Sidetracked by Spring

Where has the time gone?  I have no excuses for not blogging except this one:

I have been sidetracked by spring.

In just a few weeks, we will be celebrating our one year anniversary of moving to our Pittsburgh home. We officially moved in on the first of June at the tail end of spring, and I missed a lot of the action in the garden.

Not this year!

Every day of spring, something new and wonderful blooms in my garden. It has been such a gift to me! There is nothing more magical than an old established garden, with blooming trees and shrubs and perennials. I wake up each morning, excited to see what new flower is filling the air with its fragrant and heady perfume, with thanks in my heart for all of the hard work the previous owners did to make this place so special.

This morning, my neighbor and I were on the front steps, admiring the juxtaposition of the purple ajuga mixed with lilies of the valley. Such a striking combination and fragrance, too. I told her to pick some to take home and put in a vase, which she did. Smiles all around.

It's been a while since I made a card, but those lilies of the valley inspired me this morning. I find that when I haven't stamped for a while, it's best to attempt something clean and simple and fuss free.

I knew I wanted to stamp these lilies from papertrey ink (Year of Flowers Collection) on kraft card stock so that I could color them in and the white would show. But what coloring medium to use? That's when I remembered an old favorite...prismacolor pencils and gamsol! So happy with the result. Why have I forgotten to use this great coloring technique?

I have taken so many amazing photos of the flowers in the garden this month. I cannot wait to show them to you! Stop back soon and I will give you a tour.

Blessings, cafe friends!