Valentine Tea 2018

At our February 12 meeting, we had a wonderful Valentine Tea arranged by the Late Bloomers, led by Judy Henn. THANK YOU ladies! Such tasty treats!

We also enjoyed a lovely lunch…meatballs, chicken & mashed potatoes, courtesy of Marie Chapman, in honor of her 90th birthday.

Then, Mindy led us in a project to transform little vinegar bottles. We had fun working with pretty napkins, using decoupage to secure the design to the bottles, and creating a beautifully decorated container. They can be either bud vases, or as a charming vinegar bottle to serve at a table. They make excellent gifts!

Our Hosts - The Late Bloomers — Our Hosts – The Late Bloomers

Judy Henn slicing up our Valentine Tea cake

Make & Take Project

The Valentine’s project was “Decoupage with Napkin” to create a whimsical bud vase, upcycled from a vinegar bottle! The napkins are a choice of beautiful floral and butterfly designs from Winterthur Museum or a recent shipment from England which are whimsical. The uniqueness of the beautiful napkin designs outweighed the cost of postage after viewing 1000’s of napkins on eBay. We had the cream of the crop to create our project.

Decoupage project materials:

1 vinegar bottle
1 mini Mod Podge
1 napkin
Scissors
Saran Wrap

Decoupage involves glue and top coat which is called Mod Podge. Product is applied to vase, then design on napkin is smoothed & treated. It can be a messy process, but oh so fun to create! We had a mentor at each table for guidance. The vessel (the vinegar bottle) is just as important as flowers!

We had a great time letting our creative juices flow!

Check out our February 2018 Newsletter – we have a new issue monthly and you can find archived issues of the newsletter on the same page.

21st Annual Holly Berry Brunch Fundraiser

The Dearborn Garden Club hosted its annual fundraiser, Holly Berry Luncheon, on December 2, 2017 at the Dearborn Inn. Gratitude for each and every volunteer on committees making our 21st Holly Berry Brunch another huge success. We wrapped and assembled gifts, created beautiful bows and other artistic touches along with the ever important logging of donations and large sponsorships. Busy, though highly fulfilling work organizing the Holly Berry Brunch fundraiser.

The menu consisted of meatloaf and vegetables or a vegetarian meal of butternut squash, plus dessert. The luncheon was another huge success as we had 464 guests.

Members Enjoying The Holly Berry Lunch — Great Fun at the Holly Berry Brunch

Garden Club of Dearborn organizes our annual Holly Berry Brunch fundraiser to fund numerous scholarships to University of Michigan – Dearborn and Henry Ford Community College students, internships and garden restoration at the Henry Ford Estate, and landscaping projects at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center, Environmental Interpretive Center at the University of Michigan – Dearborn and other local schools. The club also provides intra-club scholarships for members attending the Fall Conservation Conference, Flower Show School, and the Gardening Study Course and Landscape Design School, where one can become an accredited judge. These people then bring their knowledge back to the club and the community.

This Year’s Raffle Prizes

This year we had many generous gifts and donations from area merchants for our Holly Berry fundraiser brunch. Dearborn Mayor John O’Reilly read off the names of the raffle winners as he does for our brunch every year.

Tables filled with raffle prizes. — Tables filled with raffle prizes donated by area merchants

Thank you! to these fine organizations and area merchants for their generosity to Holly Berry Brunch:

Beaumont Health, Fairlane Ford, Leader Printing, Westborn Market, Dearborn Bank and Trust, Fairlane Town Center, Mayor John B. O’Reilly, Dearborn Federal Savings Bank, Henry Ford College, Park Place Catering, Dearborn Inn, Henry Ford Village, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn Sausage, Historic Ford Estates, Village Ford, Driver Source, Inc., Jack Demmer Lincoln, West Dearborn Downtown Development Authority.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone next December at Holly Berry!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Annual Christmas Potluck

The Dearborn Garden Club hosted our annual Christmas potluck for members and guests at the First Presbyterian Church. We all enjoyed a meal together and each other’s company.

: Christmas Potluck: Bringing a dish and sharing a meal.

: Christmas Potluck: Dearborn Garden Club

Celebrating102 Years – Welcome Back Tea

The Dearborn Garden Club kicked off its 102nd year as the oldest Garden Club in Dearborn by celebrating with a tea and a Chick Charms project. All attendees were able to put together a tea cup which included the latest fad in succulents, “Chick Charms”. In attendance were over 50 Club members and numerous guests.

Carol McGarvey, Marietta Lynch, Betty King, Mary Bugeia. Honoring Betty King as she celebrates 25 years with the Garden Club of Dearborn.

All meetings are open to the public and are held at the First Presbyterian Church on Brady St. in Dearborn the second Monday of the month beginning at noon. The next meeting will be Oct. 9th.

Carol McGarvey, Mary Bugeia, Mindy Delano, Pat Knoop, Sharon Snider, Carmen Gudan, Shirley Painter.

Chick Charms Project

: Casserole Dish Charms

: Flowering Chick Charms

: Chick Charms in a Pot

U of M Dearborn: Community Organic Garden Awards

2016 Conference of the Michigan Garden Clubs – Awards

Two landscape features at the Community Organic Garden (COG), the Enabling Garden, and the Monarch Butterfly Waystation, were the focus of awards given at the 2016 Conference of the Michigan Garden Clubs, which took place in Frankenmuth.

The EIC would especially like to acknowledge the wonderful volunteer efforts of Mary Lenart, whose direction and vision for these two garden sites has been so influential in enhancing the overall quality of life experience at the COG. Congratulations, Mary, on these well-deserved award acknowledgements!

Award Recipients:

Enabling Garden – Michigan Garden Club Award:
1st Place District 1

Michigan Garden Clubs:
1st Place Photographs of flowers grown at the Enabling Garden.

National Garden Clubs-Central Region – Sharing Our Gardens Award:
3rd Place for Enabling Garden Iced Tea and Dessert Event and garden walk. Monarch and Waystation.

National Garden Clubs – Central Region
1st Place District 1:
1st Place Michigan Garden Clubs.

National Garden Clubs – Central Region-Sharing Our Future Award:
3rd Place.

National Garden Club President’s Project-Service in Action – Conservation in Action Roadside Development Award:
2nd Place overall

National Garden Club President Project Service in Action – Monarch Watch and Waystations:
1st Place – Large Garden Club.

Re-posted from the U of M Dearborn: EIC Fall Newsletter
U of M Environmental Interpretive Center