Art to make your heart sing!

You know that feeling when you see something and your heart 

kind-da leaps in your chest?

When a blogging friend of mine first started posting about her new paintings

that is just the feeling I got when I first saw them.
I'm sure many of you know Lana Manis and have seen her book page
angel wings and other beautiful artwork.
but...
I LOVE her paintings and prints!!!!
I don't usually single out my favorite Etsy shops but I really wanted to share (with Lana's permission)
these wonderful, happy paintings and prints.

Lana has always wowed us with her paper creations and I know that many of you have known her work

longer than I have.

Lana and I have known each other since I first started blogging and she has been one of my favorites.

 and just in case some of you aren't familiar with her beautiful wreaths and angel wings I thought I would
post these from her site.
Aren't they glorious???

Lana has a beautiful Etsy, in fact she has two beautiful Etsy shoppes!

You can see more of her bright and cheerful paintings at Lana Manis Designs.

She showcases her other artwork on Simple Joys Paperie

I have always loved Lana's blog where she shares so much of her artful life.

I'm so glad she has decided to share her talent of paining with the world, because 

just seeing them makes me happy!

(I have disabled the comment feature for this post only)

Roses

Some of my roses have almost finished their first round of blooms.
I do have ever-blooming roses in the garden too, but I have to say that
some of my favorites only bloom twice a season.

David Austin's Heritage rose

Colette and Lunar Mist roses

Colette

Two of my favorite summer things...

watermelon and roses!

This is the rose Colette as shown above.

This is how it looks on the bush.

I have now planted three total in the garden because I love them so much.

This is my New Dawn. My climber is quite scrawny but the one I have as a bush is
much prettier. They aren't as hardy as they should be for my zone 3/4 garden, but
they have wintered okay so far.

This is looking from the road down into our garden about 10 days ago or so.

This secludes us from the highway and hides most of the garden beds.

I love it when what I call 'the wall of roses' bloom.

I also have many down the driveway, like this Bonica (front) and 

John Cabot (background)

and this is from the other direction on the driveway

Harlow Carr (David Austin rose)

in chamber pot.

I planted 7 different David Austin roses last year (12 total) and was so pleased that all the 

cold-hardy ones I chose made it through the winter.

I am anxious to see how they do in the next few years. It is so nice to have cold-hardy roses 

with a beautiful scent. 

I have posted other views of the roses on my garden blog.

Thank you so much for coming by to smell the roses!

I LOVE this flower!

The peonies are now gone for another year.
I am so glad that I was able to enjoy them as much as I have this year.
There are many dried or drying bouquets all over the house right now
(and tons of petals all over the floors :)
for use in wreaths later this winter when I need something a little
summery for the walls.

I am preparing to move some of the plants I have in the garden because of the shade
that has over taken them.
Sometimes peonies are quite fussy about being moved so I have saved more this year
for dying in case the newly transplanted peonies decide to sulk for a couple of years before
setting their blooms again.

I haven't taken any photos of the drying blooms yet, but you all know that I
love them almost as much as I do fresh peonies, so I will most likely be
doing some posts of them in the months to come.

Another whole year must pass before I can see them bloom again,
but because I know they will come once more...I wait.

 

This urn of peonies have dried so beautifully.
(sorry for those who read this earlier and thought they were already dried.
I meant they have now dried after these photos and I will show them in a future post)
I love that it will probably last for at least a couple of years before fading.

Now for the roses!!!!!

See you soon!