About Me

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Sublimity, OR, United States
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I am artist of texture and color. I enjoy working with textiles, mixed media and the graphic arts. I am an avid cottage gardener with a love for pass along plants and big fluffy pink peonies and pink roses. Many of my tangible creations reflect my love of the garden and all its wonderful colors. I have been selling my creations online since 2002 beginning as a hobby. After 10 years I quit the day job to pursue my art as a full time passion.

23 August 2013

Mountain adventure



To my hubby it was all about getting the jeep off road. But for me it was about getting into the back country of the Cascade mountains on those old logging roads and experiencing the forest and the trees for just a few hours at the very least.
Really this trip is pretty much in our backyard, just 55 miles up the canyon and you are there. The destination was Skyline Road as it is called.  Improved, but not heavily traveled especially during the week.  It connects to several forest service or old logging roads in the area, and if you have a map, traversing them can be quite an adventure. This area is only open mid June thru mid October as it is deep in snow the rest of the year.

Once off Skyline road, this is why you need a map. Do you go this way?


Or that way? 


The roads all look pretty much the same. and what I snapped pics of were the good roads! Often you drive thru dry creek beds, washed out sections and over fallen trees.


 
I was a little disappointed, hoping to see more wildflowers, but it is the end of August, mid July to mid August probably would have been spectacular for wildflower meadows. But I did find some bright red berries and these tiny yellow posies everywhere. There was lots of Queen Anne lace, and a little leftover bear grass too.


Most of the lakes up there you have to hike into, but there were lots of little streams and then a surprise here and there of bigger ones


  The photo opp of this row of birch trees with a Douglas fir seedling (below)
was too hard to resist. It was as if they were all reaching for the sun. We stopped here for lunch, all you could hear was the creek and the birds. I am sure we had some other critters wondering what we were doing invading there pristine home.




Along Skyline road on the way back home we stopped for one more breath of this lovely mountain air and to appreciate this wonderful and so beautiful part of Oregon that we call home


13 August 2013

Gardens at Village Green Resort

This is a continuation of where I left off on my last post. If you have not read it, go here



To our delight, the resort had lovely gardens. Turns out that the same company, Moonstone, has a resort at the Oregon Garden. They bought this resort and renovated what had become very outdated and run down, to a beautiful and inviting destination.
We had a very lovely room that included a fireplace (which would be quite cozy in the winter) and a lovely little private patio which we enjoyed so much both for morning coffee and a glass of evening wine.


The second night after dinner we decided to meander the many trails though out the gardens. I will bet June and July were even more spectacular since that really is the peak here in Oregon. None the less, I did find some really cool garden whmsey scattered about. Of course snapping a few photos for future garden inspiration for myself! 









above and below, these were hanging on the side of a building, a unique idea. I think I would put a potted trailing plant on the chair.
The old wagon, I think I might paint that just for more contrast






10 August 2013

Covered Bridges

Sort of a mini getaway was the plan last week. I purchased this Travel Zoo special a few months ago. Village Green Resort in Cottage Grove, Oregon. It was such a good deal and just 85 miles from home. Included 2 nights in a deluxe room, breakfast each morning and dinner one evening with a bottle of local wine included. $159, couldn't beat that.


We have been to the Cottage Grove area many times in the past, mainly passing thru to go to nearby Dorena Lake to camp, boat and waterskii, but really didn't know much about the area. The plan was to go hiking around the trails of Dorena Lake and visit some of the local wineries, and partake in some local cuisine.
It turned out to be way too hot to hike so we bagged that idea and decide to do a covered bridge tour. Now I should have known this living in Oregon, but Oregon has more covered bridges than any other state and Lane County has most of them. The reason they built so many of this type of bridge in Oregon is because it the timber was cheap and readily available here and concrete was expensive to obtain.
So we headed out on our historical trek. I took pics of a few of my favorites


Most of the bridges have the new road built next to them, as in the one above, and most have been restored to their original glory.

above and below is what was once a railroad covered bridge. It was restored in 2011 with 25% of the original wood.



 This was one of my favorites, The Dorena bridge. It is popular for weddings and understandably so.
Look at the photo below looking out on to the river below. The next photo, there was an artist with his canvas.


Since we were on the subject in fact, there is another whole covered bridge tour in my own backyard! I have yet to see all of them. I decided to throw in the pics above and below. This is the Jordan bridge, just in the next town from where I live. It was built in 1937  over Thomas Creek in Linn county Oregon and moved in the 1980's to Stayton Pioneer park. Very popular for many events.


History lesson done.

We headed up into the hills west of Cottage Grove and visited 5 wineries, and bought 6 bottles of wine. That will take care of a lot of entertaining for a while:) Each of these wineries had beautiful scenery, so I snapped a few pics of  some of the great views we had.

Chateau Lorene

Sweet Cheeks

Sylvan Ridge

Surprisingly, this resort was quite a bit nicer than expected. It had acres of beautiful gardens to tour, which of course is right up my alley.

But the rest will be my next post....way too many pictures!

01 August 2013

Fresh Cut roses

Really, it was a just a trip to put one fresh bouquet, but I couldn't resist. My roses are having a second go around after resting for a few weeks, So I gathered some of my favorite vintage and new vases and got busy.



This is what I actually set out to cut. David Austin Shakespeare and Glamis Castle roses with false Queens Anne lace. These 2 roses are both extremely fragrant.


 Eden roses so super gorgeous in a this lovely vintage crystal bud vase I picked up an estate sale last summer

 My most challenging vase--shaped like a purse, it has to be stuffed full to look halfway decent!  Zepherine and Mary rose and that mystery yellow rose that I still have not figured out what it is called.

 A big handful of cornflowers are always perfect in an old canning jar. My most recent find at our church parking lot sale, this 2 quart blue mason jar. Not a reproduction. I actually was there when the old guy brought in the box of awesome old jars.

  Fully opened Eden roses are so fluffy almost like pink peonies, they are awesome in this tin vase which I placed on my ladder planter stand.

 Someone asked me to photograph my ladder again when the plants had filled out, so here it is, I have had to replant some of the pots already. 

Below is the pic of the ladder in May


Joining in these parties this week

 Garden Party @ Fishtail Cottage
Share your cup Thursday @ Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olsen
 Fresh Cut Fridays http://rosevignettes.blogspot.com/
Make it Pretty Monday @ The Dedicated House
Cottage Style @ Lavender Garden Cottage
It’s Bloomin’ Tuesday @ Ms. Green Thumb Jean
Knick of Time Tuesday @ Knick of Time Interiors
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday @ Coastal Charm
Tuesday Garden Party @ An Oregon Cottage
Outdoor Wednesday @ A Southern Daydreamer


Every Saturday

Where we reside

Where we reside

The Oregon Coastline

The Oregon Coastline