The wind chill drops mid-morning temperatures below freezing today. There’s a marble of ice on the leaves under the main hose tap. It’s late November and a gust blows from the North across rocky gardens overlooking the river valleys near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
It’s the perfect time to wait out the high wind indoors. A sturdy ladder back chair is pulled up to a very old table that holds my computer. It’s warm inside my studio, and I open my screen onto the Flea Market Gardening Facebook page. Just a few clicks later …
Searching through Flea Market Gardening albums. Here’s Glass baubles in a fountain by Patty Hicks; flowers in black birdcage by Racquel Stair; Jack the cat near a fairy tale American bike by Jessica Eiss-Healthcoach
… I’m in a green glade at the height of summer. Water splashes on purple and blue glass spheres that turn into glowing amethyst and aquamarine mirrors. A wren with a twig hops out of a teapot made into a birdhouse. I hear wind chime music played by the breeze with flattened silver spoons and forks.
Teacups and gnomes peep out from under violets. Around every corner flowers tumble and are watered by floating antique watering cans. It’s time to jump on a magic bicycle and rush to work in Wonderland, where at times it’s as if fairies are real and summer is forever.
Come along with me and see what I create for Flea Market Gardening. It’s “Banner Day” today and we are looking for stars!
It takes quite a while to choose! It always helps to look at the banners that are already featured. You can see the past banners for yourself in our “Cover Photos” album. Looking at these helps organize fresh steps for a new banner … pretty soon I collect a wish list of images, easy to see when small, clearly photographed, in harmony for the season, simple and hard projects—something for everyone.
Now I go into the many albums organized by topic by the angels at Flea Market Gardening. This is where you can wave a magic wand and conjure ideas for something you’d like to make. Or, …let this virtual garden gallery surprise you again and again, just by wandering through. There’s something wonderful around every corner. There are so
Hmm,…easy but elegant … rustic and pretty!
…joyful and ingenious … with recycled cobalt-blue bottles.
…charming and clever … and her handsome prince made it for her …
…wonderful and whimsical … this garden crafter, Debra Clark, loves to come up with new amusing designs, and this one lights up at night…
Fun, brilliant, magical … or, as you might have gathered by now, any number of positive traits represented and photographed by our FMG community, and it’s all about recycling too. There is always so much to choose from! After dithering back and forth for hours, it seems, there are always four new photos for a new banner—no time to second guess, because there is a lot more to do before I’m finished!
A new banner: bench photo by Kim Kick-Leifheit ; Marie Niemann blue bottle solar lanterns; Debbie Haer wooden star wall hanging; Debra Treffry Clark drying rack tree.
I paste each artist’s name in Adobe Illustrator because it’s great for working with the handwriting style like Black Jack, one of our banner fonts. The words plus the art are then assembled in the mini-Polaroid frames design I’ve come to love, in Adobe Photoshop. There are several layers of details by now. Each month it’s like a mini puzzle with hidden elements in the background.
Sometimes someone will shout out a great idea—and I snap it up. I use just about every tool available in Photoshop. The characters leap onto the scene from out of the archives. We make all our art from scratch, but also recycle elements in true Flea Market Gardening style!
A Snowman jumped into the spotlight this month looking for designs for blue bottle trees. He’s on his way to a party, and loves decorating his own cottage. And look who else came along today … a right jolly old elf …
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Adore Stephie's work - the article was a wonderful read too! <3
I admire the talent so much of Stephie McCarthy....And although she makes it appear easy, I am sure it is time consuming and requires a special touch of " good Eye" and Creativity, both of which this artist has an abundant amount. I am in awe, and thoroughly enjoy seeing what she comes up with next!!! Thank you, Stephie, for making the extra touches to FMG that more special!!!!
I admire Stephie talent and I know it is a hard job to go through all those amazing photos. She has done some great banners. And I was chosen to be in one of them. Thank you Stephie where real people use use real junk to make things beautiful in the garden. I love FMG.