meet our Vincent Van Gogh

Meet Vincent Van Gogh—Vincent for short—our new member of the family. This photo was taken when we first brought him home, back in June, when he was only 4 months old. I found Vincent on the internet at TMT Rescue and we went to meet him at the Pet Expo in Akron. As soon as I saw him in person, I knew we found our dog. Look at that face! How can you not love him! 

Vincent is a border collie mix and was an angel the first month. He didn't bark or cry and we had him potty trained in two days! I can't believe people warned us about getting a puppy, especially a border collie because they tend to be full of energy. Vincent wasn't like that at all! Well, not the first month anyhow...

I was never a morning person (just ask my friends) but once Vincent arrived, I had to get up early to let him out or else I would have an awful mess to clean up! Not wanting to deal with a mess first thing in the morning, I now wake up early and actually enjoy having an extra hour or two to get a head start on my projects. And believe me, I need it because having a puppy is like having a baby in the house—with a lot of interruptions during the day!  

Things changed the second month. Vincent became more comfortable with us and entered what I like to call his "terrible two's". This is when I realized magazines, pillows and puppies do not mix well! And I won't even mention what he does to shoes. I just found one in the back yard—don't ask!

Vincent's favorite past time outdoors is digging in my flower beds. God only knows what he is looking for and my flower beds will never be the same! I used to be obsessed over my flowers but that somehow changed this summer—I wonder why!

We have been taking Vincent to a beginner's training class and graduation is this week! In the past five weeks, he has learned to sit, lie down, drop it and leave it (most of the time!), walk fast on a leash (can't walk slow yet), watch me, shake, stay and come. That's a big accomplishment for a puppy! Of course, we go through bags of treats to get him to do those things but he's learning and we couldn't be happier.

Vincent is 7 months old now. He's a happy puppy and loves everyone, especially children and dogs. He's quickly becoming a favorite in the neighborhood and has play dates with the children and their dogs. We just installed an invisible fence, covering an acre of our yard, so he can run off some of his energy. We'll see if it stops his chewing... 

the harvest begins...

After patiently waiting for over two months, my tomatoes are beginning to ripen. I'm looking forward to making homemade salsa and sauce!

Happy Friday! Have a wonderful weekend!

how does your garden grow...

Despite the heat and lack of rain, my garden is doing quite well. This is what it looks like now with some tomato plants taller than me! And the tomato plants are so heavy with tomatoes that they were falling down. I had to use a heavy metal stake to hold up the two tallest plants.  

This photo was taken in June.

And this one was taken back in May. 

As you can see from the photos, I still need to complete the stone paths around the beds. I see this being a fall project when this heat wave is gone!

Happy Friday! I hope your garden is doing well! Enjoy!

our little art show on the hill...

I love going to art shows because you never know what you will find. This past weekend, I went to one in our town, Mantua. It's a tiny show, nothing like the large art shows such as the one at Cain Park in Cleveland. But regardless of the size, it was still fun with all sorts of talented people and their art. Here's a peek at what I saw.

Upcycled Art by Jennifer L. Worden made from tiny pieces of discontinued wallpaper patterns

 Strands of Color by Jack Nething – jewelry made from clay

 Wood Creations by Gary G. Egner

Symbolic Herb Collection by Allie Jackson

Coloratura Creations by Monica Seliga

summer blooms...

I love the hues of summer, especially in the flowers surrounding my studio. One of the best things about working from home is being able to look out my studio window and enjoy these beauties every single day!

And I can't forget about marigolds with their bright, sunny hues!

Enjoy!

summer days...

I love everything about summer—the long sunny days, grilling out, dinner on the patio, farmer's markets—and the list goes on and on. One of my favorite things this summer is the vegetable garden. We put two raised beds in last month and to our surprise, they are doing quite well. I was worried about the bunnies and other creatures eating everything but Gracie [below], our little hunter, is doing a great job keeping them away.

I sort of went overboard with the tomatoes so there are only 2 rows of green beans and peas along with six cucumber plants. Everything is grown organically—no chemicals in this garden! 

What is your favorite thing about summer? 

down the gardening path...

I love spending my free time outdoors, playing in my flower beds on warm, sunny days. This is how I relieve stress after spending all day—sometimes 12 hours—at my computer. When I'm outdoors, I don't have to worry about deadlines, preparing files for printing, or making sure every detail is perfect—my flowers are happy just as they are!

Our gardening shed before it was painted

We have almost two acres but half of it contains trees. It has been a challenge through the years, determining what works best in our shady yard and that's why we never planted a vegetable garden. After removing numerous trees in the back that were damaged, we had a gardening shed built last fall in anticipation of a future vegetable garden. And a few weeks ago, our raised vegetable beds went in! While other mothers were getting flowers and jewelry for mother's day, I received a truck load of dirt, vegetable plants and flowers for my beds and I couldn't have been happier!

Here are two inspirational photos (shown below) I found on Pinterest—aren't they beautiful! My shed and garden will never look like these but they did help me determine what I wanted.

I spent the long weekend, planting flowers around my shed. Of course, I still need more plants for the shed, grass needs to be planted and stone pathways put in but slowly, everything is coming together.

I only put in two vegetable beds but if they do well this summer, more will be added next year. And if the bunnies and deer don't leave them alone, a picket fence will follow! 

Both my parents were avid gardeners—my mother had the most beautiful flower beds and my father's vegetable garden was the envy of neighbor and friends. So I'm hoping I inherited their genes!

More photos to come once everything is completed. Happy planting!