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Thursday, October 11, 2018

Growing A Cottage Garden Part 5

With family coming in for a visit on the 19th, I knew this week would be my last chance to work on minis for a while. So, I pushed hard, worked late, and really every spare moment (and moments I should have been doing other things) were focused to get as much of the garden finished as possible. I'll apologize now for not taking any "in process" photos. I'll just explain some of the processes with the photos.

*One quick note for Chrome users: If you want to view the images as large as possible, even larger than the Blogger photo viewer, right click on the photo and select Open In New Window.

I finally committed to attaching the flower boxes


I installed gutters and teacup rain chains which empty into rain barrels. I installed the battery powered porch light (after the brass was made copper), the teacup address plate, topiary and strawberry pot to the porch area. I have yet to make the strawberry plant. I also need to make a door mat.



Here's the bee skep and the bee smoker. I have the bee skep tutorial somewhere on the blog. Search skep and it should come up. I still need to make lots of tiny bees. The ones I made for the Three Pigs were a little large and cartoonish, which was fine for that build, but I'd like to try for smaller ones at some point.


Here's the corner planter filled with flowers that bees love. And another teacup rain chain to utilize nature's water. You may also notice the stone path has been weathered and aged.


The light switch and battery pack for the stairwell lights have been turned into the electric meter. The space below it is reserved for the big clay pot which will be the home of the Camellia tree, once I get around to making it.


The kitchen's bay window ledge was always slated for pots of herbs and flowers, and I finally got to make that dream come true! The area below the bay window got a layer of gravel - it still needs to be aged. A water heater and gas meter are planned for the small space to the left of the window.



Here's a photo of this side of the cottage. It looks a little bare now without the rose arbor and fences.


The right side of the cottage was the home of the potting bench, which finally got outfitted for planting.



In order for our homeowner to reach the high window boxes for watering, I made a watering wand from roughly bent brass rod. I added beads and metal pieces to replicate the fittings, and to make it look adjustable.


To make the cheap, clear green hose look more authentic, I painted it with green paint marker, then aged with brown washes. I attached it to a fairy garden wall sink (painted copper) and added the hose holder to the front. This area still needs some accessorizing in good time.


Here's the whole side together.



The next step in the process will be to add flowers to the fence planters, then install the fences to the landscape board. Then the arbor, then the gate etc.


For the next week, I'll be turning my attention to getting life ready for company. I hope to share the guest room photos during that time.

One last note before I leave you... Our talented, creative and funny friend Keli, in the midst of her own life challenges, has taken the time and care to send some of Charlene's treasures to me for display in the cottage. I'll share photos in my next post. They are perfect, and I love that through Keli's heart, Charlene's passion for minis will continue to delight others. Thank you, Keli! 💗

xo xo,
Jodi

49 comments:

  1. Wow! I'm always amazed at how much detail you manage to get into even the simplest parts of your builds. That hose and the rain chain, then the bee skep and the weathered path... It all combines to make such a lovely picture. There's something to look at in every part of the house.

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    1. Thanks Sheila! I feel like the ideas for this little cottage have been coming rapid fire since I cracked open the kit! I love being inspired like this, and I'm so happy that you like everything, too!

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  2. jodi, this is amazing - a real burst of color! I am sure that you will have withdrawel symptoms once you have completed it all ;-) it is so much fun seeing how a garten comes to live..

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    1. Thanks Marion! The flower kits give such a nice variety of color and texture to the garden! I guess bees know what they're doing! :O)
      As for withdrawal after the project is finished, I have another in the queue which I am excited to start, so after a thorough craft room cleaning and organizing, I'll jump in on it right away. I don't do well in neutral! :O)

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  3. My goodness it's perfectly gorgeous. All your work has made a stunning piece of art. The detail is amazing, you are so very clever, fab, fab, fab

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    1. Thanks Sylvie! I'm so glad you think it's a work of art and not just a frivolous pursuit! I get so much enjoyment out of recreating life's little details. Now if I could just convince my family that it's real work...

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  4. Wow! All of the flowers add so much (I guess literal) life to the build, but I love the pots on the bay window especially. :D All your accessories are wonderful, owing their perfection to your attention to finishes and adaptation. Love it all!!! :D

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    1. Thanks Brae! I am inspired to do my best by the best, to dream it and try it until you find a way, so thank you!

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  5. Es una casa preciosa, me encantan las plantas y todos los elementos de la fachada !!!!

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    1. Gracias Eloisa! ¡Me hace feliz que la casita de jardĂ­n te atraiga!

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  6. Wow Jodi!! This house just gets better and better. I love your rain catcher and barrel and all the other copper accents. I'm looking forward to the fences. Congratulations on your real life renovations as well.

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    1. Thanks Carrie! I'm so glad you like some of the elements that make up the garden, and I hope they inspire you with ideas for your own fabulous projects!
      I'll be so relieved when the real life projects are finally completed and life can get back to a slower pace. The summer went by so fast that there were no lazy days!

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  7. A Gardener's Dream! Your corner flower bed is perhaps my favorite combination of colors and flowers but I also like the way you've filled your flowerpots and made space for a potting bench along the side.
    The beehive and the teacup rain-chains are ADORABLE and add EVEN MORE to your running theme.
    Love the way you've incorporated and transformed the light switch into the electric meter which to me was a stroke of Genius!
    Viewing the continual development of your Teacup Cottage garden has been Incredibly Inspirational to ALL who see it- BRAVO Jodi!

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    1. Coming from you, Elizabeth, an excellent real life gardener, that makes me beam with pride! Thank you!
      I'm so happy that you like the other elements going on in the garden, as I keep trying to think of things a person who has lived here a long time would add and improve on year after year.
      I'm also so happy to know that any work I share might inspire others, because it is all of you in our community who inspire and encourage me to reach for my dreams!

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  8. Es un placer ver el colorido de tu jardĂ­n , has trabajado muy duro; y la combinaciĂłn de las diferentes plantas ha sido un Ă©xito, me encantan.Muy ingenioso colocar abejas. Feliz fin de semana:-)

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    1. Gracias Rosa Maria! ¡Estoy tan feliz de que te gusten las coloridas flores y el jardĂ­n en general! Las flores eran mucho trabajo de hacer, ¡pero al final sabĂ­a que tendrĂ­a un gran impacto!

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  9. Wow! Wow WOW!! Jodi, I just can't believe all the amazing and wonderful little details you have managed to create this week!!! I LOVE the battery-pack turned electric meter!! That is such a great idea! And the gutters with the tea-cup rain chains are such a unique and trend-setting idea... I am sure they will be showing up in more places soon! The long watering wand is awesome!! And the bee skep is adorable and I can't wait to meet the bees!!! And that is just for starters! The entry with the tea-pot number is too much! The Tiny shelf with the bird house... the hose and "fountain".... the weeds in the stone path... the herbs on the kitchen window ledge.... and the Potting Bench!!! You have thought of Everything and Made it all from scratch!!! This cottage is amazing and becoming more so every time we see it!
    I am sure you will have a wonderful time with relatives while taking a break from minis.... I will need that time just to admire all your incredible details!!! :):):)

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    1. Thank you so much, Betsy! I am so glad that you like the garden and the character I'm trying to capture! If folks want to make the rain chains, maybe I better help by sharing more detail of what I used, how I achieved them and the pitfalls to avoid. I was in such a hurry to make progress this week, that I was selfish with my photos and processes!
      I want you to know, Dear Betsy, how grateful I am to you and others who read the blog because you really see and delight in the details just like I do! It's the best feeling to share with other miniaturists who appreciate the time and attention it takes. Thank you so much for your comments!

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  10. Hi, Jodi - I'm just amazed at the wonderful details you've included in this landscape. The watering wand and the rain chains are ingenious and unique, and the electric meter is creativity disguised as practicality. I could look and look and never tire of the variety of inspired touches on all sides of the cottage. I love the "flowers that the bees love" in the corner planter. I've tried to find a favorite thing, but there are too many delights from which to choose. However, I must say that the potting bench, the wall sink, and the garden hose have stolen my heart! I'm so glad that there are more "finishing up" details to come. This project is too good to end!
    Marjorie

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    1. Thanks so much, Marjorie! I know you share my passion for the details, and trying to make each little thing as lifelike and full of charming character as possible! So when I receive such encouraging feedback, it fuels my fire to keep going!
      Fear not on the project ending soon - I still have a long way to go on the interior, especially since I have decided to make most of the furnishings and a lot of the finishes myself. I had originally expected to be finished this fall, but the ideas just keep pestering me! :O) I'm havong so much fun, though, I don't want it to end, either!

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  11. Incredibly detailed and pretty. I am sure all of us who do this stuff can see and appreciate the huge amount of work and ideas that have gone into making this lovely looking cottage. Bit like doing a huge painting - everyone sees the quick one-shot of the finished picture and rarely appreciates the thousands of brush strokes and inspiration that actually made it. Wonderful work, thank you for sharing with us.

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    1. Thank you, Marilyn! It's so funny when I realize how much time I have spent focused on a 4" x 4" area, and wonder if anyone will ever notice or be able to appreciate that granular detail. But thank goodness I have all of my fellow mini blog friends who do know and see how much care and effort goes into recreating life in 1/12th scale! And who don't think I'm mental for doing it! :O)

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  12. Everything is perfect! The house is amazing and the garden is very detailed. The rain chain is original.

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    1. Thanks Fabiola! I'm so happy that you like the garden and all of the little details that make doing them so delightful!

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  13. I add my WOWs to all those before me. It is an absolutely lovely garden and outdoor surroundings. So many original, inspiring ideas. I loved following the project from the beginning. It won't be a surprise to me if soon your work here will be features in more dollhouse magazines.
    Hugs, Drora

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    1. Thank you, Drora! I am so happy that you like the garden (so far) and that you have been here every step of the way with your encouraging words and advice! I try my best and go farther than what is comfortable because I have friends like you who keep me going!

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  14. ¡Es increĂ­ble lo bonito que estĂĄ quedando! Preciosas todas las macetas y las combinaciones de colores. Me encanta el sistema de recogida del agua de lluvia que has montado.

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    1. ¡Gracias, Isabel! ¡Estoy tan feliz de que te gusten los colores de las flores y las canaletas, cadenas de lluvia y barriles! ¡Es maravilloso plantar un jardĂ­n que tambiĂ©n necesitarĂĄ muy poco cuidado! 😜

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  15. One of the things I appreciate very much about language is the fact that sometimes it doesn't take many words to express special feelings or thoughts, sometimes all it needs is a simple 3-letter-word and all is said that needs to be said. Oh... pardon me... the word I'm talking about is of course "WOW"!!! *LOL* I fear it would make this comment form explode if I'd point out all the things and details I liked and enjoyed and admired looking at those wonderful pictures of this beautiful, beautiful project - so I'm concentrating on just a few examples: The dandelions peeping up here before the garden hose and there in front of the rain barrel… the pots around the bay window… the potting bench with its well chosen decoration… the strawberry pot (I need to mention this, otherwise Fluby will become grumpy *grin*)… the teapot sign at the entrance… etc. etc. And not to forget this fascinating rain chain - what a brilliant idea. I can't wait to see more and how all of this looks with the walls and the arbor.

    Hugs
    Birgit

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    1. Oh dear Birgit Thank You! Your comments are always so thoughtful and humorous that I find myself looking forward to them with each new post! It truly delights me that you find the garden delightful! Please tell Fluby that I shall endeavor to do my best with the strawberry plant, and will take a special photo of them just for him! Hope to be back to working on the cottage garden next week!

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  16. Hi Jodi, I was so happy to really look through the details this post! I couldn't get over how clever your battery pack/electric meter hack was! I had to take a second look after reading that! I love the bee themed pieces (cute in miniature, although I'm not the kind of person who want one in my own garden ;) And I overall the layering of the florals is simply fantastic! I've gone above and beyond with this build!

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    1. Thank you Kristine! This little cottage has been such a joy to work on because the ideas for it just never stop flowing! I am so happy that you like the garden's flowers and the fun things that are incorporated into it! A few years ago, my brother started to keep bees. Him doing so lead not only to some fascinating learning, but also to the fruits of his labor. His honey is amazing, and his bees hardly ever sting him. It's like they know somehow that it's a cooperative relationship! My mom has a healthy fear of them, and won't go near the hives!

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  17. Un gran estallido de color precioso para un maravilloso remate de esta gran obra que nos has ido mostrando.
    Felicidades por este magnifico trabajo que seguimos disfrutando.
    Un abrazo

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    1. ¡Gracias Marion! ¡Estoy tan feliz de que disfrutes el jardĂ­n y las flores, y te agradezco que me acompañes en el viaje de la casa de campo conmigo!

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  18. This is just gorgeous! The teacup rain chain is brilliant. All the little flowers and pots and tools just give it such a feeling of reality. And the dandelions poking up! Spectacular job! Bravo!

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    1. Thanks Deb! I'm so happy that you like the garden, and having it feel as though it is kept and visited every day was important to me. I'm so eager to get going on the final phases, not only because I want to see everything together, but because I am anxious to begin working inside again! I fear I have let the spray painting weather get by before I got the appliances and bath fixtures painted, so I am going to have to heat the garage to make it happen. What we won't do to make a mini dream come true, right?

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  19. Goodness you are a talented lady, this is just stunning! I've so enjoyed watching you build your cottage and flowers and to see it all come together is incredible. So many details to look at! It's just stunning.

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    1. That is so nice of you to say, and I thank you for being a part of this cottage journey with me! I am so grateful to be at a time in my life where dedicating so much time to miniatures is possible. I have the time now to be patient, so I can try and do a better job!

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  20. I don´t know what I like the most, if the great variety of flowers and plants beautifully made by you, those little details like the teacup rain chains, such a fantastic idea!, the way you have arrange the different elements... I think everything contributes to create a perfect garden. You are doing a terrific job here Jodi, not that I am surprise, but my goodness, this gardens is just precious. I love it.

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    1. Thanks, Alex! I can't pick a favorite thing, either - I've just had so much fun making everything! And I am glad I had to keep the landscape so small, because otherwise, I'd be marking time in months instead of weeks to make everything! Just a few more plants/flowers to make, and a few more details, then I can begin working inside!

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  21. That is just gorgeous! Every detail is perfect.

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    1. Thanks Carol! I hope I don't lose my objectives and forget my plans with a whole week away for real life commitments!

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  22. You made alot of effort and did a very good job.
    Congratulations

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  23. You have really spent a lof of time in making all these beautiful items. I love gardens and flowers in my life, so it so easy to love also miniature gardens and flowers. Thanks for sharing the lovely pictures with us.

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  24. Hello Jodi,
    It is so hard to find words to express how beautiful your work is. I love it. I am happy you varied planters and flower boxes and pots because it really adds so much interest to the garden. It is magical. The cottage looks like it was plucked out right out of one of Neil Gagman's books. It is amazing.
    Big hug,
    Giac

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    1. Thank you, Giac! The cottage has taken on a life of it's own with each new thing I try. It's grungier and more fairytale like than what I originally intended, but I am finding that I like being lead to something I hadn't even thought of. It makes it much more interesting, and I don't mind at all being used as the tool for something to come alive.

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