FRESH PEARS...

Even with the heat and drought of the summer, our new pear trees bore luscious, sweet fruit.  These are Colette pears and they ripen in stages so you do not have a whole load of ripe fruit at once. All we have to do is go out and gently lift a fruit, if it comes free, it is ready to eat!

SIGN UP FOR HYPERTUFA NOW!

Last Hypertufa Studio of the Summer

The Hypertufa Studio offers a collaborative experience where you learn to make Steve’s “green” version of HYPERTUFA, a mixture of cement, sand and recycled paper.  It is a fascinating medium with great creative potential.  You will mix, mold and sculpt concrete and hypertufa into unique and functional garden art including planters, platters, bird baths, stepping stones…if you can imagine it, we’ll try to make it!  Most participants happily take home 4-5 finished items from the two-day session.  Each is made up of a Saturday and Sunday morning from 9:00-12:00. Total cost for this studio is $80, comprised of a $50 non-refundable registration fee and $30 paid the first day of the studio.  This studio is for both beginners and advanced tufa-makers!

Only one more studio left for this season.  Sign up today!

September  15/16

 Register by emailing your selection to  summersgarden@everestkc.net and secure your spot in the Creative Workshops and Studios by mailing a check for the registration fee to:

Steve Hess

8601 Barkley Street

Overland Park, KS   66212

NEW BIRD BASIN

 Hmmm...maybe influenced a bit by my association with Conception Abbey, this new water basin is sure to be a favorite of birds in the garden, especially since water is so scarce right now. Naturally colored with a bit of bright accents, it will fit right into any garden setting.

HYPERTUFA STUDIO

 Everything in our Hypertufa Studio is made by hand.  This is a nicely designed and sculpted garden gnome.

 Here are two examples of how cast leaves can be used to decorate a planter and a leaf platter.  What is especailly nice about these two is the multi-level placement of the leaves.

 Nathan is casting sculptures using our "concrete lite" recipe which is made with recycled paper fiber.  This helps to lighten the overall weight of the finished sculpture.

 Lori and Janet had a special touch when it comes to casting concrete leaves.  These are some of the nicest cast leaves I have  seen in this Tufa  studio.

Brainstorm Time

Even though temps were over 100 degrees outside, the group of artists who joins me in hosting our Holiday Event at From the Summer's Garden, gathered together inside the studio to brainstorm plans for this years sale event, IT'S A MARSHMALLOW WORLD.  One favorite topic are the lead colors for holdiay 2012.  Each artist will take this information and integrate it into the work they create.


Put a "Save the Date" on your calendar for weekends in November.  Everyone will welcome a "Marshmallow World" after the horrible heat of this summer.

From the Summer's Garden presents

IT'S A MARSHMALLOW WORLD

2012 Holiday Event

Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays 10:00 –6:00 each day

November 2, 3, & 4  Opening Weekend

November 9, 10, & 11

November 15, 16, 17 & 18

November 23, 24 & 25  (Thanksgiving weekend) 

November 30, Dec 1 & 2  Final Weekend

JULY HYPERTUFA

This group was a lively energetic bunch.  We went through three large batches of tufa in no time flat. They did some usual stuff but pushed the limit on  other things as well.  Vetran Tufa-maker, Judy Lindsay, returned with her two daughters and two granddaughters.  The whole family had a great time making cool things for thier gardens.

 Suzanne had this great idea to make a hyperutfa rainbarrel.  She used two large plastic flower pots to mold the bottom and the top. This is the first rain barrel I've seen made of hypertufa. Suzzane will send some pics whren it is finished. She plans to mosaic a band around the middle. Awesome! Here we are drilling a hole for a real spout which fits onto her garden hose or spills into a watering can.

 Happy to be in the sweet shade!

Taditional hypertufa mixing ceremony

 Julie adds the features to her 3-D sculpted garden gnome.

 Amy and Chris clean up their stepping stones to be photographed in the group shot below.

FOURTH OF JULY 2012

Have a relaxing and COOLING Fourth of July celebration!