Well, it took awhile for my dahlias to bloom… and I had no idea I would get a second “harvest” of blooms! This is the first time I tried growing dahlias in my yard and I was very pleased… and planning on growing more next summer!

Pretty little pink pokers… a pop of color & some fun natural textures for another Texture Tuesday!

Looks like this might be my final dahlia in the garden, but it sure is a STUNNER… well worth the wait!!! And another great opportunity for a natural TEXTURE TUESDAY!

A beautiful bouquet of alstromeria in one of my stamped & glazed vases. Melissa shared the photo with me, along with the memory of when we met several years back at the Hinsdale Art Fair through her friend & stained glass artist Richard. Sadly, Richard is no longer with us, but this vase reminds her of him, as does the stained glass window in my condo!

Looks like I have a couple final soldiers working their way through my garden. I thought the dahlias were done blooming… but then this little guy came out to say hello!

Memo to self… plant more dahlias next year!

Always fun when your next door neighbors leave you a few flowers on the back porch… because they KNOW you have better things to display them in than the plastic water bottle they’ve been using! Thanks Melanie & Mia… they look so much happier now!

Beautiful roses for a beautiful birthday present for my friend Kelly. Her Mom gave her the stunning flowers… and Kelly put them in one of my stamped & soda-fired vases. Gorgeous roses… but methinks Kelly might need a bigger vase soon???

Sometimes a simple weed is so much more. I love the way that nature always finds its own way… even when there’s just a crack of dirt, a slice of sun and a lot of architectural structure all around.

So Kate thought it as time to give her aloe vera plant a little more room to grow. She separated the “babies” from the mother plant and gave them each their own stamped & soda-fired flower pot. After a long afternoon of re-potting… it’s good to see that Kate is also kicking back and enjoying the new mug she picked up at ART IN THE GARDEN.

So I took a much needed mental & physical break from my “ghouls production” in the studio this morning! And went for a quick 70-mile ride up to Waukegan “for ice cream” and back with my friend Nancy. We had a beautiful ride, and were struck with the beauty around the Skokie Lagoons… good thing I’m not allergic to goldenrod!!! But never fear… I’ll be back at it in the studio later this evening!!!