Scrapping Wednesday & Finally ... Views of a Garden

Little change to the program: Wednesday will be scrapbooking and all other paper arts. I picked up the latest Somerset Studio yesterday and ideas filled my head. Let's see if they can fill my work table. Thursday's going to be sewing beyond quilting. Gardening can pop up at anytime. My blog, my rules.

This filled my work table over the last holiday weekend. Just three more layouts to go and the album's done.

To say I'm behind on scrapbooking doesn't even begin to touch the definition of understatement. These are from a trip to Oregon two summers ago. My method is to open my photo box and riffle through until a set of pics catches my imagination. Then I scrap those and don't worry about being in order. I think scrapbooking is the most "suburban mom" thing that I do (no soccer mom am I), but the power of photos to bring memories to life keeps me at it. I like my layouts to tell the story visually and sometimes I skip the journaling all together.

When I get home from a trip all the flotsam and jetsam goes in a large baggie and gets stuffed somewhere. I don't try to decide what's important or useful - that will work itself out. I like bits and pieces that have names, dates, maps or details that will support the story without further explanation. Yeah, that's lazy, but also realistic. People like to breeze through scrapbooks, stopping on the occasional photo, but otherwise taking it in at a glance. I want those glances to be content rich. 

With a trip or event album it's easy to grab coordinated stuff and then limit all layouts to that pile of stuff. Keeps me from falling into the 10,000 great ideas sinkhole. First I spread out all the photos and try to feel the vibe. This one felt modern and clean to me and these colors complement most of the photos well. I divide the photos into layout groups and dig in, not necessarily in date order. Then I cull, chop, arrange and play as I get to each layout. Basically, quilting with paper.

I've become dedicated to snapping expository shots that capture the flavor of a place, even though people look at you funny when your standing in the middle of the street photographing manhole covers and such. Who the hell cares? You're just a crazy tourist who will be gone tomorrow anyway. I'm also always on the lookout for good portrait backgrounds. No white walls, No overhead sun and not too much visual noise. I liked the red wall in this cafe (though the white shirt is way too harsh) and adore the scribbled chalkboard behind my husband that matches his eye color. Couldn't have dreamed of better.

OK, over the last year some of you have asked to see long shots of the garden. I've been waiting for something to show. It's all garden from here to the end of this post, so to those of you who don't care, see ya next time.

June 2006 - paint on the ground:

February 2007 - hardscape in place and beds in the making:

June 2007 - time and mother nature are in charge now:

Feb 07:

June 07:

July 2006 - Nancy's folly:

June 2007:

Now you know what I've been doing for the last year. I drew the plans and my husband and I did all of this except the fountain, patio and trellis. Our contractor did a fabulous job realizing our vision within our budget - he was amazing to work with. My DH is almost finished with the steps up the hill. I asked for them and he built them. I deeply appreciate him for that. There's still some planting on the hillside, but that will wait until fall. The pot fountain will have a metal frame that fits around the bottom of the pot to serve as a visual floor and hide the basin, but we still need to design those templates and then find a metalworker.

Much of this garden is really a raised bed. Since the soil is rocky we raised the level of the yard to avoid digging and provide drainage. Every single rock you see except for the slate pavers came from this ground. The fountain, the wall facings, everything.

Now I just have to wait for things to grow. That nasty gap behind the fountain will be filled with three bougainvillea that will visually join it with the hillside and drape over the front to soften the lines. The trees and shrubs will obliterate the neighbor's houses and crappy fences. There will be dappled shade from the now stick trees in five years.

It's hard to get good long shots of this yard. The design and plant arrangements are made to be lived in and walked through, rather than photographed. These were my design goals:

• Mediterranean plants. Butterfly, bee and hummingbird friendly. No pesticides. No lawn.
• Plants near the edges with interesting smells or textures for kids (and adults) to explore.
• Water feature that doesn't use much water.
• Every sitting spot has a different vibe and a unique view. Try to screen neighboring houses.
• Keep some areas partially hidden until you walk to them, with glimpses to draw you forward.
• Elevation changes and winding paths to keep the walks interesting.
• Fruit trees and a veggie garden (neither are in these photos, but they're there).

These are tall orders for an 85' x 60' hot, rocky yard with a slope. There are a hundred ways it could have gone and I think I considered at least 99 of them.

This has been a huge time suck. Hours upon hours poring over books. Countless trips to the local nurseries. Learning the names and habits of hundreds of plants. There's only one mystery perennial I bought without a tag and one day I'll run into it at some nursery and laugh out loud like a crazy nutcase. Last year I knew nothing about plants - now I can consider myself an informed newbie. This is by far the biggest, longest and most expensive project I've ever undertaken except motherhood and I'm darned proud of myself. Mistakes have been made. Plants have been moved, then moved again (a few to the compost heap). Soil has been amended, hauled and shifted. There are things I would change if I could. But overall, I love it. Our previous two yards were postage stamps with patios so this means a lot to me. I am Scarlet O'Hara and this is my Tara.

I've thought about not posting this very self-congratulatory and tres-American style bragging. But I've not had many successes to point at in my life, and there are a lot of things chipping away at me right now. I'm not saying I'm not a good person, but I've not accomplished much. Being a SAHM for ten years is a worthy life choice, but often I feel my days are marked by exceedingly trivial successes. Whoa ho, the laundry's done. Whoopee, the lunches were balanced meals five days straight. I need the "DAMN! I built this!" feeling I get almost every day when I walk out the door in the morning. I need my garden. That's one of the things about these craft blogs that I love. It gives us all a chance to say I DID THIS and I LOVE IT and I'M PROUD OF MYSELF. So forgive me for bragging, but I am.

Comments

[Risa]

your yard is absolutely gorgeous. you should most definitely be proud of your accomplishments. gorgeous.

[Kim]

This entry started out great and got even better. It was entirely inspiring. Your theory on scrapbooking was lovely, organic. I appreciated reading your thoughts.

And your garden. My DH and I are closing on our first house on Wednesday of next week, and all I can say is again, inspiration! We live on different ends of the environmental spectrum, but reading about your garden, I could relate. It's simply breathtaking.

Thank you for this entry!

[terby]

You should be proud. It's a beautiful garden, and it's inspiring to see the end result. It's not just a garden - it's a solace. Masterfully done.

[Jeanie]

WOW!!!! It is spectacular. I wish my yard looked half as great as yours. I am about ready to call a landscaper and say, "just fix this!" I haven't checked in in a while. It was fun to read your new posts. I really love to quilt too and I have troble deciding what to do next-knitting or quilting?! Anyway, great posts and pictures. I can't wait for more.......

[amanda cathleen]

you should be proud of yourself! your garden is amazing, just looking at your pictures I can imagine plopping down and enjoying the afternoon in your garden! Lovely, relaxing, beautiful, how do you ever go inside? ;-)

[Ebony]

Your garden is beautiful. You've done what I hope to do when I have a patch of land to call my own.

I'm so impressed by how you've managed to plan and carry out a wonderful living design.

[Arianne]

Your garden is 100 shades of gorgeous!! I love it!

[Terry]

I said wow at every! picture, and the last one put my head closer to the monitor - it is a fantastic piece of art. This is an especially wonderful read - as I admire your attitude about your blog - it is yours after all!, yours days as a SAHM are very worthy!, and heck yes, you should be proud and brag about any accomplishment! Oh, and thanks for sharing those accomplishments!

[Moni]

WOW! Your garden is very, very impressive. I am in awe. Truly lovely.

And I really enjoyed reading about your scrapbooking process, too. I like how you go about it!

[Elly]

I've been visiting your blog for about a year now (it was your Cozy that brought me here), and each post leaves me wishing I had even just a fraction of your creativity and artistic vision. I love the photography, especially when you show the creative processes. The garden is breathtaking, you are absolutely right to be proud and show off!

[Juliet]

Your garden is stunning and is like a kaffe Fasset quilt brought to life - just stunning, and all that hard work has brought so much so soon - just amazing. I don't believe you when you say you haven't had many successes in life, I can't imagine what yardstick you would measure yourself against to say that, mind you it is easy to feel like that - I usually tell myself I am a late bloomer (which is a good positive thing - imagine being one of those high-school queens who bloomed then and it was all downhill from there - yikes!), or else my other positive thought is "I am taking the scenic route", often said with an expletive behind it! Just love the photos of the garden and the scrapbooking.

[Paddy]

Stunning! I live in an area with an extremely short growing season- frost is possible 11 months of the year- such splendour can only be experienced vicariously for me.
Please continue to photograph and display ALL your accomplishments for us to share. Your creativity is such a pleasure to see.

[CurliSu]

Hello, craftywench!
I first found your blog last night after I decided I wanted to know the original definition of the word "clapotis" - somewhere along that path I stumbled onto your "Clapotis a Fini" page.
I stumbled? I think I fell and couldn't get up, because the more I read, the more I wanted to read. I looked at your sidebar of projects, selected "EZ's Pi Shawl" because it's one of my things-I-want-to-do-eventually. Somewhere along there you laid out yarns and fabrics for a new summer wardrobe and I was captivated. I literally told myself - maybe aloud - "I love her colors." Then I read your words about how you thought you were a Winter (which I am) but maybe not really, and how sometimes you can't stop knitting even to go pee, and . . .
All this is to say Wow! We have so much in common, but you accomplish so much more in those same 24-hour periods that I have, I am so impressed, and your blog is definitely going into my Bookmarks, somewhere really close to the yarn harlot. I have another favorite e-author.
And all, I think, because I am drawn to the same colors that you are.
Thanks! Keep writing!