Skulls, Skulls, Skulls!

I have been busy making more Day of the Dead felt skull ornaments recently; both in my traditional white base & also with a new black base.



I just love how they turned out!



Calaveras (or sugar skulls) from my understanding are used as a symbol of loved ones that have passed during the Dia de los Muertos celebration in Mexico. I think they are truly beautiful & bright!



I have to admit though: I was quicker about posting them to Etsy then I was to my neglected blog & 2 of them have already been sold! :)



If you want one you better get yours before they are all gone!

Garden Update

I was questioned about how my garden was coming along earlier this week.

As it is now frickin' cold (already!) & I even saw snowflakes last week :o( - my garden has officially been put on hold until next year. But lots of changes & exciting things happened (well, at least to me they are exciting!)

After pulling out all the unwanted bushes & plants (I can't find the "before" pic on this computer so you'll just have to trust me that it looked blah), we dug out the brick & mapped out the new path.



Then, we had to dig down as we discovered and VERY clay based soil (not so much soil at all actually!) (FYI: This water issue was also one of the main reasons behind the new landscaping.)



Next came the levelling by the very handy free labour guy! :)



Onto the fun part! Brick laying!



Tah dah! A new brick path. Lovely!



Now I just need to fill up my new gardens with new plants! Here's a start & I also added rock edging:



Lots still to do, but I think it looks SO good so far!

50th Post - Whoo Hoo!!!!

A great moment in the life of this blog has occurred - post number 50! It is a very exciting time and all of us at JewelzyBug Designs are bouncing off the walls:



Umm... I said bouncing....



Excited?



Well, at least moderately happy about it?



Ok - so we are moderately happy about it and wanted to share it with all of you! So keep in touch - there's more goodies yet to come!

Happy Halloween!

I have been quiet around here once again.... Been keeping busy attending classes & stuff & have had no time for my poor neglected blog....

BUT!!! I have had a request to post some things from some people (yes, you know who you are!) So here we go - I'll start off small.....



HAPPY HALLOWEEN!



Very exciting time of year for me. I just LOVE it!

The pumpkin carving... (and the baked seeds!)



The house decorations up and down the street:



What were you for Halloween this year?

And the Winner is...

Congratulations goes out to Heather from Oshawa, On!!

She won her choice of one of my original book page art prints in the SewTara giveaway. She chose #036 - Butterfly.



Yay! Thanks to all who entered and a VERY special thanks to Tara for hosting such a great giveaway!

New Whoos!

Ok - I have once again been inspired! This time by my book page art!



I have created: Little Whoos! Felted hand sewn owl ornaments.



I just love them! They turned out terribly cute!



For sale on my Etsy. Get yours now!



More cute critters to come as well! :0)

Giveaway!!

I have EXCITING news! And I can't wait to share it with you!



I was recently contacted by Etsy seller, fellow blogger & 'Shwa-tizen SewTara about hosting a art giveaway on her blog SewTara. I, of course, immediately said yes! What a wonderful idea!



So - here's the deal: you have to visit her beautiful blog HERE tomorrow (Friday) & read the fabulous post about Moi! She will have instructions on how you can win your very own FREE original book page drawing by me.



Now for the fun stuff! (I know - how could there possibly be more fun stuff?!?!) The winner gets to choose what book page drawing they wish! That's right! Any one they want! I have posted all 90 of them on my Flickr for your perusal.



Be sure to get over her her blog to enter! What are you waiting for?

Garden of Love

I have gotten bit by the gardening bug & it has been whispering into my ear...

First, the back story: I met my house 1.5 years ago - the gardens were bare - full only of 2 cedar globe bushes, a tiny weigela, a purple sand cherry, a hosta & 2 other bush types. The path flooded into a stream with every rain fall. The wooden step turned into a slip'n'slide at the slightest moisture. None of this really bothered me. It was easy to maintain and I was content painting the interior of the house... Until recently.

Now - I am ready for a change. I am ready for colour. I am ready for pretty, pretty flowers.

I know my basic design: informal country inspired perrenial garden: lower maintenance, lots of colour & year round (or at least as year round as Canada gets.) I want it to take over everything - be wild & free! But still be functional & practical for winter shovelling & use.



I have scoured the web & come up with a few inspirations of my vision to come.

A flagstone path by Cottage Charm Landscaping:



Or this one from Pandorea...:



Or even this with enough patience (found at Denver Botanical Garden):



Maybe recycled brick with how-to on Ben Riddering:



Or this one at Craftsman Remodelling with added flagstone pieces & mossy goodness:



Or do I want something more organic like Maggie at My Garden:



Even this one from Puddleduck Musings:



The overall garden of Empress of Dirt:



Including her rock edging:



Of course I would need a pickett fence, like this one from Better Homes & Gardens:



And natural stone edging as seen at The Garden Artist:



The ideas really are unlimited! This is going to be so much fun!

Celebration!

HAPPY CANADA DAY!!



What did you do to celebrate?



Did you watch the fireworks?



My fine city hosts a beautiful fireworks display at the lake every year and we are fortunate enough to get a view right from our deck.





Hope your day was a blast!