Althea's Friday Finds

Althea couldn't sleep last night. The moon was too bright and she had a million ideas floating around in her head. She spent a good part of the day tending her catnip patch. She's a bit concerned because her cilantro patch doesn't seem to be flourishing. For those of you that don't know her, she prefers fresh cilantro over catnip. Yeah, I know?!

So, she decided to surf Etsy. She loves browsing the vintage CATegories. She could not believe all the white cat planters that were for sale. They'd make great catnip pots for the city kitties or for those cats that don't have the luxury of growing it outdoors in the garden. Click on the pictures to take you to the shops.

She's bugging me to harvest and dry the 'nip, so she can sell it in my deStash shop. It's a possibility.
Until next time.....

deStash Update

I've been adding beads to my Etsy deStash shop this week. Stop by and check out my booty. I'm not buying as many beads as I usually do, so it is really hard to part with the ones that I have. There are some that I have plenty of and some that I just won't use, so I may as well get rid of them. Right? Please say "right".

Until next time.....

Wordless Wednesday

Bloomin' Tuesday

Here's a sample of what blooming at our place.
Above: white bleeding hearts
Below: Solomon's Seal

Above: Blue Star

Below: Bachelor Buttons

Above: Blueberries

Below: Columbine

It's so nice to have color around the ole place again. Hope you are surrounded by some also.

Until next time.....

The Mysterious Wisteria

Several years ago, I purchased a wisteria plant online. I immediately planted it next to a cedar post that I also 'planted', with plans to build an arbor for the vine.

I love wisteria blossoms. Their color is amazing! I'm a blue/purple flower person, so it was definitely on my list of must have plants. Their scent is intoxicating. I couldn't wait for mine to bloom.

I waited and waited and waited. Year after year after year. Yet my wisteria didn't bloom. I googled, I asked questions. But nadda bud. Just vines. Vigorous vines. The kind of vines that grab you when you walk by.

I would trim some of them back because they were out of control. Last fall, I began to think that maybe the company sent me the wrong plant, so I grabbed my pruners and cut it back. Way back. Until there was nothing left but a few stems and the trunk. I had plans of digging it up in the spring and starting from scratch.

One day, a couple of weeks ago, I was adding grass clippings to the compost pile. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a splash of color coming from the direction of the plant in question. Oh yeah, you guessed right. The vine, or what was left of it, was blooming! It sent out new shoots. From that new growth hung several wisteria blossoms. Hold everything. Run inside and get the camera. It's picture taking time.

Check out that plant. Cut back to nothing and blooming after all these years! Don't ask me why. Or how. Maybe one day, I'll come across the answer. But for now, I think I'll stand there and breath in the scent. I've waited a longggggg time to do so.

Until next time.....

Earth Day on the Mountain

We packed the cooler and loaded up the truck for a quick trip up to Crystal Lake. What a perfect place to spend Earth Day.
The sweet aroma of Wild Azaleas was thick. They bloom everywhere in the woods and were in full bloom. (above)
Wild blueberries were also in bloom. Looks like there will be plenty of berries for the wildlife and us. They also grow everywhere in the woods. (below)

John found this growing on a log. Not sure what it is, but it resembles a flower, at least to me. It looked and felt like a fungus of some sort. (below)

Soon as we got up there, we checked our bluebird boxes. One nest had four eggs! The next morning, which was Earth Day, I grabbed the camera to take a photo of the eggs. To my surprise, the birds were hatching. Happy Earth Day Birthday sweet bluebird babies!

Hope y'all had a wonderful day yesterday.

Until next time.....

Earth Day 2010

Since I won't be online tomorrow, I wanted to wish y'all a happy Earth Day. I'm going to spend the day enjoying this wonderful planet of ours. I'll be back with pictures.

Enjoy the day.

Until next time.....

Hello Yellow

Hello sunshine. Nice to see you again. We've had plenty of sun this spring. Would it be rude of me to ask you to shop shining long enough to rain on my gardens? It would be nice to stay indoors and make some new jewelry. We both know that I won't do that as long as I see your sunny face. I'll be your BFF. Thanks.

I hope that you're getting the right mix of weather where you live.

Until next time.

Shadow Shot Sunday

New, upcycled camping table! In the shadows of Crystal Lake.

Until next time.....

The Cottage Garden Revisited

My garden is filled with plants that I've carried with me throughout the years. Many of them are heirloom plants and seeds that date back 50+ years. Right now, my lilac bushes are in full bloom. These bushes came from small clumps that I dug up from John's grandmother's shrub.

My jewelry garden is filled with vintage glass flowers. Some of those flowers make their way into my deStash shop. In my minds eye, they mirror my garden.

Until next time.....

50% off Sale Ends Tonight

My 50% off sale ends tonight, April 15th, at midnight EST.

(I think this is my shortest blog post ever!)

Until next time.....

Tax Day Approaches & 50% Off SALE

Life is bustling around the ole home place these days. Gardening season is here. Grass cutting season is here. Camping season is here. And tax day is almost here.

Tax day is a couple of days away. I finished mine last month and am ready to go see our tax lady.

I decided to have a big sale in my Etsy shop. 50% off of everything in stock and ready to ship.

P.S. I have no idea when I'll end this sale yet, so if you want something, better grab it now.

Hope y'all are doing OK. I've not been around much, but know that I am thinking about my online peeps. xoxo