Almost summer!

Wow, how did that happen? Just yesterday (ok maybe not yesterday) I was shoveling snow & next week is summer! Only a month until we go to Florida! Hopefully it won't be a thousand degrees every day like it was when we went in 2012! 

I'm THIS CLOSE to finishing another card (I know!!) .... but it's been soooo nice out so I've been spending most of my free time planting & digging & yanking & swearing a lot. Here is what I've been up to...

This is what our front "garden" looked like before I started using that funny looking tool there. 

After edging, adding soil & compost, planting & mulching, this is what it looks like now: 

And may I add, I did every stinkin' bit of it myself! There were no husbands or sons involved in the making of this garden. I have added a few more bits here & there since taking this photo ... a few more flowers & decor. I just love it :)

This weekend I worked on the nasty pain-in-the-tail random looking shrub that has blocked our front porch since we moved in here: 

And now ....

I planted a Butterfly Bush in its place. I won't tell you how I'm feeling today after getting that beast (& apparently it had children) out of the ground! * ouch * #gettingtoooldforthis

Osteospermum (fancy word for daisy)

Peony about to open 

A peony that IS open. In my yard, the white ones bloom before the pink ones LOL

I'm usually not a fan of geraniums but I love this striped one. 

I will have tons more flowers to show you as the season goes on. Lots to do in my yard & all my plans include new gardens. Out with the old & in with the new! 

Sympathy card

Happy Monday peeps, still verrrrry cold here which makes getting out of bed in the wee hours of the morning extra difficult. Especially when you are NOT a morning person {that would be me}.

A co-worker of mine lost her FIL last week. I generally don't make sympathy cards. I suck at them. I like cute, happy cards & always feel like I can't make a simple enough card to qualify as a sympathy card. But, she's the only one I ever make cards for at work so I wanted to give it a shot.

{pardon the shadows LOL.... I was trying to get this photo last night in my makeshift photo box. I really need to get a REAL photo box. Or make a better fake one}

I started by searching sketches online ... I knew I wanted simple & I simply don't DO simple. Found this sketch floating around & thought perfect ... I can just add a flower & make it more sympathy-like.

I think paper is Bazzill dots ... some of my favorite back in the day. I don't even know if they still make it. I really need to get back in the know! 

I think the die is a Sizzix ... I love doilies so thought I'd just get a die instead of buying tons of different colored doilies. Added a bit of sponging & the flowers .... some ribbon (which was really hard because most of my ribbon is still packed away) & the heart charm. 

I was going to put the sentiment on the front, but keeping with the "simple" theme just stamped it on a die cut piece of Kraft paper & added my words of love. 

She loved it. Or, she SAID she did. She's too polite to say otherwise lol .... 

I'm sure I could find some challenges to enter this into, but I am nursing a sore throat & headache so will call it a night. The joys of winter!