Monday, May 15, 2017

Blooming Flowers

  It's been good catching up this last week. Thank you for all your comments and well wishes for Todd. One other thing I was reminded of- besides losing my art desk temporarily-is that my internet time will be very limited too! Todd needs to be on all day for work, and as we have crappy internet service and refuse to pay for extra high speed we must keep things to one device at a time. That has me taking advantage of my vow to cleanse/clean out. Already the car is full of bags I'm taking today to donate. And I'll be working at it more during the week.

 On to the flowers! Finally got flowers and have them in the planters, and bought four of these hanging baskets-two for front porch and two for the back:

Aren't they gorgeous?? And I only paid $12.99 for each which around here is an amazing bargain! Y'all know how I love me some red:) Looks like someone else liked them too:

 They weren't hanging a week and a house sparrow chose to make a nest in one on the front porch. Must be extra careful watering now.

 For the Simon Wednesday Challenge theme of "going dotty" I made this card:


Products: Altenew Layering Cupcake Stamps and Dies; white card stock; Inks- Archival Pink Peony, Buttercup; Marvy Uchida Ochre; Staz-On Spiced Chai; Versafine Onyx Black; Stickles Glitter glue in Diamond.

 For T Stands For Tuesday:



 LuAnn recently treated me for lunch-where else? Our fave Irish place McCarthy's Red Stag Pub! Our tea this time was a decafe pot of creme au caramel-a sweet toffee flavor with a caramel finish. It was divine in taste and smell! We decided to split our sandwiches to have half of each since both are both our favorites and neither of us could choose. On the left is the turkey melt and on the right, the roasted pepper, caramelized onion jam and melted brie.

 I've been dying to paint these flowers again so during some quiet time on Mother's Day I did this journal page:

 The background is tissue paper onto which I stamped a French script. The poppies are painted in acrylics. Here's a close up of one:


  Linking this to Art Journal Journey hosted by Gill this month with the theme of "Elegance and Grunge" and also Paint Party Friday.

 Wishing you all a super week!

" Our creativity is directly connected to our internal energy source and our willingness to face the unknown. Being in the space of silence, where everything and nothing exists, we cultivate the garden out of which creativity blooms."     Natalie Rogers

44 comments:

  1. Glorious flowers. So springlike. Wish I could come to lunch with you and LuAnn!

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  2. Your new flower pots are amazing - lovely that nest in one of them! This poppies are just amazing against the grey background Linda! Fabulous - thanks a lot for yet another fantastic entry to Gill's theme! Your card is just LOVELY and those food looks so so tempting! WOW!
    Happy T-Day dear Linda!
    oxo Susi

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  3. What a wonderful post. I adore your red flowers and that price is good for Kansas, too. I love geraniums, and the red is so brilliant and colorful.

    How adorable that you found the bird's nest. I found one in my drain downspout, but it was empty. Not fun standing on a ladder to clean gutters, but that's the joy and curse of a homeowner, I guess. At least yours won't be disturbed.

    That's an incredible birthday card. I love the frosting!

    Your poppies are out of this world. I like the background, too. So smart to stamp the French text to add charm. And it just confirms you love of red, too.

    Sounds like your son and I have the same dilemma. He has a fast updated computer and a slow internet. That's my dilemma, so I feel for him. Of course, I only have one device, but it's smoking fast as long as I'm not on the internet.

    Your tea menu had me going. I was impressed with the different teas they served, but would have trouble deciding between a Guinness chocolate brownie and a creme brulee.

    I did enjoy your choice of sandwiches at McCarthy's, though. They both sounded delicious and looked very special, too. That pot of tea was big enough, at least you were able to share it. I will admit I'm glad I live in Kansas because those sandwich prices are a bit higher than what we pay here.

    Thanks for sharing your lovely art, the tea menu, and food and drinks at McCarthy's with us for T this week.

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  4. Your poppy painting is fantastic. Today I saw some lilac poppies, never saw them before. The food looks fantastic. Love the planters, and the birds evidently love them, too! Beautiful dotty card. Happy T Day, hugs, Valerie

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  5. Yellow and pink make me smile, Linda, and I really enjoyed your whole post, too! Thanks for playing with us at the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday challenge!

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  6. What a super surprise it must have been to find the nest in your planter, the bird must feel safe nesting close to your home. It was a super post to read and your flower painting looks beautiful.
    Happy T day.
    Yvonne xx

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  7. The poppy is my favorite ~ love the red and black combination and your post is so creative ~ love bird nest photo ~ good luck with your clean out and take good care of each other ~ thanks,

    Happy Week to you ~ ^_^

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  8. Cool birds nest. Spring must be here! And I think your red poppies are fabulous. I've got some of that cleaning to do once I am back up on my feet. Happy T Day Linda. Hugs-Erika

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  9. Happy T Day

    Sorry to hear about your internet time but if it helped you to do a clear out it can't be bad really. Well done with that.

    The food looks fantastic and very tasty.

    Wonderful baskets and a great photo of the eggs. We have starling in out eves and they are now fully grown but still come back to the nest-not so sure about that.

    Love the poppies project--they are so beautiful

    Chrissie xxx

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  10. Hello Linda, your hanging basket of flowers looks delightful and so pretty! I adore that the house sparrow has built her nest ... and eggs already, so sweet.
    It's nice to have a good clean out :D)
    Enjoy your week, kindest regards xx

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  11. Your red hanging baskets are spectacular and how wonderful that you have a bird nesting in one of them - that is so precious! Your card and poppies are beautiful, the poppies remind me of your AJJ challenge earlier this year, which made me smile as I had so much fun experimenting with red on my pages 😀. Wishing you a Happy T Day! J :-)

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  12. I admire your flexibility, Linda. No computer. Okay, this is an opportunity to get other things done. Good for you.

    Your hanging pots bursting with red are gorgeous. I hope you can get a photo of the hatchlings while momma's out catching dinner for them ;-)

    Love your dotty card - especially the glitter glue - what a "wow" finishing touch! Pretty painted poppies too. There's that red again!

    Happy T-Day! Hugs, Eileen

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  13. hi Linda! Lovely flowers & painting as well... ooooh, I feel for you with limited internet! Congrats to your son on his new job. I'll bet he loves working from home. And that restaurant sandwich... omg. Made me hungry for lunch & it's only 10:30am here. ;) Thank you so much for your comment and support on my blog. It's not always easy to make such a decision, but SUCH a relief once the decision is done. xo

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  14. i´ve never seen birds breeding in a basket, how very Special!
    awesome art, too, linda! happy t-day!

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  15. love the card and the poppy page

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  16. Amazing the time we find when we unplug from the computer...lol i need to do that myself! What gorgeous red flowers... the real ones and the ones you painted...just lovely.. Happy T day hugs! deb

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  17. Oh my goodness your lunch looks so good - think I will do the one with the roasted peppers and brie - that sandwich looks like a master piece!!
    Speaking of master pieces - I love your journal page - gorgeous!!!!
    Sandy xx

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  18. What a treat to buy such a wonderfully bright planter and find the birds just as impressed as you were ;) It is a lovely arrangement, so who can blame them. We like house sparrows, even though they're far from unusual. They are so lively and fun to watch :)

    That pub has great food! It's to see places like that.

    Happy T Tuesday!

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  19. Love your poppy painting!!!! Your hanging baskets are wonderful too and a great price ♥ I can totally relate to the slow internet issues, we would be willing to pay for faster service but it's not available here :'( Thanks for stopping by my blog and I'm so glad you enjoyed the butterflies ♥

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  20. Lots to see - the nest was a nice surprise hope the eggs hatch safely.
    Love your beautiful poppy painting and cool background Linda - thanks so much for joining in at AJJ.
    Gill x

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  21. Really cute birthday card, and I adore your red poppies! Gorgeous geraniums--enjoy the birdie family ;) Your pub lunch looks amazing, I like that line on the menu "Life is short, have dessert." I bet that works pretty well for their sales. lol. Happy T Day a bit late!

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  22. Those poppies look so real against that background! Fabulous painting! and that pub for looks amazing. Sure wish I had something like that nearby. We live in a small country town. ;)

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  23. I love your poppy painting! So pretty! It looks really great against that background. It really makes them pop!

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  24. The poppies are awesome, nice background. Happy PPF

    much love...

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  25. Beautiful journal page! Lovely card and beautiful flowers.
    Joanna

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  26. Happy PPF and a great weekend, hugs, Valerie

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  27. Lovely work this week Linda, the tea looks good as do your flowers!

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  28. Beautiful poppies ❣
    Happy weekend 💕

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  29. Your poppies are lovely.
    And a nest, that is precious. Yay, to spring cleansing. I am attempting some of that too.

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  30. I love poppies and yours are extra beautiful. I guess it is the fact that they're always a pop of color no matter where you see them. They are wonderful. As is your cupcake card. So completely different in style. I guess you like to diversify, too :)

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  31. your art looks great, especially the poppies, so wonderfully dramatic and I love the writing in the background. Visiting from PPF!

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  32. This is really a lovely post with the exception of your internet time. Wonderful photos of flowers, food and art.

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  33. Love that journalpage! The bright red of the poppies against the grey background. Great combination. And that sparrow! How cute that it chose to make its nest there. The picture of that lunch made my mouth water .....

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  34. Linda what a beautiful and delicious post this is!!! You journal page is gorgeous as is your hanging basket of flowers!
    Smart idea that you and your daughter buy one each of your favorite sandwiches and then each takes a half :)
    Almost forgot to say what a beautiful photo of the bird nest with the eggs!!!

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  35. love those poppies. As good as the real ones .) And I like the background as well :)

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  36. How beautiful your flower painting is and how sweet that bird's nest is!

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  37. Your hanging basket is gorgeous as is your elegance and grunge page. The background feels textured, making the flowers pop out in just the right way! Happy PPF!
    ~~ Irene

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  38. It's a GORGEOUS page! I'm glad Todd is doing well. I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day! xoxo

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  39. Love all the gorgeous red this week Linda!! Your journal page is wonderful!! Great price on the flowers too... I used to get baskets like that at costco...now they're more expensive!! Great card too... gotta love a cupcake..

    Hugs Giggles

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  40. What a gorgeous page Linda! I just love the bold red on the grey background. Wonderful! What a treat to have a bird's nest on your porch. It will be fun to see the babies when they hatch.

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  41. Love your red flowers - both the real ones and the painted ones!!

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  42. All so lovely, especially that journal page! The background and flowers go great together!

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Thank you so much for your comments; it's a pleasure to connect with you!