they labor...

 these beautiful sedums 

 are just starting to pop

 and are being devoured by the bees...

and this variety of sedum

 is being consumed by the furry cousin of the other bees.

So my question is this -

how do they know that the furry ones are allowed on one plant 

and the regular bees are only allowed on the other?

pretty funny...

and yes they do not know they are supposed to be resting.

Happy Labor Day weekend to you all!

who knew - joint compound?

joint compound...

 makes for great art

 as I found out in 

Judy Wise and Stephanie Lee's class this summer

(they also have a wonderful book for those of you that missed the class).

Here are some pics of the beginning stages of these two  pieces.

 I first etched basic texture into the wet compound...

 then tried to figure out what I saw in the compound

and added a bowl and pots with this nifty little sewing device.

anybody know what it's called -

used for tracing patterns I believe?

 then I rubbed in some black acrylic

 to get some instant lines.

time for an art break

 after the on-line plaster class was over

 a group of us who had only met on-line during the class

decided to have a party at my house and share our art endeavors.

check out the table above filled with our fun...

 and meet my new friends

Melinda, Jill and Jeanne

 above is Jill's beautiful book and homemade case

 and interior pages

 and a plaster piece.

check out her blog to see "the kraken" - just gorgeous.

 here is Jeanne's bounty of beauty

 and her crackled plaster cat.

 next is Melinda's adorable cat

 and frescoed scene - 

just love these colors!

ok the art field trip is over 

and back to finishing my pieces.

 thanks for guarding Matteo.

 the next steps involved trying to pick out

the shapes I wanted and

 then adding lots of paint layers,

rubbing them out,

etching in others,

adding buttons and paper

some stamping and gold leaf,

 and finally putting them in the vintage frames I found for them.

think they will stay here until I hang them up.

On a different note, 

would love prayers or good thoughts sent my son and daughter-in-law's way in New Jersey

as they wait for the storm to hit Saturday...

geesh they have had the weather.

summer hop

finally summer arrives...

and Zoe and I could not be happier.

we get to enjoy the patio
and the plants

and the sun

and the most incredible wisteria ever

and the paths

and mr. crow who surveys the yard

and the fountain

and one foxglove left

and sedums too.

but of course the yard takes work

and it seems we rarely sit and enjoy it.

a couple of blogs back I showed you the tree that we took out here

(where I dream of a studio)

so we needed to change the gravel and planting area

and we worked two days to do that

and cut more trees

and everyone pitched in

to move bark and edge

(just love corgi butts)

and explore.

and finally some rest

and pool time.
now if we could just get day #7 above 80 degrees this summer...