Thursday, June 3, 2021

The Herbal Garden



Hi everyone. Hope June is going well for you so far.  I spent yesterday doing what felt like a hundred little chores. Not a very relaxing day but since the heat and humidity are supposedly coming back, I am glad to say I got them done. 

The bees seem to be settling into normal bee life, many of them spending the day buzzing around, and the rest I am guessing are busy in the hive. I won't open the hive until tomorrow or Saturday, so I will know more then about what is going on inside of it then. I need to be sure the queen has gotten out of her box that they ship her in. There is a little plug of food that should be eaten through, and she should be out. If I don't find the box empty, then I'll remove the plug and let her get out. The others should be starting building combs inside. 

Today I am back with another page from my garden journal for Mia's butterfly challenge at Art Journal Journey.

Today's page is a collage of some vintage gardening images, as well as a few TH images too. 

I began by adding a page from an old gardening journal to make the base of my of my background. I used some green and brown ink pads to give it and my white background paper some color. Then I did some layering, including the old magazine ad and the small piece of green paper. The seed packet is an actual vintage packet that I've had for a couple of years. This seemed like a good place to use it.

I also added a few other paper images, including the TH boy and his dog (hope the dog doesn't get lose in the garden and make a mess of it) and the 3 butterflies. The herb words are stamped from an old Postmodern Design slab stamp I have had forever.  Finally I used some stickers to create the word grow.

I've been so busy with outdoor chores that when I sit down at my work table, it takes a bit to get my mind wrapped around art again. I've found collage and paper layering is a good way to get my brain back into art gear.  This page is the result of some getting back into the groove of play. And  although it may not be one of "masterpieces", smile, I really like the results. 

 I'll end my post with some more photos from Bedrock Gardens that I visited a week ago.




















And I'll finish with one of my favorite shots that I took that day.


Hope you are having a wonderful start to June so far.


18 comments:

CJ Kennedy said...

Beautiful page. Also makes me think of the Simon and Garfunkel song Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme. Guess you know what I'll be humming all day. You got some fabulous shots of Bedrock Garden. The Man in the Moon is very cool. I also love the chickadee and the Lily of the Valley. Stay cool!

Valerie-Jael said...

Your journal page is beautiful, herb gardens are always great for bees and butterflies. Good to hear the bees are settling in, say hello to them from me.I would so love to visit Bedrock gardens, it really is a magical pace and your photos are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. Have a great day, I'm having a rest today. Hugs, Valerie

ashok said...

Your pictures are amazing. Have a great month

Divers and Sundry said...

Your process with the bees is fascinating. I try a different herb every year, trying to find ones that'll do well here. Mint rules ;) That garden is delightful. I can see how much it offers to its visitors.

sirkkis said...

You nicely combined a garden and butterflies; they belong together. Informative page as well. Thanks for sharing the lovely flower pictures, Erika. Yes, the last shot is fun :)
Have a great June xx

craftytrog said...

Lovely photos, and your page is beautiful Erika!
Alison xx

R's Rue said...

Beautiful flowers

Matilde said...

Wonderful journal page! And beautiful photos of the garden 😍

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I love the latest journal page. I think your layering is wonderful. I often stop too soon. What a beautiful addition to Mia's butterflies. It is a real favorite for me.

Glad to read about the bees. And those photos from Bedrock Gardens are glorious. The sculptures are my favorite, of course, but the flower beds are also amazing. Thanks for taking us with you on this magical adventure.

Iris Flavia said...

Sounds exciting with your bees! A bit scary, too.
It warmed up here - we still wait for some frost, after that I´ll "herb", too.
Beautiful photos, oh a lovely time of the year.
The last one... "It"??? Help!

Meggymay said...

Lovely photos of your visit to the garden Erika, the flowers looked so pretty and I looked for ages at the one of the man in the moon.
Its a fantastic journal page for Mia's AJJ theme as well.
Exciting times watching and caring for your bees, I hope they produce lots of honey for you.
Stay safe.
Yvonne xx

Mia said...

I love your photos, Erika, especially the bird that is posing for you!
Your page is fantastic. I love your collage and how you used all these different elements to make a whole that fits perfectly to the AJJ theme. Thank you so much for joining my challenge at AJJ, my friend. Kisses!

Jeanie said...

I'll be curious about your bees! I can't wait to see photos and I'm glad they are buzzing about and hopefully settling well. That's really exciting. Gorgeous photos and I really love the piece you shared today.

Elkes Lebensglück said...

Your journal about the herb garden is beautifully designed.
The photos are so adorable, I enjoyed them all.
I'm a little tired from my pollen allergy, but I'm glad it's warmer again and the sun is shining.
Have a good Time, hug, Elke

pearshapedcrafting said...

I absolutely adore you herbal garden - I'm sure that dog is well behaved! Bedrock looks beautiful - love those Alliums, Hugs, Chrisx

Let's Art Journal said...

Loving your photography, the way you have captured the fauna is amazing and so beautiful 😀. Such a lovely page to celebrate nature too! Happy and creative wishes! Hugs, Jo x

Neet said...

What a great idea for a page - to make it into a herb garden and what a fabulous job you made of it Erika. Really interesting to read all the different bits and pieces on the adverts - and those butterflies are so pretty.
Thanks for the Bedrock pictures - looks a lovely place to visit.
Hugs, Neet xx

nwilliams6 said...

Love that page! So cool and the boy and his dog really add extra interest. Love the butterflies too.

Fab pictures and that face in the water is FABULOUS! So cool! You are a very good photographer!

hugz