A Foxglove Summer!

Wow! I cannot believe the Foxglove blooming on the mountain this year. Just gorgeous!

All shades of pink! It truly is one of my favorite flowers. Below is a little information on the plant. 

I am going to create and paint a couple of paintings of foxglove...

such fascinating detail, shadows and color varieties.

Foxglove Foxglove bears tall, dramatic spikes of tubular flowers with speckled throats. Foxglove blooms in midsummer and adds elegance to a perennial border, woodland area, or shade garden.  The name foxglove is formed of the elements fox and glove. The name is recorded in Old English as foxes glofe/glofa 'fox's glove', though there it does not refer to Digitalis. Although the elements of the name are transparent, their meaning is not. Because it is not clear why the flower should be called foxglove, other etymologies have been offered. Henry Fox Talbot (1847) proposed folks' glove, where folk means fairy. Similarly, R. C. A. Prior (1863) suggested an etymology of foxes-glew, meaning 'fairy music'.  Foxglove's low-growing foliage is topped by 2- to 5-foot-tall flower spikes, depending on the variety. Flower colors include pink, red, purple, white, and yellow. Foxgloves are biennials or short-lived perennials. However, although individual plants may be short-lived, foxglove readily self-sows and multiplies. Foxglove leaves contain digitalis, a potent heart medicine, and are considered poisonous. But you have to admit simply beautiful? Don't you agree? Enjoy! Your Artist Friend in the Wilds, Jennifer

Three Cheers for the Red, White & Blue!

Happy Tuesday Everyone! Wow, cannot believe how hot it's been ...even up here on the mountain!

I found the following recipe I am going to try today....maybe it will cool me down. It sounds great! 

Just cause it's salad season doesn't mean you're confined to a bowl of greens with extra stuff on top. I like making different plays on the classic summer tomato, mozzarella and basil caprese by switching up the fruit, cheese and herb. In this instance, I had a whole juicy watermelon, nutty Spanish manchego and an abundance of fresh, peppery farmers market arugula straight from New Jersey.  

Feel like converting the salad to hors d'oeuvres? Just skewer alternating cubes of watermelon and manchego and plate on a smear of arugula pesto. Try your own ingredient combinations for easy variation. ( Shared from Food Recipe).

Have a Great Summer Day!

Your Artist Friend in the Wilds,

Jennifer

Summer Roses!

Summer Sunday- Ahh!

My Americana Cabin Porch Challenge!

Happy Fourth of July! The next two weeks are so filled with summer fun! The cabin is ready for my summer guests. Hiking, kayaking, antiquing, are just a few of the activities planned. 

A couple of weeks ago I started decorating my summer porch. A friend of mine came up with the idea to challenge myself and create it all from the Dollar Store. I have watched many crafters come up with ideas...so why not? When you walk in a Dollar Store you are first shocked with the variety of items they carry. I stayed focused and let my imagination go! So here is the result of my Porch Challenge: 

It is truly amazing how cold it gets up here at night so I decided to mix fake flowers (ugh..I know) with real ones. Living in the forest you also have an abundance of pine bows so I mixed them with the plants. It was amazing that they stay green for so long! I love pine cones and gathered a bunch to also fill the pots.

The outdoor furniture was all repainted in bright red. The paint totaled $20.00.

I made pillows out of dish towels from the dollar store. The bows on all the baskets are also made from dish towels.I think I spent $6.00 for the pillows!

While I was at the dollar store I found a ton of round placemats that were thick like the grass outdoor rugs. Well my imagination exploded.....outdoor rugs! I cannot believe how they are holding up! I stitched them together and used a wood glue to hold it in place! Now I have little flower rugs! All three total $18.00! Could the rugs become a Pinterest Post? 😊👍🇺🇸

My fun "Americana Porch Challenge" cost less than $75.00! What fun! Maybe you will be the one I 

challenge to another project!

    Have Fun Everyone! I am so proud to be an American! 

    Celebrate the Red, White and Blue!

Your Artist Friend in the Wilderness,

Jennifer

Circles of Redwing Blackbirds ~

The Redwing Blackbird is one of my favorite birds. The sound of its call in early spring brings such joy. The official sound announcing winter is over! 

To my delight it is also a favorite bird of many of my clients. I have hand painted the Red Wing Blackbird onto tiles, lamps, boxes and many more objects. I was so pleased when I received my fabric for a new art project I am working on. 

The detail that came through into the fabric is amazing. I ordered the poly cotton because this project is a collage. The fabric will be placed onto a wood panel and will be part of a painting when complete. The image provides an array of concepts for the seamstress or crafter. 

I am also going to make placemats utilizing the circle of blackbirds as the center focal point. I like that you as a customer can design my fabric your way. You can adjust the size of the image and design pattern. Many fabric options are available. The Jennifer Lake Fabric Store has over 200 designs available. Be creative and enjoy!

Have a Great Day,

Your Artist Friend in the Wilds,

Jennifer

"The Blue Daffodil!

My Beautiful Orchid

Jennifer Lakes Top Tanks Boutique!

Sleds

Living on the mountain the past year has provided me the great opportunity to become extremely creative. Besides experimenting with many art forms I have also discovered some great finds. 

Eastern Oregon has many small, isolated communities. Most developed from the timber, mining and ranching economies. Each small town has a story and unusual landscape settings. I have discovered some wonderful small antique shops, farm sales and flea markets. I have always loved antiquing since I was a child. Now I look for items that I can restore, repaint...or simply bring back to life. I found this great toboggan however 50% of it was covered in contact paper! Why? I have know idea. A little muscle and sanding took this solid oak toboggan to the final product!

All for less than $25.00. ............I kept the original green paint intact. Now it happily hangs on the cabin for summer.

The next find was a sled with a steering wheel! How many of you had one of these? I found it almost in pristine condition. All it needed was a little sanding and a recoat of polyurethane. A few other people were fighting over this sled. I won!👍😀😊 $30.00! 

I instantly cleaned it up and sold it to an antique dealer. Oh the joy of antiquing! Have fun this summer and check out some of those quiet little towns...also the local cafes have some of the best homemade food around!

Have a Great Weekend!

Your Artist Friend in the Wilds,

Jennifer

   

Awwww...Summer😀🌞😎

Art Speaks

Best Trip Ever!

Weekend! Make it an Adventure! 😀🐿😎

Life is Art!🎨🎨🎨