Calder's First Birthday!

Somehow, and without asking my permission (the nerve!) my baby turned 1 on Saturday. We had a family party for him, complete with balloons, balls and robots. I had a lot of help from a certain 4 year old co-host, which made the party that much sweeter, boyish and more lively. He even made custom original robot cups and tablecloths.We spent the bulk of the weekend playing and snuggling and celebrating our little Calder. So, basically it was like every other weekend, but with cupcakes and a heaping dose of nostalgia!It's been a busy few (or many) weeks. Crazy busy. I feel like we've been flying at warp speed since our Oregon trip. And it's not slowing down yet. My husband is in Philadelphia this week so the boys and I are flying solo at warp speed. But life is good. My boys are best friends, and great company for me. There isn't much "me" time, if any, but I'm trying to enjoy this incredible time. I doubt very much that on Calder's 18th birthday I'll be wishing I'd spent less time with him when he was young!

The Fairy Garden

The fairy garden or miniature garden is complete! It's installed in a defunct seedling box over at my parents' house. It's so sweet, a whole world I could happily get lost in for a few hours.

I'm so glad I took the time to make all the little mushroom picks and little birds. They add so much whimsy to the landscape, which is planted with lobelia and marigolds and sweet peas. I can't wait to watch how it matures over the Summer.

I also added a moss "lawn" and moss around the potting bench and gazebo and cobblestone pathways connecting them all. They add a nice contrast to the natural wildness of the plants. It makes it seem like some tiny person has landscaped this garden - not just like some grown woman put a bunch of doll furniture in a planter box. Ha!

Mostly, for me, it's all about the details. I loved painting and arranging all of the tiny flower pots. I loved adding the wee bundt cake under the bell jar - like some miniature tea party is imminent. I love having the scale gardening tools strewn about, like they've been recently used. It'll be so fun to tend to this world, and see how the plants grow and how the other bits are weathered. Maybe I'll even add to it if I find the right things. I do think a pond would be lovely!

Fairy Garden Potting Bench

We had a gray, wet morning here, the kids were mellow and we had nowhere to be, so I hung out in my pajamas and did some indoor work on the fairy garden.Michael's Crafts had miniature flowerpots ($2), a simple gazebo ($3) (intended as a birdfeeder?) and a miniature cabinet ($1), all in unfinished wood. They've been painted and varnished and the pots have been glued in place. I also found miniature chalkboards at Michael's. I used colored pencils to write on it, then used spray varnish to hopefully protect it a bit from the weather. No guarantees on this one, but I'll let you know if it works or is a stunning failure. Either way it's cute in the short term, and the colored pencils look just like chalk, but with more control for such a small scale.I got these great gardening tools, miniature bell jars and the white patio set from the last post from this charming garden shop in Burbank. Maybe your local nursery gift shop has something similar? And certainly etsy is a treasure trove for things like this.Lastly, this morning I pulled out some white polymer clay. I made some toadstools for the landscape, then a few birds, and finally an owl for a sort of finial or weathervane or something to top the gazebo. The gazebo needs help, but I'm a little stumped. Does it need shingles on the roof? Flooring? Any ideas would be much appreciated!At any rate, this project has been so fun. I love losing myself in miniature worlds. But who doesn't, right?

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

We're home from Burbank and I've been spending every spare moment digging in the dirt.
I've been tasked with dressing up the oh so unsightly back fence area at my parents' house for an upcoming event.
Not a small challenge, but a welcome one. I miss my rooftop garden desperately as you can imagine. I've mixed in some containers with the flower beds. Plus windows and birdhouses and other bits and baubles.
This is just a little taste, I'll post again when there's less dirt showing. But you get the idea.
And here's a sneak peek of my extra little project. A miniature garden or fairy garden!