12 Days of Summer - Day 11

listening: fireworks in the neighborhood...again.

making: plans for the 4th of July.

eating: lots of junk food and strawberries at a graduation party.

drinking: root beer float that spilled all over when I put the straw in the glass.

wearing: root beer float soaked jeans and a tee shirt.

feeling: thrilled by what I accomplished today...and in the month of June.

weather: still hot.

enjoying: time with Daniel, wandering around Barnes and Noble.

wondering: what I'll accomplish in July.

Pick of the Month - June 2012

A couple weeks ago, I was sitting at my dining room table where I do my paper-crafting, and I thought, "Hey! I didn't do a pick of the month for May!"

So, I wanted to be sure that I did one for June, and my pick is this great alphabet stamp set by Hero Arts for Studio Calico.

(Photo from Hero Arts website)

I have already used this stamp set on so many layouts, and I know it's going to be a staple in my stash for the rest of my paper-crafting life. I like the basic, timeless design of the letters, and I like that there's one solid set and one outline set. I haven't done it yet, but I imagine I'll eventually try coloring in letters stamped with those outline stamps.

The stamps are easy to use with lining up letters to spell a word on a block--I usually test the placement on a piece of paper before stamping on the actual layout--and they're the perfect size for long titles or subtitles. I imagine they'd be perfect for card sentiments, too, though I haven't actually tried it yet.

Don't worry. I will!

Fortunately, I was able to get my hands on this set at the local scrapbook store, and I think I was able to use a coupon. You can check here to see if the set is still in stock. $14.99 is a pretty decent price for the amount of use you can get out of it.

Favorite Photos - June

I took a few more photos in June than I have been taking. Here are just a few of my favorites.

A sapling that my sweet husband is trying to grow into a tree...

...and the parent tree it likely came from.

My new cut and color on my birthday.

Blurry me and Daniel at TGIFriday's for birthday dinner.

Me and my little Mommy...

...and me and the nephew.

Mmmm...birthday dessert in my brand new bowls from Mom. (I got Rizzoli and Isles on DVD from DJ, but I didn't take a photo.)

At Claddagh on date night.

My Daniel being goofy on an evening out with friends...

...and looking oh-so-handsome in yellow on a very warm evening.

There's me enjoying a new Sam Adams blend I really like...

...and here I am, enjoying a long-awaited downpour on the 9th anniversary of my father's death. He would have loved to be out there with me.

A little surprise after a little rain on a blazing hot evening.

Me taking it easy after another long June day.

And there's my sweetheart, kicking back in the sun. What a sight for my eyes!

12 Days of Summer - Day 10

listening: the new release of an old song by Corey Hart, "Truth Will Set You Free."

making: a creative scrappin' mess at the dining table.

eating: chicken from Chicken King.

drinking: lots and lots of water.

wearing: Guinness shirt and green pants.

feeling: very tired.

weather: hot again...or still.

enjoying: time to play.

wondering: if my hopes will be realized this time.

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 30

Coloring Eggs

(Supplies: Card stock by Stampin' Up! Black letter stickers by American Crafts. Stamps by Studio G and Stampin' Up! Ink by Ranger. Glitter by Stickles. All other supplies by Echo Park Paper.)

Again, rah-rah for Echo Park Paper! That's bits of the Hello, Summer collection, but it worked great for a layout about coloring eggs with my little Mommy last Easter. Because it was late at night when I was working on this project, and because I was both tired and lazy, I discovered that circle dies work well as tracing templates if you aren't motivated to drag out the die cutter. ;) Those little dots speckling the card stock are punchouts from a 1/4" hole punch. Because trying to get adhesive from my regular runner on those teensy tiny circles wasn't labor-intensive at all!

And that concludes 30 in 30 Scrapbooking, the June edition. Stay tuned for more information on the next round and how you can join me to create 30 scrapbook layouts in 30 days!

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 29

Birthday '05

(Supplies: Letter stickers by American Crafts. Photo corners by Recollections. Ink by Tim Holtz Distress. Stamps by Hero Arts for Studio Calico. Brads by Joann. All other supplies by Echo Park Paper.)

How much do I simply love Echo Park Paper? I'm coming to the end of the Little Boy collection I got awhile back, and I loved how it accented these photos of my nephew's 12th birthday trip to Grapevine Mills Mall. I chose that busy, energetic vehicle paper because it was a bit of a road trip from where we lived to the Dallas area, and everything else really fell into place. A happy layout. :)

One more to go!

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 28

Dressed in White

(Supplies: Patterned paper by The Paper Studio. Stamps by Hero Arts, The Stamps of Life, and Stampin' Up! Ink by VersaMark and Colorbox for Stephanie Barnard. Ribbon by Joann. Watermark powder by Perfect Pearls. Card stock by Recollections and Stampin' Up! Letter stickers by American Crafts. Brads, unknown manufacturer.)

After the previous layout, I was in the mood for a bit of simplicity! :)

I used a piece of patterned paper I've had in my stash for years, and it was the perfect match for these photos. Those flowers were die cuts I had in the bottom of my flower drawer. I fussed with them a bit to get them to stand out a little more, and I stamped off the flower border so that the blue wouldn't be quite so bright.

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 27

Moment Captured

(Supplies: Camera patterned paper, unknown manufacturer, a garage sale find. Letter stickers by Crate Paper and Basic Grey. Ink by Tim Holtz Distress. Trinket pins by Making Memories. Fabric brad by Crate Paper. Stamps by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous, Close to My Heart, and Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday. Bakers twine by My Mind's Eye. Red buttons by Dritz. All other supplies by October Afternoon.)

Every once in a awhile, I create a layout that I just love, one that goes into the box of favorites in my mind.

This is one of those layouts.

It's more than its title conveys. It's more than one moment captured. This layout illustrates one of the reasons I keep doing what I do with paper and photos and words.

Some of my readers know that my little Mommy came to live with me and my husband over a year ago. She suffers from memory loss, and some days, it is simply heartbreaking. When I began to plan the layout above, I sat down with her, showed her the photo, and asked her about it.

She couldn't recall any of the details. The good news is, she does still recognize that it's her. She just can't remember anything else about it.

I was a bit disappointed, but that experience gave me a springboard to make this layout about the number one, most important reason I make scrapbook pages: to preserve memories. I don't know if I'll have memory loss some day. My father didn't, not in any significant way, so I don't know if I'm going to be genetically doomed to the same affliction my mother endures.

If I am, if I am 79 years old, and there's a picture of me holding a camera or doing some other normal everyday thing or some rare and wonderful thing, I won't have to rely on my memory. There's a good chance the photo will be attached to a page full of pretty paper and adorable embellishments, and there will be words for me to read so that pieces of my own story don't get lost to time.

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 26

Budding Artist

(Supplies: Sketch by Shimelle Laine. Patterned paper by American Crafts. Ink by Tim Holtz Distress and Stampin' Up! Photo corners by Recollections. Letter stickers by American Crafts and K&Company. "Create" sticker by Jenni Bowlin. Stamps by Technique Tuesday, Hero Arts, and Close to my Heart. Dimensional stickers by Jolee's and American Crafts. Buttons, unknown manufacturer.)

When I completed this layout, a couple days ago, I admit, I didn't really like it. I tried some things, and I wasn't sure it really worked together.

The idea was to go for a "kid" drawn look, and I chose papers from my stash that fulfilled that idea, but I also wanted to mimic the multiple colors of crayons in the photo with that striped paper that almost coordinated with the rest of the supplies. I also added some doodled frames I cut from another piece of patterned paper. I couldn't quite find embellishments to really match, so I went with some dimensional felt flowers from a Cocoa Daisy kit that I hadn't found a use for yet. I took the foam adhesive off of both of those so they wouldn't be quite so thick.

Looking at the photo of the page, I like it a little more than I did at first. I like that I tried something different for me, that I went with it, that I didn't let that internal critic interfere with my creative process.

And as I always say, that's another memory preserved, so it's all good.

Today, I'm dedicating time to finishing the last four layouts for this challenge. I'll have them posted here by tomorrow night.

12 Days of Summer - Day 9

listening: the air conditioner blowing cool air.

making: time to rest after a busy day.

eating: a fresh peach Daniel bought for me.

drinking: water. Lots and lots of water.

wearing: jeans rolled up to clam-digging length and a striped tank top.

feeling: exhausted by walking two miles in 96 degrees.

weather: Hot. Hot, hot, hot.

enjoying: meeting my friend Amy for coffee.

wondering: if the Weather Channel is right about August and September being cooler than average.

12 Days of Summer - Day 8

listening: Detroit radio.

making: plans.

eating: Mexican food from El Patio.

drinking: Earl Grey tea, hot.

wearing: jeans and layered tank shirts to work out in the yard.

feeling: worn out.

weather: warm and getting hotter.

enjoying: an evening out with friends.

wondering: what tomorrow will bring.

12 Days of Summer - Day 7

listening: dog barking.

making: a scrapbook page about Olivia, coloring with her uncle.

eating: oatmeal, cooked on the stove, with bananas, a bit of brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon.

drinking: coffee, going cold.

wearing: butterflies, purple ones.

feeling: pressed to get a lot done in very little time.

weather: warm and sunny.

enjoying: time with my husband on our drive to work this morning.

wondering: what we'll do for date night.

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 25

La Madeleine

(Supplies: Card stock and stamp by Stampin' Up! Paint by Adirondack. Flowers by Hero Arts and unknown manufacturer. Heart stickers by Prima. Larger letter stickers and buttons by Basic Grey. Epoxy stickers by Paper Studio. Dimensional stickers by Jolee's. Ink by Tim Holtz Distress. Glitter by Stickles. All other supplies by Colorbok.)

Making this layout made me miss La Madeleine! When Daniel and I lived in Texas, we used to go there for a little taste of Paris. It was our special place for celebrations.

Unfortunately, the photo didn't capture it very well, but I used a lot of glitter to dress up this layout, and I utilized one of my favorite techniques, stamping with paint, to add a little more flair.

I'm working on layout number 26, which I hope to have posted later today.

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 24

Birthday Princess

(Supplies: Card stock by Bazzill. Patterned paper by Bella Blvd. Epoxy stickers by EK Success. Letter stamps by TPC Studios. Ink by Ranger. Journaling stamp by Hero Arts. Cupcake stamp by Cocoa Daisy. Glitter by Stickles. Gems by Kaiser, Sticko and Zva Creative. Pearls by Queen and Co. Sketch by Shimelle Laine.)

Love all that purple! I have so little purple in my stash, and I have no idea why. Maybe because it's my favorite color so when I have it, I put it to use right away? Like I did with this layout. I recently bought purple papers from Bella Blvd., and now I've got the few scraps that I tossed into the scrap basket.

Back to the LSS for more...

I've actually got Number 25 completed, but the photos I took of the two-pager did not turn out well at all, so I'm going to give it another go tomorrow, see if I can get better images to share.

This week is the home stretch of 30 in 30 Scrapbooking for June. I think I'm going to be able to get the total of 30 layouts completed, photographed, and posted by Saturday. Yay!

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 23

Christmas Snow

(Supplies: Letter stickers by American Crafts. Die cut photo frames by Heidi Swapp. Snowflake stickers by Jolees. Stamp by Hero Arts. Ink by Tim Holtz Distress. All other supplies by October Afternoon.)

Kinda fun to do winter layouts in the summer time, reminding me that this too shall pass. (I hope!) I'm also happy to do a layout from the early years Daniel and I were together, and I included an excerpt of my journal from back then into the journaling of the layout. Originally, I was going to use more red, but the green piece of patterned paper looked better when I was playing around, trying to come up with a design. I love those Polaroid-looking die cuts from Heidi Swapp. Whoa, are those the coolness, yes?

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 22

Snow Sprinkles

(Supplies: Stamps by Hero Arts and Close to My Heart. Ink by VersaMagic, Tim Holtz Distress, and Colorbox for Stephanie Barnard. Shimmer spray by Mr. Hueys. Snowflake stickers by Jolees. Letter stickers by American Crafts and K&Company. Patterned paper by Bo Bunny.)

A layout I've been wanting to create for a long, long time, and I really like the design. Using lots of bits of patterned paper in my layouts is something I like. A lot.

12 Days of Summer - Day 6

listening: Stargate on the TV downstairs.

making: layouts, more and more layouts.

eating: chicken strips at Ram's horn and summer fruit.

drinking: lemonade.

wearing: tee shirt and jeans, my usual.

feeling: content.

weather: blissfully cool...for today.

enjoying: a few moments in the cool evening air with Daniel out back.

wondering: what to do next.

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 21

Breakfast for Dinner

(Supplies: Stamps by TPC Studio. Ink by Colorbox and Stampin' Up! Card stock by Stampin' Up! Brads by My Mind's Eye. All other supplies by Bo Bunny.)

This layout is actually based on a sketch by Shimelle Laine, one that I've used at least once before because it's so very versatile, especially for those 4x6 landscape photos. I always enjoy creating pages about my sweetheart, and I am totally digging how those My Mind's Eye brads are accentuating such a variety of pages. I'll be getting more of those.

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 20

Hanging Out, LaLa Style

(Supplies: Letter stickers by American Crafts. Gems by Me & My Big Ideas and K&Company. Stamp by Hero Arts. Ink by Tim Holtz Distress and Stampin' Up! Wooden butterfly, unknown manufacturer. All other supplies by Echo Park Paper.)

Although this design was my own, the butterfly stamp idea was inspired by a layout Shimelle Laine posted on her blog awhile back, and I loved it. I used the new Hello, Summer collection by Echo Park paper for this layout about my almost three-year-old niece Lyndsey hanging out with me and her "Aunt" Jill at our house. The wooden butterfly came with a Cocoa Daisy kit, and I colored it with an orange marker by Stampin' Up!

12 Days of Summer - Day 5

(Gotta love the grainy photo!)

listening: the car running in the driveway.

making: changes.

eating: cereal.

drinking: mostly water.

wearing: LA shirt.

feeling: spent.

weather: warm and humid.

enjoying: the quiet.

wondering: if I will ever get it right.

12 Days of Summer - Day 4

listening: a lawnmower outside.

making: time for myself.

eating: toast.

drinking: Sam Adams Cinder Bock. Yummy.

wearing: knit pants and tank top that says "Life. Liberty. Happiness."

feeling: energized to do some scrapbooking.

weather: sunny, high of 83 degrees.

enjoying: this Saturday.

wondering: if we'll be able to hook up with our friend for dinner.

Inspiration Sunday - June 24

For today, I'm going to be a little self-absorbed. I was just thinking, what's inspiring me right now?

And the thing that popped into my mind was, "Me!"

That usually doesn't happen. Inspiration almost always comes from outside: blogs, videos, podcasts, books. I think it's probably that way with most of us.

But this past week, I've been inspiring myself with ideas and plans and new projects. I've been creating, even in the midst of very stressful circumstances, keeping the engine running, when it would be so much easier to veg out in front of the TV. (Or the iPad; Netflix rocks!)

Doing 30 in 30 Scrapbooking has kept me in creative focus, and that has been a lifeline for me. I've finished 22 layouts so far (photos of the last three should be up later today), and I've got another one just about done, so it looks like I'm going to make my goal for the month, and that just makes me happy.

So...what's inspiring you?

12 Days of Summer - Day 3

listening: Layout-a-Day podcasts and digging it.

making: layouts, after about a week-long hiatus.

eating: ice cream, mint chocolate chip.

drinking: Sam Adams porch rocker, tasty!

wearing: Chapel Hill High School shirt, bulldog pride!

feeling: relaxed and happy.

weather: cooler, thankfully.

enjoying: going for walks outside.

wondering: what it would be like to visit Budapest.

12 Days of Summer - Day 2

listening: a rerun of The Mentalist on the television downstairs.

making: excuses not to do anything.

eating: pizza.

drinking: water.

wearing: jeans and a lavender shirt.

feeling: cool and thankful for air conditioning.

weather: cloudy, after a nice rain squall.

enjoying: Friday Night Lights on Netflix.

wondering: why I don't schedule more days like this one, relaxing and doing very little.

12 Days of Summer - Day 1

June 20, the first day of summer

listening: to the dishwasher and planes overhead

making: coffee

eating: lunch...soon

drinking: coffee...lots and lots of coffee

wearing: green

feeling: warm

weather: sunny and too, too hot

enjoying: the prospect of cooler weather day after tomorrow

wondering: whether I make things more difficult than necessary sometimes

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 19

Warm Kitty

(Supplies: Orange card stock by Bazzill. Lavender card stock, unknown manufacturer. Patterned paper by Graphic 45. Letter stickers by October Afternoon, Pebbles, Inc., American Crafts and Basic Grey. Glitter by Stickles. Photo corners by Recollections. White card stock by Stampin' Up! Ink by Tim Holtz Distress. Gems by K&Company. Stamp by Inkadinkadoo.)

Trying to come up with a title for this one was the challenge, but then I remembered that my little brother, Olivia's father, used to sing that little kitty song, and it just seemed like the perfect way to dress up this page.

Eleven more pages to go to reach the 30 in 30 goal!

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 18

Pumpkin Bunny

(Supplies: Patterned paper by Bo Bunny, Echo Park Paper, and Graphic 45. Stamps by Stampin' Up! Ink by Tim Holtz Distress, Ranger, and Stampin' Up! Letter stickers by October Afternoon and American Crafts. Gems and pearls by Queen & Company. Glitter by Stickles.)

So, this layout was a bit of a challenge, and it took me a bit longer to complete than most. The biggest issue was the odd-sized photo. I didn't want to trim it, but I couldn't quite make it fit in a row or any other configuration, so I offset it from the rest. I think it worked great.

The other problem was colors. I wanted to do a Hallowe'en theme, but I also wanted to do something with bunnies. Thankfully, I still had that cute little bunny stamp from an old Stampin' Up! set. Let me tell you, that bunny's gotten quite a bit of use, and it was a sweet addition to this page about another cute bunny, my niece Olivia.

Lots of fussy cutting of stamped images for this page. I also colored the bunnies' ears and noses with a pink marker and added some glitter to their tails. Especially given what a challenge it was to actually put this page together, I'm really thrilled with the result. (Though not as thrilled with the photos...)

One more Hallowe'en layout to go, which will be number 19!

Don't Worry...

...I'm still scrappin'.

It's just been a busy couple of days, and there were some rainy skies, so I haven't had either the time or the opportunity to take photos of the pages I've been creating.

Perhaps tomorrow? Another busy day of doctor appointments, but I'll try to squeeze in a photo session so I can share.

Oh, and tomorrow's the first day of summer, which means it's also the first day of 12 Days of Summer, my seasonal project for 2012, and I'm pretty excited to get started--though I admit I'm not excited about the weather forecast: high of 95 degrees with sunny skies. Scorcher!

I bought the album for this project on Sunday, and I'm planning to use the adorable Hello, Summer collection by Echo Park Paper.

So many pretty papers!

Definitely need to get several more pages done to meet my 30 in 30 quota, but I'm pretty sure I can make it happen by the end of the month.

What's going on with you as summer gets off the ground?

Inspiration Sunday - June 17

For today's inspiration, I've picked a product to share. If you've been reading my blog, you already know I've been using a lot of the new Happy Haunting collection of patterned papers by Graphic 45 in my recent layouts.

Here's a photo from the Graphic 45 website:

What I loved about the collection when I first started looking through the individual 12x12 patterned papers at the local scrapbook store was the lack of "creepiness," especially since the Hallowe'en photos I had were cute ones of my niece and nephew, and I wanted cute to match. I like the vintage flavor, too, and these papers are right up my alley, particularly the variety of colors. Of course, there's traditional black/orange combinations, but there's greens and browns, some purple, and a gorgeous blue background with a creamy-yellow star pattern that really caught my eye.

For the sake of value, I went with this 8x8 paper pad, but I may go back for some full-sized sheets of my favorites--like the black background with little tiny pumpkins as "polka dots"--to use with the 8x8's. What's left of them, anyway.

The 8x8 pad was a really good buy, even if I hadn't made use of the competitor coupon day and saved 40%, because there are papers that can be cut apart for embellishments. You could also use cut-out elements on Hallowe'en cards, since several of the images include greetings. I've always liked the style of Graphic 45's designs, but this is the first collection I've seen that I thought was so usable.

And using it I am!

What's inspiring you, lately? Feel free to leave a comment and share.

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 17

Birthday Cake 2012

(Supplies: Letter stickers by American Crafts. All other supplies by Echo Park Paper.)

Hey, wait: that's not a Hallowe'en page!

Nope. I stil have a couple of those to do, but I was feeling a little stumped on a fitting design for one of them, so I switched gears to create this happy page about my niece's 9th birthday cake. My sister-in-law made that colorful cake from scratch! I was so impressed, especially when she described how she did it because it sounded a lot like work. :)

When I started thinking about what supplies to use for those photos, I immediately thought of the Country Drive collection by Echo Park Paper, but I'd forgotten all about this particular pattern, and since my niece's nickname is "Bug," what a perfect match!

More than halfway through this month-long challenge, and I'm totally digging it!

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 16

Hallowe'en Sweet

(Supplies: Card stock and Stamps by Stampin' Up! Patterned paper by Graphic 45. Letter stickers by American Crafts. Ink by Tim Holtz Distress.)

This is one of those pages that came together almost by accident. I was just playing around at first, not sure what to do with the photos I had, and I put down that 8x8 piece of patterned paper onto the pumpkin card stock. It just looked good to me, and I only added a few more details before I called it done.

Of course, it helps a lot to have such a wonderful photo to accent. :)

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 15

The Most Adorable Witch Ever

(Supplies: Patterned paper by Basic Grey and Graphic 45. Letter stickers by October Afternoon and American Crafts. Lace border sticker by Hero Arts. Stamp by Li'l Davis. Ink by Tim Holtz Distress and Ranger. Glitter by Stickles.)

Those Graphic 45 papers are really working for me on yet another layout of my niece at Hallowe'en.

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 14

Cute Little Witch

(Supplies: Patterned paper by Crate Paper and Graphic 45. Letter stickers by American Crafts and Pebbles. Ribbon by Bazzill. Ink by Ranger and Tim Holtz Distress. Stamps by Cocoa Daisy.)

I love, love, love this photo! And I had such a good time creating this page. Such a good time, in fact, that the stamping mistakes don't even bother me. :)

I'll have more layouts to share tomorrow when it's light, and I can take some reasonable pictures. So far, 30 in 30 Scrapbooking is a blast, and I'm already starting to plan the next round in September.

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 13

Halloween 2000

(Supplies: Card stock by Stampin' Up! Letter stickers by October Afternoon. Numeral stickers by American Crafts. Stickers by Karen Foster Designs. Stamp by L'il Davis. Ink by Ranger. Patterned paper by Graphic 45. Brads by Joann, Etc.)

All I can really say about this page is, at long last. I've had those stickers for a long, long time, and the photos even longer. I've been wanting to scrapbook my nephew's first foray into the magic of trick-or-treating for awhile now, and it feels good to finally have it done.

30 in 30 Scrapbooking - Number 12

Hallowe'en Carnival

(Supplies: Card stock and stamps by Stampin' Up! Letter stickers by American Crafts. Brads by Making Memories. Ink by Tim Holtz Distress. Glitter by Stickles. All other supplies by Graphic 45.)

Since I started planning layouts for a few years worth of photos of my niece Olivia in her Hallowe'en costumes, I've been on the lookout for cute Hallowe'en themed papers. At first, I thought of buying some of last year's leftovers from Two Peas, but before I took that plunge, I wanted to look at the local scrapbook store, the delightful Scrappy Chic, for some options.

I hit the jackpot.

Graphic 45 has a new collection called Happy Haunting, and as I was going through the individual 12x12 papers, selecting the ones I liked the best, I decided I might be better off purchasing the 8x8 paper pad, containing 2 sheets of all the papers in the collection. I was confident I could make 8x8 work, so I bought it, at 40% off--happy competitor coupon day!--no less.

LaLa was a happy scrapbooker...

...who became delirious when she started using those papers!

I lost count of the number of pages I've created with these great patterns. I love vintage designs that make Hallowe'en a little less creepy and a lot of adorable. This collection is the perfect choice for photos of my sweet niece all decked out in her yearly choice of costume.

For this layout, I got really messy with orange Stickles all over the place, and I got exactly the look I was going for. I dig it.

Next up, number 13!

A Little Purple Surprise

Yesterday, as I was mowing the lawn, a little flash of purple caught my attention.

A single stalk with little purple flowers growing under the hedge.

When I was done mowing, I went in and got the camera to capture this quiet beauty right there in my back yard. I got closer...

...and then a little bit closer. Such a lovely, delicate shade of my favorite color!