In my vase today is a posy of Pink Dandelions, thank you so much for the seeds Cathy, they are such gems! And twigs of snowberry bush, well that’s what I called it as a child, don’t know its proper name.
These were picked to accompany a card and three figs from my fig tree, for a dear friend, for her birthday. I also gave her a book, ‘Waterlog’ by Roger Deakin, which I forgot to take a photo of. She loves swimming, in fact she was a swimming teacher and taught all my children to swim.
She is an artist and I absolutely love her sketches and paintings, but she often struggles to like them herself. She tore up one of her paint sketches and gave me a piece folded over into a card for my birthday in November, I tore it on the fold line and did some stitching to make a card for her.
Then I took some of the paper I coloured with Koh-i-Noor, watercolours,
looking for colours that would make a good background
I chose this one
I was a bit apprehensive to see what J’s reaction would be to what I did to her painting
It took her a little while to realise it was one of her painitngs. I think she liked it.
Do you have any blooms to pop in a Vase this Monday?
Joining Cathy at Rambling in the Garden.
Ravelry
Wild Daffodil 
What a lovely way to help her see her art in a new way! Your figs look quite amazing! I have a reblooming iris in a vase today, the stalk broke off in a recent storm.
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Yes, Kathy, I do hope my rendition of the painting, sparks new joy for her. Most of the flowers that sit in pots in the house come from weeding, damage and pruning. I do hope you do not get any more fierce storms.
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I think hail season is likely over, it’s been dry, but we finally got a bit of rain last night.
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What a wonderful group of birthday presents! Looked up “Waterlog” by Roger Deakin. At first I thought it was written by the great cinematographer Roger Deakins. Not the same person, of course, but a very auspicious name, with or without the “s”. Book sounds so good. I will be putting it on my tottering TBR pile.The flowers are so lovely, and I really like the stitching on the card. Reminds me of bird tracks.
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I love that the stitches reminded you of bird tracks.
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What a touching idea, to revitalise the painting and return it to the painter. I wonder if she will be able to look at in a new light and perhaps realise that it is not the painting that fails to satisfy but the painter is somehow unwilling to be satisfied. I am thrilled these pink ‘dandelions’ have given you so much pleasure and am amazed at how you keep finding different ways to display them – I don’t think I ever did a vase that focussed specifically on them but I can see that I need to! These look wonderful with the symphocarpus (or devil’s plant as I call it!)! We took our massive fig out last year, but reading this now I am wondering whether to get another one to keep in a pot, as a ‘nod’ to the departed one..
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I am hoping that my friend can see her art in a new light as you suggest. It is sometimes hard for me to witness her struggles, when I really like what she paints.
Thank you for giving me the proper name of the shrub. I guess you are not keen on it! Mine has seeped through the the fence from next door’s garden , so maybe that is why you don’t like it – invasive!
I am thinking of getting another fig tree to grow in a pot as mine is getting very big, so I guess the roots have broken through the restrictions underground. I am going to cut it right back and see if it survives.
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The support you give your friend will be invaluable, whatever the outcome, Sandra. Don’t be too sure about the fig roots, by the way – look back at my post for Sept 20th last year (don’t know how to do a link on my tablet!) …
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Thank you I will go read it. 🙂
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Ah yes! I remember it now – just extraordinary!
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Oh the card looks so lovely! 👌
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Thank you. I want to do more of this kind of stuff now.
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I absolutely love how you reinvented her painting and card! The stitching is a great addition and you chose just the right colors! I just plucked our second fig off our tree today, perfectly sweet, and I am really admiring my plumeria that graced us with blooms for the first time this year!
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Thank you, it was fun to do stitching inspired by what was already there in paint.
I had to look up ‘plumeria’, what a beautiful plant, it must be thrilling to have it in flower.
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Wow figs from your own tree. Nothing in ours this year it hasn’t been warm enough. Love card and vase too
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Oh no! No figs! I am lucky enough to have figs each year, here in the South of England.
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Lovely to see those dandelions again. Your imagination and creativity is enviable Sandra. Such a pretty card. 😃
Must be wonderful to have your own figs!
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It feels so luxurious to have a fig tree. 🙂
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No fig trees or gardens here, and no store bought flowers since lock down. So your post, and similar, are my much appreciated flowers. But *pink* daisies? Really??! 🙃
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Yes! Pink dandelions, aren’t they cute!
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Figs from your garden. How wonderful!
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Utterly delicious! 🙂
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The card is beautiful and so creative! I too envy you your figs – my tree is barren this year.
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Oh dear – I wonder why.
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It had an infestation of blackfly last year which knocked it back and I think I was a bit mean with watering in the dry spell. It is only a dwarf one so doesn’t produce much fruit even in a good year!
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That would explain it.
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Our fig tree is laden with fruit but I struggle to get them to ripen. The only flowers I cut from our garden are the sweet peas which have been wonderful this year. Their scent fills the house. Will definitely start the seeds in autumn and overwinter in u heated greenhouse again . They have flowered their little hearts out and the more you cut the more you get!
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Well done with your sweet peas. I have never been very successful with them.
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Love what you did with the card. I impressed with the figs.
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It was fun to sew on a painting.
I highly recommend getting a fig tree, you can grow one in a pot.
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