it was a little early in the season to visit cheekwood botanical gardens in nashville, tennessee
but there were still magical sights to behold…
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{bamboo forest}
{japanese garden}
{crawling lady hare by sophie ryder}
{steeple dance by frank morbillo}
{untitled(in a dream) by jenny holzer}
{reflecting at the water garden}
{stately view}
{be unique}
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I love the woods around le homestead. I go to get quiet & find creative inspiration.
{and to walk the dog}
This was a pic I snapped last Tuesday by the lake
during a sunny respite from the rain…
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“The quieter you become, the more you can hear.” ~Ram Dass
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a day in the life of fall
in south central kentucky {october 23, 2010}
a color study…
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“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird
I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”
~George Eliot
*mr. d’s aunt & uncle celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary recently.
they own the wondrous & magical hidden hill nursery & sculpture garden
{you may recall i’ve mentioned it a million times!}
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that was inspiration enough to create this paper~mache painting…
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grown with love, 16″x20″ oval canvas
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sculpted & traditional paper-mache on cavas & painted with acrylic.
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sort-of related side-note: crafted whilst listening to
christopher moore’s novel, “sacré bleu”
{“a comedy d’art” …très magnifique!}
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as always ~ if you see something on oliveloaf design you are interested in
contact me to discuss commissioned pieces.
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“…Blessed are the cheese-makers” ~Monty Python, Life of Brian
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my family & i had the pleasure of visiting a local favorite
& soon to be a nationwide fave kenny’s farmhouse cheese
a 200 acre family farm, located in the rolling hills of barren county, kentucky.
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kenny himself gave us a little tour & enlightened us on artistry that is cheese-making…
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a cheese-maker shows us an aromatic & tasty tomato basil cheddar…
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a plethora of varietals await their debut…
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kenny’s prides themselves on creating new & exciting cheeses like Cup O’ Joe
a coffee infused cheddar…
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future cheese-makers…
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look for kenny’s farmhouse cheese at the 2nd Annual Pastoral Artisan Producer Festival
at my beloved chicago french market {ohh i miss it so!}
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i’ve been so distracted & busy with garden plots, plans & whatnots
that i’ve hardly had a moment to blog & craft.
but i have been out & about gathering natural inspiration…
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little treasures found in a fern…
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sunshine on a cloudy day
wildflowers a kentucky woods…
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canola fields forever
fields of gold in the countryside…
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trumpeting sunset
evening trumpet vine flowers…
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“the purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love color the most.”
~john ruskin
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{photo: asmaa dee photography}
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there are places around the world where residents agree to brighten things up
with one beautiful color for their community {via mental floss}
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cities of color: 10 vibrant, colorful cities of the world {via the coolist}
{photo: robert crum}
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goodie gumdrops scented smiley face happy soaps {by sunbasilgarden soaps}
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can’t wait to plant & grow my own…colorful poppies {via dying of cute}
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the spectacular lights of the ghent light festival in Belgium {via fresh home}
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natural paint pigments {photo: oleg zdorik}
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endless color palette inspiration {via design seeds}
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“color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.” ~claude monet
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if you’re ever in southern indiana & passing through marysville
you must stop in for a look-see at bobby’s barnyard bargains
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you can’t miss the barns with all the signs & things on every square inch!
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and inside the big barn…
floor-to-ceiling antiques, rustic doo-dads, funky junk & curiosities…
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i loved this rustic carousel horse…
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you could spend house looking through all the treasures
& you should definitely bring a list of what you’re searching for
as the stuff seems to be stacked & piled everywhere in a crazy mess
but bobby pretty much knows where everything can be found.
i can’t wait to go back {with my list of course}
mr. d and i were amazed that we picked it before
the guys on american pickers
{bobby said people have told them about his shop}
but it’s only a matter of time before they “free style” upon this “honey hole”.
Bobby’s Barnyard Bargains
HWY 62 between Charlestown & New Washington, Indiana
here’s a recent creation by special order
for hidden hill nursery & sculpture garden
a giant paper mache flower head-on-a-stick…
made with up~cycled cardboard {actually, Coors Light boxes} & newspaper,
wheat paste, acrylic paint & a big ole dowel.
to be used with a human sized flower pot
{a new photo-op spot at the nursery}
owner, master gardener & all-around personality
mr. bob hill models the giant flower head…
if you should ever pass through smith’s grove, kentucky
then you must make a stop at the charming
Pelly’s Farm Fresh Market
there’s a re-purposed dairy barn
full of antiques, primitives, vintage scraps, farm fresh products
& loads of kentucky proud handcrafted items…
even gourds, rocking chairs {turquoise!}
& a cute little puppy…
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whimsical plants & junky~rustic treasures…
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and best of all…an adorable little herd of goats…
