Spending Time Outside

Hello there! I hope your week is going well so far! Sorry I've been MIA -- I've taken a few days off from stamping to spend some time outside. :) Our weather is finally feeling like summer, and it's been nice to get in the garden and get my hands dirty! The long holiday weekend was the perfect time to plant flowers, fnish the mulching, and get the veggies and herbs planted in our little raised bed.

Here's what things look like around here...

I'll be inside getting inky today, because the MFT June Release is right around the corner! Thanks for taking the time to stop by today -- I always appreciate it so much! :)

Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Christina

Garden Photos

It's the last day to enter my Anniversary Blog Candy Giveaway! Click HERE for details! I'll be announcing the winner tomorrow! :)

Today I thought I'd share some photos from the garden. I've mentioned before that we have perennials and annuals around our deck area. We also have a small raised-bed vegetable garden where we grow tomatoes and peppers. There's also some dill, cilantro, basil and strawberries in the veggie garden and in pots on the deck.

Come with me for a walk in the garden! :)

Coneflowers

Daisies and Daylillies

Phlox

Hydrangeas

Daisies

Strawberries

Sweet Banana Peppers

Park's Whopper and Roma Tomatoes

I can't wait until the tomatoes are ripe! Homemade salsa.. yum! Basil and tomatoes... the perfect summer pair!

Okay, enough food talk -- I need to get something done around here! Thanks for stopping by today -- have a great day!

Christina

MFT VIP Hop!

Hi there! It's time for this month's My Favorite Things VIP Blog Hop! If you didn't arrive here from Julie's Blog, you'll want to start at the beginning with Kim! What is VIP, you ask? Well, it is a ONE DAY ONLY product (available through June 16th at 11:59 PM EST), that gives you the opportunity to purchase the WTG set THREE WEEKS early! Here is what you'll find in this month's VIP Kit:

Who's That Gardening Girl? July VIP $36.75
Who's That Gardening Girl? $15.95
Ruffled Ribbon Garden Collection (2 yards each of 3/4" ruffled ribbon in Tomato, Celery, & Sunshine) $7.95
Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety $5.95
Garden Button Collection $1.95
Set of 10 White Scalloped A2 Notecards $4.95
Green Thumb mini stamp set (FREE, $9 value)

My second-favorite creative outlet (next to papercrafting, of course) is gardening. We have perennials and annuals around our deck area, and we have a small raised-bed vegetable garden as well. I'm telling you, this WTG set is SO me! :) I had fun making this card -- I did some paper piecing, and I used the Die-namics Fresh Cut Grass die with My Favorite Felt - Earth Girl.

I also made a box which can hold seed packets. More Die-namics on this project -- this time the Jumbo Ric Rac die with the Grosgrain Texture Board!

I used an image from Who's That Gardening Girl? with a sentiment from the Green Thumb Mini Set.

The seed packets are inside the box!

Now that you've seen my project, you're off to the next stop... I am SO excited to introduce you to a NEW DESIGN TEAM MEMBER for MFT! She is mega-talented and super sweet, too! Hurry up and visit her HERE, and be sure to give her a warm welcome! :)

Thanks so much for hopping by!

Christina

In the Garden with Jolinne

Hello! Happy Tuesday! Today the My Favorite Things DT is previewing three more sets: two new Jolinne sets and a fun Bath Time mini set. I used Jolinne In My Garden for my projects today.

I used some Cosmo Cricket Garden Variety paper with this sweet Jolinne image. I colored the image with Copics. Of course, I had to add a couple rows of Die-namics Jumbo Scallops -- I can't stop using them! :)

I put together a little bucket filled with garden supplies, and I attached a coordinating tag.

Here's a closeup of the tag. I added some pleated paper to the bottom and punched a tab for the top.

Kim will have a list of designers who have MFTeasers today -- visit her blog after 11 am! Also, there is still time to enter the MFT June Guest Designer Contest -- go HERE for the details!

Tomorrow is the final day of MFTeasers before the Release Party tomorrow night! I can't wait! :)

Thanks for visiting today -- have a great day!

Christina

Garden Journal and Seeds

ETA: I used Random.org to choose the Blog Candy winner -- congrats to #50, JenMarie!! JenMarie, email me or PM me through Splitcoaststampers so I can give you the code for your free mini set! :)

Hi there! You've made it to my stop on the My Favorite Things Release Blog Hop! If you've just come from my friend Carole's blog, welcome! If you haven't seen all the projects so far, go back to Kim's blog and start from there!

I used Spread a Harvest of Hope (illustrated by Annie LePoint) to create this garden journal and seed pack.

I covered a 5x5" art journal with paper and sanded the edges. The other panels on the front were distressed, and I added some machine stitching too. I colored the image with Copics and sponged around the edge of the image panel. The ribbon is from the Summer Collection Ribbon Nest, and the buttons are from the Cup o' Buttons Summer Collection.

I used my gift card holder template to make the seed packet. I used the same paper as on the journal, and I did some more machine stitching.

Inside the packet is a small cello bag filled with seeds. These are cilantro seeds, harvested from my own plants last year. It's a great way to "Spread a Harvest" to friends and family! :)

Well, you've made it through the MFT Blog Hop! I'm your last stop! Now it's time for the BLOG CANDY!! Just leave a comment here on this post for a chance to win! I'll randomly choose someone to receive a code for a free Mini Set ($9 value). Just think -- Bubble Bunny or Spread a Harvest of Hope could be yours free! Tomorrow (Wednesday, 7/15) at 9:00 pm Eastern I'll post the winner on the MFT Member Company Forum!

Thanks so much for hopping along with us! :)

Christina

Garden Photos

Happy Tuesday! Today I have some photos of my garden to share with you. I just love how the garden changes week-by-week. Some flowers are here just for a brief time, others are in bloom throughout the entire season. I guess that's the way it is in life, too -- some people are in your life for a short while, others are constant! :)

Our garden is filled with perennials and a few annuals, and it takes up the area around our backyard deck. This first photo is of a few "edible" plants I have in pots on the deck: strawberries (right), basil (left), and cilantro (flowering in the bottom right corner).

This photo is of the right side of the ramp leading from our driveway to the deck. The coneflowers are just starting to bloom. The white flower in the foreground is Gaura -- the blooms look like butterflies, and I just love its airy look.

We've had a lot of rain over the last few weeks, so my pots look greener and fuller than they usually do this time of year! :)

This area is one of my favorites. Just in front of it, not visible in the photo, is a small goldfish pond. The climatis is still blooming, and the daisies and daylilies have just begun to bloom. The Black-eyed Susans (foreground) and Russian Sage (right) will be in full bloom in just a couple weeks.

One more shot -- I love the contrast of the purple and white here!

Thanks for taking the time to stroll through my garden with me! I'll be back tomorrow to share some stamping with you!

Have a fantastic day! :)

Christina

Late Spring in the Garden

Good morning! Happy Saturday to you! We've had a busy couple of days around here -- just the usual craziness with four kids and end-of-school activities! It seems that I've been in the car more than I've been at home, so my stamping time has suffered! ;)

We have had some beautiful late spring weather here this week -- sunny and temps in the 80s -- so I spent some time gardening yesterday. My blog is called Flowers and Ink, because those are the things which make me really happy creatively. So, today I'm giving you a break from the ink so I can show you the flowers! Enjoy! :)

I'll be spending this weekend working on upcoming releases, but I'll be sure to make some things I can share with you right away, too! Thanks so much for taking time out of your day to visit here -- I appreciate it SO much! :)

Have a wonderful day!

Christina

In the Garden

Hello! Happy Sunday! It's a beautiful day here today -- I hope it's the same where you are! :)

People have asked me why I call my blog Flowers and Ink. The reason is that my two loves are stamping and spending time in the garden. So, today I'm taking a break from the "Ink" and showing you the "Flowers." I hope you don't mind! Just click on a photo for a better view!

My garden is the area behind our house and around the deck. It contains mostly perennials with a few annuals thrown in for color. I'm no professional -- I just buy plants that I like and that I think will look good together, and I've had pretty good luck so far! :)

Here's a closeup of the fishpond area. We have seven goldfish who call the pond home. They have survived two winters already, so we're just crossing our fingers that they last a little longer!

I love Black-eyed Susans. They are so low-maintenance but give such a burst of color! In mid-summer they mix in so beautifully with these orange daylilies.

This morning, as I was taking these photos, I walked down the ramp next to the deck and saw this butterfly on the Coneflowers. I was lucky to get a shot before it flew away!

Just a few minutes later, as I was coming back toward the house, THIS butterfly was on the same flowers! Luckily I still had the camera in my hand! We always have lots of those little white butterflies everywhere, but we've NEVER had butterflies like these before!! If someone knows what kind they are, please let me know! :)

We also have a small raised-bed vegetable and herb garden. We have Roma and Big Beef tomatoes; Jalepeno, Cayenne, and Bell peppers; and a few herbs -- basil, cilantro, dill, and oregano. We've already used the Cayennes and Cilantro for Chris's guacamole (yum!). When the tomatoes ripen, we'll have homemade salsa and tomato-basil tarts. I'll share the recipes with you later on! :)

Thanks for taking a stroll through my garden today. If you're ever in my neck of the woods, I'd love to sit outside with you and sip a beverage! I'll be back tomorrow with one final C.C. Designs preview before tomorrow's release at 10:00 PM. I really do appreciate the visit -- have a great day! :)

Very Cherry Centerpieces

Hello! I'm leaving shortly for the bridal shower, but I wanted to show you the centerpieces I made. There's only a little bit of stamping here, but I thought they turned out so cute! You can click on the photo for a better view. Because of the cherry theme of the wedding, the colors are red, lime green, and pink. I purchased the terra cotta pots and painted them, then I added some ribbon and a cherry tag. I am definitely getting my mileage out of this cherry stamp from Tart and Tangy!

Do you see the darling pink flowers? I went out to my local garden store yesterday in search of some pink flowers to fill the pots. I came across these -- and they're called "Cherry Blossom"!! :)

That's it for now. After the shower I'm headed to Louisville for the last of Megan's volleyball tournaments -- yay! It's a three-day holiday tournament (doesn't anyone want to celebrate the holiday at HOME?!?) Chris has been there with her since yesterday, and I'll go relieve him after the shower is over. I will be very glad to see Tuesday, I'm telling ya!!

I hope your weekend is a great one so far! I'll be back in a couple days -- thanks for the visit! :)

ETA: I was asked what I used to paint the pots. I used Patio Paint by DecoArt, purchased at Michaels.

It's Salsa Time!

Last summer, Chris built a small raised garden bed (about 3'x6') for me so I could have a little "salsa garden." I grow cilantro, tomatoes (2 varieties) and peppers (banana, jalapeno, and green bell). This year, Chris wanted to throw in a Habenero pepper plant as well. Why, you might ask? I don't know -- I guess he's a glutton for punishment. :) Anyway, here are some of this year's fruits. We got a late start planting, and I've been battling just to keep everything alive with this terrible heat, so we had our first harvest a little later than I'd hoped (just a couple weeks ago).


I now have enough tomatoes to make my salsa! I found this recipe last year at allrecipes.com -- it's really good and tastes like fresh restaurant salsa. I thought I'd share it in case anyone would like to try it:

Jen's Fresh and Spicy Salsa

5-7 Roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and chopped
10 green onions, chopped
2 fresh Jalapeno peppers, seeded
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbs lime juice
2 Tbs hot pepper sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt

In a blender, pulse the tomatoes, green onions, jalapenos, and cilantro until smooth. Pour into a bowl. Add the other ingredients, stirring to combine well. Refrigerate 1-2 hours before serving.

Enjoy! :)

A Walk in the Garden

I wanted to share some photos I took of the garden this week. I just love how it looks in late summer -- so many things are full and blooming, and the bees and butterflies are very busy! The first photo is of the Coneflowers & Purple Salvia along the deck ramp, and the second is of the Black-eyed Susans and Russian Sage next to the goldfish pond. Enjoy!