10 Cool Still Life Shots from around the house and garden.

A green thumb: Who, me?

A little before and after peek at the backyard, 'urban' garden.

As of May 22nd

BEFORE

While I can't take all of the credit for this amazing garden, I can say that I am extremely proud of how the little veggie patch has taken off this year. Shortly, we can expect red ripe tomatoes and fresh edamame.

There is a little section of herbs and a pepper patch too. Brussel sprouts, zucchini and cucumber have all taken off nicely.

As of June 3rd

AFT

 This will be the summer that the backyard finally gets some attention; it has been an uninhabitable mosquito pit for far too long.  My pinterest feed is blowing up with links to wooden fences, potting tables, and fire pits.  I might be a little over ambitious for the small space....I would love to install a fountain, high-top stone bar area and lots of other little amenities to make it a cozy space.

BEFORE

(perhaps now it won't be a haven for all the backyard junk!)

After the tornado last summer, we rescued this patio set from grandma and grandpa's house. It was a little dinged up, covered in tornado scum, and piled with junk so I treated it to a fresh coat of spray pay and VIOLA! Its a cheerful addition to the backyard.

AFTER

And I know I should probably just keep this a secret....but I am completely in love with the selection of succulent plants at Lowe's this season. I could seriously drop some cash on those lovely little plants. I'm going to HAVE to start collecting vintage planters (perhaps tiny deer) just to house all of my new additions.

Finally, I would like to share the small and beautiful re-do my screen porch has undergone recently.

BEFORE

 

 

AFTER

The rug completely ties the room together! I love the soft turquoise colors and the Native American feel. I picked it up at Saver's in KC on a recent adventure with Martha.

Thanks for reading!!

Large Painting with words {Addict}

Recently, I've realized that the dark wall color in my living room and lack of light bearing windows makes my front room a dim cave most of the time. In search of ways to brighten it up, without repainting, I came across an idea that I immediately fell in love with.

On Lisa Burke's blog, she posted about how to create a large painting full of text and I knew immediately that it was the perfect thing for my home (and I already had the perfect canvas ready to go!)

I went down the the basement, found some old white house paint, primed the surface and searched through songs to find something that reflects what I am feeling at the moment. I chose two verses from 'home' by Pink Floyd.

As you can see, even with the morning sun streaming through the dining room, my couch is in the dark. The painting has added a large, white reflective surface to the room, especially when the t.v. is on. Maybe not so much in the morning, but it is much brighter than the mirror and photo frames I had on the wall before.

Now I just need to make some new colorful pillows so that my living room will look half as trendy as Lisa's! (I really should go back and take a photo during another time of day with a camera other than my iPhone...but whatevs)


I was so in love with Lisa's painting that I also really wanted to create one with the ee cummings poem, 'I carry your heart.'  I had another large canvas so I decided to paint it and take it to school to spruce up my room for the year.

Anyway, I decided that the worthless back corner behind my desk needed a makeover so I have been busy this summer clearing away the clutter. You can kind of see the 'before' picture of this corner and the old  poster collage on the wall behind my desk in this photo.

 I am going to leave the lomography rainbow up for the year....hoping to inspire students with my artwork. I am also thinking about doing a lesson with this poem to start out the year, because I know it will be a conversation starter for the students.

Have you done anything new in your classroom? What song or poem would you paint on a large canvas?

If you are interested in stretching your own large canvases, check out my DIY on the Birds of a Feather blog from last summer.

Thanks for reading!!