We have just returned from our annual buying trip to Broken Arrow Nursery in Ct. and we have many woodies and perennials that are new to us and likely new to you! Meanwhile, the garden area near the Rustic Shade Hut has changed quite a bit. We sadly lost 3 v lg sugar maples to shoe string root rot but this has opened up the formerly full-shade area to more light and we have added Japanese maples, a golden cornus and a variegated halesia, and more woodland perennials. Of our 45 Clematis, many are now bursting forth: Mme. julie coravon, Multi blue, Cardinal W...., Polish Spirit, Durandii, Gen.Sikorski, Niobe (my all-time fav.)etc.etc., and a number of viticellas, including Princess Diana and Sir Trevor Lawrence,Gravetye Beauty, Duchess of Albany,Roguchi. Other vines include kiwi, variegated ampelopsis, varieg.akebia,apios,hydrangea Schizophragma Moonlight(covering the chimney and flowering) and Miranda, and 6 different lonicera. The variegated liriodendron and acer drummondii still hold their variegation. The bold yellow and green variegation of Mulberry Paper Dolls is in full berry.The knock-your-socks-off flowers of Calycanthus Venus have been replaced by the knock-your-socks-off double flowers of Hydrangea quercifolia Alice, and 4 different lacecap hydrangeas, some variegated. And of course Geranium Rozanne just keeps on giving! With all this wet, the gardens have never been so lush. Do come visit before it gets hot! best, Mindy PHOTO LINKS: http://forums.gardenweb.com/fo rums/load/neweng/msg0821343913 679.html http://sites.google.com/site/c ottonarboretum/

Wow Minnie! What great deals! I'll have to check out my dollar stores here in Alabama. I did find some nice goodies at Dollar General the other day - since I'm into Altered Books, I am on the lookout for all kinds of embellishments. They had some awesome bracelets and necklace/earring sets for a buck each - each had several different charms, many beads, all kinds of cool dangly stuff that I can use by disassembing them! Also found a large sheet of stick-on earrings for little girls - real neat shiny "gems" that will be great for embellishing. Thanks for the heads-up, Minnie. You always find the greatest bargains! jackie (alabama)

I haven't seen any stamping on Mulberry before. I knew I wanted the paper but tried to use a vellum on top and that didn't look right so I just tried it out. I was happy with how it turned out. The crinkled paper I got in package of Decorative papers by Black Ink from Michael's. I think there was only one sheet in the pack. I did have some other very nice gold papers which I used on some of the cards. I also got some gold tissue that has dull/shiny surface from the tissue area at Michael's. I cut it to the size I wanted and then crumpled it up into a tight ball in my hand and then spread it out flattening it. I used the same techniques on cards a couple of years ago.

My daughter made a monkey hanging from a tree using mulberry paper. It really turned out cute. I think she's going to use "Just hanging around" as here title and put some everyday pictures she likes. She's the one that got me into scrapbooking. Jackie