Irises and Roses

My first iris of the year! The iris is TN's state flower. You see quite a few blooming wild in the ditches. This is one from my flowerbed. It originally was in my husband's Gramma's garden in SD. When she passed and they were selling the house a few of us dug a few from her huge iris bed, I am amazed I didn't kill them! Mine are all purples and light and dark purple bicolors. She did have a few yellow and bronze ones but I never got any of those! These remind me of her when they bloom. Gramma Minnie was a sweet woman and a lifelong gardener. If you look in my older posts, she is the lady in the snowball fight with her husband..I think January posts!

My first roses. This one is a bright pink single and great smelling. I think maybe a Bonica..I'll need to see if I left the ID tag on it! I need to replant some roses this spring..a couple didn't survive the winter..too wet? Too cold? I doubt too cold since this is TN, but it was an unusually cold winter for here.

This last pic is a piece of my garden junk art. It was originally a metal Eiffel Tower clock in my old store but either a customer or my then 2 yr old tore the hands off the clock so home it came. It was green, but I painted it faux rust. Just alternately spritz it with red primer, black and brown spray paint..not solid coats(except the first coat) just a spritz here and there..you don't even let it dry between colors..just spritzes of black, spritz of brown, spritz of primer, back and forth until it looks like you want it too! Tres chic! Those are iris behind it too but they are yellow and not ginormous like Gramma's. I like lots of repurposed bits in my garden and flower beds! Tomarrow I will have pics of the raised beds we are making for the garden. Last night and this morning it poured so I am in a bit of a holding pattern. Maybe tonight it will be dried off. Hoping you have a beautiful day! Until next time! Julia

Roses and Lilacs

As I told y'all in my last post, my lilacs are blooming. I was all ready to get some to bring in for vases and we had 3 days of cold and rain! I finally got some yesterday afternoon! My husband and I also went estate sale-ing this weekend (the only kind of sailing we do!) I got some pretty antique and vintage rosy china pieces. I am a total sucker for roses..especially pink ones! This is a sweet little creamer...

And the "matching" sugar..they do match, but they have different rosy decals!

These were on an antique celery dish. Celery used to be considered a luxury and it merited its own dish! So pretty!

These were the lilacs. I couldn't decide on the vase so I did 2. This one is a vintage (probably McCoy) matte white urn shaped one. I looove these. This one holds flowers and when it is cold, it can hold vintage Shiny Brite Christmas ornaments, shells or my mother of pearl button collection.

I am a former farm girl so these old blue canning jars always hold a special place in my heart. On the Etsy forum I frequent, today we were reminiscing about canning and all the canned goodies we remembered growing up. I need to dust off my jars and get to canning this summer! I guess first I need to get my garden planted.. lol. I hope you are not like my sisters and still looking at snow and your day is coming up roses! Until next time! Julia

My vintage Map Paper Roses

Hi! I have been making these for awhile. I learned to make roses when I was a teenager, making them for my cousins wedding. She had 8 attendants who all carried baskets of flowers, her flowers, altar flowers, groom and groomsmen, flowers for the hall..My mom and aunts and I made bushels of flowers! I reused those skills to make these. The idea came to me one night while I was TRYING to sleep. That's when my brain usually goes to overdrive! I like the pastel colors of the old maps..buttermint, sherbet-y shades. This is a full blown rose I am working on. Still need to add a leaf and calyx.

These are some boutonnieres I just finished for a wedding. The groom's flower has a crystal beaded heart encircling 2 larger beads (bride and groom). You can sort of see it upside down at the bottom of this pic.

A close up. I have some more vintage paper flowers I am working on for another person's bouquet. Those are a different style and made of sheet music..when I am done I will share here! I hope everything is coming up roses for you today! Til next time! Julia

What I am doing tonight..

Here's a pic of what I am working on tonight. I make these roses out of hand dyed paper...my fingertips are pink! They will eventually end up in a shabby Marie Antoinette style project. I have some larger ones in my Etsy shop, but these are a smaller new design. I am thinking of some altered shoes or maybe an altered bottle or neck or headpiece is where these will end up..hmmmm. I am always working on about 15 things at once!