FRIDAY FLOWERS! :)

I hope everyone is having a Wonderful Day :)

Before I bring you this Week's Friday Flowers, I wanted to share a Treasury I am in, YAY!

It is always very exciting to wake up, switch on the computer and find an email letting you know that one of your items is in a Treasury on Etsy. So, please go and share some love HERE :)

A couple of Weekend's ago, my Hubby and I went off to Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens in Woodland, Washington. It is a beautiful oasis of Gardens on over 3 acres and lovingly preserved. They have a Lilac Days Festival but unfortunately we weren't able to make those. When we did get there some of the Lilacs had already finished flowering but I got some great shots of the later flowering ones.

So, here is this Week's Friday Flowers, the Beautiful Lilac's at Hulda Klager's Gardens, I hope you enjoy them :)

I really hope you enjoyed visiting Hulda Klager's Lilac Gardens :)

There is still time to enter to win the Beautiful Vintage Jewelry in my May Giveaway check the details HERE it is so easy to enter.

Have a Wonderful Weekend. :)

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.

Astoria Revisited!

I can't believe it has been a month already since my Hubby and I went on our Anniversary trip to Astoria, Oregon. To read the post about where we stayed click HERE :)

On the Friday drive over to the coast the weather was glorious, one of those beautiful Spring days where you feel so alive and truly grateful to live in the NorthWest. But, on the Saturday morning we woke to this! (below)

"A Bridge to Nowhere" (the Astoria Bridge, shot taken from the Oregon side looking at the Washington side of the Columbia River.)

The North Head Lighthouse at Cape Disappointment, WA. ( see sunnier photos and more info HERE :)

It was a pretty bleak day and looking at the surf and rocks and mist below the Lighthouse you can understand why it is called "The Graveyard of the Pacific"

"Almost 2,000 vessels of all types and about 700 lives have been claimed by the treacherous waters off the Peninsula over the past 300 years." (from Long Beach Peninsula Visitor's Bureau)

These Fishermen certainly experienced the Surf first hand!

This Juvenile Seagull was looking at me like "Are you going to Feed me or What?" (Click on the photo for a larger image and see how wet those little feathers really are :(

We saw lots of these big Ships passing our Hotel, I love Ships! (I really think I must have been a Pirate Wench in a past life) (He! He! Dream on!)

Then, on the Sunday we awoke to blue Skies and Sunshine! (a typical Spring weekend weather pattern here in the N.W.)

We went to visit the Astoria Column.

The Scenes painted on the Column depict the history of the local area. From Native Americans thru Lewis and Clark's adventures and the coming of the railroads.

It is a beautiful Pictorial lesson in local History. (If you look closely on the right of the photo you can see one of the little wood gliders they sell at the gift shop for people to launch off the top of the column, such fun :)

Astoria Bridge from the Column.

One of the period homes in Astoria, this one sadly neglected but eerie and stunningly Beautiful in the state it finds itself. But there are many beautifully preserved too! (See HERE :)

Crab Pots at the Port of Ilwaco.

Colourful Fishing Floats.

This photo (2010) is of The Wreckage of the Peter Iredale grounded in 1906 on the Oregon coast.

I hope you enjoy reading about some of Oregon's history and it's beauty. We who live here really love it and I think we even enjoy complaining about the rain :) But we do have beautiful sunny days too :)

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.

FRIDAY FLOWERS! :)

Well, I hope everyone is having a wonderful day :) I know I am blogging A LOT about my Garden right now, but so much is happening and I get very excited and I just want to share all the fun and beauty with you. :)

So, this week's Friday Flowers is a little different. I wanted to share with you a small corner of my Garden, my little "Secret", peaceful, side Garden. There I have tried to plant more native plants and of course I have a lot of "Friends" who live there and I thought you might just want to meet them :)

Side Gate Entrance to "Secret" Garden. "Beware of the Gator" Sign.

"Gator Guarder" Don't worry he doesn't bite and he is on a leash tied to the fence :) (He! He!)

Doesn't everyone need a "Gator Guarder" :)

The Beautiful aged moss covered brick path, that meanders front the gate to the Arbor.

A few of the plants :)

Here is "Hedgie", he is quite happy sitting on his swing taking everything in. :)

Bird Bath and copper Flower ornaments.

"A City Girl Lives Here" sign.

Some of my garden "Helpers" :)

"Guitar Man" amount the Native Plants :)

My "Peaceful" retreat, guarded by a pair of Turtles :)

Peter Rabbit and his Helper :)

The Rose Arbor (above) will soon look like this (below)

I really hope you enjoyed seeing my "Secret" Garden and meeting some of my "Buddies" who hang out there :)

There is still time to enter to win the Beautiful Vintage Jewelry in my May Giveaway check the details HERE it is so easy to enter.

Have a Wonderful Weekend. :)

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.

May Giveaway!

Well, Good Morning to you all :)

A couple of Days ago my little old Blog turned ONE! (Thanks so much to all who left sweet comments, you guys rock!) And to celebrate that milestone I announced that Today would be a giveaway day and so it is :)

I racked my brain to come up with something worthy of the occasion, something sparkly, something celebratory, something, well, something that I thought would be a beautiful Giveaway!

I am very excited to do this Giveaway! So, here it is (Ta - Da!)

One Lucky Person will win these Beautiful Vintage Earrings and matching Vintage Brooch (Value $70.00)

Now, you know I like to make my Giveaways pretty simple, so all I ask is that you are a follower of this blog and leave a comment telling me what was the BEST B.DAY PARTY you ever when to.

One entry per person.


These Earrings are a combination of 3 aquamarine and teal rhinestones around the top edge catching the light from every direction. Then 3 teal and aquamarine larger cut pieces towards the middle, then 3 dangling reflective teal and aquamarine glass beads finish the earrings, these are all set in a gold tone metal.The earrings are 1.5" long, look like new and are in great working order.These are clip-on earrings.


This Brooch has a combination of aquamarine and teal rhinestones all around the outer edge of the brooch catching the light from every direction. With larger cut aquamarine pieces towards the middle where a beautiful half inch diameter stone holds the centre, overlapping that are a collection of reflective teal and aquamarine glass beads, all set in a gold tone metal.The brooch is approx. 2" in diameter, looks like new and is in great working order.

You can enter this Giveaway until Midnight (West Coast Time) on Sunday May 30th.

SO HAVE FUN :)

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.

HAPPY B. DAY BLOG! :)

My Blog is One, YAY! It has been a whole year of blogging my little heart out. What fun! And like any proud Parent of a One Year Old I want to throw a Big Party. So, on Wednesday I am going to have a very special Giveaway to celebrate and you are all invited :)

So, I wanted to share with you my very first Blog Posting here on Poppy Place Pdx. This was before I knew what direction I was going to take my Blog. It was close to the 10th Anniversary of the Shootings at Columbine and I had worked on this piece of Artwork as a way to try to come to terms with this senseless act but had never shown the work to anyone before then, of course it was my first blog posting and I am not sure anyone really saw it and I definitely didn't get any comments. Here it is in its entirety.


COLUMBINE REMEMBERED.




It is 10 years since the tragedy at Columbine. Lives were changed that day forever. This piece evolved soon after the Columbine massacre. The emotions were overwhelming for me as a mother of teenagers when I heard about this tragedy and out of my need to make sense of the sadness I created this piece. I have never published this artwork before but feel it is timely 10 years on to still remember and hope change has come.

The 3 pieces of paper represent the Father, Son and Holy Spirit forming one body. The paper is rough and uneven representing the ups and downs, trials and tribulations we encounter on our journey through life. The red apple/heart shape has several meanings, the apple reference is for the teacher who died and the heart is for the love and caring he received from those students around him in his last hours. The apple/heart has a band uniform collar which represents the good that can come from team work. The Littleton bow tie represents the community coming together. The 13 teardrops represent the 13 people who were slaughtered. The pool of tears and the drops represent the “Veil of Tears” from the prayer in reference to all the sorrow felt. On the lower edge of the apple/heart is a pool of the blood spilled. On the apple/heart the words Revenge and Violence represent the 2 gunmen. The apple/heart is surrounded by the names of all the victims.

We truly need to raise our children to be caring, tolerant and respectful of others. Bullying should not be tolerated, neither should revenge. It is our responsibility as adults and parents to treat our children with respect and not to ignore them or treat them as property. What these young men did cannot be condoned and I am a little tired of the epidemic of victimstance, but we all have a responsibility to make everyone feel they are a valued member of society and I see all too often a rash of self absorbed one-upmanship. I live in a community not dissimilar to Littleton and I hear from my children about the general atmosphere in the middle and high schools, it is almost encouraged as a writ of passage that the stereotypical behaviours are pursued. I have heard first hand how some of the faculty and support staff speak to these teenagers, it would make me resentful. Teenagers need respect; I cannot emphasize that enough.


Well, that was a year ago, my blog found its way, and thanks to all the wonderful people who read it.

Have a Wonderful Monday!

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.

FRIDAY FLOWERS! :)

Well, before I show you this week's Friday Flowers, I have a few things I would like to share with you :)


My Blogger Buddy Annette at So Many Memories Blog is having this beautiful giveaway you can check out her Giveaway HERE :)

Also, I am closing my Vintage shop on Etsy to concentrate on my Photography and Art so please mozie on over and check out the amazing deals at 50% and more off every item or make me an offer :)

And lastly, I want to offer my Wonderful Blogging Friends a special on any purchase of my Photography. From now until the end of May you can buy any 8 x 10 Photo in my Etsy Shop for just $10.00, yep, you read that right, and get another for only $5.00. So, come on by and see all the wonderful photos you can choose from, just convo me thru my shop or drop me an email HERE. I will be happy to make a reserved listing for you :)

I am very excited to show you this week's Friday Flowers which are a mix of some of the lovelies that are now flowering in my Garden :)

Click on photos to get a larger image :)


GEUM :)

LILAC :)

ANEMONES :)

LATE SEASON TULIPS :)

A FEW BLUEBELLS (I know they are Wood Hyacinths but the kid in me still calls them Bluebells, I have wonderful Childhood memories of these flowers in England :)

I purchased this plant from the Portland Chinese Garden plant sale, I can't find the official name of this particular plant but it is a Lilac and smells wonderful :)

Another Late Season Tulip :)

The Japanese Maple is just starting to turn that gorgeous deep radiant Red :)

And lastly, I love this Tulip, it is the largest and tallest one that grows in my garden, there are only a couple of them, I love the way the petals curl and the variegated colours.

Obviously, something else likes them too :)

See the hole that has been eaten thru close to the bottom :(

Oh, well, it still looks pretty :)

I really hope you enjoyed the mix of Flowers this week :)

Have a Wonderful Day!

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.