Blooms of the week

Lilies are still going strong. We have some yellow and white Asiatic ones still hanging on. New fragrant soft yellow trumpet lilies are blooming this week, some tomatoes are budding out and grapes are getting full. Day lillies are looking good this week, too. So elegant and pretty, this peachy orange variety is so summertime to me.

Charm City Craft Mafia's Raffle Basket!

At Pile of Craft this year, CCCM will be auctioning off two baskets full of awesome craft goodness! The tickets are only $1 each and all proceeds benefit Youthlight, an after-school program that provides middle and high school youth in Baltimore with access to quality, in-depth photography instruction, media literacy education, and leadership training. (Students from Youthlight will be at Pile of Craft as well to talk about their program and sell their prints so be sure to stop by their table!)

Some of the goodies in our raffle baskets include...
Handmade pins and barrettes from HVM Designs
T-shirt from Sweet Pepita
Felt brooch and earrings from littlest bean
Eyeglass case from JennyJen
Rodeo girl print from 2hawks2fishes
Screenprinted ties from Spaghetti kiss
Helping hands from Pink Kiss Pottery
Little Monster from Cotton Monster
and more exciting items from Bowerbox Press, Carlybird Weaves, illegible ink, Kiss My Crafts, Phampershand Press and Red Prairie Press!

Support Youthlight when you come to Pile of Craft, this Saturday. See you there!

They Don't Call me Tigerlilly for Nothin'!

These beauties are growing in pots in my concrete backyard in Highlandtown. We live in one of the most barren parts of our neighborhood. I have watched the greening efforts on my block fail as people disregard the new trees and flower pots as some of the residents meagerly try to maintain them against the odds. Our yard is fenced, so things are out of reach from metal pipe wielding kids, trash, and you don't want to know what else...

In my insistance on beauty, I bought an Asiatic/Oriental lily bulb mix for my blazing hot backyard about 2 yrs ago and have been totally stunned at the blooms that we have gotten from them! These pics are the second wave of lily blooms I have had. We have already had melony-orange and speckled freckly yellow/orange go by. White, yellow, and my stargazers are going to open in about a week or so. These plants are totally fool proof if you give them the basics. If I can grow them here, you will probably have luck with them, too!

The Pile of Craft is upon us!

The Charm City Craft Mafia's 3rd annual Pile of Craft Show is happening this Saturday 10-5!

As always, you can expect really cool vendors from all over Baltimore. Many members of BEST will be there, too! Prints, clothing, accessories, soap, jewelry...you can always find the unexpected perfect gift of keepsake for yourself!

I always look forward to this on. It was my first ever craft show, I took the plunge into the craft scene with CCCM's first show in 2007 and never looked back! I can't believe it has been 3 yrs of showing.

See you there this weekend!

Handmade Mart Tomorrow!

The Pyramid Atlantic Art Center is hosting an outdoor indie market this Sunday! Handmade Mart looks like it's going to be a great show! See their blog for all vendor profiles! There is going to be live music, workshops and great shopping all day, see the schedule for more info.


I am excited to show there since this will be my first time venturing out to Silver Spring, MD! I didn't realize what a Baltimore-centered girl I have become...

Ada's Creation

Since we are redoing our kitchen right now, we are looking at this pile of rubble marveling at the waste. One thing we are going to keep from our demolition is a work of art my daughter created right on one of the cabinet fronts.

She taped one of her drawings onto one of the cabinets one evening. A few weeks later, she added to it with a brown crayon and made it a permanent part of the kitchen. I just can't get rid of this cabinet front. I am thinking about framing it...

City Garden, Flowers of the Week

These heirloom beauties just get better with age. The irises have been blooming almost a week now, the ones that have gone past curl up and hang in such a whimsical way, I just love these!

Wisteria, climbing up the ugly pluming vent in the backyard. It has a really nice light purple flower that has a little dot of green in it, so gorgeous. I was so glad to see this vine bloom this year, it has not bloomed in the backyard in previous years, so I am really happy to see it thriving. I couldn't get a good shot, the flowers are too high to see up close.

Gorgeous romantic hybrid tea in rust red. The image doesn't pick up the real brick red color of this rose, so rich and old fashioned looking. It has a light sweet fragrance, a lovely addition to our garden from a generous friend who left town. Thank you Marcea, this rose is so you!