Goodies package from Pat has arrived!

I'm so excited!  My package of goodies from Pat Winter's giveaway arrived today!  There's just such a wonderful assortment of ribbons, beads and fabric.  I hope to be able to put my new supplies to good use soon.

Thank you so much Pat . . . everything in this little care package is gorgeous!

When I found out that I won this, I wanted to hunt up the crazy quilt blocks that I knew I had stored in a box in the corner of my studio.  I found them today and took some photographs.  Mind you . . . there are only 2 blocks and they are not even finished.  I think I wasn't really sure where else to go with them at the time, so maybe now I will be encouraged to finish them!

Here's the first block . . .

and details from this block include .  .  .

a spray of roses . . .

and a feather!

And the second block . . .

a spray of tiny flower buds . . .

you can see that I've outlined the key, but have not filled it in yet . . . and finally . . .

my favorite . . . the owl!

Hope you like what you see and have a chance to enter my giveaway as well . . .

Until next time . . . Happy Creating!

~Connie

There's still time . . .

to enter my giveaway!  You can find the link to that post by clicking on the picture at the top righthand sidebar.  I'm so excited that I won Pat's giveaway and am axiously awaiting my package of goodies from her!  I will definitely take some photos and post about that as soon as it gets here.

Thanks for stopping by and hope to be back again soon!

~Connie

Anyone interested in my Giveaway?!

Thought I would of had more responses by now!  If you want a chance to win my lovely handmade beaded necklace, click here to leave a comment and enter!  If you blog about my giveaway on your own blog, I'll add your name again for a second chance to win. . . just leave a link to your blog post in your comment so that I know.

Hope you like my offering!

Good Luck to all who enter and Thanks for stopping by!

~Connie

Beginning of Summer Giveaways!!

I'm not sure if you've seen the gorgeous giveaway that Pat Winter is having!  Please visit Pat Winter Gatherings blog for a chance to win her awesome giveaway!   Good luck to you . . . and to me too.

Since this happens to be my 100th post, I am also having a giveaway of my own!  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and a way that I can get in touch with you if you win!  (Please leave your email if you don't have a blog)  For a second chance to win become a follower, if you're not already, and I will enter your name twice.  (Please let me know if you are a NEW follower)  I will be announcing the winner on Friday, July 2nd sometime before 10PM CST.

So with out further ado . . . what I have for you you is a lovely beaded necklace!  It's light and sparkly and I think it's the perfect accessory to wear to any summer party!  (The photos do not do this necklace justice) The beads are clear lined silver and the clasp is a lock and key.  Hope you like it and good luck to you all!

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Until next time . . . Happy Summer Days and Nights!

~Connie

Garden Journal

It's been raining off and on for the past 4 or 5 days here so I haven't had much time to get anything done in the garden.  I was able to work on and put together the Garden Journal that I've been wanting to do since last year.  I'm really happy with the results too!

I had a 3 ring binder that I bought last year along with dividers and page protectors for the main pages.  I used 6 x 9 envelopes and punched holes in them to put all the packets of seeds that I have.  I also wrote the name of the seeds on that particular envelope so that they would be easier to find.  I divided the binder and used separate envelopes for the different types of seeds  . . . annuals, perennials, herbs, vegetables, etc. 

I found this website called Homestead Garden that has templates to print for the main pages.  After printing the main template, I then reinserted the pages into the printer and took a number of the many garden and flower photos that I have, set the opacity to about 25 or 30 percent and printed a background on the pages.  I then was able to write any particulars and information on the page and soon my journal is chock full of terrific information and hopes and dreams for my garden!  I'm really happy to have started this and it was a fun way to pass the time.

This morning I had a bit of a surprise while taking my stroll in the garden . . .

At first I thought that it was a slug, but upon closer look and consulting with hubby, we decided that it was a snail!!  That's the first time I've seen one in my garden . . .

Until next time, Happy Gardening and Creating!

~Connie

The Champs!!!

WOW!  What an unbelievable game the Chicago Blackhawks had last night!  Philly put up such a good fight and gave us a run for the money, but this is just so exciting and a tremendous boost for the city!  I had my doubts when the game was tied late in the 3rd period and going into OT, but Edzo called it at the beginning of the series saying that the Hawks would win in 6 and he was right on the money!  I think everyone was stunned at Patrick Kane's game winning goal.  I saw him shoot the puck and was waiting for it to come out the other side and hit the boards.  And when I started asking my hubby where the puck was . . . he was screaming GOAL!  GOAL!  IT'S A GOAL!

The neighborhood here was pumped as well . . . people were blowing off fireworks and we were screaming at the top of our lungs and shouting at the TV.  It was truly an awesome feeling!

Watching the Blackhawks these past 2 years has been a lot of fun and thanks to them for all their hard work for an awesome, memorable year!

Hmmmm . . . let's see . . . I've seen the Bears, Bulls, White Sox and Blackhawks win championships . . . the only one left would be the Cubs . . . wonder when that will be??????

Until next time . . .

~Connie

Another sign and more blooms

I did manage to finish the other sign I was making . . . this time the color scheme is mauve, brown, cream and green.

I just need to find a place to hang it!   Maybe in the front garden this time.  I'll have to see and get hubby to help with that.

Here's a few other things that are now blooming in the garden as well . . .

This clematis is doing well and has been for a couple of years now.  The white Henryi clematis didn't survive so I have to be on the look out for another.  I have one other purple clematis that is supposed to be the same as the one shown above, but it looks more red and is no where near as big as this one.

The delphiniums are just starting to open as well . . .

And here's what the pink climbing rose looks like fully opened.  Definitely more pink and what I was looking for!

Hope to be back again soon!

~Connie

Oh! How my garden grows . . .

Summer has made it's presence known and it shows throughout the garden.  The weather has been hot and muggy with lots of sunshine.  Yesterday was rainy for a bit, but all in all we have nothing to complain about here.  Things are really taking off in the garden . . .

The Snow in Summer is in bloom and looks just beautiful!

. . . and the pink Oriental Poppy that I started from seed last year and moved to a new location last fall made a come back as well.  It has about 5 or 6 buds total this year where as last year it had only 2 flowers.  The first flower has opened and I can't wait to see the rest . . .

My pink climbing rose is looking good as well.  I was afraid that it would get the black spot as it wasn't looking good last fall so I treated it with Bayer Advance for roses and it's doing great!  I think it's called Eden . . . the flowers open up as white with a hint of pink on the edges and as they mature they turn more pink . . .

I still have some other pictures to upload and organize so I'll have more from the garden again soon!  I've also been working on another sign to hang up in the garden as well and should have that done later today.  Hope to be back again soon.

Until then . . . Happy Gardening!

~Connie

Finally warming up outside

and trying to get back to normal around here.  The birthday party for my son was a big success although the weather could have been a little warmer . . . still everyone had a great time.

Now that the weather has warmed up this week, I once again have been spending time in the garden.  The fountain is finally up and running and the wisteria is in bloom and smells just heavenly!

I even started my herb garden!  I've got rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil and tarragon . . . just to name a few . . .

I was feeling creative and made a sign for the garden too . . . I started with a scrap piece of wood and base coated it with gesso.  I then glued a layer of some tissue paper that had a pretty rose floral motif to it (it's kind of hard to see it from this photo) along with a crumpled piece of paper that says "5c per bunch" that I generated and printed through Photoshop.  I then penciled the outline of the "HERBS" lettering and painted that in with 2 coats of green.  I painted the edges with a dark brown and then stenciled a few vines around the inner edges in a sandy colored acrylic paint.  I dry brushed some areas with the sandy color acrylic paint and inked the inner edges with brown.  Copper wire attached to some cup hooks and some rafia tied in a bow and I'm all set.  I just love the way it turned out!  It's still drying and probably could use a coat or 2 of sealant on it.  I'll hang it up tomorrow since it's starting to rain right now and complete my herb garden theme.

Until next time . . . enjoy and Happy Creating!

~Connie

I’ve been a terrible blogger lately . . .

Been spending most of my time in the garden, doing a lot of cleaning around the house and driving back and forth to baseball practices and games. The new storm door is up and so is the new vinyl fence! The house is spic and span and we’re ready for a party!

My older son is turning 21 so we decided to throw him a party and invited the whole family. We haven’t done one of those for quite a number of years so we thought that being a significant one, he deserved it. He’s been studying really hard and will be done with finals tomorrow. I’m sure he’s looking forward to start his summer vacation too!

I haven’t done much creating of late. I did my monthly SNL kit that was a bit of a challenge for me this time. The theme is Art Journaling and the color palette was beautiful, but I seemed to have a hard time thinking of things to put in the kit and putting elements together. All in all, I think it turned out pretty cute!

I bought some new little decorative bird houses at Michael’s that I found in the $1 bin. I did manage to prime them but I have to pick a day to paint them. It seems my color scheme in the garden is turning more towards yellow, white and blue with touches of red here and there. I have a red Astilbe which is just starting to send up some shoots, but the red clematis didn’t make it through the winter. The red chrysanthemum I bought a couple of years ago has sent up new shoots so now I have about 5 of those. I’ll probably also sow some red Nicotina.

My white azalea started to bloom this past week too and looks beautiful!

I’m sure I’ll post more pictures of the garden in the weeks to come.

It’s Blackhawks fever over here at my house! With Chicago’s 5-1 victory over Vancouver last night . . . . we’re advancing to the final 4 and anxiously awaiting word on when the series against San Jose will start.

Hope to be back again soon.

Until then . . . Go Blackhawks! (and Happy Gardening and Creating too!)

Still in the garden . . .

and enjoying my time there!  Bought some impatiens to fill in some areas at the front of the border.  They are a pretty mix of white, pale pink, pale lilac and a deep pink.

Anemone are popping up all over the garden right now as well.  I moved clumps here and there and even to the front garden last fall and they look fabulous!  I just love these little white flowers!

The Snow Maiden Iris are looking good too!

It's been raining off and on these past couple of days so I've been in the mood to read more as my creative spark seems to be limited to figuring out what else I want to plant and do in the garden.  I started Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy the other day and am hoping to read some more today.

Hope to be back again soon!

~Connie

In the garden . . .

I've been spending most of my time this past week in the garden.  Dividing plants that I didn't take care of in the fall, moving things around here or there and scrutinizing what goodies are coming up where.  I try to mark most of the perennials and bulbs, but sometimes the markers get faded or they get moved from trying to clear debris in the flowerbed.  LOL.  Makes me laugh . . . hubby and I go for a stroll in the garden every morning trying to decipher what plant this is or what plant that is . . . and looking for open space so we can plant some annuals or something new.  We've got quite a bit going on with the grape hyacinths in full bloom already . . .

and Tete a Tete daffodils . . .

I even found some white hyacinths at Home Depot.  They just smelled so good!!

All in all things are looking really great so far.  Hubby even agreed to get some phlox as well . . . said he really liked the blue in this one . . .

I'm certainly looking forward to spending more time out in the garden and can't wait until the new privacy fence is up!  Hopefully, it will be up later this month or early in May.

I was having some bad luck with a certain lilac bush that I purchased a couple of years back so I had to purchase another.  I'm happy to say that this new one did survive the winter and came back this year.  It's still too young to produce any flowers though.   I had a lilac at the other house and it just filled the yard with a wonderful fragrance all through Spring.  As I was coming home today and parking the car in the garage, my neighbor gave me cuttings from his lilac.  He happened to be out cutting some for his daughter's birthday and decided to give me some as well.  What a sweetie!  I've always thought it was unusual that half of the bush has white flowers and the other half has purple . . . and they smell so good too!

Hope you're all enjoying Spring and taking advantage of the beautiful weather.  It's such a wonderfully promising time of the year!  Maybe that's why both my boys were born in the Spring . . .

Well then . . . until next time . . . Happy Gardening and Happy Creating!

~Connie

Polish tragedy

It was Saturday afternoon when we decided to head to Target 'cause the little one needed a new pair of gym shoes.  As we were driving through the neighborhood, Polish flags started appearing on cars as they zoomed by us.  Upon further exam . . . we noticed that houses were also displaying the flags.  My hubby asked me if it was Polish Constitution Day.  I told him I thought I was in a couple of weeks.  Looking further still and on the way back from Target  . . . we noticed more and more flags up, but then I noticed . . . black ribbons . . . I told my hubby . . . something's wrong . . . something's happened.  We turned the radio on and when we got home, turned on the news.  Tragedy . . .  plane crash . . . many top officials dead . . .

At first it was hard to believe, I wasn't really comprehending everything completely.  I watched all the news and read all that I could about this tragedy and then I realized . . . I know that word . . . Katyn . . . and then it hit me . . . I knew exactly what they are talking about.  The statuary at the cemetary.  I was at the cemetary just last fall, visiting my mother and brought my camera this time . . . I needed to take a picture of the new sculpture at the entrance of the cemetary . . . it was just so mesmerizing . . .

It's just really hard to describe the mood of the neighborhood and surrounding area here.  On my block alone there are 8 - 10 Polish flags flying.

We happened to pass by the cemetary today and there is a sea of candles and flowers at the base of the Katyn Memorial sculpture.  Cars were lined up all along the cemetary road and people were starting to gather again.

My prayers are with Poland at this time.

It's been too long!

I can't believe how time is flying!  Been terribly busy with work being done on the house over here . . . and the little guy starting baseball.  We had to have our chimney fixed and since the masons were gonna be here already, we had them redo the front of the house as well.  That really wasn't fun with 4 or so hours of them grinding all the old mortar out, but the results are fantastic.  Now we're getting estimates for a new fence and the storm door in the front is really rickety so we've been looking into that as well.  It's been raining the past couple of days now so the fields are too wet for the kids to get any practice in.  They'll probably resume again on Friday.

Hope you all had a Happy Easter!  Ours started with watching The Ten Commandments on Saturday evening . . . one of those classics that I remember watching every Easter as a kid myself.  We went to a wonderful mass Easter morning and then over to my in-laws for dinner.  The day seemed to fly by, but the weather was just perfect!

I was able to finish my SNL kit for April . . . berry blossoms is the theme and overlays are the focus.  Here's a preview of my kit . . .

I was having so much fun with the overlays and the tutorials that I came across that I made some other digital art with some of my own landscape and cityscape photographs.  Here's what I came up with . . .

  

I'm supposed to be designing the redress of the SNL site this month and hope to get that done in the next couple of days.  I still have some more cleaning in the garden to finish as well.

There's daffodils and magnolias and hyacinths starting to bloom throughout the neighborhood right now!  I really need to start getting pictures of all those before they're gone.  Enjoy Spring wherever you may be!  Hope to be back again soon!

~Connie