Lovely Lilacs

 

It is lovely lilac season here in Michigan. We drove to historic Marshall last Saturday, and everywhere we went we saw lilacs in bloom. So pretty!

And when in Marshall, I have to pop in to my favorite store, Paper and I. They had a lot of new products from Penny Black (yay!) like this 3D embossing folder with stencils. It also has a matching die so you can use the flowers layered onto card fronts. I decided to just use the embossed image to make a 5 by 7 card.

After stenciling, I went back with some darker shades and added a little detail with ink and a Tombow brush marker.

The last time I was in the shop, I purchased Memento Toffee Crunch ink. Jill Foster uses this ink to add a little subtle shading to cards, and it does give a very nice effect.

Like the sentiment says: May every flower that blooms give you a reason to rejoice!

Ice Cream Season

 

We live in a small town that heralds the arrival of spring with the opening of the Dairy Queen. My husband waits for this day with eager anticipation.

And if it's not Dairy Queen, then it's Coldstone Creamery...or Mickey's Ice Cream, or Christina's Sweet Treats, or Kilwin's, or...

You get the idea. He loves his ice cream! He tells me that he "earns" it by putting so many miles on his bike.

I recently got this Concord and 9th ice cream set called Pretty Sweet from my friend Amy on the FB Buy/Sell forums. I love the die options...sprinkles, full scoops, half scoops, and even the waffle cone pattern.

I paired these with C and 9th card front die backgrounds.

A useful card for summer birthdays and perhaps...Father's Day?

A Day With Mom

 

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms!

We spent a fun day with my Mom earlier this week. We took her to lunch at the Cracker Barrel. It was fun to look at all the pretty spring things in the shop, too.

We gave Mom her presents a little early. I thought that with all the company she'd have visiting this weekend, it'd be nice to have her front entryway looking cheerful.

She loved her gifts, and called me twice to tell me what a fun day she had with us. She's such a sweet lady, and she deserves all the spoiling she will get on her special day.

Hope your day is filled with blessings!

Add a Bird... to a Card and a Coffee Table

 

I needed to use my new Simple Stories Tea Garden papers and accessories this week. It's just such a cute, cheerful collection.

I love birds and butterflies, and the Bits and Pieces kit has lots of both. I perched this bird on top of a steaming tea kettle.

And here's a bird that I recently added to my coffee table.

I found this scalloped tray at Walmart, and grabbed this little fern there, too. I saw a very similar tray in a Ballard Designs catalog for $169. My Walmart swap? Better Homes and Gardens, $20!

A sweet addition for spring.

Tulip Season

I had a fun Saturday morning last weekend, walking around our small downtown to cover some local events for my editor. As a reward, I popped in to my favorite, Carrigan Café, for a spicy Mexican latte. Mmm, so good!

A local grower was selling some bouquets of tulips that were absolutely gorgeous!

I think the Tulip Festival is kicking off in Holland, Michigan this week.

I have one lonely tulip that a squirrel must have planted in my garden. It's bright red in a sea of yellow daffodils. By some miracle, the deer have not found it yet. I love tulips, but so do the deer. That's why I typically do not plant them here.

Is it still tulip time where you live?

For Mom on Mother's Day

 

What do you give an almost 92 years young Mom for Mother's Day? I should add that Mom has six children, 21 grandchildren, and I lost count of how many great grandchildren. You can bet that she will get a lot of flowers, especially hanging baskets and potted plants for summer.

So I opted for something different instead.

A few years back, I got Mom a switch mat doormat from My Evergreen, and then I'd buy her inserts and flags for different holidays.

Her spring mat is looking a little faded and shabby, probably because the front of her house gets some pretty direct sun.

I'm giving her a new doormat with matching garden flag and front door hanger.

I used this teacup as the inspiration for her card.

I had so much fun making this one today!

(teacup dies (Trinity Stamps), Bird die (WPlus9), flower and leaves dies (Concord and 9th), sentiment (MFT), polka papers (Papertrey Ink).

A sweet card for my sweetest Mom!

Happy Monday, café friends!

Embracing the Frog Theme

 

My garden became the "frog" garden a few years ago when I inherited Shirley Ann's collection of garden frog statues.

This year, I've added a few items to expand on the theme.

The garden flag, above, and...

...the matching doormat, both from MyEvergreen.

And then I found this funny frog in the garden center at Walmart, and thought he'd be perfect in the front butterfly garden.

Spring planting will start after Mother's Day. For now, we are cleaning up in the yard and garden and preparing beds for seeds and seedlings.

                                                    Hope your Friday is frog-tastic!