{LOOK who's in the French Style of May/June 2011}

For quite a while I've wanted to introduce you to the romantic blog Roses Pour Toujours from Janny van der Vliet about her fabulous, like real paper roses! She has been perfecting her art over the past ten years, by studying and observing the real roses, especially the old roses. English and French bourbon roses are her favorites.

Since 2005 she's living in the south of France and that's when she started her workshops. Still she is giving workshops in The Netherlands, her native country. She just got back from a workshop in the town where my husband Pieter is born; in Groessen. The world is small isn't it?! Let me show you some of her creations right here below. It is part of the May/June issue of Belle Inspiration - French Style - Celebrating La Joie de Vivre.

Janny's roses in the Days of the Roses held every May in Avignon, France.

Isn't her work incredible?! And so real looking... 

Belle Inspiration Magazine

CELEBRATING LA JOIE DE VIVRE

May/June 2011 issue by Belle Inspiration, where Janny is featured.

Roses en Papier

The Art of Creating Paper Roses

Text & Photos by: Janny van der Vliet

Introduction by Janny van der Vliet in English

By the way, this magazine is available through Mimi Bleu, on her Bonjour Romance blog -check it out.

Janny's next workshop is in Paris and you can get information on her Roses Pour Toujours blog.

Also visit Janny's website Des Roses de Papier for more info in French and English.

I will leave you now with the video that is on YouTube about Janny's feature:

Wishing Janny lots of success with her fabulous Paper Roses!

{Phlox Subulata - Creeping Phlox}

Our Phlox Subulata makes a great ground cover at spring time each year. It blooms rather early and lasts a very long time. Another good thing is that it spreads, but is not invasive. We do have some Candy Stripe, which is a pink and white for underneath the almond tree to match the blossom's color. Further a white variety that is called White Delight and a hot pink that is named Moorheim Beauty. Join me on a Garden Tour.

Phlox Subulata 'Moorheim Beauty'

Pieter did line the deep end of the pond with poles and we let Phlox Subulata grow over it.

Here I have not yet pulled the weeds out... you have to 'hang-over'...

When Spooky walked on his leash, he always pulled me towards those poles where he did his balancing act. Poor little guy died of heart worm disease... Too young at age 4 and a few months.

He asked his Mami to give him more slack...

Here we planted patches of Phlox Subulata up on the hill alongside the creek, in our wood garden.

Home Depot was selling them in gallon pots and when Mom & Dad were visiting one time, we bought several with them.

With some patience it will become a solid carpet of pretty blooms that does attract lots of bees.

Next to a petrified tree trunk... happily basking in the sun light.

This is alongside the driveway where we also grow them between the cross tires.

This is the Phlox Subulata White Delight and no, to the right that is no snake... it's the cord from the camera!

I don't have that many snakes to show; but stay tuned as I did catch one big one on camera...

Not only are they prolific bloomers but they are evergreen too.

Phlox Subulata is a HAPPY plant and very carefree!

{Our Wooden Stirrups from Chile}

From the country where we received our Matrimonial Blessings (read: {Miracle in Chile - the country where we both got married}) we did bring home these wooden Chilean Stirrups. A small and a large one. The Chilean Horse is America's oldest Cow-horse.

More pictures from our honeymoon in Chile you can also see at: {Angels engraved on lucky calender coin of 1969}. But now, let's talk about the Chilean horse. Initially, the rural Native American population of Chile rode bareback. But even today, the horse is used extensively as a means of transportation in the rural areas where we got married. That was in the southern tip of Chile. A long, narrow country with immense beauty. As most of you already know from María Cecilia's extraordinary blog: Casa Dulce Hogar. We both LOVE her country and that for several reasons.

The Chilean stirrup was made of solid wood and by the 18th century, the trunk stirrup took on more of a Persian slipper shape. The later style had lots of influences from the Jesuits and you can read more about that at: The Chilean Horse. The two stirrups I show you here, are on the steps of our gazebo in daylight.

Like all the Chilean stirrups of the past 300 years, they continue to be artistically decorated with beautiful hand-carved baroque patterns that have no equal in the equine tack world. During the 200th birthday of the Republic of Chile, Bicentenario en Chile - 200 años de vida republicana. in María Cecilia's blog, you can see them still being worn on the horses! It's the 3rd photo, just click on hyperlink.

On yet another blog of María Cecilia you can see some real old wooden stirrups: La Casa y el taller de Coca en el Sur de Chile in a photo taken on her trip to the south of Chile, where we got married. By train it took us 15 hours from Santiago, the capital where María Cecilia lives! It is a very long country and till Patagonia you need to cover quite some more distance!

The groove where the metal part would be, you can see here at: Casa Dulce Hogar where María Cecilia shows how a complete one looks like. Also visible on the hyperlink above with more information on the stirrups.

This is how we saw the patients come to the little clinic of Mission Cuinco/Osorno in Chile, wearing such wooden stirrups.

So much about the Chilean cowboy's wooden stirrups...