TOMATO DIP TIME IS NOW!

This year's tomato dip is packaged and ready and waiting for you at It's a Marshmallow World! 

Don't miss our special acitivities on Sunday, November 18 from 1:00 to 3:00.   

GARDEN SNOWFOLK

Make outdoorable snowfolk to seasonalize your garden décor for the holidays.  It’s easy so the whole family can join in the fun.  This idea can be scaled to any size you’d like-just remember, the larger your figures the more hypertufa you will need.  Mix up a batch of your favorite hypertufa recipe. (Here mine: http://fromthesummersgardencontent.blogspot.com)

Roll large balls, medium balls and small balls.  Pile them on top of one another in twos and threes.  Use a large nail to poke holes in the head for eyes and one on either side of the middle balls for arms.   Allow to set and dry for two to three days.

Mix white sanded grout into a thick paste and use it to fill in =cracks and imperfections.  As the grout thickens, sculpt a carrot nose, buttons, scarves and other accessories for your snowfolk.  You can attach these accessories right after you sculpt them or wait until they dry and then glue them on with outdoor glue.

Make smaller snowballs out of the leftover grout to place around your snowfolk.

Prime the snowfolk and accessories with white exterior latex paint. As the paint dries, make arms by folding lengths of black wire in half and twisting the halves together.  Insert into the side arm holes with outdoor glue.

When the prime coat has dried, paint in color details with acrylic of exterior latex paints.  You can even use glitter as an accent adhering it with clear polyurethane varnish as the adhesive.

We decided to try this idea on a larger scale creating an outdoor duo where the larger figure became a fountain and the other a feature in a holiday container planting. To make the larger forms it is a good idea to make them hollow so they are light and easy to move. To make hollow balls, we wrapped cheesecloth around various sizes of plastic toy store balls, applying with a  hot glue gun.  Then a ½ i-nch layer of sand mix concrete was smoothed over the entire ball and allowed to set and dry overnight.  A one-inch layer of hypertufa was applied over the hardened sand mix.  The hat was made entirely from hypertufa by covering a plastic nursery pot.

When all component pieces were dry, a ¾”  concrete drill bit was used to bore holes on the top and bottom of each piece and pop the plastic balls.   The pieces were stacked on top of each other over a ½” copper pipe which also serves as part of the plumbing for the fountain or to secure it upright in the planting container.

2012 PARADE OF WREATHS AT MARSHMALLOW WORLD

Wreaths are a signature product for From the Summer's Garden.  The natural wreaths and base structures for all of them are made from herbs and flowers grown in our Kansas garden. These are the major themes for wreaths available at IT'S A MARSHMALLOW WORLD.

 SNOWBALL

 AUTUMN BEAUTY

  AUTMN BEAUTY WITH A LISA FREEMAN PILLOW

 FROSTY EVENING

          

 MARSHMALLOW WORLD

 MERRY CHRISTMAS

 SUMMER'S GARDEN

MARSHMALLOW WORLD GARLAND

We just finished the first of our Marshmallow World garlands. These add a spark of the holidays over a window or doorway, even across the top of a wall mirror. You can can check them out at It's a Marshamallow World along with handcrafted items by over 20 guest artists. Join us!

NEW NATALIE THOMAS BELL STAKE

This brand new stake is a collaboration with ceramic artist Natalie Thomas. Her work is always for sale at her shop, The Potter's Obsession, in Peculiar, MO and is also availabe at our Holiday Event, It's Marshmallow World. This ceramic garden bell can stay outside with the stake year-round and adds a pleasant sound as the breeze moves the little star clacker. Georgeann, one of our good customers, likes this quote and has been after me for years to make something using it. Here you go Georgann, Merry Christmas!

NEW WALL SCULPTURE COLLECTION: UNITS

This new collection for the wall lets you have some fun getting involved in the creative process!  You can select from among 12 unique pieces to put together a grouping the way you want it.  The pieces are integrated through shape and color so you really can't go wrong.  For further inspiration read this article: 55 Wonderful Wall Gardens Ideas & Wall Garden Designs 

https://www.plantedwell.com/wall-gardens-ideas/

INTRODUCING: GARDENFOLK

These are my new GARDENFOLK wall sculptures.  They are made to hang inside on the wall but are outdoorable as well.  The piece in the middle above and below is a garden votive stake.

TUFA BIRDHOUSES

These fun birdhouses are more decorative than "real' in the sense that the hole is pretty large.  My favorite birdhouses have wren-sized holes and are lighter in weight.  These decorative birdhouses make great accents in the garden however, and while more bulky, they can even be hung.