Hidden Art Book Club: Chapter 6

 Gardens and Gardening

Spiller, filler and thriller is a mnemonic that fertilized my anemic horticultural skills recently.

See the faded pink bucket?

Formerly used as a toy bin and now gracing the view from my kitchen window,

this makeshift planter exemplifies the  aforementioned design.




Spiller = varigated ivy cascades down the side.  I probably need to add a few more sprigs around the perimeter so that they will eventually hide the bucket.

Filler = orange zinnias and white begonias occupy the center.  Additional pots on the left are ready to provide decoration indoor or out as circumstances arise.

Thriller = ornamental grass in the center leftover from a previous project.

Here's a link to one of the first times I tried SFT.   It started with the black metal chair that now holds a young hydrangea that is being nurtured for Fall planting.

I have so many thoughts about Edith Schaeffer's advice that I'm planning to break up my commentary over several days.

More in a day or two ~

Added later:
Where Garden Meets Wilderness by E Cal Beisner

Hidden Art Book Club: Chapter 5

Interior Decoration

Early Attic and Late Basement describe the mixture of furniture in our home.

 Over the course of 32+ years of marriage I have been fortunate to be the recipient of hand-me-downs.

Most, if not all, remain in their original state, since I do not paint.

Edith Schaeffer's ingenuity sure puts me to shame.

From candle-making to furniture-making, from dumpster-diving to toy-making, there really are so many opportunities to decorate that we have to admit to being creative.  If nothing else, I suggest that orderliness counts.  My children always played better when the toy room when it was picked up and organized.

Schaeffer's most significant and over-riding point continues to be *communication.*   This word keeps cropping up and I finally realized that she's talking about non-verbal communication.

Whether you admit it or not, what you buy or what you forgo, what you keep or what you toss, what you repurpose or what you overlook, all express your style, tastes, and interests.

In other words, we cannot ignore our talents.

My goal is to make sure mine are speaking accurately.



Photo of my living room taken March 2012 ~

Link to interior decorating post written in 2004

Hidden Art Book Club: Chapter 4

Painting, Sketching, Sculpturing

Commenting on this week's reading assignment for book club, I propose that illustrating falls into the category of hidden art that Edith Schaeffer is promoting.

While she includes some of her own sketches in this section, which are very good and helpful, especially for keeping youngsters attentive during church,  I found myself curious about the illustrator of Hidden Art.

So, who is Deidre Ducker?


Nee Haim, Deidre encountered the Schaeffers while enrolled at the English school in Champery (1948-52).  She attended Francis' little church and together with classmates would enjoy the Schaeffers hospitality.  She married Richard Ducker in 1960, and together they were some of the first official students at L'Abri.

As an artist, Deidre had the privilege to illustrate not just the Hidden Art of Homemaking, but also L'Abri.   Only one additional title shows up when searching for her work: The Reason Why You Need Christ.

But back to the topic at hand which is developing creativity, aka practicing undiscovered talents, I am encouraged that there could be something artistic buried deep in my bones.

For years I'd never seen my mother do anything other than doodle, generally while talking on the telephone.  After her children were grown/gone, she started taking art classes.  For 25 years she painted.  Here's a link to her website.  Now (almost 80 years old) she *paints* with Adobe's Photoshop program, creating greeting cards, scrapbooks, and photo albums.

She's definitely a spark lighting fire to dry wood.




Photo taken after this past Sunday's dinner when we enjoyed this menu ~


Baked Chicken Piquant
Brown Rice
Steamed Green Beans
Chutneyed Sweet Peppers
French Rolls

Strawberry-Rhubard Pie a la mode

Hidden Art Book Club: Chapter 3

Music is the first of a dozen disciplines addressed by Edith Schaeffer as she challenges Christians to honor God in every area of their lives.  She goes so far as to say that music should be a part of the life of any family.

No talent, you say...

No excuse, she says...

Learn to appreciate music. Collect music or musical things. Support musicians.  Mrs. Schaeffer's book provides a host of examples of how the talented and the untalented can develop this creative aspect of our nature.

In our family we like to sing.

Here's a photo of our daughters practicing the anthem they sang at church one Christmas.

John Rutter's Candlelight Carol

 Here (below) the girls gathered around the piano after Thanksgiving dinner when we enjoyed a mini hymn sing.

Join in the fun of learning how to tap into your God-given talents by following along with our online book club.

Cindy Rollins is the hostess/moderator.

She blogs at Ordo-Amoris where she advocates singing, even if  one cant carry a tune  ;-)

Sing to the LORD, all the earth!



Addendum:  Read John Wesley's instructions for singing.  I blogged about it here and here.





If you're interested in reading more about my family's singing, notice the *singing* categories/labels/tags in the sidebar of both blogs.

Or click here for a similar post.