August 2010 Archives

Ladybugs are charming tiny helpful red bugs that eat mites and help keep a garden healthy. They're also Bluebird Gardens Quilts and Gifts mascot, hopping around our website.

Asian lady beetles are the yellow, green and orange ones that try to come inside in the fall but they are not the original red ladybug.

I found this ladybug sitting on a 1.5-inch tomato leaf on my deck.

Bluebird Gardens has a lot of summer visitors, including for the first time summer of 2010, this 2-inch long northern spring peeper frog, hanging out close to the door bell.

See the tell-tale cross mark on his back?

These Missouri frogs start singing early spring and continue off and on into fall. There's nothing quite like the chorus of spring peeper frogs chirping all at once!

Charlotte

I can't say for sure this is always the same green hummingbird, but ever since mid-summer one particular hummingbird seems to patrol the deck outside my family room.

Mornings when I sleep in late and don't get the 3 hummingbird feeders out, Milton will show up at the glass door and windows, looking in while he flits back and forth until breakfast is served.

Before sunset, there are usually several hummers at the feeders but only Milton will perch on a branch off the deck and watch me flitting around with my camera.

My zoom lens is in the shop so one weekend I perched myself quietly on a deck chair with a poised camera about 6 feet from the feeder, right after filling feeder with 1 part sugar, 4 parts water. I didn't have long to wait.

At first I thought this was a female green hummingbird until a birding friend said mid-summer it's hard to distinguish females from young, immature males.

I also learned this year hummingbirds will not eat out of feeders cleaned with soap.

 I've rinsed mine out well with hot water and kept them filled half way with fresh juice every other day, especially when temps were over 100F or Milton let me know it was time for new juice.

After taking a few drinks at the feeder, Milton usually makes the rounds of potted flowers on the deck before heading back to the bar.

Would you join Bluebird Gardens Quilts and Gifts in sponsoring Melody Lea Lamb in her race for the critters?

The race is September 19, 2010 and will benefit several charity causes associated with rescue animals, including feeding Ivan, the feral town dump cat.

Bluebird Gardens Feline staff of former feral rescues, including one still very determined former dumpster diver,  are already standing by, ready for the race for critters to start.





Can we help Melody reach $1,500?

Thanks for helping!

Charlotte

If you've ever driven down Lombard Street in San Francisco, you know the world's most crooked street is lined in hydrangeas.

In memory of my uncle, who lived a few doors down from Lombard Street, I added hydrangeas to my garden this year.

My uncle would have been amused. Living on the top floor of an apartment complex with a view of San Francisco Bay, my garden adventures were foreign to him but we could always agree the Lombard Street hydrangeas were beautiful.

Regardless of the kind of plant, adding greenery associated with a good memory is a wonderful way to add a special touch to a garden.

Giving a plant that has a special association to someone can also be a nice garden gift that helps them deal with sorrow.

It's difficult for some people to even talk about death.

In making memory quilts out of clothing and photos to help people preserve memories and cope with a loss, I have found  embracing the gift of life that was shared can be the kindest way to help someone cope, and  move on.

Even a simple plant that has a memory associated with it can be the emotional anchor someone needs to manage through their grief.

My uncle was a special family member. By having a plant that I associate with him, I remember the wonderful times we had together and it helps keep those memories alive and close to my heart.

It's exciting to be working with the charming original artwork of East coast artist Melody Lea Lamb.

An award-winning illustrator, Melody has the uncanny ability to capture the animal's soul in her more than 200 colored pencil drawings and miniature art of domestic and wild animals.

I'm currently working with Melody to identify a series of animals from which Bluebird Gardens Quilts and Gifts customers will be able to select and design your own baby quilts, throws and bedding quilts.

We know from the first two test rabbit quilt blocks, these quilts will wonderfully reflect the charm of Melody's original art and bring the joy of animals into your home decor.

We'll be printing Melody's original artwork onto fabric blocks, like we currently do with original photos and other mementos.

I'm testing possible layouts for the blocks, all designed to frame and highlight the charm of the art.

Right now I'm focused on a rabbit theme; I also have my eye on a series of cat blocks, and another series of wildlife blocks.

With art so cute and charming, it's hard not to want to  use them all.

Melody has also started an interesting collaboration with a custom fabric company, which is now featuring one of these charming rabbits in fabric.


(You bet I have my eye on that bunny fabric, too!)

Melody also offers these charming designs on her own website as original tiny art in a variety of forms, including pillows, stamps and buttons.

Great gift ideas for special occasions, including Christmas!

Most quilters I know don't need a reason to stash cotton fabrics but this year they may have a very good reason.

"...I received a personalized baby gift from your company.

I love the baby quilt. It is my first personalized one which I love.

I like even more the ladybugs on the card and label.

They look handmade, which is hard to believe anyone these days would even DO that.

Are they??

I LOVE ladybugs and would have them all over the place, even my baby room nursery.

Do you think I could paint them on a wall?

Can you show me where to get them or how to draw them?

They are just TOO cool!"

Hi Nancy,

I'm glad you like your baby quilt and our hand drawn ladybugs.

I've never drawn nor painted them on a wall but I don't see why you couldn't!

We've had ladybugs moving around our website almost since we started 11 years ago.

I've also been easily adding these charming garden friends to labels and cards for over a decade. It took me awhile to get a design I liked!

Here's how you can hand draw our red ladybugs:

1. Draw slightly oval red circles with a red marking pen. Start with a size you're comfortable with to practice, then make them smaller or larger, depending on how you want to use them.

Regular marking pens are better than thin ones because they more quickly fill the oval.

Allow to dry.

2. Using a thin black marking pen, draw a small circle at one end for the head.

Add a black semi-circle down the middle.

If you want to draw different angled ladybugs, you can move the semi-circle closer to one side or the other to make the ladybug look like it's moving.

Sprinkle with little dots, at least 3 per side.

Finish by adding 3 legs on each side.
 
Be careful if you leave the pen on the paper for too long or the leg will end up with a thick stroke.

Allow to dry for a few minutes before you slip these into envelopes; they'll need to dry or they'll smudge.

Now if you make these larger on a wall, you might want to add black antenna.

I would be tempted to practice on paper first and test several designs before I put them on  a wall.

You could also make a stencil out of cardboard to paint the red bodies, then another one to add black details if you don't want to try them free hand.

Do let us see how your project looks when you're finished. A room full of ladybugs on the wall can't help but be a cheery, fun place!

One of the charming handmade gift ideas for sale at Phelps County Master Gardener's 9th Annual Garden Tour June 13, 2010 were hand-painted by several Phelps County Master Gardener artists.

The gardener who grew the gourds said she uses unpainted gourds for her birds for a couple of years because she doesn't cut a bottom out to clean them. With annual cleaning, she said they would last longer.

These painted gourds will definitely make charming garden gifts, as well as make the birding neighborhood even more colorful!

Whenever I'm on radio shows in August, host personalities have a lot of fun referring to the flowers I bring as "naked ladies," referring to what Missourians like to call "surprise lilies."

A hardy cousin to tropical Amaryllis, surprise lilies grow leaves in spring and then die back. Sometime mid-summer, usually August, the stems pop up without leaves, topped with fragrant pink flowers.

Surprise lily flowers make wonderful cut flowers. Besides a long life in a vase, the bottom of the stems curl up slowly, giving the flowers in a clear vase added visual interest.

Surprise lily flowers also have a lovely light lingering scent.

As surprise lilies mature, surprise lily buds turn from a deep pink to light pink with a hint of purple.

Plant surprise lily bulbs in fall. If you can't find them at your local garden centers they can be ordered on line. Wrap them up in a bow and give them as a garden gift any time of the year; they're a surprising gift that keeps on giving!