Terrarium Inspired by Real Life

 I was given 2 terrariums for Christmas , thank-you Jim ! I restrained myself and asked for only two. I love terrariums and knew I would easily fill them with plants , moss, and whatever else struck my fancy to add to them. Ever since I can remember, glass containers of any kind with even a hint of greenery or a small wiggling creature contained within just drew me in and captivated my attention and inspired my imagination. They still do. As you can see ( above ) from my planting table where I have unused pots & outdoor stuff waiting for me to put to use, moss just crept in and made itself at home, as it is wont to do in the western part of the Pacific Northwest I call home. Moss is magical to me because it thrives in almost any indoor planting , and if it doesn't , I can go outside, grab some more and replace it. ( Did you know dried moss makes a great fire-starter for the woodstove ? )

 Here is a miniature garden I made almost 3 years ago with my granddaughters. I leave it outside all year and it sits by the fire-pit near the pond. The plants are getting so large I might need to replace them  in the spring. But look at the moss that moved in with the fallen leaves.

 Here is a birdhouse that sits on a very old Cedar stump overlooking the fire pit and surrounded by the branches of a young Cedar tree that has probably sprung up from the tree the stump used to be.

 I found this little mouse in the front yard. It was already dead, probably played to death by our resident mouser, Miss Marple . I don't know what kind of mouse this is, but it was a very cute mouse with extremely large pink ears and the most exquisite feet. Each dainty foot had such pretty toes and fine, almost invisible silver-white fur covered the legs. I could not get a picture of the face to do it justice, but for a mouse, it was a very pretty face. She ( for it was a she ) probably left behind a lot of little mice hungry for her milk , but what is that to a cat ?

My treasure hunt around Cedar Pond garnered me many little treasures and a lot of inspiration. I gathered moss, plants from outside, soil, rocks, a little resin mouse, my terrarium, and happily set about creating a terrarium . If you are interested in the finished result you will be able to see it in my next post.

Miniature Gardens

My grandchildren & I made our fairy gardens.

 I suppose I should not call them all fairy gardens though. This one made by my oldest grandson is a miniature farm garden,complete with greenhouse, growing grass and grazing cows.

 Now here is a fairy garden our granddaughter made.

 This garden even has a name,'Fairy Heaven Gardens'.

 This granddaughter made her own little fairy garden too.

 The fairy looks quite comfy sitting back in her little chair ,enjoying her own garden.

Although our youngest grandson enjoys playing with his sisters' fairy toys, he preferred to make himself a Truck Garden. He thinks the best places of all are filled with piles of dirt and rocks for trucks to work in.

Life around here got pretty busy, requiring me to be away from the gardens, so the fairies and Mrs. Little postponed their garden party just for me. So much to do in the gardens to prepare, so many berries to pick, herbs to harvest,and weeds...WEEDS! Life in the summer is always very busy, but fun too.I hope you're enjoying your summer, and not spending too much time indoors at the computer. Go outside and make a miniature garden , enjoy tea with the fairies, the children, or by yourself as you sit in the shade and remember all your blessings.

TeaTime Tuesday With Mrs. Little & Friends

It's Teatime Tuesday and I've missed my Tuesday teas.Since the weather has remained a steady cloudy / rainy, and cool, in the high 50's to the low 60's, I decided I would brainstorm with Mrs. Little and two of her friends to plan a fairy garden party. Surely the weather will warm up soon, and a party in the garden is something to look forward to.Above is a new tiny tea-set my friend Judy gave to me to share with the Little family.

This little tea set is perfect for the Littles as you can see. Mrs. Little's fairy friends, Lily and Lilac, are using teacups that are slightly larger, much more appropriate for them. Mama Cat and one of her kittens have come to the table to find out about the fairy garden party too.

Lilac is reaching for the delicious cake Mrs. Little prepared ahead of time for this little planning party.

Lily is dictating to me the list of supplies I will need to assemble so 4 of my grandchildren and I can make just the right miniature gardens for the upcoming party.

Mama Cat returns to the Little's bed to contemplate the upcoming party and she is hoping there will be catnip tea and some very tiny mice.

Thank-you Judy for this little tea set. About the tea set,there is a sticker on the bottom of the tray . The only legible thing on the silver label is " N.J." I am assuming they are the abbreviations for the state of New Jersey. There are no other marks  of any kind on any of the little pieces of china.The tiny roses are a favorite of Mrs. Little, and she adores the gold rimmed china.She believes this little tea set adds elegance to her humble china hutch home.

I have several miniature tea sets and all are of different sizes thus enabling me to serve tea to the Bear family, the Little family, and the fairies without any of my little friends having to deal with cups and saucers they are unable to comfortably handle.My little friends assure me they enjoy tea with me no matter the size of the cups, but one does like to make friends and family comfortable and welcome and I like to know they appreciate tea with me enough to come back for more.Please join us next Tuesday when I will share the Fairy Garden Party in the miniature gardens our grandchildren and I will have made just for this occasion.

Please join the ladies listed below for Tea Time Tuesday :

1. Artful Affirmations *
2. Martha's favorites *
3. Lady Katherine's Tea Parlor * 
4. Rose Chintz Cottage *
5. A Delightsome Life *

"Why not seize the pleasure at once? How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation?" Jane Austin

So, make a pot of tea and a sandwich, head outside, and breathe in the scents, sounds, and sights of summer as you sit back and enjoy the simple blessings you already possess. No fancy garden, porch, or tea accessories needed, just simple thankfulness and appreciation.