NJ Botanical Garden

NJ Botanical Garden is located in Ringwood, NJ.  It is beautiful, quiet and never crowded place. We love it there. They have many plants, so no matter what season you choose to go there there is something to see.  For me, my favorite time of the year to go is in mid May, so that I can catch the lilac tree grove in bloom. Another great time is in August, to see the waterlillies.  Of course, early spring is great to, with all the bright spring colors and cherry blossoms.

It is a free, or almost free ($5.00 per car in the summer months) place to visit.  You should note that there is a no food allowed rule, so if you bring a picnic there, you can probably have it by the Shephard Lake, which is nearby. The lake has a small beach area and a playground, and does tend to get crowded on the weekends.

I highly recommend it as a place you should see, especially if you live nearby.  I am always surprised as to how many NJ residents have no idea that this place exists.

We have been there through the seasons, and each season fills it with it's own kind of magic.

It is hard to describe such an amazing place in words, so I am putting many pictures with this post.
Here is their website for direction and other information, including history:
http://www.njbg.org/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above two photos are of the Lilac Grove.  The smell there is amazing when all the lilacs flower! The photo below is of the spot where in early spring the trees are covered with pink flowers and when the wind blows it looks like giant pink snowflakes are flying around.

 

 

The photo below I took in August, when the waterlillies are out and about.

Beaded Felt Pins

Check out these beautiful beaded felt pins that I made!

 

I also wrote up instructions with photographs to show how to make these.  You can find the instructions on my website here: http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Beaded-Felt-Pins.html

 

Also, the pins that I have finished can be bought in my Etsy store, right here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HappyFamilyArt

Rutgers Day

Rutgers Day is coming up soon.  This year it falls on April 27th, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Here is a website with all the upcoming demonstrations: http://rutgersday.rutgers.edu/  I strongly recommend you go over exactly what you would like to see!  There is just so much, it can be overwhelming.

We picked Cook/Douglas campus last year because we wanted to see all the cool farming stuff. The kids loved the farm. Especially the piglets and the cows. There was a lot of "I want a pet piggy" whining after that. It is true, the pigs were adorable, but I am afraid that my dog would mind sharing our bed with a pig.

It was a beautiful day to be there! Hopefully this year will be also.  I am shooting for the Busch Campus this year to see all the science stuff!

Candleholders

I made some candleholders as gifts this year for the Holidays. I love the colors on them.
My big kid made one also, which we will keep for us.
I also made a few extra, which will go up on Etsy soon!
They were fun to make, but a bit of work:

 

Longwood Gardens, PA

Longwood Gardens in PA has got to be one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Every year one of my kids asks to make it a Birthday Destination.  You see, on their birthdays, instead of doing kiddie parties we pick a place and have a family trip instead.  Longwood Gardens is usually on the list.  My younger one especially enjoys it.

From where we are, the drive is about 2 hours, and it is definately worth it!

With thousands of different flowers, trees, shrubs and bushes, the colors are magnificent. The walkways twist and turn through flower beds and arches covered in roses. There are flowers there that I have never seen in my life, brought in from all over the world. It is so big, that it's never crowded. If you go on a weekday you could walk through the whole garden and not meet more then 10 people along the way.

Every year we go I am pleasntly surprised as to how much my boys and I enjoy this trip.  They excitedly skip through the gardens, run around bushes cut in fun shapes, take turns sticking their head into a giant dog cut out of a shrub. They are enlessly amused by the three giant tree houses that you can climb up to, and the organ room where you could try different sounds, and of course playing with water fountains. The children's garden inside is magical, with lights and fountains. It's the kind of place where you can imagine fairies playing after closing time.

 

This is their website, with address, directions and other info:
http://www.longwoodgardens.org/

Of course, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a few pictures that I took through the years that we have been going there:

Bead and Flower Necklaces

Some of the bead and flower necklaces that I made recently.  They can already be found in my Etsy store here:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/HappyFamilyArt

They are made with glass, pearl and crystal beads and flowers that I have handmade out of recycled fabric. I hope you like them!

 

 

Sponge Painting of a Garden

This sponge painting of a garden is very simple and easy to make, it is especially good for really young kids. I made it with my 5 and 11 year olds and they both enjoyed it.  

What you'll need is a canvas board that we used previously and the picture just didn't come out well. A re-used or new canvas board would work well, or if you don't have that, some heavy duty paper would be good also.

You will also need sponges of different shapes and sizes.  They don't have to be shaped like flowers, just be creative with how you use them.  For some of the shapes I bought cheap sponges in a .99 cent store and cut them out as flowers or leaves. We also had some rectangular sponges to go along. A few small sponge rollers for the background. For paint, "My Studio" Acrylic Paint in colors of your choice works really well, but that's up to you! We picked light green, white, dark green, orange, purple and blue.

 

 

 

To see the instructions please visit my website here:

http://www.happyfamilyart.com/Sponge-Painting.html