Up North Floral Abundance

Part of the summer glory up in Northern Michigan includes amazing, bright flowers.  The grand porch above wraps around a rambling manse on Beach Drive.  There are about nine of these boxes adorning it.

 Ok, this is not a box, but a garden that I gravitate toward every year.  Great perennials mixed with annuals to enjoy all summer

 Even the storage shed up at Three Pines Gallery in Cross Village gets it's own dash of color.   I love the gate leaning on the side.

 A big yellow house on Beach Drive sports four of these patriot boxes.  Love to have wine here with my friend and watch the boats on the bay.

 In Harbor Springs, one of the galleries has these geraniums with all the trailing white blossoms.

 My favorite knit shop anywhere, anywhere, Cynthia Too/Two in Petoskey has all of this floral glory out in front just drawing you into Cynthia's shop.  She has tempting yarn and unbelieveably cute gift ideas all over the shop.  I go here twice a month for Open Knit day.

Cross Village Fiber finds

Yesterday we piled into the minivan and drove up to Cross Village to check out the much-talked-about new Cross Village Rug works, a self-sustaining Artisan community focus on weaving and hooking rugs. Fleece is bought from local farmers, processed at Stonehedege Fiber Mill in East Jordan, Michigan, dyed in the shop with eco-friendly dyes and then woven or hooked by local apprentices. About four huge 60" Cranbrook counter-march looms anchor the weaving room. In the back studio are therug hooking frames. The map shown here is a commission and is about five feet in diameter. Very impressive. The basket of yarn is ready for that canvas. My favorite rug hooking canvas is the little house pen and watercolor commission. It reminds me of Tasha Tudor's style. She, herself, was a spinner and weaver.

Just around the corner from Rug Works is the Three Pines Gallery where Joann Condino has her fiber studio on one side and her husband has his ceramic studio on the other. Joanne is a master dyer and is amazing with indigo. She has a full schedule of art workshops through out the year.

I am near the end of my visit to Northern Michigan this year, but can hardly wait for a longer stay in 2010 so I can spend more time with these talented people