Northwest Flower and Garden Show Fabulousness

We had a blast at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show last Friday! Thank you to everyone who turned out to hear about Salvage Savvy in the Rainier Room.

It was such a fun group!

Lisa and I and our husbands got to the show early in the afternoon to visit the gardens and take a gander at all the vendors.

We got a big kick out of seeing "our" planter chair in front of this garden shed. The theme of this garden was Reclaim, Recreate, Rejuvenate designed by Lucinda McMahan of Lucinda Landscapes and Kerry Sexton-Smith of Walden Garden Services.

Pamela Richards' garden is always one of my favorites. These splendid maple trees are Acer circinatum 'Pacific Fire'.

We got a big kick out of this container garden display.

The following pictures are from our favorite garden, designed by Rebecca Cole. There was a constant line waiting to walk through her imaginative display, so I had to snap pictures on the fly.

Here is a wonderful sedum rug under the glass table.

Loved the bases of these benches and table.

Fantastic metal planter boxes.

These indoor/outdoor tiles were captivating. This pattern, Flower Power, designed by Rebecca, is available nationwide by Imagine Tile.

And the best green wall at the show!

Cottage Wonderland

We visited the happiest little cottage you could imagine this past week!

Our customer friend, Christie, invited us over. We've watched her buy vintage toys and fun, found objects in red, aqua and yellow colors for the last several years at the studio. We had no idea she was creating CHRISTIELAND! I only wish my pictures did true justice to the magical setting.

Lisa and Christie grabbing a cup of tea.

Loved how she has used different colors of glass knobs on the kitchen drawers.

A beautiful Perpetual Calendar she made at a workshop at the studio. It is so darling in this space.

Visit us at the NW Flower & Garden Show

Please come say hi to us at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show this Friday, February 20. Beth speaks at 5:15 p.m. on Salvage Savvy, garden art from found objects, in the Rainier Room. It will be a lively show and tell – from sharing where to find good junk to a variety of ways to create and use garden art. Immediately following the presentation at 6 p.m., we’ll be signing copies of our book at the University Bookstore booth at the show.

Here’s a little preview:

Three garden art gals, made by local artist Kim Groff-Harrington, enliven a container of hardy fuchsias.

The heavy snow only enhances their charming presence.

Here they are giving it their all, which still isn’t quite enough to make this dormant fuchsia look any less sorry! They are really looking forward to spring, along with the rest of us.

Great Quote

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." Alan Cohen

Unfinished or Deliberate Found Objects?

Quirky handmade things like these plastic fruit pieces capture my imagination. Sticking a pin into each bead and sequin took some time and patience. Did the creator lose interest and abandon this project? Goodness knows, I can start projects like nobody’s business, but completing each of them is another story. Or did this crafter work part way down this apple, deliberately leaving that smooth line of sequins?

I am so attracted to vintage objects because they have a history and tell a story. -- Beth

Happy Valentine's Day

Have a great day!

Valentine's Week Continues

Lucky, lucky us – more Valentine’s Day loot! Lisa and I each received our own ideas journal, adorned with a handmade keepsake in these striking colors, from our friends Judy and Colleen. Of course, we can’t unwrap these yet. Our ideas will still have to be written on that standby yellow legal pad. Or pads. I seem to need one in each room where I work. Lots of ideas. So little memory. -- Beth

But wait...there is more!

I made these needle-felted heart pins for the girls.

And then wrapped them up in heart shaped jello-molds in a bed of shredded sheet music with some organza ribbon. Yum! -- Lisa