MID SUMMER BLAHS

I attended a bridal shower Sunday afternoon and needed a card for a Bed, Bath and Beyond gift card I had bought. 

 I went with her colors-gold, yellow and rust.  I stamped the Stampendous Apaganthus Cluster stamp in Really Rust ink direct on the gold cardstock.  I used yellow Stickles on the flower centers and the small punched (Martha Stewart punch) butterflies.  I scored a line along the side and added some rust buttons punched using the Sizzix Buttons #5 die.  I added rust thread through the buttonholes. Used the large and small SU oval punches for the sentiment. 

GARDENING: Most of my clematis were pretty this year and I still have two with a few blooms which is pretty good with the lack of rain and intense heat we are having.

 The two photos above are Comtesse de Bouchaud taken earlier and it is one that still has a few blooms left.

 Clematis Gillian Blades blooms early.

 Niobe was really pretty but is done blooming now. Love the reddish color of this one!

 The President was also a pretty bloomer but has finished. 

 Polish Spirit, the purple in the above photo, bloomed really well and still has a few blooms. One of my favorites and has smaller sized blooms.

 Ville de Lyon has always been one of my best blooming, and favorite, clematis.  So disappointed this year-great foliage but very little bloom!  Usually a fairly early and long bloomer!

Hagley Hybrid above in a earlier photo, was another one that didn't bloom well this year.  Will wait and see what next year brings!!

Watered tomatoes this morning and brought in a few ripe ones.  Rain and some cooler weather would sure be nice!!  Looking forward to fall already!

HERE YOU ARE SISTER!!

Here you are Sister!!  She keeps reminding me to update my blog.  I have been too lazy to resize and upload photos!!

I used my 40% off coupon at Hobby Lobby yesterday and bought the Blossom Nestabilities dies.  I wanted the Daisy Heads but they were out of them.  There are 6 dies in the package and I used all but the largest one for my flower.  I diecut them from some Making Memories red paper using my Cuttlebug.  The paper has faint white circles on it-doesn't show well in the photo.  I used scissors to rough up the edges on each diecut and then layered them on white Bazzill textured cardstock.  I used the Cuttlebug button edge embossing folder on the right side.  The button in the middle of the flower was made using a Sizzix Buttons #5 die in the Cuttlebug.  Added some white floss to the button.  If it looks bare at the bottom, I am leaving that open for a sentiment later when I decide what I want to use the card for.

Here are some daylilies that have been or are still blooming.

WILL RETURN

CAPTURED LOVE

 DOUBLE PASSION

                                                          PANAMA HATTIE
                                                                           

                                                                TRAHLAYTA                                                                             
We have been getting some 1/2" showers but would like more, greedy person that I am.  :>)
 

NEW COMPUTER and MISCELLANEOUS

Been working on getting my new computer set up.  My girls came Sunday afternoon and helped get it up and running.  Maybe it will get better,  but I don't care for Windows 7.  Would like to have XP back. as I continue to search by trial and error! :>(

Going to try to upload some photos we transferred over if I can find them:

ALPINE MIST 

ANTIQUE ROSE

 ARIEL ROSE

 BECKY LYNN

BLACK EYE 

CHICAGO KNOBBY 

 WILDA

WIND FRILLS 

Keeping with the pink/rose/lavender theme here is a couple of cards I made quite some time ago.  I haven't done much scrapping/stamping this Spring.  Now that Summer is here and too hot to do much outside will get back to it.

Have had a few ripe tomatoes on my Sun Sugar plant.  Fun to go by while checking the flowers each morning and pop a few in my mouth.  Early Goliath has one tomato that will be ripe in a few days.  Still doing some weeding and mulching in the mornings while it is still cool.  Was thinking about watering the tomatoes but hate to start.  We have had an inch of rain--1/2" Friday and a 1/2" Tuesday so will wait awhile. Some really pretty daylily blooms, probably at peak bloom now, but the foliage on some of the plants look really rough. Combining and haying is done for the year so DH can relax and rest for awhile.

Be back later with some more photos.

SUNDAY SPECIALS

The daylilies are beginning to pop.  Here are a few select photos of some daylilies that are blooming today.

 Bridal Suite (Hanson C. '88) is one great daylily.  She is just loaded with scapes, buds and blooms.  One of my favorites.

 Little Maggie (Williamson '81) is a shorter daylily and makes a beautiful bouquet when in full bloom!

Shari Harrison (McKinney '75) is a different color-violet purple and a very pretty bloom.  I need to move her as she is behind Bridal Suite which is much taller and hides her.  Always rearranging to do in the garden.

 I have grown Serpentine (Wild '84) for a very long time.  A very good daylily-never fails to perform.  I love her coloring-a rose bitone.

 Ming Porcelain (Kirchhoff '82) is another great daylily that I have grown for a long time.  This photo is of her blooming in shade.  I also have her in a sunny bed.  Beautiful porcelain texture.

Leebea Orange Crush (Gates 78)  Here is a bright one for you and another favorite daylily of mine-and another one that really performs well.

 Siloam Double Classic (Henry '85) is another one I have grown for a long time and another favorite.  Most always blooms double except maybe for her first bloom.  Gorgeous pink!

Finally here is a card I made some time ago with the Siloam Double Classic photo. 
I printed the photo on Georgia Pacific white cardstock, layered on Wild Wasabi cs and Pretty in Pink cs. Added a pink and white checked ribbon and a sentiment in Wild Wasabi  as I needed a sympathy card.

Will add some more photos later-take care-really has been hot already here in SW Missouri. 

TODAY'S TIDBITS

One of my favorite blogs to visit is Anna Wight's Sassy and Sweet.  Anna is a very talented young woman.  She designs stamps, makes cards, sews, gardens, does photography and has farm animals.  This picture below was on one of her posts and I thought it was so cute.  The chicken is Olive Oyle with one of her chicks.  They are Turken (naked neck) chickens. Check out her blog for some more interesting photos.  (Clicking on the photos below should make them larger-hopefully.)

We have four weddings in the family this summer.  This is a card I made to send to one great niece who is getting married Saturday.  No stamping but lots of embossing. 

The photo below is the patio bed that runs along our dining room window.  The steps at the far end lead up to the covered back porch.  Ferns, bleeding heart, columbine, astible, heucheras and variegated  Jacob's Ladder are crammed in that space . A brunnera 'Jack Frost' came today.  I had ordered it from a sale Bluestone Perennials is having and hope I can find room for it in this bed.  The heucheras (coral bells) on the far end are some I bought un-named at a garden club sale years ago.  They like their spot and I like their frothy blooms. 

Below is a closer look at the un-named coral bells.

My iris have finished blooming and I have six I would like to find out the names for.  I know that is an almost impossible task with all the iris that have been sold through the years.  If  you recognize any of these I would be grateful to know the names. 

EARLY BLOOM IN MISSOURI

My sister reminded me I hadn't posted in awhile- so - Sister this is for you!

 This is usually the first daylily that blooms here in my garden.  It is a species daylily that I think is Sp. dumorterri.  It started blooming May 1 and just has a few buds left to bloom.  The purple flower is Salvia May Night and an allium behind. 

 Philadelphus Mock Orange had been loaded with blooms and butterflies.  It is old-was here when we moved here in 1979. A pretty sight.

 I never realize our Tulip tree is blooming until I see some petals on the ground.  I then look up and see these amazing blooms that cover the tree.  This tree was also here when we moved here. 

 Another butterfly magnet has been this tub of Nepeta Catmint Walker's Low. There is a matching tub on the other side of the steps that are leading up to our front door -which no one uses-most everyone drives around to the back of the house.  I have nepeta as an edging around some beds-very hardy perennial.

 This is a start of my Mom's bleeding heart.  It has just  finished blooming.  I cherish it as my Mom is no longer alive.  She loved flowers and had a real green thumb!

I had a start of this columbine that was also from my Mom.  It died and I have since replaced it with another one like it.  Love the color of this one.  I hope the new one likes it here!

I have been pulling weeds and grass out of the garden beds.  Since I turned 72 my back and knees rebel at all the activity after not much action during the winter.  I really, really need to start at least a small exercise program!!

FAVORITES

Thought I would add a new post as it rained and my outside work plans have changed-again!!

When I first started stamping in 2007, Stampin' Up's  Long-Time Friend is one of the first stamp sets I bought.  I had seen so many pretty cards made with the set and it is still one of my favorite sets. 

 The sentiment with the set says:  It takes a long time to grow an old friend.  Here are a few cards I have made with this set that are my favorites. You can click on each card for a closer view.

I think my favorite is the Sympathy card that I watercolored.  The others are colored using PrismaColor pencils and gamsol technique.