In an effort to get on a jump for my Christmas List I have been doing a bit of searching. Garden Flags happen to fall on my list this year because we have now  lived in our cute house for over a year and I think I may have changed my little flag 3 times. I have an NC State Flag, an American Flag and a Birthday Flag.

So I started my search for maybe a little set of seasonal  garden flags that would be easy to ask for and keep in the closet, ready to change as holidays came and went.

Not so much. The sets out there are terrible! I should have searched for “ugly airbrushed flags” But among the countless tacky flags I did find some gems.

• For Thanksgiving obviously.

Finley LOVES squirrels!

• Let me also introduce you to “Charcoal Charlie” – not kidding. That was it’s name on the website.

For Albie of course

• And then because poor Squirtle seems to be neglected on the blog, I found this cutie sunbathing in his sneakers and he obviously enjoys a good cocktail like we do!

For Squirtle

Note: The identity of the websites these came from has been protected for their own sake. And to save me from being required to put one of these out front when received as a gift.

Halloween is starting to arrive at Dragonfly Garden. I seem to have a new obsession with owls this fall – you may see them at the shop through Christmas! (Spilling the beans: I found ADORABLE Christmas ornaments we just had to have!)

Hoot Owl Garden Flag

We have flags, magnetic mailbox covers from MagnetWorks, and Yard DeSigns – the magnetic signs that fit on either a yard stake or a wall plaque that you can easily change with the season. And wait till you see the Halloween themed bamboo dragonflies! Signs, pumpkins and more fall decor is being unpacked this weekend, and more arrives this week!

See what’s new on the website.

For those who have lost a baby or pregnancy, our month to remember the dreams we had  is October. We also share this month with those who have been touched by Breast Cancer. Angelversary Pregnancy Loss Ribbon Garden Flags create awareness of  those suffering “silent grief”.

An angelversary is the death date of a much wanted baby. Miscarriage, molar pregnancies, cord accidents, incompetent cervix , stillbirths, and SIDS are tragic ways our children become angels.

Bereaved families of pregnancy and infant loss may not have a public angelversary get together, but they do acknowledge the day their world changed forever.

The angelversary garden flags can also be hung like a banner by inserting a hollow PVC pipe or dowel. If you know the gender of your baby, tie a bow of the appropriate color and adorn with remembrance keepsakes. If placed outdoors, use rust proof keepsakes.

If you do not know the gender of your angel, green or yellow ribbon can be used.

Your garden flags can also be placed into your memory gardens.

 Angelversary Pregnancy Loss Ribbon Garden Flags Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. A $20.00 check can be sent to:

Just a Cloud Away, Inc. Po Box 327, Julian, NC 27283,

The costs include shipping, handling and taxes. If you live out of the Continental United States, an additional fee may apply. If this is a sympathy gift, please include the mailing address of bereaved family.

PVC pipe and garden stands can be purchased at your local hardware or garden shops for under 12 dollars.

 Happy 6th Angelversary Baby Tanner-September 28, 2003

Peace Love and Hugs from Above

Diana 

www.justacloudaway.com

What is an Angelversary? The term sounds so sweet, yet it is a word no parent ever wants to use. The loss of a much wanted pregnancy or infant is an earth shattering tragedy where a permanent hole is pierced within hearts.

Even if you do not have a memory garden for your baby, pregnancy loss flags can be displayed beside a walkway, driveway, or front door within your landscape honoring your child.

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, with October 15th as the actual day. Display your garden flag during this month and also on their angelversary.

Our awareness ribbons contain two colors, light blue and pink. Many early pregnancy losses from miscarriage, ectopic or molar pregnancies are unaware of the child’s gender. I was fortunate to know my stillborn baby was a sweet little boy.

Tanner’s angelversary is coming this month, September 28th.

My angel will be 6 years old.

Parents of angels will never forget their babies.

If you know bereaved parents of pregnancy and infant loss, please forward this blog along with the blog of Just a Cloud Away at http://shivere.wordpress.com.

There is a high demand for the Angelversary Garden Flags. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. A $20.00 check can be sent to:

Just a Cloud Away, Inc. Po Box 327, Julian, NC 27283,

The costs include shipping, handling and taxes. If you live out of the Continental United States, an additional fee may apply. If this is a sympathy gift, please include the mailing address of bereaved family.

Angelvesary garden flags are another way to remember, honor, love and create awareness that our children were real and will never be forgotten.

Peace

Diana Gardner-Williams  www.dianadigsdirt.com

Landscape Design and Installation

by Ed Horne

If you’re anything like me, when someone says the word “flag”, you automatically think of the American flag with its beautiful fifty stars and red and white strips. Well, if that’s true, it’s time we both started thinking outside the box!

Flags have come a long way and represent various things such as states, countries, sport teams, military units, religious symbols and much more. In addition to great variety, flags are now available in various sizes. One of my favorite items is the garden flag because it’s relatively small – they’re usually in the range of 12” x 18”. I find that their smaller size also makes them more affordable, which means I can purchase more flags for my money! Garden flags, like traditional flags, are available in a variety of themes. It has never been easier to show my support for my favorite football team (Go Steelers!) or to celebrate when all the neighborhood kids return to school. Soon, it will be time to pull out my Fall flags – at my house we love pumpkins and Halloween – and start decorating for the season! Another great garden flag feature is that the flags hang on an attractive garden pole, which I can pick up and move to any location in my garden. The flags are easy to swap out and are easy to store.

If you aren’t the type of person who likes these “miniature” flags, many of the same themes are available in a larger decorative banner style. Banners are typically 28” x 40” in size and are slightly more expensive than garden flags. Still bold and beautiful, these flags are hung using a flag pole kit which includes a bracket that mounts to the side of your home. These decorative flags are the perfect size to celebrate any occasion.

If you don’t already have a flag collection of your own there is no better time to start one! With Summer coming to a close, new Fall and back to school flags are sure to be in high demand.

oh boy winter is here and that means Thanksgiving, Christmas and in general, snowy scenes! for me, this also means… Winter flags! I like Winter flags because they provide a calming, warming, and comforting atmosphere on those cold winter days. What better way to warmly greet your guests than to welcome them with open arms, using a warm and cute Winter flag?

Winter flags serve many different purposes. Not only do Winter Flags provide a friendly greeting to your home, but they also serve as a holiday decoration. Winter flags are an easy transition to the ever- changing seasons. Show your excitement for the season with a Holly Snowman. If it’s the simple things of Winter that you want to convey, you can do it with a Couple of Chickadees resting on a branch surrounded by pine cones and snow. For the child in you, a vast variety of Winter Flags are at your disposal. Winter flags are indispensable!

Garden Flags create a festive environment at your home. You can place it any where you like ranging from your exterior mail box or car to interior as a wall hanging.

A Walk In The Woods Garden Flag $12.95	A Walk In The Woods House Flag $23.95	Amaryllis Welcome Garden Flag $12.95
Bavarian Snowmen House Flag $23.95	Believe Large Impressions® Flag $23.95	Between Friends Garden Flag $12.95
Between Friends House Flag $23.95	Big Wishes Garden Flag $12.95	Big Wishes House Flag $22.95
Birdhouse & Holly House Flag $20.95	Bob The Snowman Garden Flag $12.95	Bob The Snowman House Flag $23.95
Candy Man Garden Flag $12.95	Catch a Snowflake House Flag $23.95	Chickadees and Pinecones House Flag $21.95
Chubby Cardinal Garden Flag $12.95	Chubby Cardinal House Flag $21.95	Coastal Christmas House Flag $21.95
Cozy Winter’s Night House Flag $21.95	Crystal Snowflake Garden Flag $12.95	Crystal Snowflake House Flag $23.95
Dachshund Choir Garden Flag $12.95	Dachshund Choir House Flag $23.95	Downhill Penguin House Flag $24.95
Early Bird Special House Flag $21.95	Feathered Friends Garden Flag $11.95	Frolic In Snow Garden Flag $12.95
Frolic In Snow House Flag $23.95	Frosty Friends Garden Flag $12.95	Frosty Friends House Flag $23.95
Happy Snowman House Flag $21.95	Holiday Beach Chair Garden Flag $12.95	Holiday Beach Chair House Flag $21.95
Holiday Chickadee House Flag $23.95	Holiday Snowman Garden Charm $28.95	Holiday Wishes House Flag $21.95
Holly and Berries Garden Flag $12.95	Holly Snowman Garden Flag $12.95	Holly Snowman House Flag $21.95
Jolly Snowman Garden Flag $12.95	Jolly Snowman House Flag $24.95	Joy Snowman Garden Flag $12.95
Joy Snowman House Flag $24.95	Let It Snow House Flag $21.95	Mailbox Greetings House Flag $18.95
North Pole House Flag $24.95	O Holy Night Garden Flag $12.95	Owl House Flag $21.95
Patchwork Snowman House Flag $21.95	Peace Snowflake Garden Flag $12.95	Penguins & Friends Garden Flag $12.95
Penguins & Friends House Flag $21.95	Pine River Farm House Flag $21.95	Polar Pals Garden Flag $12.95
Polar Pals House Flag $24.95	Portly Bird Snow Day Garden Flag $12.95	Portly Bird Snow Day House Flag $21.95
Prancing In Snow House Flag $23.95	Season’s Greetings Garden Flag $11.95	Season’s Greetings House Flag $19.95
Snow Angel Garden Flag $12.95	Snow Angel House Flag $24.95	Snow Buddies Garden Flag $8.95
Snow Buddies House Flag $15.95

We are currently in full stock of Les Fleurs (our in-house designed label of garden flags) and commercial printed garden flags. One problem: they aren’t waving beautifully in lawns and gardens across the state (and beyond). Here’s a look at our lovely quality garden flags, ready to shine right alongside your annuals and perennials.

Let us know if your lawn would like adorning.

Happy Spring Everyone!

March Madness is underway and we’re celebrating with a big sale!  Now through the Championship game on April 6, we’re having a sale on everything you need to get back into your garden this Spring.

All tools and gloves, all birdhouses and birdfeeders, all plant watering stakes, and all flags are 20 percent off.  We’ve also got other things on sale around the shop – like the Gardeners line of bath and body products is 50 percent off, and selected other items are on sale too.

Annapolis is celebrating March Madness all next weekend, March 27-29, with a Sidewalk Sale and other fun events.  Most shops will be open 10-8 on Friday and Saturday, and 10-6 on Sunday.  Enjoy free parking, super sales, restaurant specials and more so come and join the fun!

New items are arriving each week, so come and see what’s new at Dragonfly Garden!

P.S.  GO SYRACUSE ORANGEMEN!!! 

onveniently located just 25 minutes from downtown Houston, Black Horse Ranch is a community of distinction residents love to come home to. Providing an oasis of beauty and relaxation in close proximity to all the hustle and bustle of the big city, this is a neighborhood you’ll be proud to call your own.

Residents choose the Black Horse Ranch lifestyle for these reasons and many more:

• Natural beauty – Black Horse Ranch boasts several beautiful lakes and plenty of majestic trees. After spending their days in the concrete jungle of downtown, residents adore the peaceful escape this community provides them. • Recreational opportunities – Residents here do not lack for anything to do. Within the community itself, residents enjoy a full recreation center, several playgrounds, a junior Olympic-sized pool with a baby pool and more. • The golf club – Black Horse Ranch Golf Club might be relatively new, but its incredible design and challenge levels have already earned it recognition from Travel & Leisure Golf Magazine. The 36-hole facility, in fact, was named among the Top 10 Courses in America for Under $100. The club features a lush landscape that includes lakes, stately trees and plenty of wetlands to boost the challenge level. • The schools – Located within the award-winning Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, students within Black Horse Ranch have access to some of the best educational opportunities the Lone Star State has to offer. The district itself has an attractively low student-to-teacher ratio at 15.8 to 1. Its students consistently score very well on important tests, such as the SATs. • The location – Black Horse Ranch is just far enough outside the downtown area to offer serenity, but close enough to the thick of things that residents do not lack for anything. The community is within short distance of some of the best dining, shopping and entertainment venues in the entire Houston area. • The houses – The builders who have helped create this incredible community from the ground up are highly recognized in the field. Offering beautiful homes from the $170,000s to $400,000 and beyond, the builders have put their hearts and souls into making Black Horse Ranch a community people are proud to live in.

If you’re in the market for more than a house, Black Horse Ranch delivers. This distinctly different community offers its residents an opportunity to step into a lifestyle.

Container gardening has to be the simplest form of landscaping. It takes very little effort, you don’t have to be an expert gardener, the attractive planters can fit in with virtually any decorating scheme, you can move em around, and the best part, weeding is virtually non-existent. If you hook up a drip watering system, you don’t even have to water them!

Some basic rules to remember are:

- allow for adequate drainage by putting gravel in the bottom of the pot

- use containers that are large enough to accommodate a mature plant (to save you transplanting)

- know your plants – if they like sun – don’t give them shade

Try to be creative by combining a variety of plants in various complimentary color combinations or better yet, combine them to reflect different themes. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Salsa Garden

Get bright yellow or orange planters, or create your own by decorating with a cactus or lizard pattern. Include the following plants: two chile pepper plants, one golden tomato plant, a tomatillo or husked green tomato plant, and cilantro.

Pizza Garden

Include these homegrown treats on your next pizza: oregano, basil, fennel, onions, bell peppers, roma tomatoes, and eggplant.

Stir Fry Garden

The next time you make stir fry, here are your veggies, just add shrimp or chicken: Onions, zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, green beans. Add stakes for the climbing beans and let the zucchini trail over the sides of the container.

Pesto Garden

You’ll love this pesto garden containing just basil and garlic.

Pasta Sauce Garden

You’ll have the freshest sauce in town with this garden that contains: roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, onions, basil, oregano, thyme, garlic.

Herbal Tea Garden

Make a fresh cup of herbal tea by picking a few leaves and allowing them to steep in a tea ball. At the end of the season, you can bring your planter indoors or trim your herbs and dry them. Here is a good selection to begin with, and don’t be scared to mix and match: bee balm or bergamot (also used in Earl Grey), lemon balm, mint (choose different types), and relaxing chamomile.

If you’re working out in the garden on a hot day, fill a tea pot with water, throw in a few leaves and let it steep to make Sun Tea.

Culinary Herb Garden

There is nothing like using fresh seasonings for your cooking and this selection can be used in hundreds of different dishes: Thyme, lemon thyme, basil, oregano, rosemary, cilantro, marjoram, chives, dill, parsley, sage, and tarragon. You may need two large containers for this one!

Tomato Salad Garden

In your container plant beefsteak tomatoes, green onions, and basil. Just add lots of extra virgin olive oil and some Italian bread and you’ll have a salad you’ll want over and over again. It’s even more decadent if you add mozzarella cheese.

Scented Garden

Nothing is nicer than sitting outside and catching a scent of a fragrant bloom. Just run your hand through these plants to get an extra whiff: lavender, scented geranium, rosemary, and lemon balm.

A flag is a piece of cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used symbolically for signaling or identification. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.

The first flags were used to assist military coordination on battlefields, and flags have since evolved into a general tool for rudimentary signaling and identification, This was especially used in environments where communication is similarly challenging (such as the maritime environment where semaphore is used). National flags are potent patriotic symbols with varied wide-ranging interpretations, often including strong military associations due to their original and ongoing military uses. Flags are also used in messaging, advertising, or for other decorative purposes. The study of flags is known as vexillology, from the Latin vexillum meaning flag or banner.

When the weather is dull, and the yard is drab, a house flag not only breaks up the humdrum appearance, it can be a promise of better things to come. Late winter is brightened with beautiful pastel designs for Easter. Early Spring bursts onto the scene with bunches of daffodils, and baskets of blooming tulips. Summer is greeted by kittens gamboling through a painted garden, or by puppies tripping over each other. And don’t forget winter! When all else is white, a flag sporting seasonal messages or characters such as snowmen, can signal that you’re still celebrating, despite the cold.

Not only are colorful house flags a delightful addition to your own home, they make great gifts, for friends, family and new neighbors!

Any flag that is used to add color to or to decorate your yard can be considered a garden flag. A garden flag is a great way to express yourself and can be used to celebrate holidays, seasons or anything meaningful to you.

A patriotic flag can also be flown in the garden. During World War II many Americans grew their own produce so the vegetables grown by the farmers could be sent to the troops overseas. Many people who did this flew the American flag to show they were chipping in to help the war effort. If you decide to fly a national flag in your garden be sure to learn the proper etiquette of flying the flag first.

Early in the growing season, most gardens can be pretty dull, so flags can be flown to add some color and incentive. An example of this would be a flag with a red tomato on it to show what the green ones growing in the yard will look like when ripe. The colors of flags are also used to attract birds to a flower garden or to shoo unwanted animals from a seed garden. Bird flags such as cardinal flags or hummingbird flags are popular in flower gardens.

You can also design your own custom garden flags by choosing what you would like for an emblem or make your own garden flag by painting or drawing on a piece of fabric. Let your imagination run wild. The flags colors will add to the beauty of the garden and show people you have made an effort to spice it up a little.

Remember your garden flag is for outdoor use, so it will need to be a durable and waterproof flag. Some people change their flags as the seasons change to symbolize the changing weather and climate. A Christmas flag or winter themed flag is a good idea to fly in your garden as it may be snow covered, for months, in areas with harsher climates.

Garden flags are also common in communities that rely on tourism to drive their economies and they can be regularly seen in public gardens in cities or hanging from lamp posts in small towns. Flags are cheaper than hanging baskets in the long run.

Flowers are not the only way to bring color and design into the garden Flags are a clever way to decorate a garden for any occasion.

Signal the arrival of each season with a beautiful flag or show support for your country or your alma mater with patriotic and college flags.

Animal flags are very popular as well; display a flag with a picture of wildlife or your favorite breed.

Whether you hang them from a flagpole, attach then to the mailbox or attach a bracket to the wall to display your flags, show your garden flags with pride. Garden flags also make great gifts for everyone!

Step1
Look at garden flags to get an idea of different designs that are out there. You may find them at garden stores, big box stores or even at kiosks at the mall. Several are sold online by various retailers, such as Amazon and eWind Designs.
Step2
Start drawing a design on paper. The design should be as complicated as your abilities allow. Since you will be appliquéing the design to the flag, you might want to consider a more simple design for your first attempt.
Step3
Choose the colors for your design, then head on down to your local fabric store. A garden flag, since it will be outside, should be made of a weather-resistant fabric like polyester. Ask a person at the fabric store for some ideas. Be aware that over time, the colors will inevitably fade in the sun.
Step4
Make a pattern for your garden flag by cutting out the various pieces of your design. You’ll have what looks like smooth puzzle pieces. Make sure to add a ½ seam allowance to every puzzle piece.
Step5
Cut out the puzzle pieces and press them with your iron so that the seam allowance is tucked under. This will lengthen the life of the appliquéd pieces by keeping the fabric edges from fraying.
Step6
Prepare your flag by finishing the edges. Fold them over and sew them in place. Decide where you wish to have your flag pole inserted into the flag, and create an opening for it by folding the fabric over and sewing it in place. Leave a little sleeve in which the flag pole can be inserted. Finishing the edges is important for it lengthens the life of your garden flag by keeping the edges of the fabric from fraying.
Step7
Start laying the various puzzle pieces on your flag and pinning them in place. Sew them to the flag either by hand or with your machine.
Step8
Hang your garden flag in a prominent place in your garden.

A whole bunch of old windows!  Four pane, six pane, with glass, without glass . . . .

Some little old barn red grubby picket fence sections:

Colorful garden flags:

One of a kind hand-painted folk art original ’sun’ picture frame.  Perfect for framing your favorite summer memory picture:

Americana:

Beach theme bathroom accessories:

Beautiful silver shell shaped drawer/cabinet pulls:

Shell napkin rings:

Granite look candle plates:

Nests under glass:

Bath and body gift baskets:

Yummy lemon scented votives and little jar candles make a perfect hostess gift for a summer dinner party:

Pretty vases, new and vintage:

Pretty pink flowers in a tin tile cone

:

Pink piggy bank:

LOTS of new scrapbook embellishments!

To see more of what’s recently been added to the store in the past few weeks, go to the left hand column directory and click on the “Here’s what new in Sophie’s Cottage” category. 

OUR WEBSITE:  www.cscrafts.com/aj.html