Followers

8/02/2014

Thank You Flowers

Hello.  Big warm welcomes to a new follower, Sue of Susie's Stamping Story. Thanks for peeking in to see what I do, and then becoming a follower. Love my followers and love hearing all the comments and suggestions.

We've got some really sweet neighbors - who also love to garden. They have been keeping us in the most delicious tomatoes for most of the summer. Now, you can buy tomatoes in the grocery, but there is _Nothing_ like a home grown tomato. The first variety they shared, was so fragrant, red and just yummy, you could eat one like an apple. Dunno what the official name of it was/is, but it was marvelous. The later groups we've enjoyed are also very tasty in that wonderful Southern staple, the tomato sandwich*(described below for anyone who cares). So we wanted to say a grateful thank you, as they've also gifted us with extremely flavorful cucumbers.

Here's the card:

- image by Creative Expressions, designed for Sue Wilson (a recent Crop Stop purchase) . Inked with Versamark, stamped on a white index card that happened to be handy, then heat embossed with Sparkle n Sprinkle Belgian Cream EP.

- Various shades of Distress Inks sponged around over the surface, spritzed with some gold spray fine mist, then a bit of copper. These sprays created a lovely shimmery effect that I quite liked.

- Copper colored glitter paper leaf (snippet) and turquoise glitter bow (snippet from this card).
Mounted on plain white card stock. The inside papers were stamped in similar colors as those on the front, using different small flower stamps. I used Colorbox Fluid Chalk inks, stamping off twice on scrap paper, to get a faint image. I will handwrite the appropriate message inside.

Now, I'm going to ramble on a bit, so you can hang in there, or just X away! On Wednesday I had a wonderful treat. For my birthday, I received a  gift certificate for a manicure & pedicure. I've had manicures when I worked - (not since then though!) - but never in my life had a pedicure. My neighbor goes regularly, and was aghast at my having reached the venerable age of 70 and never experienced a pedicure. Guess she had a word with the DH who then passed the word along to DD. Ergo...the gift certificate. Can I just say the pedicure was a blissful experience?! Now I'm looking at the monthly budget and wondering what I'll dispense with, so that I can go repeat this experience regularly! (maybe I'll even have to slow down on the craft binge-ing).

Next, I wanted to share a few bear pictures. Some of you know Lil Parsnip over at Pixie's Snippet Playground. Recently sweet Parsnip emailed me the cutest note, and I explained that if he would dare to visit me, I have some playmates with which he could enjoy some time. So I thought I'd share some pictures of my bears. (DH claims this is MY JUNK! - Although he gave me 2 of these)

 
This is Angel Bear. She came from my daughter 16 yrs ago when I had a serious surgerical procedure; Angel stayed with me in the hospital and has been a dear companion ever since. Angel is a Vermont Teddy Bear, which facility we visited years ago, and watched some of our other bears coming to be. Lots of fun to watch.
 


- The pink workout bear is about 5 yrs old and was a birthday gift from DH (also a Vermont Teddy). He was away from home at that time. I had just started a pulmonary rehab therapy, and was walking 3 days a week at a medical facility. Miss Pink showed up on my first appointment day, and the folks at the center got a real charge out of Pink. She would sit with the therapists & cheer me on while Mom walked the enclosed track. She has her own little bag to carry her street clothes - as you can see.

The other little bear was one that I had given my Dad, when he had to be admitted to a care facility at the age of 86. When he passed away in '96, the relatives who were there at the time clearing his personal belongings,  made sure to get this bear for me, knowing what it would mean to me.


- The center bear is also a gift from DH. This bear came from a craft show, supposedly made from a recycled fur coat. He's very flopsy and can be arranged with his arms & legs. The patchwork bear was a long-ago gift from a quilt friend. The green bear is another gift from long ago. We've donated some of our bears in the cleanup effort, but these - and several of the Vermont Teddies who live in the basement room - will stay with us.  The needlepoint & ribbon embroidered pillows have been collected on our travels, either in thrift stores or estate sales.

The quilt at the bottom of the bed has been hidden away in a closet for many years, as it is very old, and I didn't want the light to damage it. It's not what you'd call a 'pretty or well-made' quilt. When Mama's youngest sister was 6 yrs old, my Grandma started teaching her how to quilt. Many of the fabrics are from feed sacks, but the red was purchased - probably for about 5 cents a yard - according to my Mom's recollection. The pattern is called Bear's Claw. The stitches are not particularly small or even, other than in spots where it is obviously my Grandma's stitching. My aunt would be over 100, and Grandma was nearly 45 when she had this last child.  Dad coaxed my aunt into giving me this quilt one summer when I was visiting, after he assured her, I would appreciate the story behind the quilt's existence & take good care of it. It's very sweet to have a quiet morning, and walk into this bedroom, touch the quilt and remember my Grandma & my aunt. The lace cover on the bedspread is a crochet tablecloth I found at a thrift store, long years ago. I didn't want it on the table, but I thought it looked nice over top of a pretty bedspread. I like it paired with the quilt. We have several other old quilts that have a family background story, and these will go to our Daughter some day. With stern instructions to keep the dogs off them!

Thanks for listening to me rambling on this evening.  Parsnip, if you read this blog, you can see the little bears who would love to have you visit them all the way from England. What an honor that would be indeed! Here's to a Happy Sunday for all of you. Hugs.

*A Southern tomato BLT - minus the bacon. Two slices of white bread (healthy bread just doesn't taste as good! Sorry!). Duke's mayonnaise (and again, other brands just not as tasty to a Southerner). Lettuce. Thinly sliced tomatoes. A bit of salt & pepper. I spread mayo thinly on each slice, and don't normally add salt to food and very seldom add black pepper to anything. On this good ole' mater sandwich though, you just need this. It's good to cover with a paper towel so that bread doesn't dry out, but the tomato's juices sort of absorb into the bread. Heaven! Also great if you take time to cook up crisp bacon and add to the layers.  That's how DH (a damnyankee) prefers his.

30 comments:

  1. Love the card Mary but I just love the bears, hubby always buys me a special bear every year for our anniversary and I just love them....have a great Sunday.xxThe Journey is the Start

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  2. Your beautiful card is a wonderful way to say thank you to your neighbors, Mary. The inks and sprays are gorgeous. You are so right about home grown tomatoes - they are to be treasured. Your description of the sandwich made me hungry - LOL!

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  3. Good morning Mary from a very dull, rainy, miserable North East Scotland. A perfect day for crafting.
    Love your beautiful card, your neighbours will be delighted with it. Just as you are delighted with their goodies.
    We are getting through a bowl of Tomatoes from one of our neighbours as well as courgettes and Rhubarb all so tasty.
    Off to make a Tomato Sandwich for my breakfast it sounds so good. I will add some bacon to mine.
    Have a wonderful day

    Patricia xx

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  4. Your card is lovely Mary, I love the colours you have used in the background. Your bears are adorable! I too, have quite a collection of bears, so many in fact that some are packed away and stored up in the attic/loft. I could never 'bear' to part with any of them! Hugs, Anne xx

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  5. Gorgeous card Mary love the bright colours :) your teddy is adorable too!
    Have a lovely day
    Hugs
    Vic x

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  6. Your card is beautiful, I love the colours, your neighbour is going to be thrilled with it.

    Your Teddy Bear stories are just great and so is your quilt story, thanks for sharing them and the lovely pictures too.

    Sorry not been here as we have had a respite break, which has made all the difference to us.

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  7. Beautiful card!! Home grown tomatoes are great. I grew some this year also

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  8. This is such a beautiful way to say thank you! I'm sure your neighbors love it! Love your bears and the stories behind them and your other handmade treasures! I hope you are OK and not flooded. Heard you got a LOT of rain. We got plenty but no flooding around here.

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  9. Oh my fresh home grown tomatoes are the best food Momma Mary. You have my mouth just watering as our tomatoes aren't doing anything yet. Just got some at a produce stand, but they weren't home grown tomatoes at all-more like hot house tomatoes! Yuck! So your thank you card for the tomatoes is just gorgeous! Your use of the distress inks is beautiful-loving those rich colors. I also love that stamp design and it looks so pretty embossed, I bet it looks amazing in real life. Love your addition of the copper leaf. Yes, this is a beautiful card to thank your neighbors for being so kind. Now onto those teddy bears. OMGosh! I love the angle teddy bear, DD did good with that one. Your little work out bear is adorable-DH did good with that one. How sweet that the care facility made sure you got back your bear that you gave your dad-strong emotions tied to these bears Momma Mary. DH has given your some great bears too. I love hear about the one that was made from a fur coat. Love the patchwork bear, all bears with so many memories attached to them!! They are all equally beautiful. The quilt, oh my the quilt-what awesome memories that quilt has for you! It is very beautiful. How many people can say they have a quilt made from feed sacks or made by their aunt and grandmother?!! Such a wonderful heirloom piece for sure and I too would come in everyday just to touch it. The quit is very beautiful Momma Mary! Love, love that crochet tablecloth on the bed, how clever of you to think to put it on the bed! I would have never thought to do that! I will now if I ever run across any crochet tablecloths. Yes, beautiful keepsakes to bring back memories, to touch and feel the love that came with them too. This was a great post Momma Mary, one that I enjoyed very, very much! Hugs, Brenda

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  10. Mary, your card is absolutely gorgeous. And, your teddy bears are so adorable. The quilt is a treasure. Yes, this southern loves a tomato sandwich. I cannot stand store bought tomatoes and would never make a sandwich with them, only use them for salads or such in the winter. I wish I had a tomato garden. And, they make the best soup, too.

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  11. Loving the Belgian Cream embossing ion this gorgeous card Mary. The sprays you used are just perfect too. What an adorable collection of little bears, each with a story. Beautiful quilt too. A Jersey tomato is often this girl's lunch! This morning I'm having toast with Lilikoi butter - Hawaiian heaven!

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  12. Love your colourful card, Mary!!!
    Enjoyed you stories of the teddy bears and the quilts!! TFS.

    Have a lovely week!!
    Hugz

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  13. What a gorgeous card, Mary!! The colors are so beautiful!! I love the pretty flowers and butterfly!! Your neighbors will love this - and I agree...noting like a homegrown tomato!!

    I've visited the Vermont Teddy Bear store, too!! I adore all of your bears!! I have had a weakness for stuffed animals all of my life :) Happy Sunday :)

    Lisa
    A Mermaid's Crafts

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  14. This card is really pretty Mary and the background colours go perfectly with the Sue Wilson die and the copper coloured leaves. What a great way to thank your neighbours for their tomatoes and cucumbers. My dad was a wonderful vegetable gardener and I can remember what a lovely flavour the tomatoes were and the cucumbers he grew were much better than the shop bought ones! I love the cute bears too with their tales to tell and also the lovely linens. I think it's wonderful to have things that have been passed down through the family. x

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  15. Mary just catching up after being away for a few days, love your story about each of your bears and about your quilt and bedspread, no rambling just lovely memories. A beautiful card also, our home grown tomatoes are just ready, can't wait and your right about the sandwich it sounds yummy. Hazel xx

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  16. Gorgeous card Mary love the image and colours such a wonderful, joyous card, those Teddy Bears are awesome.
    hugs
    lorraine x

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  17. Your card is beautiful, and I love BLT's too! Only white bread is good, I agree! I add pepper to everything and nix the salt, because the bacon has enough salt in it for my taste. Up north here, I've never heard of Duke's mayo - we have Hellmans :)
    Now I'm hungry - thanks a lot! LOL

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  18. Fabulous card Mary, I love the cream embossing and the gorgeous DI colours you used.
    Thank you for sharing the photos of your lovely bears, each one unique and with it's own little story.
    Your quilt is fantastic as well, a real family heirloom.
    Jean x

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  19. Mary love your card. Such pretty colors together. I especially loved your "Bear" stories. This was a beautifuly written post. Sure have missed seeing you. We hope to get back home (in 2 weeks) to hopefully get some home grown tomatoes from a guy right down the road from us. I haven't had a locally grown one yet. :-)

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  20. Ohhhh I forgot to say that I love the bears you have and to also say that I continue to love the Vermont bear that you and Joe sent me when I was going thru my chemo. Chemo-sabi still sits on my bed at home. He meant and means all the world to me. I will always treasure him and continue to be so grateful for you both thinking of me during such a tough time in my life. Chemo-sabi got me through some tough times. Many hugs, PJ

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  21. Ah, yes, tomato sandwiches on white bread are simply the best, Mary! Sadly, my tomato eating days are over and it makes me sad every summer. Thank you for your wonderful Bear Tour! I thoroughly enjoyed it! And I thoroughly enjoyed your beautiful and colorful card, too, which your generous neighbors will treasure!! Hugs, Darnell

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  22. That is a wonderful card, and will be appreciated as much as the tomatoes & cucumbers!
    You're right about a home grown tomato!
    Ours are huge, but still green!
    Thanks for the bear story, and quilt one!
    Enjoyed your post, didn't need to "X" out!

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  23. Um.....I must have a little bit of damnyankee in me! Love the bacon on that good mater sandwich! And yes, good ole fattening white bread is the BEST! You made me hungry with this!
    Love all the little bears and of course the quilt and story are priceless. So pretty and so many wonderful memories.
    Also love this beautiful card Mary! What a special "gift" to give someone.
    LYnn

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  24. Mary your card is gorgeous - love the colours and the reason you are giving it - I grow our own tomatoes too and there is nothing like them for flavour!!
    Blessings
    Maxine

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  25. Lovely card Mary, I like the white against the striking background. You reminded me how good tomato sandwiches are, not had one in ages. My version is just bread, tomatoes and a hint of freshly ground black pepper - yum! Need to get some tomatoes now!! x

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  26. This is a stunning card Mary. I love the blend of distress colors over the embossing and the copper and gold spray. What a wonderful combination. Your bears are darling, especially the work out beat with her tote. Neighbors with gardens are the best. There is nothing like fresh garden tomatoes. I can never buy decent tomatoes at the store. We have to go to a farmers stand. Lucky you!!

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  27. we grow tomatoes and rhubarb which we share with out neighbor who grows cucumbers which he shares-we also have beetroot and raspberries which struggle to get any further than the two little grandaughters lol-love the beautiful quilt,we have a plain fleece throw on our bed as it's the favourite place of one of our cats Millie, and beautiful card love the embossed image.
    Carol x

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  28. Oh wow! What a post!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading to the last line :). So thoughtful of your sweet neighbours. And reading about the teddies was really touchy. What beautiful memories the quilt has brought! I too treasure such things :). Your card is amazing as always! :)

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  29. This card is a real beauty...I think they are going to love it.

    That cream EP is wonderfulwith the glimmery sprays on the background.

    I make my tomato sandwich much the same but of course Ii do not have Dukes so Kraft mayo it is. I also like my bread toasted...but it must be white...better yet if it is homemade bread!!!

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  30. Your card is lovely! Oh how I wish I could eat a BLT, and home made Tomato soup...it was always my favorite...Can't eat anything with tomatoes anymore. I am highly allergic!
    Your bears are all adorable! I received some of my Mother's bears when I lost her...and I treasure each one. She also had a handmade one (My favorite)

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