My Spring Flowers

I finally took my camera outside with me and took some pictures of my flowers that are blooming. The first picture is my peony bush, it is one of the early ones!

The yard is looking pretty good, which is good thing as Jim and I decided to host the rehersal dinner here at the house for Justin and Kristy. They loved the idea, now its just a matter of getting everything all spruced up for about 35 people!!

My Bleeding Heart bush, its about 4 years old and this year it had the most flowers! I just love it!

We started cleaning the garage this past Saturday, the last time it was really cleaned was seven years ago for Justin's graduation. So far we got two garbage cans full of "things Jim couldn't part with" and we are only half done!

Some Violas that re-seeded themselves from last year. They really did very well. Maybe it was our mild winter that helped.

I have my menu all picked out and am gathering my recipes so that I can start watching "sales" to get alittle better bargain!

Here is my thought for today:

Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably, And never regret anything that made you smile..

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Lolipop Flowers

Here is another card that I just couldn't resist casing; I found it on a blog that I subscribe to, Flowerbug's Inkspot. She makes the cutest cards, and does alot of punch art. This is where you take your punches and create some really cute cards.

All of the ingredients are Stampin' Up! and here they are:

Stamps: Well Scripted

Cardstock: Melon Mambo, Ruby Red, Pink Passion, Pixie Pink

Tempting Turquoise, Taken with Teal, Bashful Blue, Bermuda Bay

YoYo Yellow, Summer Sun, Barely Banana, So Saffron. Green Galore, Garden Green

Ink: Soft Suede

Extras: Dot Embossing Folder, buttons

Punches: 1 3/4", 1 3/8" 1 1/4" and 3/4" Round, 5 Petal Flower

This card was quite the challenge, finding enough scraps to make the lolliops; but the extra effort was all worth it!

I did find the time to make a Rhubarb Crunch desert this past weekend and used the little bit of Rhubarb up that I had. We just put the bed in last year so our Rhubarb is fairly young, but with the warm spring that we have had it didn't take long for it to go to seed. I had to found a new recipe that didn't take alot of Rhubarb and I did from a cookbook that I have used time and time again. It is a neighborhood cookbook and alot of the authors of the recipes are no longer with us; and I so glad that I have that cookbook it has so many great recipes and memories of the people that supplied them.

As always, thanks for stopping in and take care.

Party Hearty Fishy!

When I seen this card, I just couldn't resist making one for myself! The original design belongs to Kay Kalthoff. Her blog is stampingtoshare.blogspot.com. I thank her for her talent and this very cute card.

All of the ingredients are from Stampin' Up! and here they are:

Stamp Set: Party Hearty, Whimical Wheel

Cardstock: Bermuda Bay, Rich Razzelberry, Crushed Curry, Whisper White

Extras: Black Brad

Punches: Scallop Square, Ornament, 3/4" Circle, Modern Label and Scallop Edge

We had a lovely weather wise weekend in Wisconsin and I will have to admit, I spent most of it outdoors. No house cleaning for me this weekend, I will have to do it sometime this week to make up for it. But it was so nice not to have to be inside. I mowed some lawn, planted some flowers (that I will probably have to cover if the weatherman is right this week) and helped Jim plant a row of potatoes. Today was alot cooler and its suppose to go downhill from Tuesday. So lets just hope that this week's weather will not turn out the way the weatherman predicts!

As always, thanks for stopping and take care!

Sincere Sympathy Card

I got my Sympathy cards done tonight, I used the Embossing Resist technique. I have used this technique before but never on Kraft cardstock. All of the ingredients are Stampin' Up! and here they are:

Stamps: Lovely as a Tree,SincereSalutations

Cardstock: Really Rust, Very Vanilla, Kraft, Brocade Blue

Ink: Bordering Blue, Only Orange, Summer Sun, Night of Navy, Really Rust, Soft Suede

Extras: Bashful Blue Grosgrain Ribbon, Top Note Die, Scallop Oval & Small Oval

Looks like we are in for some rain, which is very good as we continue to be quite dry. Everything looks good but the roads are very dusty and we have had so much wind lately that when we do get a little rain it just drys out very fast. So we will see what happens.

Thanks for looking at my cards, and as always, take care.

Last Butterfly Card!

Your probably getting sick of butterflys but they must be quite popular this year as I got 2 new stamp sets and they both have butterflys and of course I just had to get the newest SU Embossit folder, I just love it!! Again this card uses all Stampin' Up! ingredients and here is the list:

Stamps: Of the Earth, Oval All

Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Gable Green

Ink: Bashful Blue, Gable Green

Extras: Silver Cord, Dot Embossing Folder, Butterly Embosslit, Scallop Punch, Poinsetta Embossing Folder, Celery Taffeta Ribbon

I just love how these butterflys are turning out when I use the silver cord for the body and feelers! Its the little things that make me happy, I think I am either (a)Getting old OR (b)A cheap date!

I still have more cards to make and Ihave to get a shower card made for next weekend and two wedding cards, some graduation cards; eeks I better get stamping!! I always like to have the cards on hand so that when I need them I have them!!

I just love the spring that we are having this year, not only did the snow leave very early but it was dry enough that we didn't have to wear boots very long. AND I can now walk outside every day inside of just using the treadmill. Even though it did freeze here a couple of times this week for which I did walk on the treadmill instead of outside but I am thinking that tomorrow I am walking outside for sure. When I walk outside I take our two beagles, they just love it!! As soon as they see the leashes they are so excited and I think that they are smiling too! We walk from our place to the end of our road which hits the blacktop, its about a mile to the highway and a mile back. So a nice two mile walk is pretty good for us and because I have been walking on the treadmill since the first of January (yep pat me on the back and I have lost 12 pounds too!!) I am not winded but the beagles are! They are pooped by the time we get back but its good for them they need the exercise. We have seen some interesting wildlife; not always good but it really gets the blood pumping when you have a big black bear running down the road towards you because it got spooked by our hounds that we have in the backyard when it decided to walk down our driveway!! Boy that one was interesting! We've seen deer, skunks, coyote, rabbits (oh the beagles really like them!) a bear and a wolf. The last two I could have done without but when you leave in the country you have to expect these things. I usually try to take my cell phone along just in case I have to make a call home for help. So far so good though, we havent' seen anything interesting.

Well thats it for me this week, take care, talk to you next week!!

Another Butterfly Birthday Card!

I know, another butterfly card but they are turning out so darn cute and I figured out a way to make the body and feelers of the butterfly; silver cord loped so that the ends make up the feelers. Quite clever I know!!

Again this card uses all Stampin' Up! ingredients, and here they are:
Stamps: Great Friend
Cardstock: Lavender Lace, Whisper White, So Saffron
Ink: Lavender Lace, Certainly Celery and Cameo Coral
Extras: Lavender Brads, Silver Cord, Demensions

I can't believe that I had to mow lawn already! Don't get me wrong I love love love spring! But where we live is low and even once spring comes we have alot of low spots that usually is under water this time of year. I always laugh when I think what Jim said when we first moved here, "Of all of the spots that you had to pick, you pick the lowest part of the farm!" See my dad gave us two acres of land anywhere on the farm and I picked the next side road south of the farm. It was a pasture and I remember going with my grandpa when he would go after the cows and bring them up for milking. I was probably only 10 years old but back then, things were different and you know how it is when you are with your grandpa....he always let me drive his Ford Fairlane. I don't know how I was able to reach the pedals or see over the steering wheel!

Well Jim and I have lived at this spot for 29 years and have made some improvements, of course there was one thing that we never really had the extra cash to do anything with and that was the lawn. Its alot more level but I wouldn't let him cut any of the old Maples or Oaks or plow under the lawn and put in a new one. So it does have alot of slopes and hills and this time of year it is just beautiful with wild flowers galore. Our lawn has the usual spring flowers, violets, cow slips, ater tongues and trilliums; Jim didn't like mowing around them either as I would never let him mow them off until they were done blooming. But he is such a sweetheart he didn't mind and has never mowed them off. But now that Jim is working nights I get to mow lawn and I have only one thought when I am bouncing around.................."what was I thinking!!"

Until next time, take care!

Butterfly Birthday

I have been busy replenishing my stock of cards and came up with this birthday card. It uses all Stampin' Up! ingredients and here is the list:

Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly

Cardstock: Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla

Ink: More Mustard, Bermuda Bay, Soft Suede

Extras: Circle Scallop Die, Soft Suede Grosgrain Ribbon, Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon and Designer paper

This card actually took more of my time than I thought it would, but I liked the end results.

So the wedding plans are going according to schedule. The shower is the 8th of May and I just found out that after the shower the guys will come back to Kristy's moms for a cookout. Not a problem until I was asked by the son to make; potato salad, deviled eggs and BLT salad!! So I decided I better take a day off of work just to cook! But it will be fun and I enjoy cooking so its really no problem.

The invites were mailed today and I am happy to say that they survived the mail service, even though they required extra postage which I really don't agree with as I have received heavier and thicker envelopes at the regular postage. No wonder people turn to the email.

So until next time, take care.