A Wisteria Wreath

 I've been wanting to find a way to use some of the prolific wisteria vines that grow in my backyard. 

So far, I love this idea! It's basically what I think of as a "grapevine wreath" ... but it's made with wisteria vines. They're pretty flexible and they twist and twine really easily. 

I'm hoping to make more of these. Wreath-making is a great use for something that's already in my yard! And this style of wreath is so versatile, because you can add (or skip!) any kind of flowers, leaves, bows, etc., depending on the desired style or the season!

Still Quilting ...

It's been a while since I've blogged much, but I've always got projects in the works! 

Every now and then, I realize that I should start a blog series on the topic of "Quilts I Forgot to Blog About!" Or, better yet, "Projects I Forgot to Blog About," since there are plenty of not-quilty projects that are always happening. 

Anyway, just to get started, I thought I'd share some quick photos of my recent and current projects. (After all, where does one start to blog again after an 18-month break?!) Pictures are important to a blog post, so here are a bunch. Any of these may turn up in a longer post soon, but this will be a good way to get back to it. 

In no particular order, here are some quick looks at things I've been doing in the past few months.

Quilts remain a perennial favorite. Each of these projects was special and fun, and I finished all of them in the past year. (Two of them were started long ago, and two were started and finished in just a few months.) I'm hoping they'll each become a blog post soon, but for now, here are some sneak peeks:

 

 

Crochet projects have kept me busy. There's a crochet group at my church, and we always have several charity projects going. Here are a few of the things I've worked on during the past few months ... a few baby items and lap-sized afghans. It's a great way to put my yarn to good use!

 

 

As always, there are plants ... some early spring flowers, a few vegetables, tiny succulents in pots, and some summer blooms.

 

 

 

 

In other news, I usually have some knitting going, and now and then, I remember that I started a massive cross-stitch project two decades ago ...

 

So, that gives you a quick glance at the crafty, quilty stuff I've been up to. As I said, I'm hoping to update the blog more often than I have lately.

Spring Flowers

Other than daffodils, these are the first spring flowers that bloom in my yard.

Here they are in a vase, (along with leaves from another plant.)

Little white flowers that grow from bulbs ... Their Latin name is Leucojum, and I think they're also called Snow Bells.

They look a lot like lilies of the valley, but the flower edges are different (less "ruffled", plus the green spots), and the leaves are narrower.

These pretty little flowers are such a nice welcome to spring!

Daylilies!

Another weekend post about flowers ...

A couple years ago, I decided that I must need some kind of regular lilies. This year, I'm pleased to have some!

After all, I'd thought about the fact that I had irises that bloomed early, and cannas that bloomed late. During that "empty space" when none of my big flowers were blooming, I noticed that other people had lilies blooming. 

One day last year, one of my kids showed up from our little bit of woods with an orange lily. She said that one of her older siblings had told her, "Take this to Mom - she will LOVE it!!" True enough - the kids knew that if there was an awesome flower in the woods, Mom would show up to dig it up and put it in the flower bed!

Are these called Daylilies or Tiger Lilies? I'm never sure, but I like them! 

Cannas Blooming!

I love these canna flowers that are blooming right now!

I mentioned these cannas on my blog last year, mostly here and here.

I love that my neighbor shared some of her cannas (and other flowers!) with me. And I was glad when I had the chance to divide some last year and share with a friend.

I love the bright, cheery, ABUNDANT flowers, and I love the tons of BIG leaves!

Since I have some red and some orange cannas, I'm now eyeing the yellow cannas I see in other people's yards ... might have to get some of those, too!

Cannas seem to love the weather here. I love the fact that, as "big flowers" go, these are among the easiest flowers I've ever had ... plant them, water them, leave them alone, and that's about it. Nice.

Monkey Grass is blooming!

I have a lot of this monkey grass in my flowerbeds. It's sturdy and green. It multiplies, so there's lots of it. It's there, even when the perennials fade. And, from time to time, it blooms!

This stuff is super-easy to take care of, easy to divide and transplant, and it's almost impossible to kill. 

Like I said, I have lots of it in, and at the edges of, my flowerbeds!

And it's got sweet little lavendar blooms.

And, like I might have mentioned before, I love it when the light hits things in an unusual way.

Dandelions - just because!

I love it when the sun hits ordinary things in extraordinary ways. 

Need I say more?

So, yeah, sometimes my grass is clothed with dandelions. But they look sunny and happy, and the kids like to pick them. And sometimes I think maybe the Bible was talking about dandelions in verses like the one below ...   :-)

Pink flowers on a spike that grow from a bulb ...

So, Saturday on my blog is for flowers ... 

(I'm not sure why. It just works.)

Today's flower is a mystery to me, because I'm not sure what this one is called.

Our neighbors had some of these at the edge of the back of their yard, and they said we could dig one up a couple years ago ...

I thought it was gorgeous, so I dug one up and planted it ... and it's blooming!

It's just one tall spike, with two or three flowers blooming at a time. Nifty.

If you know what this flower's called, jot me a comment so I'll know ...

~ * ~

And God said,
Let the earth bring forth grass,
the herb yielding seed,
and the fruit tree
yielding fruit after his kind,
whose seed is in itself,
upon the earth:
and it was so.

Genesis 1:11

~ * ~