My Garden Inspiration #4~Just Add Ink Challenge #20 and Blogger Issues

Whew...finally back on blogger...it has been down for me for a few days...scarey...but I'm back now...so onto the new!!

One of my very favorite flowers in my garden are the "Iris's"....I know I say every flower is my favorite, but there is just something about an Iris that is so breath-takingly beautiful!!  They are so regal and delicate with the little ruffled edges...the colors are like no other.......I just wish they would stay in bloom all summer!!  I have lots of different species and add as many more each year as I can find....you will be seeing more of these in the weeks to come...I wish you all could see them "in real life" they are.....stunning!!
This card was made with a retired SU set called "Still Life Stems"...I colored it in  with my SU markers......also adding it to the Just Add Ink Challenge #20...stitching!!!...I did faux stitching on the Iris CS and machine stitching around the DS paper...see you tomorrow!!

Garden Inspiration #3...well sort of!!

You might call this more of a "nature" inspiration...but just look at this big guy...he is a good 15 to 16" long...I don't know what made me look outside across the creek when  I did, but sure am glad I did, as I saw our cat Soot, crossing the bridge in her "hunt mode"...stalking~tail straight up...so I called her and she ignored me as cats do, so I ran out and across the bridge and snapped her up before "she" had her foot or face bit off...geez....in the many years we have lived here on the creek I have never ever seen one turtle.....so that is where this crazy card came from........the stamp set used is SU Natures Nest......the sentiment is a rub on.....remember the group "The Turtles"?....they had a song called "Happy Together"...so that is where all the craziness comes in...sorry couldn't resist!!

I do have lots more garden (real ones) inspiration to share later!

Garden Inspiration #2

Lilys...who doesn't love lilys???  There are so many varieties....I have lots and lots.....while I was out of town, my sister attended the area Garden Clubs plant sales...she bought  6 new day lilies for us to share....I planted mine yesterday...yummy names like Ocean Rain~Brocaded Gown~Southern Sunset~Scarlet Orbit~Pardon Me~and Designer Gown.....how fun...I in turn gave her two starts of a double white lilac~3 starts of my Pee Gee Hydranga~a new Iris I had just purchased and not yet planted called Edith Wolford...I have a habit of buying plants for names that mean something to me...my grandmother was Edith...I have a rose named "Bess" after my other grandmother "Bessie".....I also shared two Hosta's~ Blue Cadet and Christmas...and a start of Lobelia........

My card inspiration today is one of the Oriental Lilies newly planted this year...I saw these"paper" lilies on another blog.....made with the SU 5 Petal Flower Punch....are these fantastic or what.....love them!!!   Back tomorrow with another "inspiration from the garden!!!

Garden Inspiration #1

I am blooming...well my garden is anyway.......I decided this week to use my "blooms" as inspiration for my projects!  My first card is featuring my "PINK" Lily of the Valley......I purchased this unique color several years ago...one little plant for $7.99...I got my money's worth as I have dozens now and share them with  others!

The other pictures I took yesterday morning...already since then it has popped out even more...a deep~dark Iris bud yesterday is a full in bloom flower today...will have to get a picture of it later. I was gone for 4 days, plus we had rain and cold temps prior to leaving for several days, so now am waaaaaaaaaaay behind in what I thought was "keeping up"......while I was gone the racoons came and ate all my Yarrows and my newly purchased last year "Pink Poodle" cone flower....and they drank a can of Raspberry Lipton iced tea, that was set down by the garden and forgotten (Lori was that you?)...no kidding, they partied hearty while I was gone........the yellow cat (Pumpkin as we call him) in the garden is a "drop off" from last year.....he is rough, won't even go into the details, but this guy has way more then 9 lives.....we are amazed he is still around, he is living in my garden...wish he would scare the racoons away!!