raspberries

Garden Update: Things Are Happening

| terriaw

Lots of things are happening in our gardens these days.

Our raspberries are ripening.

Many of our lilies are blooming. We have lots of different colors and varieties:

red and yellow lilies

yellow and purple lilies

burgundy lilies

Our clematis always blooms beautifully too. I love the vibrant purple of the fresh flower right after it opens.

We have a bed dedicated to a variety of coneflowers, especially pink varieties.

pinker coneflowers

pinkest coneflowers

Lots of critters are enjoying all this green vegetation. This the closest I could get to this cute baby bunny, which isn’t always so adorable when I discover he/she has eaten our black-eyed susan flowers down to the green twigs.

Thanks for stopping by!

Getting Caught Up

| terriaw

I’ve been working hard the past week to get caught up. First on the list, I made a set of art cards for week 27 to remember my road trip to a quilting retreat.

I spent a good part of last week picking raspberries from our garden, getting about a pint each day.

I think I have over 2 quarts so far, and there’s probably another quart to be picked.

I made raspberry jam over the weekend, which I haven’t done in ages. I added a handful of strawberries that were getting a little old and mushy. Man, I can’t believe how much jam I have now! Guess I’ll be eating more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or making scones to spread raspberry jam on.

I’m SO happy I finally finished my chocolate lollipop quilt, after piecing it in Spring 2010 for Randi’s quilt-along.

I don’t know why I procrastinated doing free motion quilting on it because I love how it turned out. It measures 48 inches wide by 62 inches tall.

I’m surprised I even managed to finish the binding already, since I have three other quilts waiting for the binding to be handsewn to the back.

So these highlights are represented on my art cards for the week.

I copied the illustration style of Michelle‘s gorgeous strawberry card because I loved the look and because she always inspires me! It felt good do be drawing and painting again, since it’s been over a week that I’ve worked on any art projects. For my other card, I used a scrap piece of fabric and the selvage to record my new favorite quilt accomplishment.

I have so many project ideas I want to work on, but I also want to get caught upon my unfinished projects so I can move on.

In Bloom

| terriaw

If you are here looking for information about my Ornament Swap in July, please go to this post.

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We are in full summer mode around here, so I have a few summer blooms to share with you.

Our collection of lilies are looking fabulous!

The new bee balms we planted are taking shape in their new location.

Best of all, my raspberry shrub is growing like a crazy weed!

It’s only our second year with these raspberry plants, but I’ve been out there every night enjoying a handful of these juicy berries. I’ve always wanted a raspberry patch, so I am a happy gardener.