. The Queen measures appx. 9.75"x6.5" and has a hanger on the back. It is made entirely from iridescent and opaque glass with some small pieces of glass stringers and millefiori added for detail. The glass pieces have all been fused together in the kiln,properly annealed and cooled slowly. This is a one-of-a-kind fun piece and will surely bring a smile to anyone's face viewing it.

Fused Glass Earrings

I love the variety of items that Sonnee creates, from whimsical masks and mirrors, to beautiful fused glass jewelry!

Visit Sonnee also at:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eccentricity/95273027168?v=wall&viewas=14846018
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Eccentricity1

Artfire Shop: http://www.eccentricity.artfire.com/

She is a member of the Creative Glass Guild of Etsy (CGGE) and SRAJD.

Fused Glass Pendant

Happy May Day!

May is spectacular! Shooting Stars, Trilliums, Wild Phlox, Violets, Mayapples, Bleeding Hearts, these are only a few of my spring flowers blooming! I have been photographing many of them and will be sharing some with you.

Virginia Blue Bells

I have a beautiful woodland path that I started the day we moved into our home 24 years ago! Being a hiker most of my life I wanted to be able to walk through a path everyday finding surprises at every glance!

Wildflowers are amazing and I decided to only incorporate plants that would be found in our natural woodland here in NJ and the surrounding area. I quickly found out that wildflowers are extremely picky about their habitat, and through alot of reading and experimenting I finally have a beautiful path that blooms from February through November. Some of my favorite flowers that are in bloom now are Virginia Blue Bells and a Violet called 'Freckles'. I have freckles too, so this quickly became one of my favorites!

Violet 'Freckles'