The Vincas are Cascading

I posted in May about my excitement about finding cascading vincas for our porch.

They are really filling in nicely and we are enjoying them so much!

These blooms would make pretty stunning pressed flowers.  You may remember this post about my little pressed flower bouquet. I have a small stash of pressed blooms from past summers.  Even if I never use them in a project, the saving of them and the discovery of what they look like after you take them from the book or place you pressed them is worth the time to do it!

A Little Stitching

For our last number of vacations, I took along some type of stitching project.  Never a plan, but a little bag of supplies or maybe a crochet pattern to try a bit of.  

This time I had just been to an Estate Sale and picked up some great vintage fabrics.  I posted a picture of some of the bigger pieces here. I took a tiny stash of the fabrics along.  I had flowers in mind and this is what came out.  The crocheted button flower needs a better technique, but I was winging it in a car of people so I'm fine with it. :)

I framed it in the same hoop I used to stitch it. Makes it easy.

I could do this type of "freelance" embroidery for days! 

~ have a great day ~

Scene and Story: June

The day was overcast and chilly and the view was spectacular!  We drove up Needles Highway in the Black Hills and I remembered the fear I had when 40 years earlier there was talk of brakes overheating and a conviction that my Dad didn't know how dangerous the road was.  Now, it's my husband and me in the driver's seat.  Kind of fun to not be feeling like I'm at the mercy of someone else.  Okay, there were a couple of times when I wasn't driving that I gripped the seat a little tight!

This is the summit and there were quite a few motorcycles around and people milling about taking a break after driving up.  I think we all silently wished that the others would leave so we could enjoy this space all to ourselves.  We were facing an hour's drive yet back to our cabin, not wanting to drive the way in the dark, and we were hungry, so we did not even try to outlast the other tourists.

Later I found out that one biker was quietly mocking me as I tried to line up the family.  Apparently my kids thought it was funny.  Hmmm....

And, if you've never been here, this is the "Eye of the Needle" at the top of Needles Highway.

I'm joining Sarah for Scene and Story. 

A Few Flowers

A lot of the annuals are just getting going out in the garden.  I planted so many seeds this year and maybe about 50% of them have taken off.  Not the best success, but I do think I'll have quite a few to enjoy. 

Time slipped away from posting here as we went on a full seven day vacation.  That's the longest we've been gone and everyone was still talking to each other when we got home!  It's been years since I've been to the Black Hills and wow, I almost forgot how beautiful it is out there! We stayed in a beautiful cabin and hiked and took in so much history at different sites. 

Now, we've been doing a little bit of this and that of summer time activities.  Our son is home also helping out with some really big projects that needed doing, so hopefully our summer will prove to be productive for the project list.  (And, there is a list!  I'm not a list maker anymore, but my son has a big one going for us, so I'm trying it again!)

Have a great week everyone!