PRINCESS LIBRARY DISPLAY

A new library display we added today at the Woodstock Public Library.  When Linda asked some of our youngest patrons what they wanted in the display cabinet they said "Princesses"!  Linda outdid herself making this castle out of old pizza and shoe boxes cut and painted to look like a very fashionable princess castle.  There are even balconies with princesses in the windows. Look for the mirrored window, the drawbridge made out of tongue depressors complete with Snow White on the top balcony.  

Princess Castle with lots of tiaras, princess wands, princesses and GLITTER!  Oh, and of course Princess Books!

JUST IN TIME FOR WINTER

Finished another "Shawl Collared Cowl".  I really like this pattern because it knits up so quickly and it looks great in any type of yarn.  I made this one for my mom.  It's starting to get a little cool here in Atlanta and she will love wearing this to keep her neck warm in church, at the movies or just sitting at home.  

I just finished this "Marian" cowl for my daughter.  I used just 1 skein of Bernat Roving yarn in color "Putty".  It was knit in the seed stitch on size 17 circular needles and was so much fun to knit.  It's big and chunky and the perfect accessory with a tee shirt and jeans.  This yarn is so squishy and lightweight that you hardly know you have it on.  It's like wearing your favorite blanket around your neck!

SCARECROWS IN THE GARDEN 2011

SPOILER ALERT*****if you're planning on going to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and haven't seen  the scarecrows yet, don't look at my photos.  But, if you aren't able to go this year, browse and have fun.....


What could be more fun than the combination of little Hobgoblins, a Chihuly glass sculpture and world renown gardens?  We visited the Atlanta Botanical Gardens annual Scarecrows in the Garden this weekend and were enchanted with the scarecrows along with hundreds of little children all dressed in their finest Halloween costumes!  I think this says it all........a princess, Snow White and Captain America enthralled with the fountain and Dale Chihuly sculpture in the Rose Garden.

And of course, the Venus FLY Trap was my favorite. Notice her eyes, hands and feet have already turned into a fly.

Day of the Dead scarecrow

And look closely and you will see all of the shells........yes, it's "Shell yrl" scare Crow!

And a Jack Sparrow Scarecrow

Love the Hippo Bride.  Most of the scarecrows are in the South Gardens are you walk through the forest.  Be sure to go up and down each trail because they are tucked in all around the garden.  In most cases you can walk up to the scarecrow to look at it closely.

or take your photo next to one!

The flowers were beautiful too!  This is near the waterfall gardens with the beautiful hand-forged iron gates.

Me and Coco Chanel Scarecrow.

This scarecrow was made entirely out of  s*#%$&@  pulled out of Nancy Creek.  Wonder how that worked out for the person who lost the bathing suit top?  

And this one made me think of my niece who is expecting twins in December.........

Look who we ran into .......

This is the pond and bog garden in the Children's Garden area.  Most of the scarecrows here were made by elementary schools.

This was a clever one ANDREW LLOYD WEBER made out of a weber grill.

The Rose Garden

There were lots of activities for the little ones including storytelling.......

This little mermaid reminded me of Bette Midler, The Divine Miss M!  She was waiting in line for a seat on the train.

This little UPS boy was all decked out and even had a package to deliver.  They are SO fast!  It think the lollipops help.

a little giraffe wants a bath in the fountain.......

Looking towards to Fuqua Orchid center and the main lawn.  To the right were train rides, to the left were pony rides.  Oh to be four again!

This fountain has always been one of  my favorites.   I love how the water cascades over the sculptured faces.

And this little Ladybug was taking a break with her juicy cup.  By far, there were more ladybug costumes than anything else.  Good for a garden, I guess!

This Raggedy Ann and Andy were Ginormas!  You can see their faces through the mesh hearts.  Cute little damsel getting her picture made.

And we saw Snow White and Captain America on the pony rides.

pitcher plant in the bog garden

and the reflecting pool down the stairs near Piedmont Park

Who knew they had a train in the garden?

A cute little fairy taking a break from the festivities.

Another beautiful Scarecrow in the Garden.  They said that there are over 100 scarecrows mingled throughout the garden, but only until October 30th!  Quick, so see the scarecrows!

SHAWL COLLARED COWL - Again

Well, I love this Shawl Collared Cowl pattern from Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting.  This time I used Misti Baby Alpaca Hand Painted Chunky yarn.  I LUV this yarn.  It is so soft, warm and drapes so pretty.  I'm using buttons again from thewoodlot.etsy.com.  I still need to block the cowl so I haven't sewn the buttons on yet, but I couldn't resist posting a photo of the outcome so far.  I think it will go with everything in my closet!

And yes, it is as soft as it looks!

GLENRIDGE HALL - PLEIN AIR PAINTING

It was the perfect Fall day here in Atlanta and my outdoor painting group had an outing planned to Glenridge Hall in Sandy Springs.  It is just off of Abernathy if you live in the Atlanta area.  The home is located on 47 acres and is absolutely beautiful.  You could paint every square inch of the place.  It reminds me of the secret garden with secret sitting areas and passageways all over the grounds.  Here is my set-up and beginning of my watercolor.  

This view is of the front of the house but doesn't show the right wing!  I am walking from the caretaker's cottage.  I love to walk around the grounds when I first arrive to take photos.  I am usually there in the spring -- so this was the first time I had been in the fall.

Below is the side porch where we eat our lunch.  We usually paint for a few hours, grab our lunches and relax on this porch with it's original wicker chairs.

There were a lot of bees out today.

This is a shot of the backyard.  To the left of this photo is a HUGE chess set.  The flower gardens wind around to the left and the right.  The most gorgeous turquoise wrought iron chairs are on the patio at the top of these stairs.

A shot of the chess set.

These steps are leading down from the rear of the house.

The turquoise chairs.  They must have 30 of them!

Here is another wrought iron settee hidden behind some plantings.

I am standing at the rear of the house looking down to the lower gardens.

Looking back up towards the back of the house.

This fountain is located in the front side of the house close to the caretaker's cottage.  There is also a lake, a koi pond and many more paths and gardens on the grounds.

Another shot of my little table where I spent the morning painting in the most beautiful spot.  I hope you enjoyed my photos of Glenridge Hall.