Years ago it was not unusual to get more than 65 comments..Now..crickets..I DO appreciate your loyal comments and you are not crickets:) You are so nice..
It is just so different..
Moving right along..with Frida..:)
My daughter taught me this fun craft..
She actually gave me 2 unpainted bowls already glued together and showed me what she had made so far.
The bowls are bought at a Goodwill type store..we don't have Goodwill here..
all sizes..
then you paint them..and decorate..
Very cute face planters/vases for very little $$
If you want to try a cake roll that is very Mary..go here...Shown step by step I could not resist.
Happenings..
Now here's one for the records..
There is a new feature in Photoshop CC..It is called Artificial Intelligence/Generative Fill.
That is my peony but the bee added artificially through PS..Imagine that.
How will we know what is real and not?
Conundrum for me..
Although fantastico..not real:(
Have a great weekend and a great week..We have had a deluge for two days..yesterday the full on one...
That planter is so cute.
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised that you embrace such a craft.
Your garden is stunning. No surprise there.
AI for photography , I am not a fan. For minor additions I have no issue. A bee here, a water drop there is fine with me. Content fill and expand are ok too. But when you start adding major items and conditions, I draw the line.
Fewer comments on your blog? Too many distractions now. I get overwhelmed with podcasts, IG, FB, youtube. Mostly YT. And, well, life in general.
All true..and I agree on all..So many are youtubers..I should watch more..I subscribe to many but turn off notifications on all..lol..My phone's off too..;) Ill tweak brightness and such some lightroom filters(I am awful at LR) Worse than PS..Yet I continue to subscribe lol.
DeleteOkay...time for a confession. Every time I see pictures of your lovely flowers and shrubs, I pause and consider planting lots of lovelies in my own yard. Of course, I did promise my husband I would cut back on gardening, so there's that. In the meantime, I will always look forward to seeing what's blooming for you, Monique.
ReplyDeleteWhat an adorable planter--and you painted a great Frida. I love the cake roll idea, too. As for AI, I'm just so old fashioned. It scares me. It feels like we might all wake up someday and wonder what is real and what is not. On the other hand, it may bring many solutions to our world. Time will tell.
Have a great week, Monique!
Pam I already wonder what is real.Case in point.Jamie Lee Curtis..FAB actress..on the Oscars..flawless face etc..on the Bear.the real JLC..Seeing the REAL JlC would bring such acceptance to women.I am worried re AI also!
DeleteMonique, I see fewer and fewer visits and comments on my blog too. I have always published my posts for the intrinstic value as a creative outlet. I know you are much the same. We simply enjoy creating and sharing. Your Frida is adorable. Clever idea to make your own. I have some of these planter heads from years ago, but nothing planted in them at the moment. I find them so whimsical. Your Frida is far cuter than any I have!
ReplyDeleteI wish we would get more rain. It is teasing us as I type, but nothing yet. All I hear is thunder in the distance. Nothing much blooming here, so I'll scroll up and down your gorgeous photos to get my garden fix. Thank you!!!
Times are changing Sarah.I think people want to go quickly through life..Yes we are alike.I never did it for fame..lol No kidding.I do it for me to look back on.I have lost some sweet bloggers and I go back to read their posts again because I miss them..They went to heaven,so unexpectedly for their age:(
DeleteBlogging is not what it used to be but you’ve been inspiring me with your posts for a decade…even if I don’t leave you a comment. Because of your inspiring posts through the years, I’m finally taking watercolor classes and loving every minute of it!! Love alll your gorgeous flowers!
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled for YOU! Thrilled.The rewards are tenfold.xox Thank you for telling me:)
DeleteI used to get thousands of views on my tea blog every day, and loads of comments also. So many I couldn't keep up with them. I prefer it smaller, that way I know each of my readers personally and the toxicity level is very low. Much nicer. Your Face plant pot is just darling! How clever is that! You are so smart! I always love all that you share. I call you my Susan Branch of the North! xoxo
ReplyDeleteLol you have to make one or a few with your sister on craft day..do you have a Goodwill of sorts? Even dollarama if worse comes to worse.You would crack up if you saw my acrylic paints..And I gave away a lot..had fun with my boys when they were little but I still have some and used them..Prices are circa 1980.Had to throw so many away..cement;)I need ModPodge..that's archaic too:)
DeleteYou must be in seventh heaven during garden time! And I just love your new planters that you are making. They're darling and would be a wonderful gift. I love the concept! It would be a good way to use some of the paints I have I never use anymore. Acrylic and craft paints. As for AI and photos -- nope. It's one thing to edit/crop/enhance lighting/convert to b/w -- another to change the story. AI to make something totally and obviously whimsical -- well, that's a little different! And that cake roll is so pretty -- i need to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI get a lot more comments now than I did eons ago but I'm also visiting a WHOLE lot more blogs than I did then, most of which I like and a few that are simply thank you-type visits. And sharing posts on some link parties which sometimes brings in new people (though most don't necessarily stay). But like many of us, I do it for me. Because I don't always have things to say, sometimes my posts stay up longer than they used to, too, and I think that makes a difference.
I am but somehow the day before yesterday I pinched a nerve in my back:( I need it!Fingers crossed it goes away...You have goodwill..little bowls are a dime a dozen there:) And yes I am using up old paints:)Really old lol..That's interesting..all the blogs I followed in the past..very few get to me..and many of my bloggers have stopped:(Yes for us..And I believe you..the way you journal..keep things..bogging is a must for you.And you are REAL:) Love that.
DeleteWhat a terrific ‘bowl’ craft…your Freida is just adorable! You have such artistic talent. Thanks for sharing, as always. Your photography makes me yearn for more plants in my small garden, such inspiration and beautiful. I’m not too sure about AI, I get a bit nervous in how it will translate in the future…I’m a rather vintage, lover of the simple past kind of person. Your posts are delightful, I love to visit here. Happy weekend, V.
ReplyDeleteSame here! Your words echo my thoughts re AI..AS for plants..stick to less..More is more work;) I was 47 when I made our gardens..Full of vim and vigor.I can still do them..but Spring..Fall..and weeding..are a lot of work:)
DeleteSuch a cute project. Frida is adorable. Your flowers are gorgeous. I know it takes a lot of work, but it does have its rewards. Blogging has changed. A.I. is everywhere. I wonder what the future holds.
ReplyDeleteMe too!! Already people can even look so different...Bon weekend Linda!
DeleteI used to comment fairly regularly. I still read but life is so full I can't seem to gather my thoughts to comment much anymore. Do people comment much on your Instagram? (I follow you there too & enjoy the posts)
ReplyDeleteI love the craft! I can't paint as well as you by any means but surely I could do something that simple. Maybe I could do the face with pain pens.
I love head flower pots so this would be so cute in my house.
At first glance I was super impressed with the bee photo.. ha! But after reading I looked more closely & I can tell that it's AI. But many times I look at a photograph & I'm just not sure. I guess for those of us who aren't as creative, AI will help us create beautiful things for ourselves. But I'm sure it will be very easy to some people to take credit for AI generated images & art as if they did it the old school way. I'm afraid art will become more mundane the more AI generates.
But I heard something about AI recently that I thought was interesting. AI is basically a very fast computer. It cannot come up with ideas on it's own at all. It must be programed with images, videos & ideas already created by people. It can't think, it can only copy the brilliant minds that have uploaded things online. Still. It's super hard to tell the difference anymore.
I know even in people..Yes comments are more forthcoming at IG.I find it a source of encouragement.I was brought up quite frankly as an only child from 10 -19.My brothers had moved out when I was 10..I lost my parents at 19-20.I thrived on my mother's encouraging words..Even about my weight..while others laughed and made fun of me..she comforted me.I lost the weight because of her.I was sad to see her sad at what the other kids were doing to me.My husband ..the opposite..no encouragement..5 kids middle child.He excels because of himself and only himself:) No need for applause.LOL..I like hearing something turned out well I would have never painted hundreds of backs of people without IG.Crafts ..everything home..keeps me calmer:)It's medicine you know.. You never know what someone needs;)
DeleteHi Monique,
ReplyDeleteBlogging certainly has changed - people are more about IG and flicking through so quickly, leaving a like and moving on. I don't like it at all, but stay in contact with a few former bloggers via IG.
Your garden photos are always magical and you have no need for AI. I wonder what we will trust in the future - even voices can be artificially generated and people made to say things they didn't. It makes one wonder what the results will be.
I totally agree..I saw an app that as you speak in your language they can make the voice generated in another!Times are changing for certain!I don't even get the bogs I used to follow come to me.:(
DeleteBlogging has changed, and I am grateful for every post you have shared over the years. We've been blogging prior to 2009, can't recall the exact year. We've enjoyed reading about the grandchildren being born, and now they are playing football. I enjoy seeing your posts on IG also, and am spending less time on the computer ever since I retired two years ago. I'm filling my day with things I never had time to do when I was working but love seeing your photos.
ReplyDeleteI think retirement ..is great.Time to live:) Thank you!
DeleteI plead BUSY, not excuse but reason, for so much of my WANT-To has come back in the past little while. Life has/had been so circumscribed and enclosed since the year before we ALL had to close in and take care. And taking care it was, with all else cast aside in the needs of the days, and the grief of the loss---I used to joke about my housekeeping, "If you could see my house, you wouldn't eat my cookin.'" And it became so devastatingly true, with neglected pots and pans and piled-up rooms that were just closed to forgetting, but not to the pang of their existence, and the call for order.
ReplyDeleteThe past few weeks have been a sort of Resurrection, with the final answered prayers of Cleaners who stepped in, took my exact wishes for each chore and did them quietly and perfectly, and said not a word about the mess or my lax housekeeping. We're four rooms in, sparkling and bright, and have two to go (the four we "live" in have been kept in reasonable order, and even re-decorated a bit via Amazon and an amazing step-stool that kept my climbs safe.
New valances and sheers brighten the entire spaces, orderly and practically-sterile open cabinets and shining appliances and vacuumed floors and stairs have done more for my attitude than a trip to Europe. And your words and pictures have played a lovely part in all the chaos and clutter---today's charming cake and the Frida vase, with all the flowers that I know are your own---and almost all in BUD, with all the promises I've been seeking---promises of bloom and beauty and the sense of well-being that lovely scenes bring.
And a new Nature friend, never seen nor heard of: a grape skeletonizer---what a grotesque idea for such a lovely creature---and that equally lovely word---astilbe---we just mentioned that last night, discussing a garden of long ago, and here is a delightful sway of pink today. And ANYTHING with an added bee is miraculous and fine.
Just know that we're out here, some of us stumbling for a door, some facing the other way or groping for the right keys, but we're HERE, admiring and soaking up your sweet kaleidoscope of life and garden and kitchen and art every day, and I hope you know how grateful we are for our seats at the bountiful, beautiful Table de Nana.
Oh what an honest rendition of life..We are all so different..some so tidy..some too tidy..some messy..some it can become overwhelming.You must feel refreshed:) So refreshed.You are and artist with your words and often creative people don't care if their spices are not alphabetized.We are all unique with our specific DNAs and who knows where the particular gene for order installs itself:) As a teen my mother was responsible for my order:) She took charge:) Losing her at 19 and marrying a tidy engineer the following year.. molded me.
DeleteBut don't look under furniture you may find dust balls at any given moment..
But I have to LOOK at order..fr some strange reason.Clean sinks toilets and fridges..seem to be on my list and since I read a book about tidy drawers mine are.But so tidy I reach for things on hangers lol more than in my drawers:)
Thank you for your letter:)
Very much.Take care:)
Grinning like a loon here. "often creative people don't care if their spices are not alphabetized." I only cared if they were dated later than 2000. Only my persnickety side kept every load of laundry done, the bathrooms sanitized for their lives, enough silverware clean and scalded for a meal, and the rooms we did frequent in dusted, orderly trim. It's been quite the five years, but we've finally found and restored HOME. Thank you for all your sweet encouragement in the journey.
ReplyDeleteI am happy for you:)Truly.And I have felt very at home in homes that were not Spic and Span;)Cozy..comfy..lived in.
DeleteHi Monique, Sometimes I think I bite off more than I can chew. I read too many blogs, follow too many people on Instagram,and now am obsessed with a game on my iPad called June's Journey. I love connecting with you .
ReplyDeleteEnjoy:) Ga Im not counting the comments I promise..I just keep thinking blogging is getting très passé:) But I like looking back:) Enjoy the game!
DeleteYour garden is so gorgeous. Do the deer like to eat your daylily buds? I am using Deer Fence by the gallon to keep mine. I love the pink dainty flowers bending their heads. Is the Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate, I think it's called. Such many pretties right now. I agree regarding comments. Blogging is 'old school' now. Back when we started blogging, forums and blogs were new and unique. Everything loved the new internet sensation. Now there are too many other venues to visit. People want rapid and sensational content. IG, YT. They don't want to read paragraphs, they just to see and hear. I've stepped back from commenting on many the blogs I used to also. I'd be on my computer all day. Now it's just family and good friends, like you, who fill my prescious internet time. ♥♥♥
ReplyDeleteNo deer I think the wide open spaces deter them?Astilbe..I like them too but to be as floriferous as this yr..you need lots of rain at the beginning of the season..like hydrangeas..Same..same same same..:) And people that have been true blues;) xoxoxox
DeleteI never would have though astilbe but now I see it from a different angle ♥ None blooming here yet.
Delete:) looks can be so deceiving:):):
Delete