Butterfly Card

I had a go at making a butterfly card from a template featured on Cardmaking Paradise

 

I went down the stamping 'route' and embossing 'route', but couldn't get a result I was happy with, so decided on using a piece of Chinese silk that really shines in sunlight.

I coloured the two pieces of card with ink and added a quote

A blissful afternoon.

The quote of the day to day is:   Talent is a flame - Genius is a fire - well for months now I have been a damp squid as far as crafting is concerned.   Not a spark nor a flicker  - nothing.

Yesterday though I had a wonderful afternoon playing around with flowers in a little village hall about 16 miles from here - and what a joy, mixing with lovely ladies, having fun, and laughter too - and I get to bring home an arrangement I have made - and this is it.

 I love zingy lime green at the moment - the colour just makes me smile for some reason.

Just looking at it is cooling in all this hot weather - so here is my take on a cool dish for a hot day

 

Blue hydrangeas, lime achemilla mollis, icecream coloured roses

Poppy seed heads, lime green carnations, and stalks of lavender.

Topped off with a 'cool cap' of twisted wire.

Its a mound of foliage on a raised bowl - I'll try to add a side view - tomorrow.

Honey I'm home - with blog candy news

I bet you didn't even notice that I had 'gone' did you?

I am just checking all my emails - 126 in just 5 days!   89 of which were kinda 'junk'!

BUT some nice news to catch up on in my - inbox - one of which was to let me know that Moira - the owner of the Happy Daze shop, had moved her blog to here  and to celebrate is giving away a £30 voucher.   Yes - a whopping £30 to spend in her fabulous online shop.

Click on the link and join in!

It's that time of the month again.............

Oh how I have missed going to our monthly flower arranging get together.

It's such fun and well worth the journey.

Did you get to see Chelsea Flower Show last week?

I only watched it on TV and it was great.

This arrangement is a mix of English country garden foliage - hosta leaves and conifer.

With a touch of the hot colours of Gerbera, exotic Proteas which always look as though they are not of this world, and cooling carnations.

Framed with aspidistra leaves.

Not the best place to photograph it, right in front of a window, but my space is limited as we have some work going on indoors at the moment.

The colours in real life are much more vibrant and contrasting - it makes me smile just looking at it.

Grrr Blogger still misbehaving!

Well blogger is being a real pain.   It lets me type a message in the comments on blogs - then it throws me into the log in page - even though I am logged in - then when I got back I get the same message - seems to be stuck in a loop.

It will be nice when they fix it.

So I am visiting your blogs and will continue to do so - but for now you will not see my comments - all nice ones I can assure you!

Altered wooden cheese book

Well here I am  - back again - it's been a long time.

This is a wooden cheese box which I painted inside and out

with metallic blues,and pearls.

I used my favourite stamp - the mermaid goddess, and also used a stencil to make a seabed like pattern of seaweed

I managed to find some embroidered edging that reminded me of waves.  It is decorated with sew on little seed beads and 'pearls'.  I happend to find it in a little haberdashery shop which finished it off perfectly I thought.

The mermaid has been finished with a watery pearl wash then sealed to give it a lovely watery finish.

It's off in the post tomorrow for a swap.  My husband asked, 'Can't you keep it and send something else?'  Maybe I can make myself one - but two never turn out the same do they.  That is the joy of  crafting.

Happiness is..................................

Feeling well enough to slap on the sun cream, big floppy hat, and go out into the spring sunshine

To have the energy to clean out the chicken run, albeit slowly with lots of resting and looking, and watching Bluebell and Zola rush in and roll about in the fresh Hemcore squeaking with delight

To see Dolly, and Willow, Henrietta, Freckles, Snowy, Poppy, Mary, Gozzie, charge in and follow suit

To sit in wonder that Old Daisy has survived another winter, and is relishing the spring just as much as me.  She really is very old, and we never expect her to last another year - but she does bless her

Happiness is seeing new life bursting forth through a bare ground

Turning a corner and discovering scented wonders

And bouquets of Bergenia

Oh how I have missed all this.

And happiness is visiting treasured friends blogs again, and seeing that 'they too' are enjoying a breath of spring and chickens - just like me.

Jo's given me some inspiration to get crafting again.

Thank's Jo - I loved your post - it really perked me up and I hope to have a go at your 'make' next week.

Lovely to be back - hope to be 'visiting' you all again soon