NEW LOOK TO MY BLOG: LOVELY LILACS! and custom signature too!

Did you have a fun Fourth of July weekend? I haven't posted in a few days because we were just enjoying the holiday weekend and catching up on the flower beds and vegetable gardens, which are suddenly exploding with new growth (including weeds!) from all the rain and hot, humid days we've been experiencing!

All this color and bloom has inspired me to make my blog more colorful! Typepad came out with some wonderful new templates for banners...and this Lovely Lilac floral caught my attention-it's PERFECT for me! I love pinks, purples and blues and of course-flowers and gardening are my "other" passion besides rubber stamping...until I get my own custom banner, I think I will stick with this one...it's so pretty, isn't it?

You may have noticed in my past few posts I have this new look to my passionstamper signature:

I found this great site where you can create your own personalized signature very quickly in just a few easy steps, and-it's free! This new signature is totally me! Click HERE to get your own pretty signature!

While we are talking about pretty things, here are some new photos of the gardens...and Stampin' Up! ink colors that they remind me of:

Sidalcea-Candy Girl (SU! Orchid Opulence)

 

Zinnias (SU! Only Orange, Yo-Yo Yellow, Pink Passion, Regal Rose & Pretty in Pink)

 

Impatiens by front door (SU! Almost Amethyst & Orchid Opulence)

 

More Impatiens-rock wall garden (SU! Whisper White & Orchid Opulence again!)

 

Tiger Lilies by the Stream (SU! a mix of Summer Sun & Pumpkin Pie!)

 

The North 40! Our Veggie Garden...Remember Caddyshack???? We have such a problem with a family of woodchucks that lives under our front deck, devouring everything from flowers to vegetables, that this year, we've resorted to this temporary fence to protect the vegetable garden. So far, it is working and they haven't dug under it yet! If this fails, we will resort to Have a Heart Traps...so they can be relocated. I will NOT give up gardening to a bunch of brown furry eating machines!

and last of all,

 

This is our way of cammoflaging our Septic Field Pipe from our new "State of the Art" Septic System! According to Code, this pipe is now required to be above the ground about 2 1/2 feet! It sticks out like a sore thumb right in the middle of our front lawn! I had to be creative in order to disguise it...and discovered that a small flower pot of Petunias fits nicely on top. Then I found these gorgeous hanging baskets for this low to the ground double iron plant hanger...The pot of Zinnias sits on top of the access plate, behind the pipe. Voila!  I had stamped the pipe two years ago with ivy leaf stamps (yes I STAMPED IT!) ...but after 2 Northeast winters, it finally disappeared. I may stamp it again in the late fall after the flowers die off with a new design, so it has some interest during the winter months!  Yes, I do literally stamp EVERYTHING! If I decide to stamp it again, I'll be sure to post a photo so you can see the new "work of art"!

Hey-I just had a thought...maybe I will try Stampin' Up!'s new decorative line called Decor Elements to decorate the pipe! That would be a hoot! Hmmmmmm....haven't I told you about it yet? Well, I will definitely  have to take care of that in another post....come back and visit again soon!

Thanks for taking a walk in my garden  with me!

Have a great stampin' day,