Zen Gardens
It has been (quite) awhile since I posted to this site. We have just been busy. Now that the contractors are done (yea!!), I can begin to repair the damage to our faerie garden under the trees. However, since it is raining today, I finally have a chance to put together an update on current projects. Earlier this year (2017) our church had a missions festival. I was asked to create centerpieces for some of the tables. And this turned into a very fun project!! The first photo is of one of my favorites. The idea behind this centerpiece was my take on a Zen garden. I like the idea of an oasis of calmness and peace represented by these gardens, and I have always loved moon gates, as represented by the twig wreath. It seemed natural to put the cross in the center.
My hubby cut out the crosses, and I painted them to the best of my ability to look like stained glass. Together we figured out how to install the cross in the wreath, and then onto the planting container so nothing would tip over.
Originally we had been asked to decorate two 8′ tables. So I put together two of these Zen gardens. Plans changed and I was asked to put together more centerpieces. We decided to put together “church” birdhouses that we could later use in our yard. Since time was running short, we bought birdhouses at Hobby Lobby (what would we do without Hobby Lobby??) and my hubby cut off the roof overhang and the perch. Then I designed a “false front”; he attached it and I painted it. The shape of the birdhouses dictated the finished shape of the “churches”, which did tend to make them a little elongated.
The next three photos are “churches of the world” centerpieces. The first represents a little Appalachian Methodist church, the second is a Greek Orthodox church, and the last represents a Spanish mission church. I had other “false front” birdhouse churches I wanted to design, but unfortunately ran out of time.
Final thought:
We never know what we can do until someone asks us to “stretch” ourselves. I would never have designed these special little gardens without the inspiration of the missions festival. I am sure at some point I will do more “false front” birdhouses and, when I do, I will share them with you.