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Eklectic

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1060 posts in 157 days

Location: South East Ontario, 5a
Hardiness Zone:
Website: http://www.robinkers.com/myeklecticplace.html

A few years ago my husband and I built a home on a small wooded acreage. Using his trusty chainsaw, my husband cleared the trees for the construction site and salvaged all of the timber for use either in the fireplace or in a variety of rustic landscaping projects.

We cut and trimmed small cedar logs to frame and roof the pergola which you see in the background. We defined the boundaries of our flower beds and vegetable garden with either cedar logs or cedar pieces. We created pathways through and around the garden made of pie sized slices of cedar. The three tiered criss-cross fence that stretches 400 feet along the property's front border is made of small cedar logs painstakingly tied together with baling wire.

As one of my passions is recycling and I am always looking for ways of re-using wood rather than buying new wood, I had collected a number of old doors and windows and we used some of them in the pergola. We placed a variety of worn or little used household items such as cast iron pots and lids, broken garden implements, large reed encased wine bottles, broken pottery, etc amongst the flower beds.

One day I realized how different and how eklectic our property looked in comparison to other homes and so I began calling it "my eklectic place" and my eklectic nature is reflected in the different ways that I express my creativity: mediums such as pottery, a variety of textile creations, plastic jewelry, enamel on copper, glass painting, mosaic tiling, pyrographic (wood burning) images, handcrafted paper greeting cards, and my current favorite, concrete garden sculpture.

My leaf castings, stepping stones, tree trunk and other concrete works have a very "rustic" look and are based on the plant life found in Eastern Ontario.

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

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20 comments so far

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

2404 posts in 357 days
hardiness zone 5b

posted 157 days ago

welcome to GT
I can’t wait to see photos of your land!

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

View Eklectic's profile

Eklectic

1060 posts in 157 days

posted 157 days ago

If you visit my web album, http://picasaweb.google.ca/Eklecticplace,
you will see some as well of pictures of all that make me “Eklectic”
Have fun!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

View GrandmaT's profile

GrandmaT

1942 posts in 235 days
hardiness zone 5

posted 157 days ago

Welcome to GT …

Loved your art work , really nice!

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

View Eklectic's profile

Eklectic

1060 posts in 157 days

posted 157 days ago

Thanks!
I have a lot of fun doing it!
And I love to share!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

View MsDebbieP's profile

MsDebbieP

2404 posts in 357 days
hardiness zone 5b

posted 157 days ago

aren’t you quite the artist!!! into a variety of media :) .. very eclectic! haha

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

View bncprez's profile

bncprez

48 posts in 181 days

posted 157 days ago

Welcome and looks like a ton of work. Awesome.

-- Living on the level... Central Ontario...1.25 hrs from TO.......Zone 5a

View Damocles's profile

Damocles

708 posts in 211 days
hardiness zone 5

posted 157 days ago

Welcome to GT, Eklectic!!

-- Living on the square...Metro Detroit

View GrandmaT's profile

GrandmaT

1942 posts in 235 days
hardiness zone 5

posted 153 days ago

Good Morning! I just went out to your site … I LOVE your all your concrete leaves and they look great turned into bird baths. Is it heavy work? Do you use molds? Guess I am asking what is involved in this and how did you get started. Hope you don’t mind sharing a bit …

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

View Eklectic's profile

Eklectic

1060 posts in 157 days

posted 153 days ago

thanks a lot!
Heavy work: yes
Molds: no.
For the leaves, I use real leaves as base but then build on to give the shape I want.
For the rest, I use hardware cloth, rebar, and all the good stuff for concrete.

How did I get started?

Well, moved in the country, missed the kids, needed to do something different, saw a book and started dreaming, then the rest is “concrete”!!!!

I really enjoy it! Learning new things about it all the time and dreaming about it!

Lots of plan for this summer!
If you are interested, I will post a few pics on how I started some projects!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

View GrandmaT's profile

GrandmaT

1942 posts in 235 days
hardiness zone 5

posted 153 days ago

Yes, I would really like to see your pics on how you start a project. I thought it might be something I could look into. But I can’t do heavy work. Although please share those pics, if it’s not too much trouble, when you have time.

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

View Eklectic's profile

Eklectic

1060 posts in 157 days

posted 153 days ago

Well, I will star a blog on it: just for you!!

I know it is fun to learn about something new even if you never do it!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

View GrandmaT's profile

GrandmaT

1942 posts in 235 days
hardiness zone 5

posted 153 days ago

That would be GREAT!! ... yah, I do like to learn new things … still looking for that “one” thing (besides gardening) that I can really get into. So far the things I have tried just aren’t doing it … if you know what I mean.

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

View Eklectic's profile

Eklectic

1060 posts in 157 days

posted 153 days ago

Sure do!
What have you tried…..

My mother in law (81 years young) has stated painting this last fall and she is having a ball!

She is also `house bound` and sometime, `couch bound`, so it is something she can do anytime!!

Have a good day!!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

View GrandmaT's profile

GrandmaT

1942 posts in 235 days
hardiness zone 5

posted 153 days ago

Well it has only been the last year or so that I have begun to search for another “love” besides gardening. I finally have an understanding of my limitations and am learning to listen to my body and the pain and not fight with it.

Like I said tried knitting … boring (sorry don’t mean to offend knitters)
Tried my hand at painting … (my daughter laughed – what can I say) ... I think I was the only person to flunk “elementary art” (no I’m not exaggerating here.)

I ‘ve been told that I have an eye for arrangements and colors and before the accident I had gotten into a bit of basic graphic design. Thinking about all those things, I thought maybe stained glass would fit me. Also quilting might be fun …

I just need to get off my “butt” and begin. Have you dabbled with any of those?

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

View Eklectic's profile

Eklectic

1060 posts in 157 days

posted 153 days ago

Knitting…definitely boring for me!!
Painting: check on my Web Album: you do not have to do like everyone else, as long as you enjoy yourself that is the important thing!
Graphic design is something l would like to explore sometime in the future!
Stained glass as well!!

You know for me, I decided last year that when I do something, if I am happy with what I do, childish``, `primitive`, naive`, `great `, whatever they say, I am going to keep on enjoying myself!

I decided that I was not going to do things (art-craft wise) for others but for myself. Not being selfish just trying to be true to `me`. (Deep hein!!!!0

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

View GrandmaT's profile

GrandmaT

1942 posts in 235 days
hardiness zone 5

posted 153 days ago

Good thought and definitely worth pondering … when you think of it (art-craft-wise) the reason we do “it” is to get enjoyment. What you said makes sense.

I’ll keep you posted on my “journey” ... :-)

-- "A perfect garden is just a garden to be in-perfection. Mornings to work on it and evenings to pause and look at it." Southeast Michigan, Zone 5a/5b

View Eklectic's profile

Eklectic

1060 posts in 157 days

posted 153 days ago

The main thing is “HAVE FUN!”
And please keep me “up to date”

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

View Dahlitsa's profile

Dahlitsa

88 posts in 155 days

posted 151 days ago

The bed is about 3-31/2” wide. I made the bed by first laying down cardboard then piling up dried leaves, horse manure, left over compost (unfinished…emptied big composter bin) and oh yes cut grass. When professional grass cutters came to the neighbours, I saw them loading the clippings and asked if I could have them. It is better though to start this whole process in the fall but it still did well.

-- Dahlitsa

View PanamaJack's profile

PanamaJack

214 posts in 157 days

posted 143 days ago

Welcome to the flower show! We hope you enjoy the time spent on your GardenTenders website.

-- One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade; Chinese Proverb - Zone 5B

View puce's profile

puce

8 posts in 39 days

posted 38 days ago

Thanks for the hello!

-- puce, zone 5a

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