Almost a month since the last post...tut...tut...

Hello folks - I've a few photos (again quality is poor but you know me). Life is busy - we've had some lovely weather which has broken today and we've had some rain but not a lot. It was so good to see the sunshine as it seems to lift people's mood somewhat. Our cherry blossom did get to last quite a long time and now the petals are falling all over the place....even though they are pink they remind me of the words of the last two lines of a hymn which says 'and from the ground there blossoms red life that shall endless be'. Our white lilac is out in bloom - we also have the traditional colour in our back garden. Tulips have now gone over. I've also been baking this evening. We had run out of wheaten bread so needed to get some in the oven. I make two batches which gives me these four loaves. If my younger son reads this he will not be happy as he's not here to cut himself a big slice, slather it with butter and a slice of cheese! Until next time take care!

20th April was a beautiful day!

Hello everyone....this has been a most wonderful day - the sun has shone from morning until a short time ago. Our usual family of blue tits has started to build in the nest box high up near our back door. When we are eating we can see them going back and forward with nesting materials. The rest of the birds are obviously sitting on eggs most of the time as really apart from a month ago there are not so many to be seen in the garden. Of course there is always Bobby Robin (at least 3 males which I saw at the one time) who follows my husband around in the hope that he'll disturb the ground and thus give him a little worm. He (Bobby Robin, not my husband!) will also come and sit on the bushes nearby when I am hanging out the washing. We have a cherry tree at the front and two thrushes are busy feeding hopefully 5 chicks as my husband got a ladder and checked for eggs maybe three weeks ago and there were 5. Just hope the cats will not destroy the chicks like they did last year. There is a constant hum of lawn mowers as folk keep their lawns looking pristine. Here are some photos of our back garden. The spring flowers abound at the moment. There is a lovely perfume when one walks down the path. The two white patches on the path are where I feed the birds who like to be ground fed. The blackbirds will appear a few minutes after I leave the food....breadcrumbs, fat balls crushed up and sometimes peanuts (whole) and mealworms which are devoured immediately. I can see the blackbirds picking them out before eating anything else. Take care until next time.

A Geometric One Layer card for 'Less Is More'

It's been a long time since I entered any challenge because I was making other kinds of cards for orders. This time of year can be less busy and I do like the odd challenge to keep my brain sharp. I hmmmd and haaad over this one 'what stamps do I have that fall into this category?' etc . I've ended up with Papertrey's Quilter's samplers (not having ever P'd and Q'd you'd wonder just why I ever bought this set) The larger square fitted in vertically three times (not perfectly spaced but there you are). It is stamped in Versafine Onyx Black. The top and bottom square inserts are stamped in Versalolour Cardinal - I find this to be the reddest red with no pink undertones. The sentiment is also Papertrey - needed to choose the right size to fit inside the middle square. The filling in of the squares and the roundels is worked in Dr Phil Martin's Spectralite Liquid Acrylic 18 carat gold 'ink' with a pointed pen nib (the sort one uses for copperplate calligraphy). In reality it gives a lovely sheen but this may not be visible on screen. To me the card then looked too bare, even for LIM, so I drew on lines in the red and black. I hope it fits the bill for the challenge this week.

A card I almost made this evening.

Hello - just popping in to let you see a card I made this evening...well actually two. First of all the base is one of the Stampin Up green colours (can't remember which) and then added a layer of white which I embossed with an Anna Griffin embossing folder. Then cut Turning a new Leaf dies from PTI and layered them on the white. Then cut Delicate Daisies from lavender and a pale purple cardstock. Added bling in the middle. Now have to add a word on the front or some greeting and a message inside but can't decide what occasion this card is going to be for. Should also add that the inspiration is from Pinterest, not me. Today has been cold and rainy. Spring has deserted us and our temperature is supposed to plummet to -4 tonight. Take care folks! I did some necessary shopping in Lidl this morning and dropped off some work to the Art Gallery.

Continuing...a little longer

I forgot to add a photo of a card I made recently...indeed I made 8 of them. Used the Anniversary set from Papertrey and life was made a lot easier by the gifting to me of a Mini Misti stamping tool by my shipping buddy in the U.S. This little miracle tool makes layered stamping a doddle....and no wasted cardstock - there is always a second chance to get the image properly stamped. Google My Sweet Petunia to see what it is all about. I hope I will be able to keep in touch with you more than I have done. Best wishes from a cold wintry Northern Ireland. Joyce

Spring is here- trying to make a fresh start at blogging again.....

Hello the few folks who still get notice of my postings. I really don't know where the time goes to, it flies. My intentions are always good but life gets in the way. I have had a few health issues and have been told not to push myself for a while so I decided to do a little re-organisation of my work room and thought I would try and take a few photos some of which are distinctly blurry but they may just give you a wee idea of what 'my place' looks like. I was watching a video by Jennifer McGuire yesterday and sadly my room is not in any way like her custom made workroom. Mine is made up of this that and the other but it works for me. Have just finished a phase of re-boxing stamps into old DVD type cases, I've had two big boxes of them and still not enough.... You will see that I still have some in DVD cases but hey, they'll do for now as the holders are fine and I don't want to throw them out. I usually get photos all over the place - it may take two posts to get them in but here goes. I have been know to make a real mess of this so bear with me.

Christmas Trees from Catalogues

Hello everyone - here I am again to show you how I have been wasting (?) my time making this tree out of a catalogue. If you need instructions just go to Pinterest and search for the title of this post and many will come up for you. I am making trees as part of a demo I am doing at our church ladies meeting in December and thought I would let you see how busy I've been LOL !!!! I took off the front and back cover of the catalogue and laboriously folded well over a hundred pages - stuck the first and last page together and a few others as well which were showing a bit wide....sprayed with gold and sprinkled with glitter.....added a few stars here and there and one for the top. I then stuck the base unto an empty ribbon spool to make it easier lifted. I don't think anyone who will be at the meeting will be aware of my blog so probably ok to show.

A Card for a 'Centurion' !!

Again it is quite a while since I posted....here is the latest offering which I've made today. Base is pearlescent, layer of mountboard covered with peachskin fabric in pink....an Anna Griffin gold frame (brought in from the U.S.) surrounded by handmade ribbon flowers...leaves cut from a Cheer Lynn border die and the gold 'frond' which I think is Memory Box. The handwritten greeting in pink gouache....majenta paled down with Permanent White gouache....it has a matching box with 100 on it cut from Papertrey number dies. Hope you like it....will apologise for the quality of the photo....my skills are zilch, as you know.

And finally.....

This was a gift to a neighbour - this and the last card (the alium one) were embroidered on heavy (140gsm) watercolour paper....just beginning to get into this and love it....first of all I 'spattered' goache artist paint to represent some of the background blossom....it is not as simple as it looks. I had to practice this many times to get it sort of right. Then I went in and embroidered even more knots and beads to represent clusters of blossoms.....it was all about cherry trees you see, although the poem is about any tree.....our avenue is lined with them and they are about to burst forth....it was framed in a gold frame with a little gold slip to raise the glass above the beading etc....I was pleased with it. Didn't photograph it framed as glass is a pain (or pane?) to get right.

A couple of cards....

Here are two cards - one very elaborate one...fabric from Naturaleigh - you can see I am very fond of french knots...even the lady's posy is not forgotten. This card was A4 size....with a box decorated with more fabric and a shabby chic rose....money was no object I was told! The other card was first stamped with a stamp from Papertrey (U.S. stamps to die for mostly) and even more french knots with a pearl for the centre.

A little machine embroidery

This is a woodland scene with bluebells....worked on painted calico...zig zag and straight stitches. Took forever to do given all the thread changes on the machine (just an ordinary machine). It also hangs unglazed and gets the hoover pointed at it too....the mount is fine hessian which just looks as good as the day it was hung. It hangs on a wall which gets no sun whatsoever and the colours have remained true because of that.

Specifically for Embroiderers....

Hello everyone, here I am again coming with apologies for not being regular in blogging. I do have to confess that the reason I am here is mainly to show some interested embroiderers some of my work..and being fairly computer illiterate I have no idea how to do links and photos and all of that except for here (and maybe not if it doesn't go well). Should say embroidery really started for me when Jan Beany was on tv many years ago - it was a programme called 'Embroidery' (what else) and there was an accompanying book to go with it....this is my interpretation of one of the 'pictures' in it. It is meant to be a cross section of a border in a garden. Worked on calico... Green velvet hosta leaves were attached with long stitches to represent veins. They were edged with chenille yarn. Then there are Michaelmas daisies...straight stitches in a circle and a french knot for a centre...then more grasses, including heavier ones, more french knots and there you have it.....It is very old, it is not glazed and I like people to touch and feel it....yes, the calico needs a bit of a clean....it gets the hoover pointed at it to remove the dust!

Hello - and apologies!

I do apologise for my lack of posts.....been trying to take a little break but also trying to do some writing - hoping to post a few photos of my most recent work...our weather is very cold and I just wish it would take itself off somewhere else and let us get on with Spring but imagine I'll have to wait a wee while yet. I liked the words of this piece of calligraphy and they were written by an American, George Washington Carver, who was a botanist (hence the 'ferns' down the side) educator and inventor. I used Fabriano Artistico watercolour paper (very thick) and sponged the background with the green and also a very pale purple which are the two colours of the silk which is down the left hand side.....someone very kindly sent me a little bag of offcuts and they are little gems....this is the first one I have used and it looks so well in reality. The metal ferns are die cut from Meadow Green dies from Papertrey...then stamped in Brilliance Pearlescent Ivy ink - you won't see this but it is there. Best wishes to all. Joyce

Tim Holtz comes in useful sometimes!!!

Sorry I've been so lax in blogging...life does get in the way. Someone rang me today to ask for this scripture (KJV version) verse to be written out amd made to look 'old'.....it is just worked on cartridge paper with Alizarin Crimson gouache and a Number 2 William Mitchell nib. The style or the 'hand' is rounded Gothic or as some call it Gothicised Italic, take your choice! Afterwards I roughened up the edges with a sharp blade and have torn a couple of places deliberatively. Then I've brushed TH Antique Linen over the whole page and added Brushed Corduroy around the edges. Think it should do the job it is intended for next week.

Hello again on this beautiful Autumn day which feels like Summer all over again. The trees are beginning to change colour and the countryside is enjoying this 'Indian' Summer. Today I went to my local crafting shop in Dungannon for some supplies and for those of you in Northern Ireland reading this it is at the Linen Green at Moygashel. All sort of goodies and eye candy at Paperworks. I am posting a card today which is a wedding card the background is sumptious pink and silver fabric which I bought in Londonderry recently. At the top left hand corner I have placed a little 'distressed' frame bought in the above shop some time ago. Inside this are two silver wedding rings. On the bottom right hand corner I have placed the bride and groom's initials in silver mirror finish card. Inside the card is a little verse made up by myself as the card is being sent from a friend in America and she wanted mention of the fact that they were sorry they couldn't be there....I also added an American and an Irish flag too. On the right hand side inside is a traditional wedding verse and who the card it is from. It is then put into a white box with decoration in keeping with the front of the card (sorry no photo of that) and then into a gift bag also decorated. Hope you like it.

100 Years Ago tonight.....

Today has marked the beginning of WW1 one hundred years ago. The main message has been that we need to hand down the responsibility of Remembrance to the younger generations and ensure that this never happens again. From 10 - 11 p.m. this evening we were asked to turn out our lights and light a candle as a mark of respect. This was our candle...and I had a poppy as well attached to it.

A card I made recently.....

I made this card recently for a very 'young' and trendy 70 year old....my instructions were to make it clean and simple...the word used was minimilistic..with bright colours, even weird combinations of colours..here's my take on that:- I started off with 2 sheets of A3 black card as large cards need to be extra stable - so this gave me an A4 size card....I have boxes to fit this size as well as 6 x 8". Then a layer of orange (brand unknown) - a layer of Certainly Celery - and a layer of cerise (unknown brand). then I popped a rectangle of Grafic 45 Birdsong 'umbrellas' over a little larger rectangle of black again. I then adhered more of the umbrella card unto thicker card and cut out the umbrellas to give me enough to put a little spread of them in the bottom right hand corner to balance the tag....the tag is from Waltzingmouse and it is to be found here http://www.waltzingmousestamps.com/products/folding-tag-die-set - I put the recipient's name on the front of it and a little message inside...love the way it folds up to hide the message. Inside was a very simple wording as 10 people were going to sign and leave their personal greetings. I decorated the box as well and popped it all into a gift bag which I had used my leftover strips of paper on with some black curling ribbon. Hope you like it!

The saga of the hat!

Well, I just cannot believe that any company could deal with the packaging of a hat like the way ASOS has done. I sent away for a hat from them....it is a black hat, not a hat with a very large brim which is not suitable for a 5' person. The first hat arrived damaged, it had been in a box which was too small for it so I sent it back with a request to have a replacement (new) hat, undamaged, sent to me in a box which would ensure it didn't get damaged at all....well.....came home today to find a delivery slip through the door...the hat had been delivered...said 'in secure porch' - we don't have a secure porch so went looking in a place they usually leave things...not a sign of a hat sized box...back to front door again and there, behind a plant trough was a tiny box 6 x 8 x2 1/2 inches!! Well of course before I opened it I knew the hat would not be wearable at all....judge for yourself! That is the first and the last order from Asos. There is no way it seems for me to be able to speak to anyone in the Company....the 'contact' on line just leaves you going around in circles and I give up...but it is all a laugh now....will have to do without this hat!

Having a break.....what, already!

Yes, I'm off to England for a short break so 'talk' when I come home again. Take care and God bless.

A Day Out!

Last week we had a day out with our local History group. We travelled to our Folk and Transport Museum...in the extensive grounds they have created and re-built cottages and houses from all around our countryside and there are demonstrations of local crafts all year. the first photo is of a gentelman's residence and the second photo there is a suitably attired woman talking about how things worked in the kitchens of yesteryear...she was also making soda bread on a griddle which you can see in the distance...sorry I couldn't get nearer as there were a lot of women enjoying her talk. The third photo is of the Bank Manager's home....the glazed door was beautifully painted...4th photo is of the living room in the same home. The 5th photo is of traditional basket making..this one would be used for carrying turf..or peat as you might know it.....I really love baskets and find them hard to resist. We had a wonderful day weatherwise and enjoyed our company along with good scones to eat in the coffee shop.