You Know What This Means...

Great burlap coffee bean bags, full of 'fresh' compost...thank you Whole Foods!

50 lb. bags of Whole Foods own compost!

Raised garden beds, after the long Winter...

Last years garden yielded so much in joy, and herbs, and color and the wonderful hum of bees...looking forward!

Well, this week was riveting to say the least. Edward made his way to Boston on Thursday, and much to his surprise, wound up on lock-down with the rest of the City on Friday. The stories of healing and heartbreak keep rolling in all in the same breath. Sweet Caroline. I have stopped watching for now. Edward flies back in tomorrow night.

Last year, I 'happened upon' a 50 pound bag of compost, a gift from Whole Foods and my garden was happy happy happy. I was not going to miss that opportunity again! Following the Colorado Springs Whole Foods on Facebook, I saw that yesterday was the day! Jimmy high tailed it over there, and we picked up 3 bags of, might I add, free, compost of their own making. So, you know what this means, this is a great sign, a hopeful moment, that re-planting is in the air, that I can start playing in the dirt once again. Planning a new garden is always exciting and this year is no different. I am wondering if the earth worms I bought lived through the winter, do they need to be replaced. Maybe I'll go digging later and see if I can spot any. Will the Greek Oregano actually come back, will the Honeysuckle bush start to sprout? They should. The work will be easier, as we will not be building the raised garden beds, although I did enjoy the process. I did discover that you can go to Home Depot or Lowe's and purchase wood pallets for about $15, and they are multi-purpose, multi-functional, already nailed together pieces of wood. I might make a potting table with 1 or 2 of them. We'll see. In the meantime yesterday was a start, a joyful, hopeful moment, exactly as Spring should be!

Beach Rocks Came in Handy Today....

New banner!!!

My shady, windy corner display..

Looks like a geology table!!!

Hey, it's all natural!!

The strings, ropes, and bungee cords hold up the display!

A peek down the street.

My tent neighbor didn't show up...but, the street was full.

The gifted young people from the RI Kung Fu Club

Drumming out the beat...they were terrific!

Today was the 'Whole Foods 3rd Annual Block Party' on the East Side of Providence. It was everything you would think a block party would be...lots of families, dogs, people with their bicycles, some with babies attached to the front of the handlebars, a great D.J., lots of hamburgers and hots dogs, plenty of water to go around. Doing an outdoor event is always a gamble. Will the weather hold out, will it rain, be too cold or too hot, will there be a gusty wind? The vendors are checking the weather reports very carefully all week. Well, I knew that it was going to be a hot one today...sweltering, in fact. BUT, I was assigned a spot under a tree, completely shaded from the blistering sun. WOW, somebody up there likes me, in fact, loves me...this was great. However, the wind was so gusty, that I needed my beach rocks to hold down the cards...many of which did blow down the street before I had a chance to get everything in place. Jimmy and I rigged up 'something', with string, rope and bungee cords, tied around (and around and around and around ) a tree, wrapped on a leg of the tent, all to hold up the framed pictures on the display. Glory be, it worked!!!! We were very impressed with ourselves. So, it was a good day of sales, the entertainment from the Rhode Island Kung Fu Club was energetic and colorful. A perfect addition to our day. Thank you Shawna for a well run event....and on to the next project, as they say.

Whole Foods Block Party, Sunday, 7/17!!

Whole Foods is closing down Waterman Street from Wayland to Butler! Join us for an afternoon of family fun, charitable giving, and delicious food! There will be live performances, music, games, kids activities, outdoor artist gallery, raffles, and did we mention food? Hope to see you there! Sponsored by Waterman Whole

Foods Market and East Side Monthly.

It Rained, It Poured....

Miss Monarch butterfly, was most definitely the 'star' of the show!

Monarch butterfly, laying one on Matthew!!

Pretty fairy girl...

Whole Foods, well, food....

The flowers were happy...

Liz, and her imagination...awesome!!

Some of the framed pieces, display...

'Gift in February' and 'Dairy Cow, Gal'

'In Full Bloom'

'Lush Field, Schartner Farms, RI'

We woke up at the crack of dawn..although we could not see it through the clouds. The weather was looking grim, the forecast called for rain. And so it did. As my husband and I were driving over to the Garden City Center at about 8:15am, it rained, it poured!!! All the while, I was thinking about my 'paper goods'....yes, the cards are protected by plastic sleeves, the matted pieces are protected by plastic sleeves, and the framed pieces, well, there is glass, but the backing does not like heat or humidity. The challenges started very early on, w/ the setting up of 'the tent'. One of the connecting pieces broke, so w/ the help of my new friend, Dave, we improvised. The ground was wet (large parking lots don't have 'drainage'), it was cold. However, everybody forged ahead w/ their displays and the festivities began!!!!

It was amazing at how many people came out, umbrellas in tow, rain gear, or not. The very young to the very old, strolled through the many aisles of vendors showing their wares, from sea glass, to handmade jewelry and soaps, plenty of artwork, photography, local farms, (just to name a mere few) and food, there was plenty of food!!!! My husband, bless his heart, went home and brought me my winter coat, I was that cold!!!! I love talking to the people who come to my 'tent'. One woman was so excited to be sending 'Milk in Progress' to a friend who lives on a farm in England, another almost had her eyes popping out of her head when she bought a matted 'Dahlia Center' (my top seller of the day in cards!!) for her bedroom. One woman spent time, patiently deciding how she was going to hang the 3 framed pieces she bought!

I wish I had been able to freely roam the aisles as well, but I did get to spend time w/ my tent neighbor, Matthew. He is an author and illustrator, he lives in Mystic. He too, had the same internal dialogue while taking the hour drive from Mystic in the rain, to Rhode Island, '...to set up, or not to set up', but he did. We had some good conversations in between all the action. All in all, it was a good day and we were happy to be part of Festival Fete! We showed up, and that was the important thing.

A hearty thank you to Jennifer Neuguth, from Festival Fete, and Holly Dion, from Whole Foods, Garden City for their tremendous work to bring such a big event to pass!!!

Whew...and on to the next project....

Swan, Snow, Kitty and Flowers???

'Amazing Grace'

'Snow Bench, Pawtuxet Cove, RI'
'Soft Kitty Pink Love'
'Wake Up Gerberer'

As you know, from the previous post, I have been working @ a fever pitch to be ready, fully stocked, and then some, for next Saturdays' show @ the Garden City Center (along with the upcoming season of weekly selling @ Whole Foods Farmers Market). I have re-visited all of my many cards already published in my Etsy shop, Lilleypics. However, I do have 4 new pieces at the moment. Summer affords me such wonderful opportunities to do some running and sniffing around, capturing nature's gift in the form of a photo. I am certainly looking forward to getting out there and smelling the roses, literally!! You have seen all of these new cards posted here as a photo, but, seeing them with that little white border around them, makes such a huge difference...enjoy!!

Whole Foods Farmers Market

I am so happy to be part of the Whole Foods, Garden City, Farmer's Market. The response to my handmade cards (now about 40 different cards, along with the framed 5x7's, and matted work) has been wonderful. I so enjoy speaking about my work with the people who 'drop by' my tent, answering any questions they might pose.

We set up our goods, from homemade breads and cookies, to the one and only Schartner Farms,
Buttonwoods Bathworks, (I bought their Lavender Linen Spray, and it is one of the nicest things I could have done for myself...sleeping like a baby people!!) . It is still growing, organically, (no pesticides...LOL), so, if you are in the neighborhood, please do stop by from 3-7PM on Tuesdays.
401-942-7600