April's Instant Garden Digital Stamp: Sunset Sway

Not sure how this month has zoomed by so quickly — but we’re already past mid-April and approaching May. Each day brings new things into bloom where we live in St. Louis. Is the excitement at finding out what’s going to bloom next what’s making this month fly past? As I take my walks through the neighborhood in the morning or evening, I find myself so filled with gratitude that our local neighborhoods have so many flowers and flowering trees.

Now more than ever in my lifetime are people getting in to gardening! Nearly every house I pass has at least one or two flowering spring trees, from redbuds and dogwoods to magnolias, crabapples, lilacs, and cherries. The spirea bushes are fountains of white, the azaleas in every bold hue circle perimeters and enhance entrances. Thank you, neighbors, for helping to bring such delightful sights to my senses — and all I have to do is walk out the front door!

On a recent walk at sunset, I saw so many captivating tulips, that I knew I had to include them in a drawing. From traditional types to fringed French tulips, Parrots, and even a few species tulips (which typically are the first to rise) like the beautiful Tulip kaufmanniana and T. clusiana still linger in gardens.

I decided to create a little scene pairing a few tulips with a few anemones (the gal who lives next door planted the sweetest grouping of pinks and purples to go with her tulips and grape hyacinths, and I haven't snapped a photo but I may have to run over there and see if she’d mind me playing paparazzi with her plants.) In the meantime, we have today’s digital download introduction to the Instant Garden, Sunset Sway!

The Sunset Sway digital stamp set comes with two versions of this drawing, one has a little butterfly stopping by, and the other is only the dancing flowers. The image is large, but can be enlarged on your computer if you really want to get in and color that anemone with lots of detail. And remember, even if I draw a specific flower in my artwork, I welcome and encourage you to color these up in whatever way your heart tells you! Red, orange, blue, yellow, go for it, loves!!

There’s a sentiment in this set that really carries home the “sunset” part of this set’s title. I’ll let you find out on your own what the sentiment says. :)

Our Instant Garden team is here today with some gorgeous renditions of Sunset Sway — let’s go see the beautiful cards they’ve designed to show off this lively new digi!

Barbara Walker

Cheryl Scrivens

Debbie Olson

Jennifer Dove

Jessie Banks

Just in case you were wondering what kind of nut goes around taking photos of plants all the live long day, I was at my garden club last week and captured in the wild (literally) by my friend Eileen.

Lots of good vibes coming your way from the Gateway to the West, where I can hear birdsong just outside my window and the children are starting to wake up for school.... let’s kick a hole in this day!