Heather K Powers

Friday Fieldtrip::Whispering Wings Fancy Flyers

April 20, 2012 by Heather Filed Under: Inspiration & Education, Photography 3 Comments

As a part of my ongoing training and overview for volunteering at Brookgreen gardens I got to visit the Whispering Wings Butterfly exhibit. This is one of the areas I want to be trained to work in (along with the sculpture conservation department and horticulture). There are literally hundreds of butterflies in the exhibit and some I’d never seen. A few are native to coastal SC but most of these species are not and they have strict procedures for making sure there are no escape artists!

Monarch, Zebra Longwing, Polydamas Swallowtails, Pipevine Swallowtails, Spicebush Swallowtails, Julias, Buckeyes, Queens, Painted Lady, and American Lady are among other species you will see there if you visit.

This Tiger striped butterfly was among my favorite and was my husband’s favorite (of my photos, he didn’t join me this time).

But my favorite had to be the malachite, I just love anything green! This exhibit runs all spring and summer, check it out if you are in the area!

PS. Did you know that this week was/is National Volunteer week? Do you volunteer?

Friday Fieldtrip::Springtime in the South (hkpowerstudio.wordpress.com)

Studio Sunday::Seaweed Pressing

April 8, 2012 by Heather Filed Under: Art & Design, Handmade, Inspiration & Education Leave a Comment

Seaweed Pressing: Before spreading and drying

: Seaweed Pressing: After spreading and before drying. This will stay pretty much the same once pressed.

Simple Joyful Things

April 3, 2012 by Heather Filed Under: Inspiration & Education, Photography Leave a Comment

In honor of the simple joyful things in life!

simple joyful things

10 Simple things that bring me joy…

1. Taking photo’s

2. Sunsets

3. Time with friends (family friends, new friends & old friends)

4. Laughter, especially from children

5. Chocolate

6. Neat and organized spaces

7. Walks on the beach

8. Hugs

9. Waterfalls

10. Flowers, in the garden, in my house, in photo’s-anywhere

Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple. — Dr. Seuss

The simple life::Living with Less

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Makeover Monday::His & Hers Walk in Closet

April 2, 2012 by Heather Filed Under: Closets, Home, Organize, Organizing Projects 1 Comment

This was a case of a beautifully designed closet that just wasn’t functioning so well. Without calling in anyone to redesign the closet or purchasing anything new we made do with what they had and re-organized some things so that more of what was needed fit into the closet in a neat and tidy way.

Her Side (Before left: After right)

About 4 hours later (mostly working by myself on this project) I had this closet finished. On her side I sorted tops, bottoms and long dresses and jackets by clothing type and color. I re-located less used special occasion items to a second guest room closet, created drawers designated for specific items such as hats, jewelry, belts and lingerie. This freed up space for the client to use other bedroom furniture drawers for items that should not be hung such as sweaters, other knits and casual/frequently used items.

His Side (Before left: After right)

On his side I sorted full suits by season putting the warmer season suits to the front since we are shifting towards summer (at least here in the south). This client also has quite a collection of bow ties and suspenders which I hung on a multi section hangers (often used for scarves or pants). Again I sorted shirts and pants/shorts by type and color leaving suspenders attached to several pairs of pants in this case.

We got rid of almost everything on the floor and many of the decorative boxes and items cluttering up the shelves. We used the shelves for shoes (both in and out of boxes and drawer bins), bags, hats (on the top shelves) and photo albums. She liked keeping these albums in the closet but if she needed more shelving space she could remove them to another area in the future. The closet is a nice space to keep photo albums if you have the room and you can always pull out a few at a time to have on display in a more public room of the house.

Tip: Store items that are not needed often in the back of deep corner shelves in containers that are easily pulled out. For example shoe; a shoe shining kit. Label the edge of shelves so you know what’s hiding in the back of each.

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Friday Fieldtrip::Springtime in the South

March 30, 2012 by Heather Filed Under: Inspiration & Education, Photography Leave a Comment

I have a lot going on behind the scenes and I’m not quite ready to share as I mentioned in a previous post BUT…I want to share some of what I’ve been doing! I recently decided to apply to volunteer at Brookgreen Gardens and last Tuesday I was “interviewed” and “oriented” to become a part of that team. I am so excited, as a Master Gardener in both Maryland and Georgia I’ve been itching to get my hands in the dirt here and begin to learn more about the coastal plants I’m not familiar with. The Master Gardener program in SC is run through Clemson and I missed the cut off for the first class of the year so while I’m waiting and deciding if I want to continue as a Master Gardener here I opted to jump into the Brookgreen opportunity! This place is one of my favorite public gardens, anywhere, ever!

Here is the daily display of the flowers in bloom. This is not a comprehensive display but it represents alot of what’s blooming on any given day. It’s the sneak peak of goodies to be seen and smelled.

This bottle tree is in the education center garden which includes edible crops such as rice, corn, medicinal herbs, greens and other seasonal crops. I love the Southern tradition of bottle trees in the garden, they are said to catch evil spirits as they get caught the colorful bottles after being entranced.

Look at all these blooming beauties! Azaleas, Delphinium, Larkspur, Poppies and many other springtime favorites were in bloom. With the warm winter and spring we are having, the daffodils were almost done blooming but there were some incredible combinations of flowers not typically in bloom together. March is typically a “dangerous” month in low country gardens that border marshy areas, snakes and alligators are coming out of hibernation and I was startled by one in an unexpected spot as I was trying to get some shots. I’ll be learning a lot more about where they like to hang out and I’ll be using extreme caution! I am typically a pretty fearless gardener but I have a healthy respect for these potentially deadly creatures. Avoidance will be my main tactic, along with long pants, closed toe shoes and gloves when reaching into hidden areas.

I am thrilled to just be able to go soak in the beauty and contribute to sharing that with all the visitors who come there. I’m sure you will be hearing and seeing more of my Brookgreen experience over the months to come. If you ever get to Myrtle Beach or Charleston, it’s worth the little extra drive to visit this garden which also includes a comprehensive sculpture collection and a lot of plantation history.