Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Charming Gardener






A charming gardener, I am most definitely not. That is probably why I am so drawn to florals on cards, the vibrant colors and cascading blossoms on paper make me giddy!!
I attempted last year to dig up an unused space on the side of our lawn and went to top-notch nurseries with the idea of making a beautiful, bountiful, lush garden. I planted long stemmed daisies and gerberas, with the image of vases with fresh-cut flowers brightening the multiple spaces in our home. I waited expectantly and watched as the stalks reached dwarf length, flowers budded in tight gnarled knots, then withered away in the afternoon sun. Not one single bloom to show for the money and time spent!!
Anyway, this is a card for a Flourishes challenge , "A Cut Above the Rest." The challenge is to make a cut on your card. This sentiment was cut out using the deckled rectangles from Spellbinders, and circle nestabilities for the bird.
This card was also my first attempt at sewing...and was happy to say I only had the needle jammed once...yippee! This was one of those cards that was days in the making, I kept fiddling with the layout, then the origonal black base was too somber for the sentiment, so I cut it out and framed it with yellow and then mounted on a white base. At least with this card I have a single rose bud to show for my efforts!
What about you, do you enjoy gardening? And if so, do you have any tips?
Thanks for stopping by, and it's almost spring here in Colorado. Time to go plant some more stuff and hope for the best!

9 comments:

  1. This is beautiful..I LOVE the sentiment chose. It is perfect for a gardening card. I LOVE to garden..hence flowergal. I find it as relaxing as most of my stamping.. Maybe this year will be better for gardening. Thanks for joining us at Flourishes. Don't forget about the release party Thursday night..

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  2. Very pretty! The paper is so floral and sets the sentiment off. Nicely done. Thanks for playing in Flourishes A cut above the rest challenge.

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  3. LOVE it, Traci. Great job on the challenge. Know they are glad you joined in and we are glad you are showcasing your card here. So pretty...so cheery...just like you! Love you, sister.

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  4. The perfect paper for a gardening theme :) Paper gardens are so much easier to maintain than the real ones :)

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  5. Traci, this is beautiful! Origins is some of my all time favorite paper, and I love this quote. I just sent a card with this quote to a friend after we'd spent an enjoyable day together shopping and lunching. She's a kindred spirit and I know it was well received. Little occasions like that are so important in life, and seem like just the right time to send a card. I'm sorry to hear about your gardening efforts turning out fruitless! I love everything about gardening, except the heavy digging. Weeding, deadheading, planting, trimming -- I love it all! Congratulations on your win at the party!

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  6. Very pretty card Traci! I love that bow & flower:)

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  7. Traci,

    Beautiful card and sewing! Gardening can be very rewarding. I'm sorry to hear your long stemmed daisies and gerberas didn't make it. They do like sun, but require quite a bit of water when first getting established.

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  8. Your comments made me laugh! That's how I garden, high hopes of what might happen and then dashed to the ground. :) I don't have a green thumb, but perhaps that's because of paper cuts from making cards that create gardens in my imagination. Very pretty!

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  9. Traci, you are too cute and a girl after my own brown thumb! LOL! I think that's why I love floral cards so much, too, since I've never been a gardener. I wish I were wealthy enough to hire a gardener to maintain beautiful, lush floral beds throughout my yard. In any event, I enjoyed your story and your beautiful card. Way to go with the sewing, too!

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