An Adventure for our Valentine Garland

Valentines Day - The Festival of Love once celebrated by the Pagan Romans

All the beautiful watercolor paintings my children create can always be used for other crafts.

The hearts hanging from the root

Inspired as always by Gardenmama's lovely Valentine Garland, we gathered to cut our own hearts. We drew the heart shapes using two different sized cookie cutters to make a lovely garland to celebrate Love.

more hearts

Whilst making the hearts the children cut out some of their own designs.  They often sit peacefully in the evenings creating different shapes freehand from all their paintings. They mostly form trucks, cars, excavators and animals. They are such little boys.

[caption id="attachment_2232" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="A truck carrying an excavator"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2233" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Another excavator"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2226" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Sania found the little sprouts"][/caption]

We thought of hanging our hearts on a pretty branch so we set off to the creek to find one. Sania was happy to find that the gourds we had seen a while back which had fallen from the tree had sprouted.

Seedlings sprouting through the gourd

[caption id="attachment_2227" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Little Sprouts"][/caption]

These tiny little sprouts were so beautifully encased in their little home.  It looked as if they were in their own pot.  How amazing that these sprouts could push through a once very hard shell.

[caption id="attachment_2229" align="aligncenter" width="449" caption="Sania takes an Elephant Ear to plant in his garden"][/caption]

We have so many elephant ears around the property.  Sania wanted to take a couple for his own special little garden that they care for every day.

[caption id="attachment_2228" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Sania showing his brother the little sprouts"][/caption]

Sania collected many of the gourds with their seedlings to plant by the stables and here he is showing his brother the little sprouts.

[caption id="attachment_2230" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Claudo swimming in the creek"][/caption]

This is the creek we visit so often by horseback.  The dogs love their adventures, cool off in the clear water, jump over the large boulders and run down the steep sides.  There are many branches of drift wood and exposed roots left from the gushing torrents during the tropical rains.

This is where we found the perfect twisted root that suited our little heart garland.

Toad Ticked!

[caption id="attachment_2185" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Tick on the frog's leg"][/caption]

The children strolled out into the citrus field to collect a basket full of oranges to prepare a refreshing juice.  Sania came running back in a hurry with this beautiful looking toad that had the biggest tick sucking from it's leg.

[caption id="attachment_2186" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Sasha pulling the tick off"][/caption]

I had no idea that toads would be a good host for ticks. The tick was spotted and very fat!

[caption id="attachment_2187" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Sania happy the frog is free of ticks"][/caption]

Sania was so happy that his toad friend was eventually free of that gigantic tick.  Even the toad looked as though he was smiling.  We have hundreds of toads on our farm due to the tropical rain. There are always puddles for them to wade in.  They usually make a cosy home inside rotten palm trunks. It stays moist and provides enough grubs and insects to feast upon.

[caption id="attachment_2188" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="The children took the frog to the duck pond"][/caption]

The children walked down to the duck pond in front of our home where many fish, frogs, turtles and toads live.

[caption id="attachment_2190" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="The release"][/caption]

Sania released him into the water

[caption id="attachment_2191" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="in the water"][/caption]

He turned around and swam back to shore

[caption id="attachment_2189" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="hid amongst some leaves and branches"][/caption]

found himself a safe place amongst the leaves and branches.

[caption id="attachment_2192" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="climbed upon the palm frond"][/caption]

a floating palm frond to rest upon.

[caption id="attachment_2193" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="then swam across to the other side of the duck pond"][/caption]

then he made the journey right across to the other side of the duck pond.

[caption id="attachment_2134" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Little frog emerges"][/caption]

This is one of the many little tadpoles (also known as polliwogs) the boys saved from our swimming pool.  The children made them a cosy pool of their own which rested on my kitchen countertop for a couple of weeks.  The children enjoyed feeding them and watching their little legs appear, the time when the lungs have formed and they begin breathing air.

[caption id="attachment_2197" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Princess and the Frog"][/caption]

I was motivated to needle felt some little puppets for the famous Grimm's story of the Princess and the frog which the children loved.

Giveaway Winner!

Thank you all for visiting my blog and participating in my giveaway.  I received such heartfelt messages of kindness and inspiration from all you wonderful bloggers!

Angelina from Organic Life Learning whose little girl Serra just turned six years old, was drawn out of the basket by Sasha and will be receiving our small gift.

A beautiful week to all!

Felt Art GIVEAWAY!

This past week I began working on a small felt art picture. I had made a pony felt picture for the children for Christmas and they marveled at it so decided to try another.  I love the way a simple picture can reveal itself in a soft and beautiful way,  simply by adding and shaping a few layers of colored wool.  I also used a bit of Merino/Silk blend which added a shimmering touch of softness to the picture.

Because the children loved it so, I decided to offer it as a small giveaway from our family to another along with the sweet book "The Little Fairies Christmas" by Daniela Drescher to be tucked away until next Christmas (only the book of course).

For a chance to win please leave a message in the comments section and a winner will be selected Sunday 23rd around 8pm.  (Fabien has taken the package to Miami so will be shipped from there).

[caption id="attachment_2172" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Pony Princess"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2174" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Little Fairy's Christmas"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2170" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Sasha needle-felting his picture"][/caption]

Sasha created his own little "Summer" picture - It's always summer in the Tropics!

[caption id="attachment_2171" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Sasha's Needle-felted Picture"][/caption]

It turned out beautiful, I helped Sasha with the girl and the horse.  A precious gift for a very special person whose birthday will be at the end of this month.

[caption id="attachment_2173" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Sania's Needle-felt Picture"][/caption]

This is Sania's delightful creation. The blue behind the tree was supposed to be for the sky, he grew his tree amongst the clouds and a tree was formed alongside the creek.  He completed this early one morning whilst I was sleeping.

Magical Webs

These cool winter evenings and much rain have brought in an unusually thick blanket of mist over the land.  The children are early risers and set out to explore the farm in the dark with a small torch light.  As the sun begins to shine and the mist slowly creeps away the magic begins to appear.

Spiders have intricately woven their webs in the trees, plants and grass.  The most spectacular designs present themselves, glistening with the tiny droplets of jeweled mist.

a cozy hammock

The delicate pink powder puff flower of the 'Mouribibi' thorn weed looks like those magical lights that softly glow and change colors. Note the tiny little webs.  When the tiny leaves are disturbed they fold up and close.

Layered webs beds, so thick and comfortably nestled between the branches of the citrus trees.

a work of art

Fungi and mushrooms are magical signs that the fairies have visited the area, dancing and prancing under the silver moon light surrounded by the dazzling fire flies and glow worms.

Farm and New Years Eve Images

[caption id="attachment_2096" align="alignnone" width="640" caption="Romantic"]

A little creative fun with the candle boats