I am officially finished stenciling the garage wall. What mixed feelings of relief, excitement, nostalgia and wonder!
During this past week, I was worried that the weather would not cooperate and that it wouldn’t be finished until spring.
Well, after temperatues hitting -7 celsius last week, the weather started to improve. That is an understatement really. It is 29 celsius today while yesterday was almost as hot. Rox was planning to come this afternoon to take photographs of the completed wall, but a crisis on the domestic front has precluded that from happening.
In the meantime, my son agreed to take some photographs with our new camera … he’s figured out how to use it much better than I have. I usually resort to my old camera which doesn’t do too badly either.
Benoît wanted to take a picture of me (at top) in my usual summer gardening gear … paint-splattered overalls and sleeveless t-shirt. Lytton, our dog, wanted in on the picture too, and so it seems, did my coffee mug. Oh and there’s that ‘do too!
Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the entire garage wall in the picture, so I’ll show it in sections. Here is the left side of the wall (pictured above), with Wisteria vines, Alliums, Foxgloves and Delphiniums. More of the Delphiniums can be seen in the photograph of me above.
There are
blackberry vines just to the left of the wooden divider (pictured at right), with the word ‘Dream’ at the top of it and some metal stars, a turtle and a ladybug hanging down as well.
I needed to have a way of separating the right part of the garage wall with its trellis pattern from the remainder of the wall which was trellis-free.
Luckily the Gorilla glue I used to adhere the wooden slats to the wall worked really well – I know this because I spent days trying to remove the glue from my fingers.
On the right of the divider, more blackberry vines are outlined on a rust- coloured trellis (pictured at left). There are also Morning Glories (Heavenly Blue and purple blooms) at the far right of the wall. I had the most fun I think, stenciling the Morning Glories.
If it hadn’t been for the end of my time with Simon, I wouldn’t have started this big stenciling project. The Delphiniums are a reminder of the incredible ones I saw on one of my trips to San Diego.
At least now with the completion of the wall 
and the earlier planting of my Black Elder tree, I can well and truly say adieu to him.
And before I sign off, here’s a closeup of me just before we started celebrating the finish of the wall.
in the autumn light 
Wow, that’s really cool, Kate. I like that the flowers are painted reminders of gardens you’ve admired on trips.
What a beautiful wall!! I think you will enjoy looking at it, when spending time in your garden!!Very Nice!!Love Chatrine
Your wall is awsome Kate. A real inspiration. It will give you so much pleasure during the winter months.
What awesome talent dear Kate!The stenciling is beautiful. Besides the artwork required for the project, the huge amount of patience a work of this nature entails, makes it very very remarkable.Once again, I get a better look at your hairdo now, and it does look swish.Enjoy the celebrations, you deserve every bit of them.
I have been waiting all summer for this day… boom chaka laka! Kate, your wall is, in a word, BEAUTIFUL! What a magnificent job; a lot of work done with a lot of love, and it shows.And you and your new do look fabulous!
Congratulations! It’s really really lovely. I’ve enjoyed watching your progress all summer. I’m sure it will be a hopeful symbol in the spring when all you have is dirt and seeds!
I can see you needed that GIANT mug of Starbucks coffee to do such a huge project;) It is impressive and wonderful, especially the plants on the trellis.
That’s a beautiful work of art you’ve created in your garden. Very impressive, very impressive.Carol at May Dreams Gardens
I love your wall, it’s beautiful!
Just beautiful, Kate! What an amazing painting job you did…it’s so lovely. And you and Lytton make quite the cute pair! Give him a big hug for me today…he’s such a sweet boy. xo
Well, the wall is gorgeous and all, but your hair cut is darling 😉
holy moly! that’s an amazing wall! kudos to you! and your new ‘do is super cute!
how beautiful! L looks positively exhausted from all the hard work, what a cutie. funny i used gorilla glue over the weekend too, i love that stuff…your garden is so beautiful 🙂
You put the right words on the divider, Kate. Your stencilled wall is like a day-Dream of a garden on a perfect summer day. It’s beautiful now, and I hope you still enjoy it when the live garden flowers are dormant.Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Kate, you did an amazing job. Now you get to enjoy your work, well done!!
Kate, It looks WONDERFUL, so lovely! What a lot of work you put into it and now you can have a perpetual garden…no matter if the snow flies and the wind howls.
Oh, Kate, I love the wall. You are so talented. How fun it will be to sit in the garden and enjoy – as well as having pretty flowers during the winter. It’s perfect.So, I just want to officially invite you and Benoit and Lytton to spend the summer in the Twin Cities next year. Bring your swimsuits and paintbrushes – we’ll have a wonderful time!! :)I keep going back to look at it – it is simply charming. I wish I had even a teeny amount of your talent.I love the haircut – even better in these photos than the first time you showed it. It looks so cute and easy to care for.Hugs – Kris
Kate I’m overwhelmed with your wall! It’s quite lovely and delicate – very much like you. The pastels are so restful, sort of like seeing flowers through the mist. It is wonderful and a work of art to be proud of. Congratulations!! You deserve a glass of something cold and a comfy chair.
I’d no idea the wall project was on this scale – it’s amazing! I think intricate and repetitive creativity is somehow theraputic too – looks like the wall has taken you into a new chapter of your life (with a cool new ‘do’).Celia
Now that was worth waiting for! What a big project, but so rewarding. Here’s hoping you’ll get a warm glow all winter every time you look at it.
Dear Kate,You should be so proud of that wall. I know it took a long time and you worked hard. I think it’s a reflection of your inner beauty.By the way, you photograph very well and I love your hair!!!!Mary
Hi Pam – It was fun painting some of my favourite flowers that reminded me of trips and my gardens of old. Chatrine – What I love now is that I can sit in the back and look at it without thinking that I need to add another flower here and there. Fiona – I am looking forward to bundling up and enjoying the view.Green Thumb – Sometimes I thought I was crazy to be putting so much time and effort into the wall, but now I’m glad that I did. With gardening, the long winter months often obliterate many of the memories from the summer, but I’ll have something to look at as a reminder. Pam – It took almost three months from start to finish … yesterday I put on the first layer of protective coating. Hopefully today I will be able to put on the second. I think a new ‘do for autumn is just the best thing.Michelle – I’m hoping the wall makes it through winter and I can enjoy it when it is freezing out. Ki – I had many of those giant cups of coffee while I was working on that, especially for the late-night paints during the summer. I had so much fun painting the Morning Glories that I began thinking I’d put far too many blossoms on. You can tell I like blues!Carol – I’m glad you stopped in. Thank you.Ingrid – Well now you know why I haven’t been great with emails for the past while!Linda – I loved the funny expression Lytton had on his face. I was scritching behind his ears and he was in heaven. Nikki – Why thank you! I am rather taken with my hair and vow not to post any more pictures of it!Laura – You will have to come and see it sometime. Saskatoon isn’t that far from here!!Aria – I imagine L. was just as relieved as I was when the wall was finished. I love Gorilla glue too. It is amazing stuff.Annie – I love the word, Dream. I think the wall will make the winter months easier… Ruth – I feel like I accomplished something this summer. It is a big relief to have it done.Connie – I like the idea of the perpetual garden … no matter what is happening in my real garden, expecially when it is buried under snow, I’ll still have my wall!Kris – Thank you for the invite. That would be great fun – I could show you how easy it is to stencil up a storm. The only thing is that it is addicting and suddenly you’ll find yourself thinking of stenciling every bare space. Benoît would love the kayaking and Lytton would have a great time with your dogs!Alyssa – Finally, the finished product. It seemed endless and I can’t quite believe it got done. We did toast our big glasses of 7-Up for it. A friend is bringing over a bottle of wine on the next warm day!Celia – It was incredibly restful and healing – I feel as if a new chapter of my life has opened up. Entangled – Now that the wall is done, I am amazed that I ever took it on! Mary – Thank you for the inner beauty comment. I definitely poured my heart into it.
Gosh, I go away for a week and all kinds of interesting things happen. The wall, Kate, is simply exquisite–an inspiration and a wash of tranquility all at once. I’m so glad you have it done to enjoy, and so glad it too has brought a peace to your soul–and a reminder to dream is important for all of us. Big hugs to you from me here on the sunny Fundy shores of NS.
Wow. What a great stencil/paint job on the garage wall! You must be really pleased with such a big accomplishment! And I love your haircut. It’s very attractive, can go glamor or dressed down, plus it looks easy to keep up – that’s really important! It looks wonderful on you!
That wall looks amazing–beautiful work! I think my eyes would have crossed just trying to finish half of that trellis. :)By the way, your hair looks even cuter in the last picture than it did when you first showed the new ‘do. Are you still liking it as much now?
Hi Kate,You must have the most beautiful garage wall in the country! The detail is incredible, and you finished just in time to be able to be out to enjoy it.This may inspire me to finally start on a mosiac project I’ve been planning for a small end wall of our built-in barbeque. The planning stage has gone on for two years!Aiyana
Hi Kate! Your wall totally blew me away with its intricacy, color and the really beautiful flowers and vines. This is pure magic and delight!! I am so glad you did this. And your hair is so gorgeous — you have wonderful thick hair, and the cut and color are so lovely. You look really pretty. And of course Lytton wanted to be in the picture!! Moose does the same thing. This wall and the Black Elder tree are incredible healing rituals that you did for yourself — so creative and beautiful, and filled with hope and new beginnings. Thank you Kate, for sharing this journey with us. And I hope the rest of your week goes great.:)
Great job! :)The garage wall is just amazing!A beautiful sight.I beleive that no one has got a garage wall like yours.Blooming through all the year.Hugs – Ida.
Kate! What a wonderful wall of art you have created! That is just divine.love it – and the “do” looks very swish. I promise to do a post and put some pictures of my new (and rather sparse thus far) garden.Moxo
What a wonderful wall. How creative and patient. Well done. Sara from farmingfriends
VERY cool wall! You’ve got talent, girl!
WOW what a beautiful wall! That must have been a lot of work! You are very clever. Big hug from Marie :o)
how did i miss all these new posts! (i subscribe to bloglines). anyhow, first off, love love love the hair, beautiful color w/ your skin, nice cut too!congrats on finishing the wall, it’s unbelievable how intricate it is, good job! your garden looks well tended and relaxing i can see why winter is not welcome.
Hurrah the wall is finished and it looks great. It will be wonderful to look at during winter time!
nice work! and such a LOT of work! you’ll have eternal summer in your yard. terrific idea for our cold Canadian winters. i’m thinking we should have a big irish wake to mourn the passing of summer… annually!
You did a beautiful job on your mural…wow! What a beauty you are too. 🙂
Congrats on the wall. You are quite the artist. Looks wonderful Kate. I have been wanting to see it completed. Nice Job!
Kate, I love the new do!And your wall…wow! It looks amazing. :o)
that looks amazing!
Wow! Impressive! It looks fabulous, and so do you!
Kate, your wall is absolutely beautiful (and the hair, too, of course). I am especially partial to the base color of your house, fence and all. My house in the U.S. used to of that color Take good care of yourself, Andrea
Kate, the wall is gorgeous! And so are you! I love your hair! I’ll bet you will spend lots of time in your sitting area by the wall. I know I would. I am in awe of your talent. It’s just beautiful.
That wall is just beautiful….how wonderful to have that to enjoy in the winter months. And still loving that hair do — the colour really suits you!
Kate,Your creativity and talent is very inspiring. BTW I left a follow up to your comment on the lawn post if you are interested.
Wow, what a lovely wall! You look rightly pleased with it. Love the new hairdo, too, tres French!
Wow, Kate I am speechless. That is truly a work of art, and apparently, a great catharsis. It’s simply lovely. I keep thinking I want to do some type of design in my kitchen to give it a ‘culinary’ feel (like it needs it??) but I just balk at anything ‘craft-y’ since I continually whine about not being gifted with the crafting gene. Your creativity shines in this.I got the seeds you sent. Thank you! I can’t wait for spring!
Wow, The wall is fantastic. You really worked hard on it. It is a marvelous way to extend your garden. It turned out great. You should be very proud.
Kate, your garage’s walls are wonderful. Congratulations for your work. Very beautiful.
What a gorgeous backdrop, subtle and flowing like the best of gardens.
Hello Kate! Hello Lytton! And I guess whilst on a roll… hello great new wall.see you, g
The wall is pretty and so are you my dear!
Wow! What in incredible project! Kate, you must have amazing patience not to mention amazing artistic talent. Again, WOW!
awesome haircut!
So beautiful!
Kate, I don’t know which looks better – the wall, or you! (love that hairdo). Fabulous work and what a talent you have, so glad you shared it with us!
BEAUTIFUL! Thank you for sharing your finished product with us!
It came out just perfect, didn’t it! What an amazing person you are! It gives me such pleasure to see it, I can only imagine how you and your neighbors must feel! Congrats on a job well done…so inspiring! Love your hair! Lytton looks happy as well!
Wow! wow! what an amazing wall you made. It is really something! it became precious part of the garden 🙂 how you did it? Did u make post about it? Thank you for sharing this lovely work you have done :)and also thank you for dropping by to my blog and taking time to comment my ‘cat – post’.Do you mind if I link you on my blog?Greeitngs,