Monday, October 29, 2018

A R T I S T S P O T L I G H T : Frank Mangiaracina

This year Frank is introducing serving trays made from exotic woods. There are new bread and cutting boards this year with new designs and shapes.



  

Frank and his wife, Kris, have collaborated to create framed floral designs. You'll find new designs for trivets and small serving boards and new this year are stand for tablets, IPads, and phones. 

 Frank will have a new collection of his keepsake boxes of various sizes and new pen and card holders. Star Wars lovers will find these framed icon images. 
These fine wood products can be found at 
The 12 Days of Christmas...One Day at a Time
Open for 12 straight days from 10:00 am - 8:00 pm. 
Starting November 7th running through November 18th.
From the Summer's Garden
8601 Barkley Street
Overland Park, KS 66212
913-579-5395

COUNTING YOUR BLESSINGS

"When you're worried and you can't sleep,
Just count your blessings instead of sheep,
And you'll fall asleep Counting Your Blessings." 
 Irving Berlin

STARS AND HEARTS

Classic icons like this star and heart are popular favorites of gardeners. These two are new for the Holiday Sale and feature the concentric circle motif.

The hole in the middle of the heart is a perfect place to plant a "steppable", a plant that can take a footstep or two. My very favorite for this purpose is Dichondra grass followed by garden thyme. This summer I discovered everbearing strawberries work nicely as steppables also. This late into October, they are still vining and blooming!

See the entire new garden circle collection at 
The 12 Days of Christmas...One Day at a Time
Open for 12 straight days from 10:00 am - 8:00 pm. 
Starting November 7th running through November 18th.
From the Summer's Garden
8601 Barkley Street
Overland Park, KS 66212
913-579-5395

Saturday, October 27, 2018

A R T I S T S P O T L I G H T: AMY PERSECHINI




Amy has always loved the art of mosaic. The idea of breaking dishes and putting them back together in a pleasing way is very satisfying. She loves color and patterns and textures and mixing them all together. She often describes her work as quilting with dishes. Amy does a lot of custom frames, too, where she can put names and dates within the colorful mosaic pieces. These make great gifts for a new baby, a wedding, a birthday, what have you. And if you have special dishes that are broken or chipped, she can make you a truly meaningful frame.
These wonderful frames will be featured at
The 12 Days of Christmas...One Day at a Time
Open for 12 straight days from 10:00 am-*:00 pm.
Starting November 7th running through November 18.

913-579-5395

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

12 DAYS HOLIDAY SALE VIDE0


Join us for a truly unique holiday shopping experience- 
The 12 Days of Christmas...One Day at a Time
Open 10 - 8 starting November 7 through November 18
From the Summer's Garden
8601 Barkley Street
Overeland Park, KS 66212
913-579-5395


Monday, October 22, 2018

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: BEMBY YOCUM


Bemby Yocum has been having fun creating products that brightly feature winter feathered friends! You will find them on message blocks that can sit on a bookcase or hang on the wall, greeting cards, gift tags and holders for an inspirational note or favorite picture! Her wooden cut-out birds will be at the sale as well!
Looking for a contemporary way to display a nativity? Look no further than artist Bemby’s Folk Art Nativity Christmas Tree. Her original design is mounted on 2” wood and painted with a pop of color for your bookshelf or mantle. Available in two different sizes and the large one can be hung on the wall! This design is also featured on a 2018 Printery House Christmas card.
These will be available along with all of Bemby's wonderful products at The 12 Days of Christmas...One Day at a Time. Open 10:00am-8:00pm 12 days in a row starting November 7 running through November 18. Come experience much more than just shopping!

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS-ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: PHYLLIS CARLYLE




A little bit Steampunk, a little bit vintage, describes Phyllis Carlyle’s Watch Whimsies jewelry. Made from authentic 30-70 year old watch dials and parts found in a local watch parts supply house, Phyllis combines them with jewelry findings, beads, ICE resin and more to create unique necklaces, earrings and pins.



Using improvisational piecing and quilting, Phyllis Carlyle’s Mega Coasters/Mini-Placemats are perfect for desks and small tables. They hold a beverage AND a snack! They are perfect for bringing hot dishes from the microwave to table. Add to a mug or bowl for a great gift—each one is unique!

Mosaic-decorated containers & trays, coaster to serving sizes
-Use small pots to hold pens, candy, floral arrangements
-Use small trays for candles, coasters, keys, coins, etc.
-Use large trays to serve or to organize in the kitchen,
bath or just display these one-of-a-kinds by Phyllis Carlyle.



Saturday, October 13, 2018

DESIGN TREND FOR FALL 2018: CIRCLES



Circles, overlapping and concentric are trending as popular design icons moving into fall of 2018. Circles are a pleasing shape and can be found everywhere both in nature and in our people-made world. Our newest stepping stones feature both overlapping and concentric circles. For fun and interest, they dance on two triangular shapes that will pave an inviting pathway in any garden.  
You'll find a whole lotta circles on the cool stuff at
our 2018 Holiday Sale: The 12 days of Christmas...one day at a time. 


Opening Wednesday, November 7, we'll be open from 10:00 am -8:00 pm running 12 consecutve days until Sunday, November 18.  
Save the dates and join us!

Sunday, October 7, 2018

MUDCOAT


Planting containers are available to us in many different materials, sizes and designs.  No matter what, it's nice to follow the rule that the container should play second fiddle to what is planted within.  There are times when bright color and pattern are appropriate on the surface of a container and there is nothing like good old exterior latex paint for this purpose.  

Most times however, I prefer a muted, natural finish.  Time and weather usually create a nice natural looking surface but it takes a long time to get there.  I usually am working with brand new containers, specifically concrete and/or hypertufa. These are both natural finishes, but they are too clean and too gray and need something to integrate them into the garden setting.  These surfaces can be changed with all sorts of finish solutions from the craft or hardware store but usually with a hefty price tag.  There is a very simple, natural technique for giving ceramic, concrete or hypertufa  a wonderful natural finish we’ll call "Mudcoat".   It uses materials you already have at home in your garden…dark garden soil and water...and with all this rain we have been having lately, you should have plenty around.

Look around for a spot with dark soil, even dense clay will work for this , in fact it is what you want versus composty loam- no mulch, potting soil or sand---just good dark soil. Cover about 4 cups of soil with water and stir vigorously to make a thick brown creamy goo!  Use an old window screen to strain the mixture into another plastic container and you are ready to go.

Wearing mudgloves, use an old brush to apply the mudcoat to the surface of your container, making sure to cover everything with a thick coating. Every surface should be covered and every hole filled, inside and out.  Eventually I found myself using just my gloved hands to apply the coating because it was easier to rub the mud into the surface of the container.


Allow the coated container to dry in the sun and then you can plant it. Because the container is dry when you apply the mudocat, it really soaks it in deeply and will stay on the pot even through rain and weather.  Over time, it will slowly wash away but the deep color remains as a natural stain on the surface of your container.  You can’t get more natural than that!