My little Haven.

Long post picture heavy.
There is a new monthly challenge blog just started up which is like no other that I have seen before and you can find it here at Dreamtime Designs.
The challenge is in 3 parts and all 3 parts must be incorporated into your  design idea.
Now you know me I can't resist a challenge and this one really got me thinking and you could say outside of the box but then again there is bound to be a box somewhere in my creations either making one or using an old one. I have really dug deep into my stash and found  cotton reels, pipe cleaners and yes you guessed it piles of cardboard from old boxes.
Even the paper I have used is from a digi shop so I have been busy gluing, cutting , pasting and paper piecing my creation together and at last it is finished.

The challenge Part A..
Answer the following 5 questions.
1. Where do you live?   I live in Hampshire  in a small village (almost the size of a town now as it has grown quite large residentially) but has still managed to retain it's village atmosphere. Just one large supermarket and a handful of shops plus several quaint pubs!
2. What do you love most about where you live?  I love my garden  being right in the heart of the countryside but within easy reach of the motorways to take us in all four directions.
3. Who do you share this special place with? Just hubby (The Doc) and Wimpy a black and white Persian cat who is afraid of his own shadow so tends to spend most of the time  in his sanctuary i.e. behind the washing machine. Don't mention the Vets to him!
4. What is your favourite season and why? My favourite season is Spring when the garden is just beginning to blossom  and the evenings  drawing out which means lots more time to spend out there.
5. What is your most loved thing to do or place to visit and why?  This was the easy part to answer as it has to be my garden. I love to be out there. From Spring onwards the garden becomes like another room to us. A few years ago The Doc said it would be really nice to have a little patio area at the bottom of the garden where we could sit and enjoy the last of the sun before it went down over the roof line. Well you know me couldn't resist that little challenge so I set about transforming the end of the garden to do just that. (The garden at the time was mostly laid to lawn with just wavy borders all round the edges.)

Part B.
Create your design/project that reflects the questions above.
So here is a recreation of the bottom of our garden in miniature. I have taken a few liberties (The doc said our shed doesn't look this good and I have left the tree out which we sit under) but basically it is all there apart from the picket fence which is just on the model to neaten the edges up.

I used the cardboard backing  from a foolscap  notebook for the base.

Rest of cardboard from various old boxes.

Digi papers on shed and fence by Raspberry Road.

The little hanging basket bracket is the leftovers from the  Spellbinders 'Window One' die that I cut down to size.  The pieces were lying on my desk just begging to be used so I glued them together and turned upside down and hey presto a little bracket was born.

 

Table top is made using Spellbinders 'Medallion  One' die with a piece of acetate underneath to strengthen. Table base is old cotton reels glued together. I cannot lay claim to making the chair. I brought this home from Italy when on holiday. The restaurant bill came folded through it and I asked my waiter if I could keep it. It is made from the top off of a champagne bottle with an added bit of wire wrapped round. I painted it using a matchpots tester paint  and then buffed  with Inka Gold.

Table was given the same treatment.

In my real garden I  created a stream running across it and you can just see a bit of it here on the model. I used  silver mirror board. 

 

Flowers were mostly created using the offcuts from a Tonic Studio border punch.

Crealies Creative shapes CL CS 09, Memory box 98312.

Picket fence made from C.C.Designs ' Four Seasons Fence'  die & flower borders.  

Stone circle created using thick card on a cardboard base copying the original.

Pipe cleaners on the tall plants.

 

 

Part C.

Take a photo or two that relates to the above discussion so that they can be included in the challenge post.

 

So here is the real McCoy.

These photos were taken 19th April 2007.

As you can see I couldn't just stop at one circle but continued on down the whole length of the garden  taking away the lawn completely and putting in the stream and extra pathways.

 

Entering into the following challenges:

Dreamtime Designs #1: Challenge as above.

Pixies Crafty Workshop #96: Use up your snippets (Indeed I did).

Make It Monday  #164:  Paper Crafts.

Paper Crafting Journey: Anything goes.

4 Krafty Girlz #4:  Anything goes.

Rhedd and Rosie's #18: Anything goes.

Through The Craft Room Door: Anything goes.

The Paper Nest Dolls #16: Anything goes.

Simon Says Stamps: Anything goes.

Challenges 4 Everybody #32: Anything goes.