Mixed Nuts!

Hi All! I haven't posted for almost the whole month of March! I guess life just gets in the way sometimes. I have called this post "Mixed Nuts" because I have a collection of things I want to post before I start showing Easter Decor, and Spring Time in the yard.
I have had the winter constellation of Orion overhead guarding my home, but now that he is moving away, I have the constellations of Hercules and Leo taking the place as centurions for the summer. Just makes me feel good. My constellation Virgo will be off to the side of the night sky. Check out the constellations that will be over your home this summer.
 The header picture that I have on my blog is of the Goddess Flora, I painted her about 8 years ago and I just wanted to show that she really does reside on the gate leading to our back yard at our home.

She is life size and I painted her with a sponge. I had seen her picture in a magazine and tore out the page and put in one of my "Save it folders". Do you do that? Have save it folders? I tear out any page that has something that I love, or that may spark a new project. Fun to go through all the pictures that I collect, that is a good way to find out what your style is, by placing all the pictures out, you can see a pattern emerge in how all the pictures relate to each other. And voila! Your style! I found mine is Traditional with a lean to the Neo Classical for my home, but my garden is more Shabby Chic. Oh don't forget I do mosaics too, that rusted shovel head was another trash find, I used plates from Goodwill and a porcelain rose to design the mosaic. Love it!

Now talking about Shabby Chic, I have a fun collection of  Bird Houses scattered throughout the yard, some I've made and some I've decorated, others I've bought or gifts from friends. Don't they just add so much fun to the garden?

Huge bird cage that I use hanging from a tree in the corner of the yard, planted with ferns and a spider plant.

 

Some of the houses I've made and painted, or covered in shells, or have added porcelain flowers and birds, I also painted the wooden cat I found at a garage sale. I love the ones with the porcelain on them, my neighbor had thrown out a piece of bead board, so I went over and got it, and it was enough to make three houses!

This is just a few of what is in my yard, but I know you don't want to look at tons of houses, now they aren't just hanging willy nilly , they are hidden gems that you just discover as you walk the yard, and that is how all things in your garden should be, hidden discoveries at every opportunity.

It's crazy whenever I see a new project that I feel I can attempt, I'm right on it! When I saw the postings of people making cement leaves I knew I had to try it!! So I got an Elephant Ear from the yard and made one! I loved it, and was so easy! Just type in Cement Leaves on Pinterest and you will find all the instructions there.

I found a Mardi Gras mask at Goodwill, it was out of shiny gold plastic, like a Lone Ranger mask you would find at Woolworths (dating) LOL. But when I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for a cement mold, using quickcrete I made this sun, I still have the mold, but have chosen not to make another one, as when I looked at the finished sun, he had a down turned mouth, kinda didn't like that. Gotta be positive! And this thing is so heavy, I have to have my hubs move it for me, it's about 2 feet across!