Grandma Steinhauser really enjoyed her English Garden.
She always had purple and yellow iris.
When I was a little girl, we lived just about a mile from my grandparents. We would often visit Grandma and Grandpa Steinhauser, especially on the weekends. We watched TV shows like Wrestling with Bob, Lawrence Welk and Lassie (that show always scared me – so Grandma and I would have cookies in the kitchen while Lassie was on – I still like to have cookies when I am scared or worried). I remember watching her make homemade noodles and angel food cakes. She would let us do “fun” things like ironing – that we weren’t allowed to do at home.
Grandma and Grandpa Steinhauser on the south side of their home,
where she had planted pink hollyhocks and red poppies.
One of my favorite “jobs” at their house was helping Grandma with her flower gardens. Grandma had iris, peonies, daffodils, poppies, lilacs and an assortment of other beautiful flowers. She had flowers planted on the sides of the house, along the driveway, and she had an English garden, that she was so proud of, in her backyard. When visitors came, she always took them to look at her gardens. My sister remembers that when we took a stroll through Grandma’s gardens with her, that she would always hold our hands. Sweet memory!
I love old photographs and I really liked these three of Grandma with her flowers. I decided to experiment with the images. I used the photo editing tools in My Pictures and added more contrast to the original. Then I printed off the images on watercolor paper and used watercolor paint to add a new life to the photos.
Beautiful picture of my Grandma Steinhauser.
I loved the way these turned out. They make great keepsakes and wonderful family gifts. I have these hanging by my kitchen. They make me smile and appreciate all the memorable hours I spent with my Grandma and the many things I learned from her .
Supplies needed – Watercolor paper, paint and brushes.
To do this project, print off the image on watercolor paper and then use watercolors to add life to your photo. You could also use other types of paints, crayons or pastels, but I like the transparency of the watercolors.
I printed a color photo of these pansies on watercolor paper and then painted
them with the watercolors to add more dimension to the photo.
You might want to experiment printing images off in color on watercolor paper and then painting them. The watercolor paper adds texture and dimension to the images.
Have fun painting and making memories! I like this quote by Gertrude Jekyll:
“The love of gardening is a seed once sown that never dies.”
