A Trip To Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park

My husband and I were finally able to get away with the kids on a short family vacation. We had heard of the Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Garden a while ago, and I really wanted to go. It is about a 3 hour drive each way from where we live, so we made it an overnight trip so we wouldn't be rushed and exhausted. We were fortunate enough to visit during the Chihuly Glass Sculpture displays and the ArtPrize.

I really like this sculpture of the horse.

Having a love of gardening, I really like this sculpture of the trowel. It was quite large - compare the size of the trowel with the trees!

This is an amazingly massive sculpture. My daughter said she wished it was a slide.

I don't like spiders, but this was a pretty cool sculpture. My daughter was a little afraid.

This beaver was interesting. Quite friendly little guy. Well, actually, he was pretty big.

I liked the animal footprints in the stonework. We enjoyed trying to guess the different types of animals the prints belonged to.

This is the TreeHouse in the Children's Garden. My husband and I took turns taking our daughter through it since our son was in the stroller. Lot's of fun!

This is a plant in the room with many variations of cactus. My daughter especially liked this one and said it needs a haircut!

Very nice sculpture. I can't imagine the time, sweat and patience it took to create this.

As a mother, I really enjoyed this one.

Overall, we had a great time and I am so glad we took the time to see this. Sometimes the best vacations are short and sweet, and close to home.

The Gathering Bag

This is the newest item available in my etsy shop. It is a Gathering Bag, a bag for collecting goodies from nature, an adventure bag, what ever you would like to call it. It is made of burlap, 100% jute, a natural plant fiber.

I love the rustic, natural look to this bag. It features a long strap that allows the bag to hang 16" from the shoulder. Perfect size for a smaller person or a child to wear across the chest.

Roomy enough to collect all that nature offers us. Pinecones, acorns, leaves, stones, seashells. Take it to the backyard, on a nature hike, to the park, or the beach.

This is the first being offered in my shop http://www.harrietshaven.etsy.com Customers may even choose any design from my shop to have stenciled on the bag instead of the word "Collect". This really is the perfect bag for the kid in all of us.

Stirring Up A Little Ghoulish Fun

I love Halloween. It had always been one of my favorite holidays as a kid. Of course, back then I loved it because of the trick or treating, but also because of something more. I loved how people would go out of their way to decorate and make their lawns scary. I loved the hayrides, pumpkin carving, leaf piles, scarecrows, apple cider and donuts. You name it, if it had something to do with Halloween, I loved it.

Now that I have kids of my own, I want to share with them some of the experiences I enjoyed when I was their age. As a homeowner, I had never really had the money to spend on the costly decorating Halloween involves. So I decided to make my own ghosts.

I have a lot, and I do mean A LOT of scrap material from all of my other crafting projects. What better way to use some of it up then on one of my favorite holidays? I used 2" foam balls and tore wide strips of fabric and left the edges raw for a "scary" ghost look. I draped the fabric, usually about 3 pieces per ghost over the foam ball and pinned it on with straight pins. After each ghost was made, my 4 year old daughter had a blast drawing the faces on with a Sharpie marker.

We made a total of 12 ghosts. After each was made, I used a large needle to thread embroidery floss (6 strands thick) through each ball and tied them to this pine tree...

...and this shrub. How "ghoulishly" scary!

The Beauty of Summer

It has been a while since I have had a chance to blog; it has been quite a busy summer so far. I can't say that I have accomplished anything too extraordinarily exciting, but I have captured a few good shots this past month.
Each of the shots taken here were in my front yard, shortly after a rain storm. I was sitting on the porch, taking a break from house cleaning, and noticed the way the sun was shining and the raindrops glistened. I had to run into the house and grab my camera before I missed my opportunity. Pleasantly surprised on the outcome here.
The above 3 images will soon be available in my second etsy shop http://www.legendsphotography.etsy.com Meanwhile, there are other exciting images currently available. I love checking out other photographers on etsy as well. Some of my favorite photographers are:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/bomobob
http://www.etsy.com/shop/kaelynmichaels
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Ketzelphotography
http://www.etsy.com/shop/judemcconkey
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Raceytay
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Larry727
That's just a handful of the wonderful photographic talent on etsy. I encourage you to check them out and enjoy what they have to offer.

Bean Art Mosaics - Rainy Day Fun

A fun activity for any age child, even adults. I came across this idea when I was looking for party games for my daughter's 4th birthday party last month. Of course, it's not a new idea, as I can remember enjoying this craft when I was a young child too.


For a nice variety, you can try pinto beans, black-eyed beans, black beans, green split peas, amongst others. For designs, I simply searched online for stencil templates and came across a huge amount of choices. Be sure to use thick cardboard to avoid curling from the glue.

My 4 year old daughter made all 3 of these designs, using her imagination and creativity to place the beans where she thought would be best. I just helped with applying the glue for her. I think she did a great job!

Natural Unbleached Cotton Napkins

I've been busy improving some of the items in my etsy shop. My reusable cloth napkins are now made of unbleached natural cotton, and are a larger size....a generous 19 1/4" square. I've also mitered the corners for a clean, formal look. Each napkin is stenciled with one of my unique designs.

Although most people think of cloth napkins as a formal dinner party accessory, they are great for everyday use, as well. I love to use them to replace paper napkins and towels, to aid the effort in keeping our earth green.

Napkins are sold in my etsy shop http://harrietshaven.etsy.com in sets of 4 for $24, plus shipping. I can easily adjust the listing for a smaller or larger quantity. So far, there are 2 designs available - "Recycle It", and "Walk This Way". All of my designs will be available on the reusable napkins soon, for a total of 11 to choose from.

Hard-Hatted Friend Pays A Visit

As I was taking a walk outside yesterday to the mailbox, I noticed something out in the yard. It lay on the ground, quite a distance from me. My original thought was that it may be a large plastic cup from this past Memorial Day weekend....a little bit of the party leftover. Oops! But wait!!! On my way back from the mailbox, I thought I saw this "thing" move. My next thought was that it may be an injured animal. From a distance, my imagination began to run wild as I wondered if something would 'leap' at me or maybe become frightened by my presence and begin a defensive attack.

My husband was outside feeding the dog, so I called to him, and together, we discovered it was a large turtle. What a pleasant surprise! He was probably a good 8" in length. He didn't move much as we checked him out...and of course, I had to run and grab my camera. He seemed to be smiling the entire time during our visit.



What a joy to find such neat and interesting visitors in our yard. I'm just glad he was friendly and enjoyed having his picture taken!