So I blinked & May was over!  I think the considerable transition from perpetual indoor living to a mix of indoor & outdoor living really changes the time dynamic for us Northerners, at least for me it does.  There's just so much more to do all of a sudden! But in the bustle of it all, I still managed to document a few of the highlights from last month.  

My morning walks in the neighbourhood at sunrise in early May were light & freshly green ~

As well, in early May, Chris' band, "The Swill Kings" played a gig at the Newcastle Pub in town.  What a fun night we had!  Here's a picture of them midway through a song.  Perhaps you can make out their beaver mascot on the right?  It goes to all the shows. ;)

My friend, Tam (on the right) & me enjoying the music!

One of my highlights this May was having my Mom & Chris' Grandma over for a backyard brunch on Mother's day (first outdoor meal of the year!).  Grandma Mabel notoriously avoids the camera, but somehow, perhaps it was the roses (?), she let me take this quick snapshot of her... even Chris was a little surprised.  Thanks Grandma, you look beautiful!

In the yard (& in the city), I think May has to be my favourite time of year when all the trees are blossoming.  I planted this Juliet Cherry tree two Mays ago & it seems to be very happy here in the sun.  We're going to have a lot of cherries this year!  Any good recipes?

Below, a photo from our alley of the trees along the back fence bursting with blossoms.  What a thrill it was for me to drive up & see this each day! 

And the Arctic Phlox & Spurge were incredible this May, due to a relatively mild winter & warm Spring, I think ~

As well, we found a whole bunch of morel mushrooms in one of our backyard gardens!  It's a first, but I hope not the last time.  These 2 were huge!

And something I wanted to share with you, I had a great tip from my Aunt who was visiting in town, regarding weeds in the cracks of our cobble stone pathway.  She uses a propane torch to spot heat her weeds, which in turn, kills them.  What a brilliant idea!  In the past, I've tediously picked out the weeds with a knife & my fingers, most of which break off & rejuvenate, so I was really excited to hear about this trick.  And sure enough, Chris happened to have a propane tank & torch so I didn't even have to go & buy one.  I've tried it & it really does works - fast, fun & most importantly, environmentally friendly!  If this is something you think you might consider, you can buy garden torches through Lee Valley Tools too (they have even larger ones, as well).  

Our yard was in the Salisbury Greenhouse Magazine this Spring with a section of our backyard on the front cover.  We had no idea they were going to do this, so it was quite the surprise when this came in the mail ~ 

If you're interested, here's a link to the photos they took of our yard last year.

We've been working indoors too!  I've been making beads & Judy has been designing some fresh new jewelry for the season.  One major project we completed was for a dear client out in Victoria.  It's 2 long matching necklaces (& a bracelet not seen here) ~ 

And I started to make more owls too ~ there's some available in our shop under our brand new Seasonal Section, so please take a moment to check it out & see if you can guess the theme of this season. :)

And finally, some REALLY BIG news!  The Bead Tree was accepted into the Make it! Show this November 26th - 29th, 2015, a major craft show here in town.  I'll have more news about it as it gets closer, but we're very excited & hope to see lots of our Edmontonian friends there.  * Bonus, it's going to be at the Edmonton Expo Centre this year & there's even going to be a BEER GARDEN!  I think I've died & gone to heaven.