Trip to Eden Gardens

Eden Gardens State Park,

Mount Washington, Florida, USA.  

This wonderful Live Oak tree is called

"The Wedding Tree,"  because of

the numerous outdoor weddings that have

been conducted beneath its stately branches.

This tree is over 300 years old!

There were quite a number of 

impressive Live Oaks on

the property.  The home originally 

belonged to a family that ran a sawmill.

  Later it was purchased by a wealthy

woman who called it 'her Eden,'  

hence the name of this State Park.  

The grounds had some lovely bronze 

sculptures of children...

and blooming flowers.  In February we don't see

this in Ohio!  I believe these are camellias?

The front entrance of the home shows that

 the windows actually reach clear to the

 floor, so when open on hot summer

 days the air could circulate.  I loved that

the porch completely encircled the home.

Unfortunately, photos were not allowed

inside the mansion, but it was fun to 'step

back in time' and see the treasures

of days gone by.  Above, 

one last shot of these gorgeous flowers.

Our trip to Eden Gardens was one of

 the last activities we did during our 

recent trip to the Florida Panhandle. 

 A marvelous way to end our stay!

Linking up with Elizabeth today,

and joining her T Tuesday link party.

Stop by her blog for a visit, there is 

always something interesting going on.

As part of our (tea) T Tuesday post,

we are encouraged to share something

 beverage (tea, T?) related...

'Fake Journal' entry, 2014

Since we visited a Southern mansion,

perhaps we should have tea and cakes?

Where have you been lately?

Road Trip Journal Pages

Road Trip art journal pages...

yes, I've been drawing while riding

in a moving car. These two pages were

prepared with watercolor wash, then a

second watercolor layer to create the

rectangle grids on the page.  Above,

a finished page...well, maybe I will

tweek it a bit?

Above, the second Road Trip page, still in progress.

I have yet to write about the massive traffic jam we

got caught in, on KY I-65.  Three and a half

hours later, we finally got free.  Whose idea was it

to choke three lanes of traffic down to one lane

due to road construction?  I normally wouldn't complain

but thought this was excessive, and sent an email

complaint to the KY Dept. of Highways.

Above, my Documented Life Project page for Week 20:

use a stamp in an unusual way.  I used vintage buttons to

stamp into polymer clay, then sewed them to the page.

My Fake Journal 2014 has been completed and bound.

You can see the final product at

Cottonwood Counterfeit Journal.

I hope you will stop by!

Linking up with Elizabeth's

T Tuesday party,

and reviving another coffee mug page...

having my daily coffee with chocolate,

and looking at the rainy day through

my window. At least it isn't snow!

•   ♦   •

Art Journal Pages~ Beverage Edition

Some art journal pages for Elizabeth's T party

on Tuesday...visit Altered Book Lover to

see what it's all about!

Above, you may notice a collage (on the right)

 that I previously made for T Tuesday.  

I glued it across the gutter of two pages in 

one of my journals.  I added another 

tea bag wrapper in yellow, and the 

actual tea bag. I was delighted when

the tag was pink!

I also added some sparkly lemonade on the left--

literally sparkly. It is from a Valentine that a dear

friend sent...and also is a lovely pink!

I repeated the design from the security envelope

paper (in the collage) by drawing more of

 the 'hash marks' onto the pages.

 Repeating a design element

helps unify the pages.

Above, a page that sat for months

with only the bird glued to the page.

The kleenex box leaves seemed to work,

and the page came together...

Below, a collage from ephemera--

most of which I did not draw.  I 

added the white cloud and some of

the black flowers. Stickers and 

scraps of printed images make 

quick collage.

Above and below, a sketch of a bluebird from a

photo in Birds and Blooms magazine...

This page also sat for months with just the

bird drawing on it.  For this, I think it 

waited until I had scraps in the 'right' colors

before I was ready to finish it...

The Wrap-Up is posted on

Cottonwood Counterfeit Journal

for my Fake Journal 2014.

Hope you will stop by...

and

hope your day is

EXTRA SWEET!

♦  •  ♦

Tags on T Tuesday

A bit of my Fake Journal 2014~

if you haven't visited 

Cottonwood Counterfeit Journal lately,

I've posted the Reveal, Parts 1 and 2.

I plan to post the final Wrap Up

next Tuesday, so stay tuned...

For T Tuesday, I decided to make

some TAGS.  

The tag below was collaged onto

tan card stock, with scrapbook

papers and painted brown craft paper.

Words were cut from a book that I've

been using for collage, and for

painting over text.

Above, a tag cut from watercolor paper,

with paisleys drawn in Sharpie, then

watercolor washes added.

Reviving the red Panda mug,

enjoying my mocha coffee, and

joining Elizabeth today for

T Tuesday.  I think there is a party

going on over there...

I hope you will get up to

some creative fun by

visiting T Tuesday participants!

Fake Journal Finale

Visit my April blog:

Cottonwood Counterfeit Journal

to read about my Fake Journal's 

character, and read the Reveal, Part 1!

•  ♦  •

Easter Greetings

---just sayin'.

Please visit my Fake Art Journal blog:

Cottonwood Counterfeit Journal...

I only do a 'fake journal' in April each year,

and there are only 13 days left.

See if you can figure out what

my character does

and why those things

are in my journal...

•  ♦  •

April Fish on T Tuesday

~ APRIL FOOL!~

From Wikipedia:

"In 1508, a French poet, Eloy d'Amerval referred to a Poisson d'avri

(April fool, literally "April fish") a possible reference to the holiday.

In 1539, Flemish poet Eduard de Dene wrote of a nobleman who 

sent his servants on foolish errands on 1 April. 

 In 1698, several people were tricked into

going to the Tower of London to 'see the Lions washed.' "

"The tradition in France, and in French-speaking Canada

includes attempting to attach a paper fish to the

victim's back without being noticed- poisson d'avril-

(literally 'April's fish) and is also widespread in

other nations such as Italy.  The Flemish tradition

is for children to lock out their parents or teachers,

only letting them in if they promise to bring

treats the same evening or the next day."

~Wikipedia

"In 1957, the BBC pulled a prank, known as the

Swiss Spaghetti Harvest prank, where they 

broadcast a fake film of Swiss farmers picking

freshly-grown spaghetti.  The BBC were later

flooded with requests to purchase spaghetti

plants, forcing them to declare the video as a prank

 on the news the next day."

~Wikipedia

To read the Top Hoaxes perpetrated on April Fool's Day

go to the Museum of Hoaxes...

and have a good laugh!

It's time to begin my Fake Journal 2014 Project,

so be sure to visit Cottonwood Counterfeit Journal

to see what my 'alter ego' is up to--no foolin'!

•  •  •

Joining Elizabeth for her T Tuesday link party...

and sharing a collage 

created with a tea bag -- just because

I liked that wonderful leaf green color!

Hope you have a fun day...

and enjoy a good joke!

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