Pat Tharp Creations.......by Joyce Oroz

My friend, Pat is beyond creative--she's insanely busy building a village out of bird houses. If her letter to me doesn't inspire you, better check your temperature and make sure your heart is still ticking. In real life, Pat is a landscape professional but she has a full range of abilities, like carpentry, masonry and a broad knowledge of plants. But her specialty is surprise. The surprise people feel when they see her amazing Christmas and Easter villages.

Joyce,

I have to thank you for the inspiration you gave me! I went to Michael's looking for Easter houses and found a whole collection of bird houses that are the same size as the one you painted for us. Well, to make a long story short; my nook table and kitchen bar are filled with paint, unpainted creations ready to be discovered, drills, balsa wood, Easter stickers, all kinds of creative border material, etc. I have been working non stop for 3 days and could not be happier. I have remodeled 3 bird houses into what I have been searching for years to find. I have sawed off some to the lower perches and made the bird house openings into doors and windows. I found some adorable birds with really colorful feathers, to sit on the higher perches. I have been experimenting with stencils, foam stickers, self adhesive tape, ribbon, etc. I think they look so cute. I made one into a church, I added a fence to the second floor of another to make an outside patio, found tiny clay pots to make flower arrangements for the patio, etc. I wish you were here to "play" with me!!

I have to work outside today. I am finishing the trench for the new gas line. I have dug it 17" deep and 28' long so far. I need to go down a little deeper, but I ran into the old line and have to take it out before I go any further. That should be loads of fun! Sam is here to help, but it still won't be as much fun as painting.

Today I made 2 tunnels for the little trains and made some Easter signs for the streets. I finished painting the houses. I think I have 14 now. I am now making the train tunnels and have them all finished except the one under construction. I will work on some of the trees next. They need to be a little fuller, so I will add branches. The "pail tree" ended up to be a jacaranda tree. It looks cute with the bird sitting on the branch.
.....stopped at Hobby Lobby.  I also found some very realistic tiny birds, some topiary bushes, tiny flower pots, and some very cute tiny bird houses on poles.  The village is growing, and I hope you are here next year to help me put it together.  I finished making 4 tunnels for the trains, and have filled tiny flower pots with wee little flowers.