Gardening

I don't remember when I first became a keen gardener. As children we did have our own little flower patches, but it was probably when I moved to my tiny terraced house and became the owner of a very small garden to grow things in that my interest grew. Dad had always gardened and we shared our interest in growing things. I've gardened ever since but now look after my mother's huge unruly garden as Dad is no longer there to care for it, and sadly my own garden is neglected and has reverted to a jungle.

But I love it (as you may have guessed from previous posts) and this may be where it all began! I have no memory of the garden at the bungalow where I was born but from photos it seems it was just grass and a sandpit my Dad made for us to play in. But I can remember Aunty Bessie's garden behind - I have a vivid memory of those blackcurrant bushes which is so easily recalled by rubbing a blackcurrant leaf between my fingers and releasing that wonderful smell. This photo of me watering Aunty Bessie's seedlings was taken in 1950 and I like to think this is where my love of the soil started.

I've changed my banner!

You noticed? Probably not..... I've changed my banner as I wanted to make it the same as the banner on my Folksy shop - though I can't have the same name as I don't want to change my blog. I've had the shop for a couple of months now but its not going too well. I've only sold two things. However I like making stuff to put in the shop and enjoy the process of photographing and listing them. It doesn't cost a lot - its much cheaper than ebay... and there's less competition than Etsy (though its less well-known), and its home grown (British) - which I like.

My latest offerings are crochet roses. A pretty and simple pattern I found here. I think they would make great little presents for a teacher (its that time of year isn't it) or a friend, someone you want to say thankyou to for a kindness. I've attached them to clips and so they can be worn in the hair, on a bag or hat, coat or cardi, and I've packaged them up prettily on cards decorated with vintage images coloured with my Copics. Let's see if there are any takers. I was a bit disheartened though when I noticed quite a few similar offerings for sale in other shops.

Copic Colour Challenge 14

I've been playing around with images from some copyright-free books I bought many years ago from the Dover bookshop. There are lots of lovely depictions of children and this is one of my favourites. I'm not very fond of the cutesy style but this isn't too sugary for me.

The challenge this week is to use Bright Blue (B14), Cadmium Red (R27) and Acid Yellow (Y08).
Mine aren't the exact colours but the nearest I've got in my little collection. The sentiment and little flower stamp are from Papertrey and I made the flower by die cutting felt in my Cuttlebug.

Grannies' Bonnets (Aquilegia)

I thought I would photograph all the different forms of our Granny's Bonnets this year but I got fed up after about 30! So here are a few of the best pictures. As they are all forms of the original Aquilegias that were in the garden when we arrived in 1971, they are all different shades of blue, purple, violet and white.

Recycled for A Passion for Papertrey

Here's my card for the recycle challenge on A Passion for Papertrey. The pale blue patterned front is a piece of a exhibition promotion leaflet I picked up at our local craft centre. I cut out the text which was in the middle of the red drawn circle and added my stamped image behind.

I had a real problem when I tried to stamp on the shiny surface of the card - nothing would stay on (not even Stazon and anyway I only have black) so I had to stamp my embellishments separately and cut them out. I really like the how the colours look together.

The stamps are from Green Thumb and Paper Tray - two used sets I bought from two lovely ladies in the US.

Copic Colour Challenge 12

Unfortunately I seem to have picked up a nasty Copic habit - its your fault Steph (you know who you are!). I've only a few pens but was excited to see I had the three colours for the challenge this week - Light Walnut, Sand & Flesh.

These colours shout chocolate cupcakes at me, which gave me an excuse to use a favourite Hero Arts stamp set for this card. The papers and ribbon are Stampin Up.

Signs of the Season

Here's the clematis in its full glory this week. Its a shame I can't 'scratch n' sniff' the picture as the scent of the flowers is wonderful!

This beautiful Specked Wood butterfly on the forget-me-nots in the garden is a sure sign of the season but today I know Summer is on its way as I heard for the first time this year the Swifts racing and screaming in the sky above the town.

My Timeless Template

These are some of the little things that make ME happy! I have managed to buy 3 second hand Papertrey stamp sets from the US and I love them, as do I love Lauren Meader's Timeless Templates which are also sold on the Papertrey website - and you can download them! I really like the way this one turned out (its From the Desk Of). I used a technique called 'rock n' roll' on the ladybirds where the edge of the stamp was rolled in red after loading it with orange. I saw it here.

I love the way the stamp sets fit perfectly in the front pocket - they are sold in CD jewel cases. Does this sound like an advert for Papertrey? Well it is my new obsession!

Stamp with Us Recipe Challenge

Here's my card for the Stamp with Us recipe challenge. The recipe was 2 papers, 4 brads and ribbon. I heroically used two of my SU papers - I hate cutting into them, but I only used a bit of one piece as these two were back-to-back. I cut the little flowers with a punch from a couple of paint sample cards. I can't resist picking up a few every time I go to the DIY shop. A great freebie! The sentiment is Hero Arts.