On a hot July afternoon

It has been a hot July thus far

and we now have a heat advisory in effect

with the days ahead to be hotter & hotter

with the humidity

so I thought I would post some lovely butterfly photos

some new and others from my archives

butterflies & coneflowers = love ♥

the butterflies have been seen taking gentle sips of water from the birdbaths in our garden

which we have been changing the water in multiple times throughout the day.

with such beauty & inspiration

it always spills into art.

I wrapped a little parcel  in vintage dress makers pattern paper, fabric rosette, a few burlap leaves and a butterfly tag I cut out from cardstock and stamped.

wrapped & given with love

♥

~garden grace~

Happiness is a butterfly

which when pursued

is always

just beyond your grasp

but which

if you sit down quietly

may alight upon you.

~Nathaniel Hawthorne~

Yesterday, while butterfly watching, the sweetest baby Cardinal flew into our Lilac bush next to where I was standing. We have enjoyed watching Mr and Mrs Cardinal at our feeders ... he often feeding her which is always the loveliest thing to witness ... {and pulling apart the cocoa lining of our hanging baskets for their nest. And then, this sweet little one began to sing as I spoke to her. I was surprised that she stayed as long as she did, but she turned her body to look directly at me as she sang ... my own little messenger bird :-)♥

In the garden ...

A favourite little spot to sit is in my front garden courtyard.

There is a birdbath next to the chair and often I will be surprised by visitors who stop by for a drink {or splash about}

the lilies are putting on a beautiful show

I love the pop of yellow in the garden

red geranium

they are a favourite

to get to our back yard

you walk through an arbour of purple clematis

pretty purple blooms

so pretty

lots of buds

love

and more urns filled with red geraniums

a very old and rusty flower sign sits

in some grapevine I twisted into a wreath

and our beautiful, majestic Maple

which receives lots of hugs from this tree hugger :-)

Issue 2 of The Coloring Studio is available

and as always, is filled with page upon page of beautiful illustrations to be coloured ♥

So happy to be a contributor to this gorgeous colouring book/magazine.

Picnics & Peony

When it's 31 degrees outside

... a picnic by the lake sounds perfect

Wine * Cheese* Crusty bread * Fruit

and Peony blooms

Among the delights

of Summer

were picnics

to the woods

~Georg Brandes~

Sunday Serenity

***

Hello,

sun in my face.

Hello

you who made the morning

and spread it over the fields ...

Watch,

now,

how I start the day

in

Happiness,

in

Kindness.

~Mary Oliver~

Incomprehensibly beautiful ...

I've looked up into our Maple tree over the months and spotted this little nest.

Always in awe of how even the tiniest of nests {and this one is tiny} can withstand all the changes in weather.

Heavy winds of the past weeks have broken branches from our tree ...  still  this little nest remained.

♥

And then ... it tumbled softly to our front garden and when I turned it over, this is  what I found inside ...  Amongst the crushed shell and leaves was a little wooden cross.

"In a world filled with doubt

step into a garden to know

Divine Intervention

exists"

~Mary Maude Daniels~

{ petunia was planted by my grandson and given to me a few weekends ago ... no matter how many flowers bloom in my garden ... this one will be my favourite } ♥

"Look deep into Nature

and then

you will understand

everything

better"

~Albert Einstein~

"I believe

the world

is

incomprehensibly beautiful ~

an endless prospect

of

magic and wonder"

~Ansel Adams~

Lilac Days xo

Lilac days in our garden ...

O were my love

yon Lilac fair,

Wi' purple blossoms

to the Spring,

and I

a bird

to shelter there,

when wearied

on my

little wing!

~Robert Burns~