Monday, August 25, 2008

Stump Art

During winter we lost several trees to the soggy winter storms. We had one tree that came out from the bottom up which left us with a big ugly stump half out of the ground. Also at about that time I was reading on Ellis Hollow about people using stumps and making lovely artsy stuff out of them. I wish I would have kept the specific date and post he had about this. I apologize for not doing so. It was so long ago and my computer has since crashed so I have to tell you I don't have the exact information. But anyway... my Dearly Beloved and I were inspired to create something with our stump. As you can see it involved a load of soil.
Can you see anything yet?
Here is looking at you kid. Just goes to show what you can do with a little soil and a lot of inspiration.
We haven't named him yet. He certainly is a nice little surprise when you walk around the path toward the Casa. We have already surprised some friends that came to tea the other day. The back side of him doesn't look too bad either. Hopefully it won't be long before the ferns fill out in the back and the ivy at the bottom fills in. He sits in the middle of the new flower bed I made this summer. I will give you a better tour of it later.
Talk about some whimsey in the garden. He sure does fit the whimsical description. So every morning when I open the patio door curtains I will have this cheerful face to greet me. I hope he makes everyone smile as much as he makes me smile.

36 comments:

  1. Dear Lisa,
    He is charming! You two are creative and so fun...
    Sherry

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  2. Love it! I'll have to remember this when we have a tree removed this fall. That's a very creative solution.

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  3. Thanks for the smile, Lisa! He would definitely put a smile on your face each morning as you look out and see him:)
    This is a clever idea. I have a couple stumps, too, that I keep thinking I'd like to do something with. How did you create his eyes?

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  4. Lisa, what a hoot! I love it. You ARE the creative one aren't you? I can just imagine what T&T will have to say about him. I love the ferns-what a great spot for hem and the perfect fur. Thanks for the laugh.

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  5. He did make me smile too. I bet your friends WERE surprised to see that pig-nosed face looking back at them.

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  6. He looks like he is saying "can I go inside with you"? Yep, that's whimsy!

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  7. Oh Lisa, that's hysterical, and really quite ingenious! You all are talented people!

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  8. Thank you all. I am glad you liked him as much as we do.

    The eyes are a bowling ball that we painted. The bowling ball had sat around in the garden for several years and split. I cut it in half and it has sat there even longer. Now we have a use for it. The ball was blue but DB wanted the eyes to look more like bear eyes. So this guy is a bear to us. We need something to use for his ears. Hmmmmmmmm...

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  9. Lisa,

    What a great idea. You totally surprised me; you are very creative! His eyes are the best!

    Gail

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  10. I love him. He's so big, he would scare the heck out of someone if he didn't have such a friendly face.

    Now you will smile every time you walk out the back door.
    Marnie

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  11. Oh Lisa, he is so grand, and I love the ferns and liriope on him too. How hard is it to cut a bowling ball in half? You do need a good name for him though. Let us know when you think of a good one that he approves of.

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  12. Oh he is adorable! What a creative mind you have!!

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  13. These are fun, Lisa. A nearby park cut seats out of stumps that were cut fairly high. So one can sit and watch the stream trickle by below!

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  14. not only did i smile, i laughed out loud. very funny. very cute.
    cheers
    irena

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  15. Dear Lisa.....absolutely wonderful, I love this beautiful piece of artwork........but did you know you have also created a mini habitat because you have that stump in the centre....after a year you will start to see wonderful things happen.......I am so excited, its great.....

    For creativity I give you full marks, but make it an A plus because you are helping wildlife to......you could even get a queen bee hibernating there!!

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  16. Frances, it was fairly easy to cut the bowling ball in half. It had already split part of the way. I had been outside for quite a few years. The inside is merely cork and what looks like styrofoam. The hardest part is the outside which is some kind of plastic/rubber. Not as difficult as you might think.

    Cheryl, I didn't know that bee queens hibernate in ferns. We have several spots with thick ferns. I will watch to see if I see any bees in there. I usually see birds picking through them.

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  17. Sandy, I thought about trying to carve something out of the stump. I have no carving skills though. I tried on a smaller log and it ended up looking like termites got a hold of it. tee hee... A seat might be easier.

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  18. Lisa, your pics cracked me up. Your new garden friend is so funny and so adorable. He really is a sight for sore eyes!

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  19. Now you have a funny garden friend which will cheer you up whenever you have bad weather ;-) !! And he will be a very faithful friend as he cannot go away...

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  20. That's so funny!!I wouls be surprised if I found those eyes looking at me in the midle of a garden.

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  21. Gosh!!! I LOVE your stump art--- he's wonderful!!!

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  22. He's wonderful. I love whimsy in the garden. Your garden is lovely, and with the surprise, it is just right!

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  23. There's nothing to said Lisa, GREAT!! WONDERFUL!! I love it!! Because here is a tropical island we don't have to create and the snow came and have to do again, that's why when I move on my new house I'll ask you for ideas for my new garden. Again GREAT!! WONDERFUL!!

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  24. You are a very creative gardener! He brought a smile to my face too :-)What does Luna think about him?

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  25. Gabriel I would be honored to be able to help you. I don't know much about tropical plants. Your fiance might have something to say about your garden too.

    Deb, Luna doesn't even notice anything. Ha.. Maybe she is just ignoring it. She may think if she ignores it it will go away. ??

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  26. I LOVE that! As you can imagine after reading my last post, I am sorely in need of something as cute and fun as this guy... he's wonderful! :)

    What does Miss Luna think of the new artwork? Oh, nevermind, I just saw that Deb already asked that and you answered.

    How about Ursus for his name, since he's a bear? Or maybe Agrius or Oreus, or Arcos, which would match with Luna a bit?

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  27. Verry Cute, and lots of fun! Now if you could just put him to work pulling weeds!

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  28. Love it! The perfect blend of creativity, whimsy and making the most of what you've got.

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  29. Oh my goodness, how cute is that?! How did you ever think of that? Very, very creative, Lisa!

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  30. Inspiration comes in many forms doesn't it? I like the 'surprise' of walking around the mound and finding those big eyes staring. He looks somewhat friendly to me though which is a good thing.

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  31. Oh my gosh Lisa, he is adorable! What a wonderful idea! So creative, and he's got a lovely head of hair!

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  32. Hello~
    What a great stump of art! I love it. Art and whimsy are such delightful additions to the garden.
    Karrita

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  33. Oh Lisa, that's so cute! I Love it!

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  34. That's just AWESOME. I'd never have the guts to do somethign like that.

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  35. I love the pig! Definitely not what I was expecting when I read the term "stump art." It's charming.

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