All Aboard the Hot Mess Express!

Feel Free to Share!

All Aboard the Hot Mess Express

I think I want to adopt that as my motto.  It sure fits the description of my life at present.  At least that is how it feels.
plant nanny (18 of 21)

I promised myself I would not overbook my summer.  I would make sure I spent quality time in the garden, painted my heart out producing stunning paint tutorials with video and keep plenty of my creations stocked in the Gallery I am privileged to be a part of.

Sounds good, doesn’t it?  Easy enough….uh, no.
Dahlia

So I will enjoy the ride on the Hot Mess Express and be good with that.

You see, I am the Queen of Contentment.  I make myself be in the present, and love it.  My garden is weedy but on the up side it is absolutely filled with fabulously gorgeous and perfumed blooms.

Like my Dahlias? They are new to me this year.  I avoided them in the past as I did not want to have to dig them up come Fall then replant again in Spring.
What a dork.
I am so in love with all the Dahlias that I planted this year on a whim.  Lowes was cleaning out the Spring bulbs and had them marked down 75% off so I thought ‘why not’.    One thing I love about them is they are at their best in late Summer when many other flowers are waning.  The more you cut for bouquets, the more they bloom.  Win, win.

Pansy, pansies

My phone died last week, it was an iPhone 4, I was making it last.  Being budget minded I did not want to spend money on a newer version while it did its job. Then it died, at the time it was annoying but now I am having so much fun with the much better camera on my new one that it takes the sting out of spending the $$$.
My husband keeps reminding me it is a business write off and to stop fretting it so that helps too.
All my photos in this post were taken with my new phone.

Candyland Rose

I know many are so ready for Fall but me…..I am hanging on to Summer.  Of course we enjoy milder weather than many have to endure around the nation.  Daytime temps get into the upper 80’s, no humidity to speak of and the nights cool off to the point of needing a sweatshirt at times.   It is wonderful.

Crown Princess Margareta

While enjoying the end of Summer I am working on painting projects to share for Fall.  One thing I love about Autumn is the warm colors, pumpkins and the scent of the air.  Fall does have its own scent, have you noticed that?  Eden Rose

My garden will soon be fading and I will mulch it and let it rest for the winter.  I always promise myself I will be better next year at keeping pace with what needs tidying during the growing season and this year is no different.  I have tons of plants to dig out and move this Fall, and I think I want to plant grass again in strategic areas.  I’ve been watching some gardening programs and the grassy spots seem to bring a sense of serenity to areas bordered with flamboyant flowers.  I want that.

I have managed to fill some custom orders for customers.  Barrel staves have become a favorite.  They are sturdy, rustic and graciously curved making for a unique surface to paint on.

Jennifer's Garden custom sign

I loved the name on this one, the customer also sent me a photo of her little she shed she ordered this for.  It was a sweet get away space for herself and she wanted this to go over the doorway.
Rosebud Cottage

Another thing I have added to my plate is a impressionistic painting workshop…it is so challenging for me to let loose and not be as controlling with the brush.  This is the under painting of some red tulips.

red tulips under painting

 

It should be interesting to see how it eventually turns out.  Even if it is a bomb I will share and hang it proudly in my studio.

I have one of my first painted pieces when learning stroke work and it is a favorite of mine to this day.  Some of the flowers are just hideous but it was part of my painting journey and I look at that piece now when I get so frustrated with making this new technique look the way I want it to and it reminds me that I will get there.  It takes a lot of yucky paintings to get it right but it is all part of the learning process.

So if I am hit and miss here, know that I am working on great things for you and I shall get them posted asap!

Happy Gardening, Painting and Summer!

signaturePamela_thumb.png

 

 

 

Feel Free to Share!

Similar Posts

16 Comments

  1. Also if you are looking for one that has a softer peach color, try Ambridge DAR. I have that one too and it is a soft peach color.

  2. Funny how they can be so different. I know mine changes according to its environment.

  3. Hi Pam! Can’t wait to see the finished project of the tulips! I think it looks great just like it is. Leaves a little room for the imagination! Would love to see some videos of this technique in the future. Love the pics from the new phone! I also had to purchase a new phone due to washing mine in the washing machine! Noticed in the pics of your garden signs, in the background, a beautiful pair of window sheers. I have that same one! Just love those. They help bring the flowers inside, especially in this 95-100 degree weather in the deep south. Looking forward to the fall myself!

  4. Naomi Shelton says:

    Hi, Pamela. The photos of your roses and dahlias are so beautiful they almost make me drool! I love roses and have three bushes but do not have good success with them. The leaves are constantly full of holes and If I get two blooms per summer I am lucky. I’ve tried a couple organic pesticides, but they haven’t done the job. And I, like you, have not planted dahlias even tho’ I love, love, love how colorful and beautiful they are. I tho’t it woud be too much trouble to have to dig them up, too. But you have inspired me to maybe try them next year.

    There are always too many interesting and wonderful topics and activities to explore, aren’t there? I want to do collage and other mixed media arts and garden, garden, garden, not to mention sew and knit and photograph and on and on. With caring for grandkids and grocery shopping and doing the laundry and keeping the floors cleaned, etc., etc. I just don’t make the time to do that stuff. And believe me, my house is NOT that spotless!

    Time just flies the older I get and I can not believe that summer is nearly over. I do love fall, but really dislike the cold winter weather and being cooped up inside for months. So I am trying to hang onto summer, too. It finally has become a bit cooler and less humid here in lower Michigan and I hope it stays this way for a while. I will be able to work outside again as I just can’t garden in the high heat with the high humidity. Believe me, my garden and yard suffer.

    I enjoy your blog, especially the gardening part. I’m not so much into painting, but it’s fun to see what you do with it. So, thanks for sharing your projects and tho’ts with us.

  5. Beautiful garden
    Beautiful pictures
    Beautiful paintings

  6. Hi Pamela. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. I’m surprised, I’ve had that rose for about 5 years and it doesn’t look like yours. It has a dark pink center but is surrounded with dark yellow petals. Thanks again.

  7. Thank you, Faith! I am enjoying the process so much. I love learning new techniques and stretching my abilities.

  8. Your new painting is spectacular..creativity is always blossoming into new techniques..this new one suits your style well! Keep sharing-

  9. Lyn Pilgrim says:

    As always I loved your photos Pam, your Dahlias WOW wonderful colour & your garden signs are so pretty. Looking forward to seeing your next post, have fun, Lyn x

  10. Hi Pamela. The second rose down in “Hot Mess” looks like an English Rose, possibly David Austin? Would you mind sharing the name of this rose, I’ve been looking for a strong peach color. I have 10 David Austin climbers, they are my favorite.

    TIA.

  11. Your new phone takes beautiful, really crisp photos! Love the flowers, especially the purple ones!

  12. I got the iPhone 6s and I am loving the camera in it. My iPhone 5 took a dive a few months back forcing me to return to my iPhone 4, and the camera in that was really bad, compared. PhotoJojo has some great lens for macro, wide angle etc to use with the iphones and I really want to get a couple, especially the macro. They aren’t that expensive either.
    That would be a good post name about menopause. 😀 The fact is I am not keeping up just riding through it all. I think my painting and time in the garden keep me sane at the worst of times. Of course, my house, my garden and my little studio cottage are all complete messes. I keep telling myself I need to take a month and just focus on getting things back in order but we shall see if that happens anytime soon.

  13. I had to laugh when I read the title of this post, I thought for sure it would be about menopause, LOL. I don’t know how you keep up with all you do. So what phone did you end up getting? I went from an iphone 5, which I thought shot crappy pics, to an iphone 6+ and wow what a difference in photo quality.

  14. Charlene Bryant says:

    Hi Pamela – Happy Summer almost Fall!!

    I was looking at your photos of the flowers in your garden and the light peach or coral colored ones are OUTSTANDING!!! Are those roses???? You must tell me what they are and everything about them if you have time. I think they’re the same climbing (rose?) that’s going up over the arbor in your yard in an earlier shot. Later there’s a closeup of three gorgeous flowers. I must have more information please and thank you ; )

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *