A Riot of Petals

Look what I saw when I opened the front door this morning!

These are the Japanese irises right outside, along the walk. They all seem to bloom at the same time - with long times between blooms. Don't think I've seen this many in bloom for quite some time.

Here's the view looking toward the front door.
And here's an individual flower. Quite pretty, aren't they?
They only last for a day - and there's very little forewarning that they're going to bloom. So, it's always a pleasant surprise!

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Today I decided to feature the "Heartfelt Thanks" stamp set. This has been a favorite of mine ever since it was released. It's a beautiful 2-step stamping set, and a very versatile one which is being discontinued at the end of June.

I've used it with ink pads, direct to the stamp, watercolor crayons (look at the red card below - those watercolor crayons do it proud!), and chalks.

The cardstock on the "Always" card was smudged with moistened Pearl-Ex. It's quite a stunning card.

Maybe you need it?




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Smudge didn't seem to be very energetic today - no "murls", no yelling. She just sat on the patio and watched the world go by.

Melie, on the other hand, was, as usual, all over the place.











But mostly, he was on top of the birdcage that's been in my backyard since I bought the house 22 years ago...

It's a good "lookout" spot - you can see out to the street alongside the house, you're higher than anyone else, and you are positioned RIGHT under the "bird tree" (we have a lot of sparrows, and they seem to like one tree in the backyard), so have immediate access, when necessary!

Or, if you're like Melie, it's just a good place to "hang".

Happy stampin'
Sam