Show & Tell Friday: What Happened to My Orchids?

Two weeks ago I was looking for something to post on Show &Tell Friday and took some photos of the spikes on my Cymbidium orchids that we grow outside.

Normally by this time of the year we have about 12 to 15 spikes altogether on our various orchids. This year I've found only 3 blooming or spiking and am very disappointed.  I think it was possibly the cold and hail that we've had here in So CA this winter.....but I can't say for sure.

This was 2 weeks ago

This is today....not much progress

This is 2 weeks ago

This is today....a little more progress

A close up of one of the blooms.

Please check out Cindy's My Romantic Home for all the other participants.

If you are interested in a tutorial on mosaic canvas panels that some of you have asked for  instructions...please check it out HERE and let me know how it works out for you.

Thanks for looking in....I appreciate each and every one of your comments.

Mosaic and Canvas Panels Tutorial

Quite a number of my dear readers have asked me how I do these panel mosaics pictured above.

Well, I'm absolutely not a computer wiz but I can (hopefully) give you enough understandable instructions on how to create these mosaics.

First, go to Big Hug Labs  and about the middle of the upper right side, you will see a drop down window.  

Click on "Framer" and a new window will open.....choose "Canvas Panels" from the drop down menu.....make sure you choose between "Canvas Panels" or "Portrait" as this is the orientation of your original photo.

Hit browse if you are getting the photo from your computer or you can upload from Flickr or Facebook.

After uploading your photo, hit "Create" and it's all done.....save to your computer or wherever you would like.

Now, for a little more magic.....after you've saved your canvas panel photo......go back to the upload page and hit the drop down menu again and click on  "Frosted Glass"  or "Portrait" and then use browse to get your "panel" photo from your computer or upload from wherever you saved your "panel" photo.

Hit Create and voila'.....you've got a glass frame on your mosaic photo.

Hope you enjoyed this little tutorial and if you have any questions,  please feel free to e-mail me.

Thanks for stopping by!

I would really enjoy hearing about how this worked out for you.....I love your comments.

Mosaic Monday: Mother's Day Flowers

Since it's getting close to Mother's Day I thought it would be nice to look at beautiful flower arrangements that would all be perfect for Mother's Day giving.

I absolutely love lavender in any form

Aren't these wonderful bouquets?

More perfect arrangements.

Remember you can click on each photo to enlarge.

Before you, my readers get the idea that I've taken all these wonderful photos, I must admit that I've gotten them from PB's online catalogue.

I hope you enjoyed these virtual flowers and that you will give a look at all the other wonderful participants in Mosaic Monday over at Mary's Little Red House.

Thanks for dropping in .....I'd love to hear from you.

Oh, and before I forget it, wanted all of you who asked for a tutorial on the canvas panel mosaics that I've posted many times....I hope to get one posted later this week.....so please keep on looking in.

Show & Tell Friday: Spring Roses

We've had some more weird spring weather this week, but just before all the rain and hail, I noticed these beautiful roses on the bush outside and decided to bring them inside to enjoy.

I caught this photo just as the sun was shining through the window.

I hope you enjoy your weekend but first hop on over to Cindy's My Romantic Home for a look at all the other participants in this week's Show & Tell.

Your lovely comments are always appreciated!

Mosaic Monday: Beautiful Hummingbirds

I was sitting on the back patio enjoying my morning cup of tea when a darling little hummingbird came to our feeder.  I, of course, did not have my camera with me, but it inspired these photos of colorful and beautiful hummingbirds for today's Mosaic Monday.

I would certainly love to take credit for the photos of these  beautiful little creatures, but alas, I found them on the web......hope you've enjoyed them!

Please visit all the wonderful participants in Mosaic Monday over at Mary's Little Red House.

Thank you for your visit and taking the time to comment.....I love hearing from you!

Show & Tell Friday: Lots of Color

After returning from  running some errands this morning I drove by this wonderful, colorful profusion of ice plant blooming on the hill in the front of our house and it was the immediate inspiration for this week's Show & Tell post.

I've been having a major blogging block for a while now but these beautiful flowers put me back in the mood for posting......hope the mood lasts!

You may remember that I blogged about these bright flowers before here, but that was the hill behind our house that I see from the back patio and on this front hill there are several different colors of the ice plant.

Thank you for joining me today and have a lovely weekend.

Please don't forget to take a look at all the participants in Show & Tell Friday over at Cindy's My Romantic Home.

I appreciate you taking the time to comment.

Mosaic Monday: Ties to the Past

As many of you may know from some of my past posts I'm very much into genealogy

So, here are a few family photos that I've put together for today's 

Mosaic Monday......please pop on over to our wonderful host, Mary, at

Little Red House to visit all the other wonderful participants.

Mr. AVO's father

Mr. AVO's paternal grandmother

Mr. AVO's maternal grandfather

Thanks for the visit......I always look forward to your comments.

It's a Spring Cloche Party!

Here we are at another wonderful cloche party hosted by Marty over at A Stroll through Life....

please join our wonderful hosts and take a look at the other fabulous participants because

I'm also linking with Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show &Tell Friday....

A few of my favorite things.....seashells and vintage bottles.

I've added a bit of moss for spring.

This is on our dining room table......the silver tray belonged 

to my Mom and I love to use it in vignettes.

As you can see....a few more seashells.

 Thank you for taking the time to stop by.....I

look forward to your visits and comments.