Summertime Flowers . . .

Happy Weekend my friends!

(Warning:  This post is photo heavy!)

Time is going by so quickly it seems, but I'm truly enjoying my summertime flowers this year!  I have some photos to share with you but first I want to share the card I made for the current challenge at Joan's Gardens.  This week Joan has asked us to use:

Have three dimensional flowers with greenery

Use a Floral Design Paper

Use A doily

You must use a product sold at Joan's Gardens.
Also, link back to Joan's Gardens Challenge.

Note the coordinating envelope in the background.

(below is a peek at the inside)

This was a fun creation to 'toss' together.  Really ... I TOSSED this one together from pieces & parts I had laying on my work table.  I had started the card base for a project over at Crafty Secrets (using their new digital design paper) but moved onto something different.  The flower is one I made with the gals out at Joan's Gardens last week (using Heartfelt Creations die & stamps).  I did have to die cut the doilies and butterflies but that took what ... all of 2 or 3 minutes! LOL!

A few other challenges:

613 Avenue Create - Anything Goes w/matching envelope

Great Impressions Stamps - July Anything Goes

Penny Black & More Challenge - Die Cuts and Punches

Creative Creations - Anything Goes

Fashionista Challenge - Wings

I have LOVED flowers from the time I was a little girl!  My dad had a fabulous 'green thumb' and I was always watching how he planted and tended to his beautiful flower garden in the center of our semi-circular driveway.  And back then there were lots of beautiful butterflies to watch as they gathered nectar from all the different flowers he had planted.  Here's a few of my flowers  ...

I just love the Morning Glories in bloom.  They have reseeded themselves to the point of taking over the side of the garage ... but they are so beautiful in the morning!

I've positioned a few trellis here and there to give them a place to climb besides chocking out my other summer flowers ... i.e. Liatris, Asters, my poor rosebush!  LOL

 In the spring I love planting wave petunias both on the back deck on around the front of our home!  The sweet smell of the petunias encourage the hummingbirds and the color encourages the butterflies.  So nice to sit out on the deck, enjoy our coffee and watch not only the birds and squirrels in our wooded picnic area but the close up view of anything visiting our flower boxes/pots.

As you can see, pinks & purples are my favorite colors around the house.  You'll see a few reds or yellows but mostly PURPLES ... my favorite color!

To the right you see my deck flowers.  This corner pot of Speed Well, Verbena & Pentunias has been beautiful all summer.  The bottom photo I took just yesterday morning as we sat outside enjoying the cool morning with a cup of coffee.  I'm hoping the Speed Well will survive the winter and come back again next year.

My flower boxes certainly filled in nicely also.  I don't know about you ... but this just MAKES ME HAPPY!!

 

As you can see the front of the house is also adorned with pinks & purples.  This photo was taken earlier in the summer and right now these pots are TOTALLY covered with shades of purple wave petunias and the hanging baskets are twice this size.  

 

 

Another plant I have love having in our landscape ... not only for it's beautiful wispy appearance, but it's lovely aroma ... is the Lavender.  We have 4 or 5 scattered throughout the front and it just smells HEAVENLY!!!  I was also amazed this year at how beautiful our purple Cone Flowers were.  This clump tripled in size from last year to this year.  

Isn't Mother Nature wonderful!?!

 Well, by now you've probably had enough of my blabbering on and on about my flowers but I'm just so darn thrilled with them that I had to share it with someone!  LOL!!   Thanks so much for hanging in there and letting me share. I hope you're having a wonderful weekend and will stop back again soon.

As Always . . .

Recipe for my card:

Papers:  SU Purely Pomegranate cs, Crafty Secrets digital design paper, kraft cs, ivory cs

Stamps:  Heartfelt Creations 'HCPC3533' Sun Kissed Fleur PreCut Set, My Sentiments Exactly '0295'

Inks:  SU Blue Bayou, SU Purely Pomegranate, Tim Holtz 'peeled paint' distress ink

Accessories:  Heartfelt Creations 'HCD734' Sun Kissed Fleur die, Heartfelt Creations 'HCD736' Classic Leaf die, Cheery Lynn Designs 'DL112' Exotic Butterflies Small die set, Cheery Lynn Designs 'DL102' French Pastry die, Memory Box '98154' Whimsy Circle die, Sizzix - Susan Tierney Cockburn  Flower Making kit, large sponge dauber