Thursday, April 23, 2009

In Which Two Little Dolls Have a Very Big Idea


Lucy's idea was a hit with Lily Red and although my schedule kept me otherwise occupied, the girls decided to proceed on their very own. As such, they decided to hold a May Day Giveaway! All are welcome to enter by leaving a comment in which a garden favorite is shared. Any additional tips concerning propagation, consumption, or display of your favorite will be taken into careful consideration by Lily Red when planning her own cottage garden this spring. Entries will be accepted through April 30th. Then, on the first of May, one lucky winner will be selected to receive the fabulous. . . .

"Oh dear," said Lily Red, "we've forgotten the most important part! Whatever are we going to give away?"

Not one to be deterred, little Lucy had another idea. "We'll go on a hunt," she exclaimed, "a treasure hunt in the sewing nook to see what we can find!"

Upon reaching their destination they were warmly greeted by the Lilies, Rose and Alice. A better chance meeting could not have occurred! For while perched high on their shelf, day in and day out, much had been observed. Suggestions as to where some "treasure" might be found were eagerly shared.

First, an old sewing box was opened to reveal an assortment of tiny trinkets from buttons and string to a small stash of seed packets. "Hmm, I wonder," thought Lily Red.

When a small ditty bag was located Lily Red peeked inside. "Very interesting," she whispered.

But when a basket chock full of Yo-Yo Flower Pincushions was discovered Lily Red actually danced a happy little jig!

Their pickings were selected and packed up for the journey back to Wayside Cottage.



And so, in the end, it is two very tired little dolls that invite you to participate in their May Day Giveaway in which the lucky winner will receive a fabulous trio of pincushions nestled snugly in a gingham ditty bag along with a tiny packet of morning glory seeds. The very best of luck to everyone!




16 comments:

  1. I love your photo stories of Lucy adn Lily Red. They remind me of Hitty. :)

    My favorite garden flowers are geramniums. My grandfather always had many in his garden and gave me cuttings, insisting I just take them home, plant them, and they would take root.

    Being a total non-green thumb, I was very doubtful, but I did as he said. By the end of the summer it had grown and grown, and I had taken cuttings off it and they had become new flowers, till I had a whole wooden barrel of beautiful red geraniums!

    Several years later, he died. But those geraniums and their generations, are still around and blooming, year after year.

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  2. Oh, What fun!!
    I love daffodils in the spring...I cut some every day or so to bring inside.
    But my favorites are Morning Glories. My Mother always planted them, and we took our "First Day of School" pictures in front of them each fall. I have carried on the tradition with my own girls.

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  3. I have to say that there are so many spring flowers I love, it is very difficult to chose a favourite.
    But for the garden, in general, I like a relaxed, natural look.
    I love a hedge of lilacs and forsythias, all left pretty much to their own devices and designs.
    Of course, occasionally, one must trim the wayward branch, and naturally, cut armfuls of lilacs to bring indoors and share with the 'girls' to make your home, and their cottage, smell divine.
    If the hege is planted with lilacs in the back and forsythias in the front, the fast growing lilacs will soon tower over the forsythias, and seasonally, since the forsythias bloom first, you hedge will be in bloom for two months before becoming a textured green oasis for friendly wildlife, birds, and insects.
    Naturally, spring violets and Lilly-of-the valley can be planted beneath the hedge and along the edges of your pathways and garden.
    When I moved into my home in Williamsville, we had tons of wee violets growing wild in the lawns, front and back.
    Each spring, I would dig more and more of them out and transplant them around the circumference of trees, beneath windows, etc. Believe it or not, they grow to be HUGE once freed from the confines of the grass.
    In fact, I just spied some small ones today at our son's home and when we got there tomorrow, I plan on bringing a digger and container!
    xxx
    Maggie

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  4. Oh please, please, please! It will be my birthday on May 2nd...okay, that was downright shameless.

    My favorite flowers to plant are nasturtiums. They remind me of my California home that I miss so very much. There was a house in my town that was painted a kind of turquoise with darker blue trim that had nasturtiums growing on an arbor that led into the front yard. It doesn't SOUND stunning but the color combo was so very charming. I've made several birdhouses to imitate it. They need sun and a little dampness, but no over-watering (as far as I can tell...they did very well in the fog of the Bay Area, but not so well in the rain we got last year in NY). When the flowers wither, a pod will form and swell. When you can pluck it easily from the vine it is ready to harvest. I dry them to use for the next year. They will wax and wane, but if you pluck the seeds they will keep blooming all summer.

    I also love lobelia which look like tiny snap dragons, and shirley poppies (I especially LOVE poppy pods) and ground cover chamomile, which smells divine when you walk on it. It grows like a weed and lavender...

    Erin :)

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  5. My best garden tip: Let the birds help do the work. Last year they took the sunflower and corn seeds from their bird feeders and buried them throughout the vegetable garden. They had a little trouble with the hose, so I did the watering. I got to enjoy the beautiful sunflowers all summer, and in the end there were sunflower seeds for all (and a few kernels of corn)!
    By the way, that Lily Red dances a great jig!

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  6. What a wonderful photostory!

    My absolute favorite flowers are gerbera daisies, but they just don't do well in my climate. For my garden, I love the bright fragrant pompoms of marigolds, and the lovely climbing beauty of clematis (which has always been a favorite of my dear mother).

    A few years back my mother bought a new clematis plant. The label indicated it had the bold purple flowers she loves.
    The label was wrong.
    After being lovingly planted and tended, the plant began to share its blooms.
    Strange, gawky yellow flowers that gave way to something that resembles giant spindly legged spiders. More creepy than anything.
    It has since been replaced with the lovely purple that was intended.

    heidig@gmail.com

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  7. How very sweet of you to offer a giveaway. I know how inspired I am by my pincushions made by you! May I say that wayside is my favorite word! Traveling through Wisconsin I kept seeing green signs for Wayside. Miles and miles, no town ever was seen. It finally dawned on me that Wayside is what they call Rest Areas in Wisconsin! Put my name in this drawing! It is just wonderful! Elizabeth

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  8. a garden favorite - hydragena with blue flowers - i have been trying to find the childrens book in my daughter's room that reminds me of your dolls - no luck yet - but it is a little like Hittie as one commenter states - will keep looking and let you know.

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  9. LOVE your pin-cushions....the one I bought went for a swap and I had a hard time letting it go! :)

    My favorite flowers are snapdragons....I think because my great grandmother showed me how they "talk" when I was little,and I have loved them ever since! I also adore pink jasmine for the heavenly smell!

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  10. Michelle and BelleApril 26, 2009 at 7:52 PM

    Hello Again,
    the Jersey Girls are checking in, love the newest adventures and we sure wish we could help you with some fun for May Day. My favorite are daisies and Belle's are roses. Pink of course.
    Lily Jane has been watching the blog and although she is loving her new home, she has hinted over and over that another one of the Lilies needs to be adopted :)
    hugs and blessings
    Michelle and Belle

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  11. How loucky I was to find your blog by chance it is lovely and your pincushions are so beautiful and you can never have too many of them my favorite flower is the "pansy" I plant many in pots to sit around they just make me smile when I look at their cute little faces I will post your giveaway on my blog!

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  12. Just discovered your blog - the name caught my attention because that's what we used to call relish when I was a kid. Well, I'm not a Gardner but I can grow nasturiums, geraniums and the asparagus plant easily in pots. :)

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  13. I'm so in love with my pink and peach azlias right now! Mine bloomed later than most around us so I've been so happy to be greated by them in and out of my door everyday! Happy Spring!

    Hugs, Lisa

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  14. I absolutely love lilies of the valley. They smell so good. And the really signal Spring is here to me. They will pop up in shade or sunny spots and will continue to spread each year.

    Love the pincushion, too cute!!
    I need to borrow your little helpers to get some sewing done for me.

    Sue Cahill (sbonetsue at yahoo dot com)

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  15. Oh sooo beautiful pincushions. Would they ever look great with my other collectables. Morning glory seeds to boot. I can see them climbing on my back arbour. Thanks to Vintage Sandy for sending me your way.

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  16. What a cute blog. My favorite flower would have to be the Iris. It is such an old-fashioned flower and I love the many colors. I even had one bloom again for me in the fall last year after blooming like regular in the spring. What a pleasant surprise. I will cut them and put in a bud vase...usually at the end of flowering time just to be able to look at it a lot!

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