Bloomin' Black Cats!...

Once again, the last day of the month is upon us and that means the EHAG Emporium has opened its doors once again to unveil a variety of Halloween original delights. With my rediscovery of the garden (see previous post below) I was inspired to add a little floral touch to these 2 black cat candy containers. A hint of vintage green blends beautifully with those orange and black jack-o'-lantern daisies! Each container, both big and small exhibits these whimsical blooms. Let's take a closer peek...



First off is "Bloomin' Betty" ~ the larger candy container on the left!
She's also featured on the EHAG Emporium this month.

"Bloomin Betty" ~ 11" tall ~ $595.00 plus shipping
~ SOLD ~
One of a kind papier mache candy container with an original illustrated conical party hat featuring more jack-o'-lantern fun! She wears a sculpted bow at her neck, and her containing cup has a whimsically fun dimensional ruffle that trims its brim!



Fill with treats if you wish!....



and . . . . . . .



Here's Betty's 'lil friend at 4.5" tall...

Bloomin' Black Cat Candy Egg Cup ~ $365 plus shipping
~SOLD~
Hand-painted and sculpted papier mache black cat lid fits snugly with a painted wooden egg cup. She wears a dimensional party hat and an orange zig-zag fabric collar trimmed in black glass glitter.





If either of these Garden-style Halloween sweeties interest you, please email me: johanna@johannaparkerdesign.com
And don't forget to include the name of the piece you are hoping to reserve!

Thank you!
~ Johanna

* © 2010 Johanna Parker Design *Photos, designs and concepts are the property of Johanna Parker and may not be used without permission

Rediscovering the Garden...

Is it like this for you?... The days fly by, and all of the sudden, it's almost July? For me, it certainly is. My mind has been dizzy with all of the to-do's, decisions on remodeling projects, scheduling this and that, family and friends, my art, and so on. Of course, I want to squeeze it all in and still be able to enjoy a little tranquility here and there. But, I must admit, I am not good at juggling, and some of the things I most cherish have been out of my view. Yesterday, however, I enjoyed a moment of enchantment in between sculpting my art. A black and white flutter caught my eye, and invited me toward the garden. He zipped and darted up and down and then landed right before me with a stillness I rarely know. Luckily, I snapped his photo numerous times and feel fortunate to share it here with you. What an amazing dragonfly, don't you think?....



The delicacy of his wings, the patterns and the beauty this little creature exhibited certainly had my attention, and I was grateful to experience that moment. Looking up from my camera, a blaze of perennial color in full bloom caught me by surprise and lured me in. Oh, I have been too busy lately, and obviously, my flower garden has been growing without me ~ so much so that I could barely find the foot path!



Plants were crowding for space, and everywhere I looked was an overflowing surge of color. How could I have missed this until just now? It's only right out my backdoor, but that tunnel vision has been holding me captive I believe....



Fuzzy Lamb's Ear, rusty-colored clovers, wooly thyme under foot, striped ornamental grasses and tiny yellow flowers atop a lush sea of green baby leaves were certainly inviting, and my rediscovery of the garden was in full force.



Another critter crossed my path, and I couldn't help but pick him up for a closer inspection to marvel at his beauty....



The skies were growing dark as rain clouds marched in, but the colors in the garden only intensified.....



And soon rain drops began to fall, and it was time for me to take cover back to the workshop. But fortunately, my dragonfly friend reminded me to take joy in the wonders of the garden. I think I will be back......

~ Johanna

House in Progress...

Well, many of you are aware that I have been a bit distracted this year by a long list of home repairs and remodeling projects. Our house was built in 1939, and after its 70th birthday, we realized that we needed to take action to preserve this little gem. With many plans in the works, the first priority was a new roof. JP along with a few helpers decided to take on the majority of this task, stripping it down to the bones and re-decking with a fresh layer of plywood to bring it up to code. I spent days it seems in search for a unique roof that would not break the bank. Luckily, I found the diamond Cascade pattern design by Pabco that reminded me of the old cottage roofs I had seen on our travels to Europe. To make the task less daunting, JP rented an articulated boom which offered a way to save time, labor, back pain and the list goes on. Take a peek at some of the photos I took a few weeks back....


* Here's our house in the works with JP on the boom on clean-up debris duty. The front and side fascia trim boards had to be taken off and replaced due to water and vine damage. And the chimney is missing its top right now as we noticed upon closer inspection that it was about to cave in! Talk about a domino effect....... Will we ever be done?


* That's me, hovering over our roof! The Genie Boom we rented from RSC Equipment Rental allowed us to travel 45 feet up into the air. Talk about a bird's eye view!


* Here, you can see the various layers of our roof over the years, from old asphalt T-lock, to shake to strip sheathing.


* Here's my handyman, JP ~ jack of all trades!


* The guys below are taking measurements for the new layer of plywood decking. Off in the distance, you can see the new roof on our garage and part of our back roof...
Oh, and that's my cute little garden shed that JP built from scratch, off in the distance!


* Front image of the roof in progress with the front porch roof overhang ripped off. Try to imagine the front door bumped out 4 feet and framed with windows. That's on the to-do list, and I want an arched front door too... (just to make things more complicated according to JP!)


* Here, from the backside, JP maneuvers toward the roof in the boom basket rigged with 4 trash cans. This clever idea helped with the debris clean-up. I know we've been the side-show for the neighbors! Hahah!

Well, that's it for this post. The roof is done, but there's much more to go! We will be building out a front porch vestibule later this summer, and residing the house is next on the to-do list along with a new sewer line and major foundation work. Check back later for more photos in progress. After that's all done, maybe we can chip away at the landscaping! That's the fun part........

~ Johanna

Cheers to Dad!

Father's Day is here, and fortunately, I just had the opportunity to spend a few days with my dad as he and my family popped in for a quick visit last week. I must admit, the trip wasn't without its fair share of those edge-of-your-seat adventures. We all had a hair-raising episode on the top of Trail Ridge Road here in Colorado as a thick fog accompanied by heavy rain rolled in. Needless to say, the breathtaking views we craved were absent as my dad slowly maneuvered his way down the winding road, masked in white. And as it's the highest continuous highway in the States, a miscalculation as to where the road twists and turns could result in the end as we know it. Our hearts were beating at an elevated pace to say the least, but luckily my dad was calm as he guided us out of the scare and into the clear. Thank you Daddy for keeping us safe! That's what dads are for :) It was wonderful to see him again, and now we have quite the story to tell!

Love to You & Happy Father's Day!
~ Johanna


* And no, this photo was not taken in Colorado last week.... We had little to no great photo ops with the turbulent skies as they were. This image was actually taken last summer at Mount Rainier in Washington, where we luckily enjoyed a very clear and sunny day together!

Rhyme Time Original BAT!....

Thanks to several of my enthusiastic collectors, I had a wonderful response to my first "Rhyme Time Original" last month! The owl and accompanying poem were a big hit, so I decided to create a bat for this month. Meet "Bizarro the Bat" and visit his eBay Auction page to read just why he IS so bizarre :) Just like before, I wrote a matching poem to go with this sweet collector's piece, so take a moment to see the various views and learn more about our friend Bizarro here.


* Now, just how did Bizarro get his name?
The answer is in the Rhyme........


* After I finished this whimsy-winged fella, JP and I almost decided to keep him for ourselves. But, I promised my collector friends that I would make a few more Rhyme Time Originals over the summer, so he is looking for a new bat cave :) Now, promise to take good care of him.......


* Of course, he is sitting on a "31" ~ his favorite day of October. He will arrive with the tag pictured above which features my signed poetry... Thank you for your generous bids, and best of luck!

~ Johanna

* © 2010 Johanna Parker Design *Photos, designs and concepts are the property of Johanna Parker and may not be used without permission