Art of the Outdoors

I was visiting with my friend Gail Flotre on the phone today. Gail is a watercolor and silk painting artist. I enjoy working with Gail and my closet sports several of her gorgeous scarves. She told me she was working on getting last minute items ready for the Anchorage Botanical Garden show coming June 26 and 27. It is such a neat show with the artist's booths set up in the woods. Ooo and ahhhh through and garden and then ooo and ahh through an artist work, a perfect combination.

I'm a sucker for garden art. I have to be careful not to be one of those crazy people that create a small animal and fairy tale creature populations in their gardens. My mom created this stained glass piece as an anniversary gift. The stump in the foreground was pulled out of the ground when my dad was building the house I spent my part of childhood in. Yep, I carried it 4,000 miles to Alaska. It's like a piece of my dad and my original home.

This wheelbarrow I found in an antique shop. It was $100 which was a lot of money for me at that time. I carried this many miles to Alaska too. Every year when I put it's flowers in I can't help but wonder what farmer from years gone by used it to carry milk or hay. It helps me remember my Midwestern roots.

K-mart. I am pretty sure I got this at K-mart. It's plastic but it is so STINKIN cute that I can't help but love it. My cat stalked it once, it gets points for being life like.

I got this wonderful snail at an art fair in Michigan. I didn't want to spend the money on it so I went past the booth. As we continued to walk around enjoying the art I kept thinking about that snail. My husband insisted we go back. When we got back to the booth they were all gone. I stifled my temper tantrum. When we inquired the artist said he thought there was one left in his truck. He wasn't positive but he would go check. During the entire wait I paced, cursed and punished myself for not getting it when I first saw and loved it. Around the corner he came smiling with the LAST snail in his arms. Happy, happy day.

Be sure to check in your town to see if there is a garden art show. Garden art is so impressive in that the materials can stand the weather while charming up your yard and garden. I hope your flowers are blooming and your plastic K-mart bunny is always smiling.