2018 Garden Art Acquisitions

It was a banner year for the Buffalo-style Garden Art Sale! 47 vendors of garden art, everything from statuary to furniture to birdhouses to wind chimes—and way, way more.

I help organize. plan and promote this event with small committee of people that have been working (most of us anyway) for all seven years the sale has been around. We meet once a month January through August at an Indian restaurant down the street from my house. It's a relaxed, fun group. And everyone's a worker. This year was extremely hot—in the upper 80ºs. We all were there from 8a.m. (or earlier) to 5p.m. (or later!) both days of the sale. It was a blast.

I spent about the same as I usually do. I do have a budget. But not even my wife knows my budget. I save so I can buy a few things each year. This year my money seemed to have gone further, as more stuff followed me home.

The lead photo is a totem by Rochester artist Jennifer Kath Buckley of The Tea Pottery. Each ceramic piece is sold separately—you get to build your own totem based on your taste (and budget!). They also come as "chains"—hanging versions.

Below are my other purchases—and one thing I won!

I had the two rustier leaves on the left, but added a third one to the collection. They are made by Rochester Artist Kathy Kozel of Kathleen A. Kosel Steelworks. I bought my first one five years ago or more. I've been looking to add this third one for a while. The squirrel in the upper right came from the Portland Oregon Rose Garden gift shop.

An impulse purchase. I wasn't planning on buying a "fairy door" from Rochester's Blue Toucan Studios, but when I saw they had a Harry Potter door, I mean, c'mon—I have a Harry Potter Garden. It was fate. I could not deny fate. I was most excited to show it to my seven-year-old neighbor that helped mt set up the Harry Potter Garden this year. He approved.

Another impulse purchase. I'd been thinking I'd like a book or journal or something for guests to sign when they visit the garden. One of the vendors, Barbara Grace, from Fredonia, NY takes old book covers and r purposes them into journals. Intermixed with the pages are pages from the original book. I wasn't sold on buying one, we looked for something garden-inspired but nothing caught my fancy. Until this one. My grandad bought a Farmer's Almanac every year and it is a childhood memory of going through his dog-eared copy and looking at the pictures.

The two images above are pots by the Falls Church, Virginia artists of Salt & Lemons. These were another impulse purchase. I have this huge aloe that needs to be divided this weekend, so it was written in the stars that I should have these. They weren't expensive, so I could justify it. And besides, they traveled all the way from Virginia! I used many of their pots in promoting the Garden Art Sale—they are irresistible.

It's a water sprinkler by Copper Creations of Haines, Florida. I've had a nice artsy sprinkler made by a local artist—but after about 18 years of use, it finally gave up the ghost. I'll be using this today, as the garden needs some serous water after these hot day. The vendor, Alan has been a stalwart supporter of our sale, and I see him at other sales in the region. He sells these sprinklers and sunflower showers here in the summer and Florida in the winter.

I could have made this. I have pickets and paint around, and had been thinking about making a flag from found materials from around teh house, but I never find the time. This was only $10! How could I not get it? Ron's Wood Creations (no relation to Ron Wood) had a dozen or so of these picket flags for only $10, most were three times this size—I liked the narrow version best. No website for them, sorry!

And this is what I won! A $10 raffle ticket got me this little birdie from Garden Accents of Peninsula, Ohio. I put my tickets in for donations from nearly every vendor. I kinda wanted the WNY Hosta Society min-hosta hypertufa pot, or the Bonsai Socieety's Bonsai plant, but I could not be happier with my concrete bird!