Hollyhock Dolls: a throwback to simpler times

I can’t remember if my grandmother or my mom taught me to make these hollyhock dolls, or maybe just told me about them. Anyway, I didn’t need to look up how to make them. I remembered they were made the hollyhock blossoms, a needle and thread. Some folks make them with toothpicks or stiff pine needles. For an old-fashioned nature craft on a relaxed summer day, this is the perfect way to have fun with your kids while making and reliving memories. They’re so easy!

Kid’s Art: Flower Monograms

Just a fun little thing to do on a summer day … wander around the garden and find bits and pieces of flowers, grasses, and shrubs to make letter shapes. We made monograms for the girls and photographed them. I’d like to make a whole alphabet this way.

Water Features in the Garden: How to Visually Connect Them

Two or more water features in your garden can be visually connected with a dry stream bed … if you are using a nature-inspired style in your garden, take some design clues from the way water behaves in it’s natural environment before you start construction.