Easter layout

I finally decided it was time to finish up the layouts that I did at the spring retreat.  I always take kits, but I don't do my journaling there or usually all the embellisments.  I'm never quite that organized or ready.  So...I thought I'd better make room in my tote for some new kits for the fall retreat....I was surprised that I hadn't accomplished more this spring.  Usually I get tons of layouts done.  This year...not so many, but I'll share them with you over the next few days.

Card fronts

As I mentioned earlier, I tried to use up some of my scraps over the weekend.  I think I made about 100 card fronts.  I didn't take photo's of any fronts...maybe I will later to show you what I do...but these are the stacks that I made from my yellow/orange/and green scraps.  Ridiculous isn't it?  But now...if I get to stamping, I just add to the front...and it's done.

Shop flowers and more

Well, when I promised to post photos of the barrels in front of the shop, I didn't realize I only had One...Anyway, I'm sure you are all sick of looking at flowers anyway.  You all probably have better flowers than I do.  But, I'm in love with them.  I spend a little time every day picking off the blooms that have wilted and are droopy.  Someone told me that they bloom more if they aren't supporting the already dead flowers. 

This pine tree in is front of our house, and when they planted it, they told us they thought it would eventually grow enough to come over the top of the rock.  I thought they were full of it.  I thought they planted it way too far back if they wanted it to go over the rock...but, 10 years later it's made it.  In fact, it's grown so much that this weekend when we did the yard work, I had to trim some of it off.  It's grown down so far it's going out on the sidewalk.
I love how it gets new growth on it in the spring.  It's the most beautiful green and looks and feels so soft.

Last year at the family auction, Trevor had used horse shoes to weld "stapelman".  Anyone who purchased one, could have whatever name they wanted made.  We bought it, and had him make "The Woods"...it was YELLOW....what was he thinking?  I hate yellow.  But, it sat at our front door for several months before I got around to taking it across the road and spray painting it BLACK...I love black things.  Anyway, I've been trying to talk Tori into making me a sculpture with metal pine trees...to go behind it.  So far...nothing.  Maybe someday. 

My Barrels

These beauties are on the east side of my house.  When we had our landscaping done, they put alot of barrels around the house.  I usually like putting petunia's in them because the colors are so pretty and they bloom so much.  This year I tried doing some different colors.  This one is full of pink and purple, as well as some herbs.

 

These are the herbs that I planted in back.  Gary made one of these planters for me, and Ila & Ellis made the other one.  It's about time to repaint them I think...

These are the barrels in front of the garage and by the front step.  The ones in front of the garage were supposed to be red/white/blue.  Robin's the only one that even noticed that.  Usually I put flags out, and I wanted that theme to carry through.  The one by the front step is the purple/white theme.
Tomorrow I'll share the flowers in front of the shop....more barrels.
I love flowers, and when they put the gravel around the house I was very disappointed that I wouldn't be able to plant tons, but I've actually loved the barrels.  It contains the flowers into bright spots.  It is a little spendy replanting every year, but...it works out.  It gives Jeff and the kids something to give me for Mother's Day.  Love those gift certificates to Viki's.

Mother's Day Cards

I made these two cards for our Mother's.  I fixed dinner for both of them and for Danelle's family since it was her birthday also.  I loved how these flowers turned out when I made them for the flower exchange.  I had some left over and thought they would be really pretty on a card.  I made them 5x7 since the flower was pretty large.  Then I got in such a hurry with fixing dinner and everything, that I gave them the card with their gift certificate and forgot to even sign them....but they were both glad.  They thought they could re-gift them.

flowers around the yard

In back of the house, on the patio, I have four planters .  I got these pots in Boise several years ago, and I'm actually a little surprised they've held up as well as they have.  I always plant them with flowers in the spring, and they are usually fairly pretty.  This year, I didn't put as much color in them as I usually do.  They ended up having more "green" plants, but I still enjoy them.  I also have a couple of wood planters up by the house that I put herbs in this year.  I've really quite enjoyed them also.

Shower Photos

I made a dessert table for the shower, and loved how it turned out.  The cupcake holder was made from a chandlier.  I was at "Girlfriends" in Twin Falls, and Lisa told me she had made it.  She bought it from the Youth Ranch, took all the wiring out, painted it, and was excited to use it for a cupcake holder.  She offered to loan it to me, and I loved it.  I'm on the lookout for one like it now.
We had so much fun at the shower!  I sure love my family and how supportive they are of everything.

My roses

I lost quite a few more rose bushes this year, and I never did get around to replacing them.  I'm about to give up on growing roses.  But...I love them.  Jeff doesn't like them, but they are one of my all time favorite flowers.  I love the colors and the smell.  I just can't seem to grow them very well.  Anyway, these are some photos of what few roses I had bloom.  This was back in late June, early July.  They are just starting to bloom again, but I haven't gone out and taken new photos.  I have a bunch of minature rose or carpet roses...whichever you call them, and I didn't take any photos of those either.  They aren't doing so well either, and I'm not sure if it's too much water, not enough water, no fertilizer...I just don't know what to do with roses.

Prizes for dutch oven cook-off

One of our customer's asked me if Columbia would donate prizes for the dutch oven cook-off at the fair.  We thought we could just donate some hats or something we had on hand, but Jeff decided that maybe we should do something a little more original.  So we did woven baskets with the fixings for a cobbler...done in a dutch oven.  I used some plaid fabric I had laying around to line each basket.  I asked Stephanie if she could make up a little poem to put on a tag for the baskets, and she didn't disappoint me.  It's amazing to me that I can ask almost every one of my kids to write a poem...and they could do it.  I can't do it at all.  But, I thought they turned out pretty cute.  I wrapped them up in cellophane and tied it with another piece of the plaid fabric.  When the lady came to pick up the prizes, I think she was very surprised and pleased with how they looked.  I hope so anyway.