My computer is still in the shop!

I have missed blogging and loading more items on my Etsy shop.. I have not been able to check out my blogs I love to visit. All is well with me, but not my computer.  I will be back to blogging hopefully soon.

Art journaling class

I  had given my nieces daughter a gift card for Christmas. It was for an " afternoon of art" making a artsy stash Journal. On Saturday, July 2nd  Dharma age 10 was able to come to play. She brought her cousin Faith  age 9. We had  a lot of fun, and got so busy I did not get pictures of the finished journals, Dharma's mom made one also. I did take some pictures of my creative studio before they came. It was fun to have the table ready, and to see the look on Dharmas face when she entered the room!

 All three of the journals turned out so cute.  As they buckled in the car for their ride home... they got there journals out to look at again!

 A picture of my desk, all cleaned ready for company.

My Delphiniums inside and outside!

July in my garden and my studio room! I just love the color of blue these delphiniums are. I stenciled this piece years ago, it works so well as storage for my wool fabrics and such in my art studio. I love the contrast of the blue and white of my fence in my flower bed also.

Sorry I have not posted lately.

I have been having problems with my computer and it is in the shop.  Have been picking flowers and am amazed at how everything is growing so fast. I hope to be up and running with my computer soon.  blessings~barb

Pretty perennial

   It is always a nice surprise when a perennial that you planted the year before survives the winter and is just so delightful!

 Facts:Verbascum phoeniceum (also called purple mullein)

Short lived herbaceous perennial grown for spires

of flowers in pink, purple and white.

Good for mixed borders and wildlife gardens

 

Our first Piebald fawn!

My hubby raises deer, this is our first piebald fawn.... isn't she adorable.

Visit Melissa at Creating from the heart!

I have followed Melissa's blog for some time... she is having a great give away! Check it out.

Paper Craft Pleasures

 Visit Jan, she has a wonderful blog and has a very sweet give away. It will be worth your visit. See her link on my sidebar. Have a great day! Blessings~Barb

Get well card

 Made a get well card for a friend from church. He had surgery and was told he may not be comfortable sitting  for a week.... could stand or lay down. I bet any chair would look good to you after a week of that.

 

I have had this chair stamp for years. I just purchased the die cut that matches it. I am having so much fun with my Big Shot Sizzix.

Mini Album

  This is entered for the Simon Says Stamp and Show Anything Goes!


 Plus, Srapbook.com was having a challenge, this is the first I have done there.
  You were to make a mini album about yourself.
 In gathering the garbage to take out,I came upon the potato chip box and that was the inspiration.

 I decided I would make a little album of tags, using my Sizzix to cut the tags from the potato chip box... It was fun.
I have both the big sides of the box for more die cutting.

Look at the change in one week!

It turned from cold and dreary to hot and humid! We'll for a little while that was, now it is rainy and 45. This picture was taken on Thursday May 12th. I can't believe how everything grew so much in a few days! Just compare this to my last post of the Memory Shade Garden. Last week you couldn't even tell there are ferns!

I took a close up of the tulip. I just love seeing the inside of them....didn't even notice the bee until I loaded the pics on my computer.

Memory Shade Garden

 My Mom was a Master Gardener. When she passed away some of my friends I worked with gave me a gift certificate to a nursery and told me to buy something for myself. I purchased this garden statue.

In this shade garden is a Double Bloodroot that one of my sisters recieved from my Mom and my Sis was told they were rare. She dug part of hers and gave it to me.

American native double form that was discovered in Michigan and some people believe it to be the most beautiful of all wildflowers.

Sanguinaria canadensis ‘Multiplex’

I also have a single Bloodroot that I moved from our woods to another of my shade gardens... they are one of the first things to come up in the spring. The  blossom doesn't last long but their beautiful leaves do.

Sanguinaria canadensis

(Bloodroot)

To Nola

 Hi Nola,

 My Artsy ~ Etsy ~  friend with a wonderful imagination.

Here is your one flower in a vase.

 Just sending you a smile!

  I don't collect angels, I just have this grouping of three...

I just couldn't leave the aligator one in the store!

 Have a great day.

May feels like March

Its cold here in Southeastern Minnesota! I have been waiting for some tulips to come up, but none yet. I am so anxious to pick some.

My first flowers of the season, I put in a vase for my in-laws wedding aniversary.

I just love to pick flowers and give them to others.

6 am Easter Sunrise

We have a cross at church for Easter, that on Good Friday is draped in black. The cross was made from the trunk of one of the large trees we had donated from a members property years ago.
Years ago a family would have a Florist shop do fresh flowers,  in memory of there parents, for Easter Sunrise. When that came to an end, the cross seemed so bare at our Sunrise service I decided I would give it a try. Very few people in our church knows who has done this. I don't care to have credit in the bulletin.
My dear hubby helped figure out how to attach it to the cross. I was concerned about the cost of the flowers but a friend and fellow member wanted to donate towards the flowers. I had run into her at one of many supermarkets in a large town 30 miles from where we live. We chatted at the market last year, I told her I was going to try to put fresh flowers on the cross and was checking out the floral shops. 
 This year when I talked with my hubby about doing the flowers again, he said not to ask my friend to donate...... but our Lord must have had other plans because mid week before Easter I was in a different supermarket in the city and who do you think I found when shopping! Yes the same friend and the first thing she said was can I give you money to help with the flowers. What a blessing!


This picture is on Easter.

  This picture is the next Sunday, which was  our Confirmation sevice.  Last year they lasted three Sundays.

  

Erosion Art Bundle 2011

 Yes I took my bundle down on my birthday, April 29th. This was the first bundle I have done.... Was a little disappointed, think I may have wrapped things too tight. The coffee grounds I sprinkled on did not seem to run and stain like I thought they would. I will keep what I like and make a   Erosion work of Art to show

in August... wish me luck.

MORE SNOW!!!!!

 Woke up to winter white this morning. Last Saturday night into Sunday morning we had a grand electrical storm and I knew it would green up the grass. It got to 80 last Sunday and this Saturday it is 34 at mid day and covered in white AGAIN!

 As you see in the pic my Erosion Bundle is still out in the weather. I placed it in January and your to bring it in sometime in April. I plan on fetching it on my birthday later this month..

If you wonder what the Erosion Bundle is all about here is the link

http://erosionbundles.blogspot.com/

Birthday Card

 Here is a classy gal for my Sister's Birthday Card..... I heat embossed the background and then heat embossed the lady on top of the background. The picture doesn't do it justice... but she is ready to face another year! Have a great week.

Lily Pad Cards!

There’s a new challenge blog in town with articles, swaps, interviews, videos, challenges, great prizes and MORE! Check out Lily Pad Cards! [Link: http://www.lilypad.inlinkz.com/]

 It will be fun to see this new challenge blog.

A Sweet and Funny Note from my Etsy friend Nola!

 I just wanted to share this note I got after Nola  who purchased my Art at the Table,   recycled (hot pads)! First of all Nola and I have purchased from each other on Etsy....  we have never met in person but I just know we could meet for lunch and would have no problem visiting for hours as if we were long lost friends..... She even sent me a  huge box of mens ties... someday I will come up with a grand idea of what I can do with them...   see below the kind and funny note and her pic she sent of what she did with her purchase from me... I want to thank her for letting me use her picture and what a cool way to remember a family holiday!  I love your  family "Trivia Trivet".... and your art work... Nola.... I just love what you did with this blank canvas.

 Nola wrote the following

 I'll never have to make a 'to do' list for my Thanksgiving or Easter Holiday Dinners again...it's all on these table mats!

Meal and folks (including someone's dogs) attending are usually the same every year and I jotted some memories of past one's while I was at it...my young son calling his uncle Dick instead of Dave (he'd never met him as he'd been gone for over 6 years without any of us knowing where he was), my sister-in-law dumping the only 2 pies we had that year at the front door as she tripped over the threshold, the fact that the pitcher of milk was for 'looks' only on my country table....no one ever drank it with their meal (pop for kids, coffee for us) and then I noted that I crashed on the couch when the guests went home...really! That's how it goes at Aunt Geo.s!

I mentioned the usual serving dishes I have in the old cupboard that I only use on Holidays and where they came from if heirlooms or family pieces and the table decorations I always use, too.

I say every year that Thanksgiving is my favorite Holiday but Easter is always EASIER! You let the alphabet show thru on the mat, so I got the idea from that to say EZ as ABCs. I was gonna put more little drawings on them, but it was more important to me for them to be more of a journal or diary of the day.



Thanks...I can't wait to do the same with the art joural....


 YOUR VERY WELCOME NOLA, I am so glad you loved your purchase and the extra I sent to such a generous person ~ you!

  Here is a pic how they
looked when she ordered them.

 Thanks again Nola for letting me share and I so appreciate you and your fun notes you send me!
You are a blessing!