Hello Friends,
Back once again with my final Mother’s Day card of this season (I think)! I’ve been doing a lot of outdoor yard work the last couple of weeks, prepping flowerbeds and planting flowers. The last couple of summers, I’ve not planted anything new in our yard because the deer just eat up everything I plant! However, I love caring for my yard and find it somehow therapeutic after a long day, to unwind while watering my flowers in the evening.
So, I did my research thoroughly (again), and went to town for the purpose of buying plants that deer WILL NOT eat!!! I checked my deer-resistant plant list once, and checked it again. I made my selections and then checked my list again. I even asked the gal at the nursery to check my cart to ensure I had only the hardiest of deer-resistant plants. She told me I had done well… there was nothing on my cart the deer should ravage too badly.
Of course, if you live with deer about, you know as well as I do, they will sample ANYTHING… just to find out if they like it or not!
So with fingers crossed, some hope, and a little prayer, I set about planting my new plants: clematis, hardy geraniums (perennial), cape fuschias, lavender, salvia, coreopsis, daylilies and a butterfly bush.
All the while I’m planting, I had an audience.
They were just waiting for me to disappear so they could come check out the new salad bar offerings.
Such beautiful but tender little morsels…
The next morning I was eager to get outside and make sure my plants were still there. So, boots on and coffee in hand, out I went only to find that the deer are NOT playing by the rules!!! They apparently didn’t read the same “deer-resistant list” that I did!!
They ate one of my new clematis to the ground but did leave the other one alone. The hardy geraniums are missing all of their flower buds and a few leaves; same for the coreopsis. The salvia they’ve left alone (so far), as have they the cape fuschias and daylilies. My butterfly bush, they’ve eaten the tips off each branch but I’m hopeful it will make a strong comeback!
My husband just smiled that knowing little smile (or maybe it’s an “I told you so” smile), gave me a hug and started a fire in our firepit. We pulled a couple chairs around and simply sat and admired our beautiful surroundings. It was a gorgeous morning and a reminder to be thankful for what landscaping they HAVE left alone over the years! We are surely blessed to live with deer as our neighbors… at least they’re quiet!
Today, after looking around on Pinterest for “recipes” for homemade deer repellent, things are about to get stinky!!!
By most accounts, 3 eggs, a couple tablespoons of milk, garlic, cayenne pepper, and a little vegetable oil all thoroughly mixed into a gallon of water and left to sit for at least 24 hours to allow the eggs to rot, and then sprayed on your plants will do the trick. The deer don’t like the smell and therefore leave the plants alone. If they do get past the smell, the cayenne pepper turns them off. Supposedly, once the mixture dries on the plants, it’s undetectable to human noses. I sure hope so!!! I’ll keep y’all posted as to whether it works or not!!!
But, on to today’s card. I sorted through my container of “extra” die-cuts for inspiration today. I don’t know about you, but I have a hard time throwing those extras away, so I put them all in a rectangular plastic container… just in case I need them for some other card!
What I came up with was the branch/leaves from an old retired die set, “Petals and More”. (It coordinated with Petal Palette stamp set, also retired).
As mentioned, I planted a couple new clematis, and I thought that the “branch” could look like a flowering-type vine, and as I don’t have a trellis stamp or die, a Pearlized Doily cut down could simulate the top of a trellis. I love climbing roses, but again… the deer; therefore I don’t have any! Herein was my inspiration!
LET’S GET INKY (before I go get STINKY with rotten eggs to keep the deer out of my flower beds!)
Card Front:
Real Red 8 1/2″ x 5 1/2″, score at 4 1/4″ and fold for 5 1/2″ x 4 1/4″ card base.
From My Heart DSP (striped paper) ((On the retiring list – order soon!)) Mat 1 – 5 1/4″ x 4″
Real Red Mat 2 – 3 3/4″ x 4 1/2″
Whisper White Mat 3 – 3 1/2″ x 4 1/4″
Directions:
I used the Ornate Floral 3D embossing folder inked with Flirty Flamingo ink to create the textured panel behind the flowers.
*** To do this, simply use the ink pad to ink the front inside of the embossing folder (with the Stampin’ Up! logo on it), lay the Whisper White (Mat 3) piece of CS in the folder, carefully close the folder and run through the Big Shot like normal. Rinse the embossing folder under water and the ink comes right off. I love the look this achieves and it’s fun to play around with the various folders to see how they come out!
The roses are from “Dressed To Impress” stamp set.
I stamped the roses in Basic Gray on Whisper White CS and then used Aqua Painters with Real Red (single rose) and Flirty Flamingo (double roses) to watercolor them. The leaves were done the same with Old Olive ink.
In case you’re not familiar with Aqua Painters, you simply fill them with water and they have a brush tip on them. There are two per package, one medium-sized brush tip, the other large-sized brush tip. Use them with ink (gently squeeze your closed ink pad to get some ink on the inside of the lid, then open and pick up ink with the brush tip of the Aqua Painter), or use with watercolor pencils.
After the flowers dried, I used a Wink Of Stella Glitter Pen to add some sparkle to the flowers, though difficult to detect in the picture.
Cut the flower images out using the corresponding dies from “All Dressed Up Dies”.
Adhere the various layers and then adhere the cut-down Pearlized Doily to the top center of the top panel.
Adhere the old olive “vine” and then place the flowers to create the image of a climbing rose!
The sentiment is from “Dressed To Impress” also, and was stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento Ink and cut out with the die from “Stitched Labels” (On the retiring list – order soon!); then popped up with dimensionals.
Card Inside:
From My Heart DSP (stripes) cut at 5 1/4″ x 4″
Whisper White cut at 4 3/4″ x 3 3/4″
Sentiment is from “Strong and Beautiful” stamped in Tuxedo Black Memento.
Flower, again, from “Dressed To Impress” and again water-colored with Aqua Painters and Real Red ink.
I hope you’re inspired to get a little inky today.
As for me, I’m off to spray my flowers with rotten eggs! Fingers crossed the smell drives away the deer, but not us!
Until next time,
Janet
P.S. Just another reminder that some of the items I used are retiring June 2. If you want any of them, order fast!!!
*The Dressed To Impress “Bundle” will go away – both stamp set and dies will continue into the new catalog but the 10% discount for “bundling” will be gone, they’ll have to be ordered separately.
*Stitched Labels Dies are retiring
*From My Heart DSP is retiring
(The Petals and More dies are already retired)
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Your stories are so entertaining to read! You could buy some coyote urine (seriously, look on Amazon) and sprinkle it around your yard. We’ve used it and it keeps the skunks and raccoons out of our backyard. In the front yard, it kept the deer from eating the roses. Don’t ask me how they collect the stuff but it works!
Thank you, Krista! I could enlighten you on the coyote urine…Dean’s a trapper and we have plenty of the stuff 😉 I’m not sure why I didn’t think of that! For that matter, we have plenty of other trapping lure as well that I’m sure would work… some of it’s pretty stinky stuff! If the rotten eggs don’t work, I may have to resort to using some of his coyote urine!