Solar Chandelier

So I have been looking for that very special 'just right' chandelier since last fall. A friend and I went to a barn sale/flea market and I found this:

                                  The light fixture is actually crammed into a bird cage stand.
                                 And they are both WHITE!  You now I just have to have COLOR.

                                   So I started with the stand and went through my stash of spray paint.  Remember the church rummage sale and $5/grocery bag?  Well this beautiful.... but inside rusted ...teapot was stuffed into that bag with all the other silver.  I found the bells at a separate garage sale for a quarter. I saw this on pinterest last year.

I used waterproof silicone from Lowe's and glued the cup to the saucer then the whole thing to the bar.  It has been up a month and has not fallen off and it gets hit by the sprinkler every day.

I love this color and happened to have one can of spray paint left....love it. I took the pvc pipes off then cut the wire off and replaced the holders.

I went through my stash of beads and jewels and beaded ropes of beads while watching my favorite shows on TV.

I wanted this to be solar since it is going in the garden.  I found these perfect globes  removed the lower stake taped them off and spray painted over  the black.

They sit very nicely in the holders.  I pulled the tabs out before inserting them so the solar light would work.

Then John helped me hang it in the center of the gazebo. We bought that from a cousin without the canopy and I envisioned just this chandelier of sorts. It sparkles in the sun.

This is just getting dark and you can see how the lights are already turning on.  John called me to the back yard the first night and said  'Honey, you left the lights on.'

I am working on this little seating area....need to add another chair or two some cushions to the bench and I want to mosaic the bird bath.

If you look closely you can see branches stuck in the ground all around.  Our kids were here a few months ago and we had them trim the huge french pussy willow tree and our daughter found online that you could just stick them in the ground to root and keep them well watered.  We have a thriving
'tree' on three sides sprouting new foliage so far......just need one on the fourth side.

Hope you are enjoying a garden wherever you are.

Wind Chimes

This is the sunset tonight after a 95 degree day.  Our usual temps at this time of year are 70's but I am
not complaining.  We have our pool to cool off in and I LOVE that.

It is supposed to cool off  by 15 degrees so that will be nice .  Today our air conditioner just stopped.
We have had it for eleven years and have never had any problems so maybe it is time.

We can't get anyone to come until the middle of next week so am happy it will be cooler for a few days anyway.

I have been decorating our back yard  for the past month..  These are the wind chimes I made  out of recycled silver.   I know some of you may be offended by my choice of materials but each to their own.

I went to a church rummage sale and  you could fill a brown grocery bag for $5.  In my bag I have a small silver serving tray and wine chalices.

I drilled holes in the lip of the edge of the platter  with a metal drill bit and then drilled holes in the base of the chalices.  I had all the beads on hand and used 20# clear fishing line to string them on.
I made sure the chalices are almost touching so that when they move in the breeze they hit each other and are so melodic.  I used a small link chain on each side to hang it on the branch.  I had originally had it hanging on the deck but it didn't move due to the weight.  Now the breeze moves the branch.

I also crammed neatly placed silverware  and this chafing dish holder in my bag.   I have a ton of beads on hand and have had my art kids making their own wind chimes.  I again drilled holes in each

 of the handles of the silverware.  You cannot use newer silverware because you cannot drill through it.  You can wrap wire around  the handles  and then use fishing line to attach them to your holder.

I wrapped thin wire with beads around the handles and added bells to some of the utensils.  This one is light weight and  dances nicely in the breeze.  It has a soft  tinkly sound.

What projects are you working on?

Summer is Upon Us

Life has been challenging here lately.  Once again I have been spending a lot of time at the local hospital ER and the Dr's.  But every day is better and I am hopeful this will be resolved.

In the meantime, the ritual of spring planting is alive and well .  I have been puttering in the garden  getting my pots and plants ready for the summer season.

My doors and fence sections are all planted.

 This pink door is all over pinterest since I posted it last year late in the season when the flowers were cascading down the front.

The pool season is officially open and we have been enjoying it with exceptionally  hot weather.

Liberate Your Art Swap

Once again  I have been participating in Kat Sloma's "LIBERATE YOUR ART swap.

The idea is to turn your art/photography into post cards and then send five different or all the same cards to Kat. With the help of many volunteers she then sends the postcards twice a week starting at the end of March until they are all delivered to the over 200 participants.  Everyone sends five and in return gets five and an extra one from Kat herself

Each year I look forward to trying to capture better photos.  Knowing I am going to be sharing them with other artists/photographers that are so much more professional pushes me to see the world around me form a different point of view.  And who doesn't love snail mail that is uplifting?

I sent the following five postcards and did hear from one recipient in the UK.  This was the first time I have heard from anyone who has received one of my postcards and was overjoyed it went so far.

The flowers were all in our yard and the door is one of several I have painted and
have used to help landscape our back yard.

Below are the postcards I received in the swap.

            This one arrived from Jen of  Lashua Art. She is a very talented artist and her art can be found on facebook.

This breathtaking   photo is by Shirina Manez. Her other photography can be found at Crated.  Shirina I tried to find a way to contact you to let you know where your post card landed and was unable to do that.

https://cabrashear.wordpress.com/

I love this photo of an old beat up truck interior and seemed to like the wagon wheel for a perch.
This photo is done by Catherine Brashear.



This photo of the sea is accompanied by a poem by Dani in Australia @Sandhasnohome.com  The poem reads:
                                      Did the sea water baulk
                                      when first if met the tide?

                                      What lyrics do the waves sing
                                       When they meet the shore again?

                                        Do Seashells cry for mercy
                                        in their metamorphosis to fragments?

                                         Does the water long for peace
                                         in the midst of its violence?

                   This beautiful postcard was sent from the Midwest by Siobhan Wolf. You can find out about her and her family here.

 This last postcard was sent to everyone by Kat Sloma.  She is a wonderful photographer and teaches in person and online workshops.  Even my husband looks forward to the post cards that arrive in the mail during this event.  I encourage everyone to follow the link and view several hundred more postcards by all the participants.

  

                                                                 An InLinkz Link-up

Old Barns On A Rainy Day

The past few days have brought pouring rain to our very dry region.   I was feeling house bound so grabbed my camera and went for a drive looking for my favorite old barns. I don't know why, but old buildings just draw me in.

We are so fortunate to live where we do, surrounded by farmland.

 

This vintage barn comes complete with this trio of vintage cars.

This barn was freshly painted this dull green....any other shade would have taken away its

full beauty.

This beauty is showing off its new metal roof.  It retains its original bones and weathered wood.

This farm had a brand new metal barn unworthy of photo preservation, but did have these fun out buildings.  Here is a Café complete with old milk cans, water pump, vintage benches and even a phone booth.

            It's partner is a trading post with vintage gas pumps and more milk cans and a vintage sign.

This building has 'weathered' many years of use.  It looks to house broken down machinery presently, but I imagine generations of animals calling this place home complete with a hay loft filled from surrounding wheat fields.

                                                              Oh the memories I could tell.....

I love the red and white of these last two barns.  The windows are wonderful.

 

                                                               These two were just too sweet.

Kid's Art Projects

For the last month my weekly kids have been working on their latest art project.  I took photos of each one of them.  They had to use their photo as the focal point of their piece.

We collaged the canvas and then they had to draw themselves as something, anything.  We painted over the collage to outline who or what they were going to be.  Then they added shaded outlines in the background and some paint lines and dots.

After they were happy with the background, they then embellished their picture to create the scene.

I had all kinds of junk for them to pull from. 

When they were done embellishing they had to come up with a phrase or word to finish the piece.

They had such fun making their art and I had as much fun helping them with their ideas.


These are the finished projects:

                                                   He wanted to be a rainbow, age 5.

 

 She wanted to be a flower and came up with the rhyme roses are red and changed it on her own. Age 8.

                                                      She wanted to be a Hot Dog. Age 6

                                                           Here is a princess.  Age 10

 

He wanted to be a bottle of ketchup.  Our dog had two squeaky toys she never plays with so we washed them up and attached them to the picture.  The phrase is actually his last name. age 7.

 

                   Here we have a minion playing sports and holding his bottle of jelly.  Age 6.

 

This one has the most three dimensional aspects.  Age 10.

 

Another fairy tale princess. Age 11

 

A sweet angel  age 9.

                                                      This one is fun and happy.  Age 13.

I look at these pictures and can't stop smiling.  The biggest thing for me is that the kids create with joy and abandon and I just try to keep them going in a forward motion.