Notes from the garden

Fall is my favorite season of the year and it has definitely arrived in northern Alaska.  My card celebrates the harvest season.   Many gardeners keep notes on the status and success of their garden so improvements can be made in future years. My friends are familiar with the process and I am sure will enjoy reading some notes from me as a reminder the season.

Making backgrounds for cards.  This year I decided I wanted to mist some leaves to make stamping backgrounds.  I pressed carrots tops as well as several other leaves overnight so they would lay flat against my papers. While I used my flower press placing the foliage between paper towels in a telephone book with some heavy books on top will also work fine. I cut the paper to card size, layed the foliage as desired (often face down helping all the leaflets to be flat against the paper so the spray will not seep underneath. I sprayed them with various colors of homemade mists with Ranger’s Perfect Pearls and Distress reinkers. 

Here are several backgrounds that I prepared. In the top row (L to R) the 2nd and 4th backgrounds are made with the carrot tops. I used a carrot top background for the background on the Notes from the Garden Background.   I also included flowers I dried on the card.  I use a microwave press for flowers so the water is remove faster and I feel this gives me better results. 

 

 

Next to the flowers I dried, I stamped a beautiful vintage ink bottle.  Oh I love such pretties!

 

Excerpts from my Garden Notes:

8/31/12  Today hundred’s of Canadian Geese flew overhead in V formations heading south for the winter season.

9/8/12 The weather reports are predicting temperatures tonight about 34 degrees and tomorrow night in the high 20’s.  All the tomatoes, carrots, zucchini and cucumbers are now harvested…with the exception of some small carrots.

The final harvest results include:
·        1 jellyroll pan full of cherry tomatoes
·        the largest carrots of any harvest!
·        large green tomatoes
·        6 zucchini
·        And some selected leaves to make background papers for my card making.


Challenges I am also going to play in with this card:

• Simon Says Stamp is celebrating their 10^thyear anniversary with STAMPtember. This event is filled with inspiration, guests and prizes. Details can be found on their blog. I am entering this card into their weekly challenge with this week theme “READ all about it” challenge. This challenge has some awesome prizes.  If you have some time checkout their STAMPtember blog hops-Fabulous inspiration!
• 2 Peas, Stamping Forum challenges: Tide us over challenge
•  Big Picture: May Flaum's challenge #5 -Believe in Happy Crafting

Thanks for stopping in!
Til next time Happy inking!...Jan