Ah, Summer!

This week's CCEE challenge was to make a fun summer card. What's more fun than ice cream? This beautiful Basic Grey paper made me think of ice cream colors. The stamp is one of the $1 stamps from Michael's. It's a two scooper and I just stamp it several times and cut and paste the scoops. You can't see very well in the photo, but I crimped a little of the white panel.

Recipe: stamps- ice cream cone (katie & co.), snap stamps (karen foster); paper- barely banana (SU), white, pink and white marbled, Basic Grey dp; ink- black archival, SU markers; accessories- Cuttlebug embossing folder, crimper, scallop border punch (SU).

Sorry, More Flowers...

Note to self. I love this trailing silver grey Dichondra (Silver Falls). A definite keeper for containers. The purple flower is Torenia 'Purple Moon'.

Don't you just love Gerbera daisies? They're such a happy flower.

I have a new favorite flower (this, of course, changes from moment to moment)... Diascia 'Genta Pink' (also called twinspur). All this is from 3 starter plants. It has a mounding habit and has been covered with flowers since I bought it in early May. I'm anxious to see how it does throughout the rest of the season. I did learn one disappointing fact online this morning. I purchased it as a perennial, but for my zone it's considered a tender perennial and treated as an annual. However, it's definitely worth buying each year.

Little Pleasures

"It isn't the great big pleasures that count the most; it's making a great deal out of the little ones."
Jean Webster, Daddy Long Legs


This bouquet contains rose of sharon, gooseneck loosestrife, coral bells, shasta daisies, queen anne's lace, liatris, and a yellow wildflower called linaria vulgaris (also goes by butter and eggs, yellow toadflax and wild snapdragon).

June Supplies Challenge

Charlene was the CCEE challenge hostess for June and sent us beautiful designer paper, ribbon, brads, and punched ovals. The butterfly is embossed.

Recipe: paper- chocolate chip (SU), white, pink designer paper (source unknown); stamps- butterfly (Anita's), Essential Sentiments (My Favorite Things); ink- chocolate chip (SU), pink (Mist Collection, Color Box Petal Points); accessories- brads, ribbon, clear ep, punches (SU).

Play Ball!

My cousin's son turned seven in April. When asked what he wanted for his birthday, he told his dad that he wanted a signed baseball from my son, Adam. How sweet is that? I contacted Adam, who sent me a baseball for him. This is the card I made to accompany the baseball and a couple signed cards. I was happy for the opportunity to use this adorable stamp set and color coordinated it to match the team colors. The form of the card is called Tri Shutter and actually pretty simple to do. You can find directions for how to make them on the Splitcoast Stampers website.

Recipe: stamps- Put Me In Coach (Storage Units, Ink and More); paper- black, white, dp (source unknown); ink- black archival, SU markers; accessories- chalks (for sky).

No Time To Blog

This is one of the reasons for being so behind in my blogging. The garden is starting to come in. This morning we finished up the last of 24 quarts of green beans from the first picking. I had a lot of help though. My husband, Erin and Jill all helped pick, snap and fill jars.

My Jenn Flower

...known to others as gaillardia or blanket flower. I like to name a plant after the person who gave it to me, or someone it reminds me of. My friend Jenn gave this to me when she moved to Texas. She's thriving, Jenn!