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Monday, May 23, 2011

SPRING TRIP PART 2 MY SPRING GARDENS GRANDSON BIRTHDAY

Hello Everyone,

I would like to share with you all some more photos of our Spring trip South of Kentucky and Ohio.
Below is the third thread shop I visited which is located in Lexington Kentucky.  Oh what a beautiful city.  "M's Canvas House" is located in a historic area of the city. Isn't it a lovely building.  Inside there was a glorious selection of all kinds of flosses.  I loved it.

  The lady that waited on me was from Michigan and had married and moved to Lexington 30 years ago.  All I could think of that she missed 30 years of Michigan Winters.  LOL  We had a very nice chat.



The below photo you will find Planet Earth Silk which I had never seen before so I treated myself to some.  I also found some Easter Grass by Kreinik which I am sure I will find something to create with it.


On our way home we decided to travel to Berlin Ohio which is an large Amish area which I had never visited before.   Along the way we travel through Newark Ohio which is the headquarters for "Longaberger Basket" and this photo below is there headquarters.  Isn' it the neatest building you ever saw??  vbg 

You will also see the lovely countryside of an Amish Farm. Picture perfect. I know I should of not taken the photo of the Amish buggy but I could not resist.  They were stopped under a tree eating their lunch.  Such a slow pace and peaceful life they live.

"Berlin Ohio" was a very big town and the surrounding area of Amish communities goes on for endless miles.  You would of needed many days to visit them all.  So because we had only a few hours to shop we decided we will come back and stay for several days just in this area to take it all in.


We also visited Berea Kentucky know for their Handmade Kentucky Art.  Oh, how I loved visiting this town.   All over town are these "Artistic Painted Hands" with many different themes. It was a Joy to look at them all.


Inside the Kentucky Artisan Center you could find many wonderful creations from Kentucky Artist. I especially loved the Metal Rose creations.  Loved it.  The inside of the center was huge with many many creations to admire.  I took a few photos to share with you all.  I hope you enjoy looking at them?






I am so Happy to say My Spring Garden is looking very lovely at the moment.  Below you will find my very lovely "Fringe Edged Pink Tulips".  I have several of them.  They are very fussy to grow.  The top right photo is a photo of the garden I see from our sun room. 

I placed a wee "Red and Blue Bottle" I bought while I was visiting Italy to be "My Garden Art".  I have seen more and more gardens with all kind of "Flea Market" finds in the gardens around where we live. The bottom photo is of My Pink Bleeding Heart.  This is only its second Summer of growing. Can you believe how large it has grown in such a short time?

  There is a new magazine out  ( one time issue) called "Flea Market Gardens" that I have coming this week.  My SIL Sue introduced me to it last week.  She has the most glorious gardens with many pieces of lovely garden art.  I am very anxious to get my copy.



While over visiting family last week I was chatting with my brother Dale about all the glorious Magnolia trees I saw while we were down in Kentucky and Ohio.  I told him this was the one tree I wished I had in my garden.   It just happen he was going to visit a whole sale nursery and guess what I now have "My Magnolia Jane Dogwood" below left photo. Even after 300 miles of travel in back of a truck ( which my sweetie wrapped very carefully for me) it survived still with many buds on it.  So I have truly enjoyed seeing them bloom this week.


  In the background off to the right is a "Kousa Japanese Dogwood" I planted last May.  It will have glorious white blooms come the end of June to July.  You will see it has a wire fence around it because we have a dreadful deer problem and they love to nipple on my trees. Fortunately, they get NOT get to nipple on any of my bushes and trees this past winter thanks to My Sweetie protecting them all.  vbg

I am truly very excited to say "My Alaska Spruce" is still surviving.  I thought I had lost it last summer because it had all turned brown because from too much water while it was outside in a pot. 

So last Autumn we decided to plant it in the ground and hope for the best.   Well have a look at my Most Beautiful Wee Alaska Spruce now.  The photo below right you will see it is now a beautiful  green.  I was so very happy to see it had survived.  I hope one day you will see a photo of it very very tall.  It was only a very tiny less than one inch sapling which was dug up from a ditch by a large spoon outside of Anchorage Alaska back in 2005.  



During our visit last week we attended My Sweet  Grandson Ethan's 6th Birthday Party. Below you will see Ethan's Birthday cake.  In the top right you will see  S shaped candles that look like fire crackers.   I thought they were very unique. 


The photo below you will see Ethan about ready to blow out his birthday candles.  Ethan's cousins are joining him on this happy day.  Chloe on the left is my sweet grand daughter.  




While in Berlin Ohio we visited a Garden Center and when I saw these cut bunnies I fell in love with them.  They were all a gray cement color at the store.  My Sweetie decided they needed to be painted so we decided on our usual " Provence Blue" color we have decorated most things in the garden with.  I was so surprise when he showed me how he had painted them.  He made the inside of their ears pink and put some details on their faces.  Aren't they just the cutest "Welcome Bunnies" garden art you have ever seen.  vbg 

I hope you all have enjoyed your visit to My Blog. I thank you all for leaving your lovely kind comments for me to read.  They are all greatly appreciated. 

 My Sweetie and I have many activities planned for this coming Summer that we are looking forward too.  Our Memorial Day Holiday is coming up this weekend and it is the kick off to our Summer months.  I have decided again to take a "Blogging Break" this Summer.   So "Goodbye" from Us and Our Welcome Bunnies!!  See you all in September!

Take care all.

Hugs 
          
                                                                         

Friday, May 6, 2011

SPRING TRIP TO OHIO AND KENTUCKY, PART 1

Hello Everyone,

Happy Spring from Michigan!

My Sweetie and I just returned from our Spring vacation in Kentucky and Ohio.  I long to see blooming flowers and trees and was not disappointed.  Our first stop was to two small communities outside of Cincinnati, Ohio.

"The Top Drawer" is located in a small village called Mariemont.  I was surprised to find that Mariemont looked like a small village you would find in Germany. The owner Sandy was very warm, friendly and helpful.  The Top Draw does have a website and she does mail order. Please see the photo below.   Of course I found some treasures to bring home with me. vbg


The next shop I visited was only a few miles away in another lovely small village called Madeira.  The shop is called "Absolutely Needle Point". They had many wonderful selection of threads but they do not have a website.


The photos below is some of the beautiful silk embroidery flosses I discovered I did not have in my stash. Oh it is so soft and the colors are so lovely I can hardly wait to use it.

I also found some more colors of the wonderful Kreinik Metallic Mirco Ice Chenille Floss. Oh, how I absolutely love this thread.  Love it.

 I also discovered I new Kreinik Metallic "Wire" Medium #16 Braid. I look forward to create stumpwork creations with it. They are the 5 spools in the front of the photo.

I really fell in love with another Kreinik Fine #8 Braid called Threadworx. This one is new to me too.  I bought two different colorways. It is so very pretty.

 To couch down the Kreinik 'Wire" I bought some  Kreinik Fine #8 Braids in some very lovely colors. Oh how I love all kinds of flosses.  So this is what I discovered in the first two shops I visited in Ohio.  More to come.  LOL 



I have been wanting to visit the "The Quilt Box" in Kentucky for years.  Why you ask, because it was voted by American Homes and Gardens as a Top 10 Quilt Shop in the country so I just had to see it.  LOL

 It is located several miles out of  Dry Ridge, Kentucky.  After you leave the main road you have to drive back in a mile or so on a very narrow gravel somewhat road through a middle of a large woods. The photo below was the widest section of the road.  Thank goodness my Sweetie has a 4X4 truck because the path/road got pretty rugged and very very narrow.  But it was a great adventure and we loved it. 

 It was so well worth the wee adventure because when you get to " The Quilt Box"  you will instantly fall in love with the tranquil, green, and beautiful area in the hollows of Kentucky. The shop is also the owners home.  The shop owner and her staff was very warm and friendly and I could truly see why it was considered a Top Ten Quilt Shop. Unfortunately,  they do not have a website.

I bought these lovely "Pink" fabrics at "The Quilt Box"!

Recently I bought some "Velvet Rick Rack" at a etsy shop called, "Macy Brooke Boutique"! Oh, I was so pleased with the velvet rick rack in it many array of colors.  I will definitely enjoy using it on my creations.

Here in Michigan we had a very long cold Winter and our Spring has been rather coolish too.  So My Sweetie and I treated ourselves to a Spring trip south to southern Ohio and Kentucky.  Here I found incredibly beautiful blooming trees and flowers. The pink blooming tree is called a "Red Bud" which is my favorite flowering tree.  I have two very wee ones in my garden but they have yet to bloom.  Isn't the Red Bud the most Gorgeous Tree.

The white tree is a "Dogwood". I have several of these in my garden too.  I am hoping my white one blooms this year just like this one.

I am not sure what the flowers along the driveway are but I fell in love with them.  I think I will have to add them to my garden this Spring.  Aren't they so pretty in pinks and purples?



When I started to see all the beautiful blooming flowers and trees I started creating a wee poem in my mind.  By far I am no Poet but I thought I would share it with you all anyways.

Oh Spring, Oh Spring, Oh Spring!
Oh, how you make My Heart Soar and Sing!
Gazing out over your Kentucky Hills of Greens, Pinks, Purples and Blues;
They make my Winter Weary Heart burst with Gaiety.
Oh Spring, Oh Spring, Oh Spring,
Thank you for coming back again! 

I would also like to wish all my Family and Friend A Very Happy Mother's Day! 

I will post Part 2 of our Spring Kentucky trip at the end of May.

Hugs

          
                                                                       
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