Spring was here....

What a lovely couple of weeks we enjoyed here in N. Calif.  Sunshine and mild temps made for a wonderful respite from winter.  We seem to get a brief taste of spring each February, a teaser before we are hit once again with cold, snow/rain with a dash of wind tossed in.  But that few days of warmth is a lovely reminder that Spring is on its way, and makes it bearable until it is here to stay. 

My husband and I spent the weekend entertaining our youngest nephews (mommy and daddy were having a weekend to themselves).    Here is Cayden and Jackson in their favorite spot as I cook, they are my little helpers.

Friday they helped me outside raking the pine needles and feeding the chickens.  Auntie Pam was making sure they were good and tired come bed time.   

Saturday we took them to the zoo.   We enjoyed walking thru the small zoo.  Here is a couple of wild ones ready to be adopted….



Lot's of fun critters to see...

Photo ops

That Uncle Dave, he is on his phone again!

 

Then is was time for LUNCH!

The sun was fabulous, the temp about 70 degrees and the green grass so vibrant. One thing I love about California is it is so green, even in winter.  As we drove down into the San Joaquin valley I was on the lookout for the almond trees.  They are one of the first things to bloom, it almost never fails, by the second week of February you see white blossoms popping out all over.  

We had fun, we wore the boys to a nub, they slept for a good portion of Sunday afternoon and were glad to see mom and dad later in the evening.

Today we are back to winter weather, cold snow this morning and then rain and some wind. Sigh, our peek at Spring is over but soon enough it will be here to stay!

woo hoo.

Needless to say I got no projects done but enjoying the sunshine and the boys was more fun anyways.

Ta ta...Pamela

 



Get the INSIDE scoop!



Well, I got brave and photographed the inside of the studio.  So many expressed their wish to see it and yet I know this is not what they were expecting.  I am sure they have visions of great decor, smancy lighting and froo froo's.  But the reality is I am MESSY when creating and this is a working studio.   I have been just running in, painting up a few signs at a time then closing the door behind me as I go about my day. Plus during the cold winter months I had to set up building my dining room table in here.

This is when it was getting stained.

I do plan on revamping this all soon and it will look so much nicer.  I will save my plans for another post and I will need feedback to get suggestions.  Here is my lovely cottage...on the inside.

This is from the French Doors looking in..

 Looking to the left from the French Doors.  I have many of my geraniums I started from seed overwintering in here since it is a heated space. My greenhouse is not heated and gets little sun in the dead of winter.

 This shot is looking to the right from the French doors.  My paint table is a thrift store find that I painted white. I tape down butcher paper on the top so I don't get paint on it.

 A shot towards the French Doors.  You can see my little sink that I rinse my brushes out in. I need to fnish painting the legs and right now it is not working, the pipes to it outside froze last year, in fact my entire back yard water system is toast.  Something on our 'to do' list for this spring and summer.  So, in the meantime I haul 1 gallon milk jugs full of water in from the house.

 A shot of the loft.  My daughter used to love to lay up there and read while I painted.  She has since grown up and moved away but I left her feather mattress up there.  I will use this for storage soon.

This is where I work on painting the signs for my website and for special orders that people request.

Now that you have all gasped in dismay over what it REALLY looks like inside, I will bid you adieu.

 

The step by step plans/eBook are now available.  Click on the website button above to find out more!

Trying to Learn Photoshop!

Today has been gorgeous!  Sunny and a high of 65 degrees, can't get much better than this in the mountains in February.  The past week has been spent on painting signs,  special order signs and a few just to put up on my website.

 I still need to work on the inside photos of my studio.  So many have requested it but I am half afraid to show what it looks like now.  On the other hand I am motivated to get it arranged as I would wish so I can show "before" and "after" photos.  I will need help in getting it done and am waiting for my husband to finish.  He has been working on the step by step building plans for the studio and price list for materials so any who wish can build it for themselves.

The other item on my list is learn photoshop.  My blog definitely needs a face lift and organization but the things I want to do will be easier if I learn how to use it. I have wanted to use Photoshop for my photography forever and a day so it is time to buckle down to it, there are so many easy tutorials to smooth the way, I just need to set aside time for it.  But getting the signs painted that have been ordered has taken priority! 

Here are some of the signs I worked on this week...

A blue cottage sign with pink roses.  I am working on doing some beachy signs getting ready for summer.

My rosebud laundry signs are always a hit.

A gal special ordered one like this back in December..I liked it so well after completing it I wanted to do another.  I am also working on a Frog Pond sign that is driving me insane!  I can't seem to get the frogs down.  But I usually have a point in many of my special order signs that have me yanking my hair out. 

Today I refused to even look at signs! With the gorgeous temps I had a hard time staying indoors,  so I gave in to the desire to be outside and worked in my greenhouse.  I set up rope lights on the metal rack to use as a heat mat for my seedlings and next I will set up the growlights. I soaked, scrubbed and sanitized tons of plastic pots.  I had to break off long enough to run to the grocery store and Post Office but that was about it, the rest of the time was spent getting ready for spring!  I checked my peach trees out back and they are starting to bud. 
I love being outside, it soothes the soul. Well, I should qualify that, I love being outside when it is warm. I don't handle cold well, unless it is on the short term.
Time to go lock up the chickens, I let the out of their pen to peck the green shoots peeking out of the snow free ground. 

Pamela

Strawberries, getting a jump on spring!

I confess to being a garden fanatic.  I love to garden even more than I enjoy painting.  When January rolls around I am itching to get planting. But with a last frost date of mid-May, the garden season feels far off.

I normally start seeds of flowers you won't find in regular garden centers. I set up racks inside my house complete with grow lights and heat mats. 

 But this year the budget does not allow for the extra power usage so I must content myself with what I can start in my greenhouse.   

Many seeds will have to wait for late March to be started so I won't have the headstart I normally enjoy but that isn't something I can't live with.  You can see here we have a bit of snow left and the nights get very cold so I have to be judicious in what I try to start.

 Saturday I drove by a local nursery and spotted their sign letting me know that they had bare root strawberries in stock. 

 A strawberry patch is on my list for this summer so I pulled in to price them.  I was more than pleased to find they were under $4 for a dozen, so I picked up 2 bunches.

  It was a sunny morning but a storm was moving in with more snow predicted so as soon as I got home I hurried to get the greenhouse back in order. 

First, set up the metal rack.  I will eventually set up some grow lights and my tube lights for bottom heat on this rack. 

 Mix up potting mix, 4 parts compost, 1 part vermiculite and 1 part perlite.  Stir in old metal bucket.  Separate strawberry plants and place in 4 inch pots then added potting mix.

I place the freshly potted strawberries in trays and bottom water. See  happy healthy berry plants.  they will develop great root systems and be ready to put into my new strawberry patch as soon as the ground will permit.

 

They will do very well in the greenhouse until then.

 The site I have chosen for my strawberry bed is my old chicken pen spot, it has been a few years since my chicken pen was located there so it has composted well though still rich in nutrients for the berries.

So, now you need to meet my ladies.

 I have 17 hens.  A mix of breeds.  Silver laced wyandottes, Speckled sussex, NewHampshire reds, Buff Orpingtons, Black Australorps, Delawares and a Bard Rock. 

 They provide me with luscious fresh eggs and tons of organic fertilzer.

It was fun getting a start on my summer garden, small as it was.  And I still have plenty to do in the greenhouse to get it ready for more seed starting.  I was busy painting signs the past couple days so the planting will have to wait for another day.

Anyone else getting anxious for spring?? Or is that a really dumb question...

Pam