Shalini's Sewing Space

Stressed Something I have neglected to mention here is that we've had a landscaper plant some Cypress trees in the backyard. They are planted in such a way to provide a privacy screen from the back and side neighbor. The back neighbor contributed with us and got the same thing done for his backyard as well. So essentially, we have 2 rows of trees alternating in the back where our backyards meet, and a row on the side. A picture would describe it very well but I don't have the heart to put that up.. ..because many of the trees are turning brown and dying. DH and I are so disappointed and just heartbroken. We've spent a huge amount of money on these. The neighbor is also involved into it. General consensus is it is from lack of water. We have been watering them pretty regularly since we noticed the problem. But our landscaper had repeatedly advised *against* watering them because the ground was soggy from rain. I had asked him repeatedly how often should we water, how much wa...

Did something about the Hydrangea-induced-guilt I moved them. Originally when I had planted them in the front (North), I thought they'd only get morning sunshine and afternoon shade. Wrong. I noticed over the last weekend (I was home for about 4 days - read on) that they were getting pretty strong afternoon sun. Anyone who has planted Hydrangeas knows that most varieties don't do well in afternoon sun. In spring, they did fine because the sun wasn't as high in the sky so the front was shaded by the surrounding houses in the evening, the temperatures were low and everything was great. Summer sun is not the same. Novice gardener mistake :) Of the 3 Hydrangeas in the front, I've moved 2 to the east side bed. These two were the ones that always wilted. The third one is still in the front as I have no place to move it and it seems to be liking it where it is. I don't know what's different about it. The two I moved are liking it better where they are now. I was home f...

Roses! I'm about to leave from work in 5 minutes so this will be very short. Few of my roses are blooming! I'm in love :) Few are not yet blooming and I will be very patient with them. The red one is my most favorite ever. No, the pink one. The yellow! I love them all. I was stupid and didn't label them as I planted them. I know many are Hybrid Tea roses and one is 'Peace' Hybrid Tea. That's all I remember. I'll try to do better next time I plant a rose! I have also planted some Flower Carpet roses and some Double Knockouts that aren't blooming yet. The Hybrid Teas were the first to get planted.

Back at work After an almost weeklong vacation (minus monday), I'm now back at work. The weather could not have been more gorgeous last week. It was in 70s although one day it did hit 80s. I did a lot of yardwork. Laid down the sod by the steps we've recently had someone build, planted the shrubs, and tidied up the yard. I've planted roses, pink hydrangeas, Clemantis, Jasmine, Butterfly bush, and atleast 2 more shrubs I'm forgetting. I've put a lot of bulbs as well - Gladiolus, gayfeather, and Dahlias. We'll see if all the hard work was worth it in a few months. I need more hydrangeas for the front yard. And I am looking for a nice tree for the front as well. It's been raining since yesterday. It's good for the sod and the grass seed. Stitching - I've completed parts 1 and 2 of the Papillion Creations mystery - How does your garden grow. I forgot to give the design info. in the previous post. It's available if you sign up for their newsletter. I...

How does your garden grow - Part 1 I planted the roses yesterday. The original plan was to put them on the east side of the house but later I thought they might be better in the back, which gets sun the whole day, so that's where they've gone. I am still deciding on where to plant the climbing rose. For the east side, I have gotten some more flowering perennials - spinea, and another one with blue blooms. I also got some clematis. That will go in the back next to the roses. I can't wait for bloom time! I need to get the hydrangeas from the nursery. They'll go on the east as well. I put a few ferns in the front in big planters. I am a fern-lover. If I could, I would have a garden full of ferns. The front of our house gets very little sun (North) so that should be good for them. The wind was blowing so they look a bit weird. So apart from gardening, I've been stitching a lot the past 2 days. Not much else going on. I'll share the garden pictures once it looks reas...

Mehul's Birthday Photobook So I got an offer from Shutterfly 2 days ago to create an 8x8 inch photo book and get another one free. As some of you might know, I had created Mehul's first birthday album pages already. I had been reading about this photo book concept and really liked the fact that it was cheaper and much more durable because of being in a book format. I was thinking of going with full 12x12 format but that's HUGE for a book. So I had almost decided on getting an 8x8 book made. And then I got this offer. So I took the plunge and resized my pages the last two nights, uploaded them and ordered! Offer expired yesterday at midnight so I had to finish it yesterday. No procrastinating. Now it's done done done. If you're curious, I've shared the photobook and you can check it out by clicking here . I deliberately did not use the mirror images of the layouts on facing pages, but kept the similar angles. I like it better this way. I hope it'll look ok i...

Just barely, but I made it :) I just finished my last 5.5 miles of the 100 miles by April 1st. Feels good to actually follow something through and see the end of it. I haven't been posting a lot because, well, I didn't have much to say. Not much scrapping going on but I did finish 2 layouts for Diamante Designs CT yesterday. Still stitching regularly on the Angel of Love. I am planting some herbs and veggies this year. Sowed Tomato and peppers couple of days ago in the Jiffy Green House . It comes with a tray with cup indentation (sorta like muffin tray) and peat pellets (the shape and size of carrom or checkers pieces). Put warm water and they poof up real quick. I sowed about 3 seeds per peat muffin, covered them with peat and put a lid on the tray. About 2 hours later, I went to check on them. I am sure they wouldn't sprout too quickly, but I have a curious little one in the house. I have placed them near a window in the library as it doesn't get direct sun. Might ha...