Yours Artfully Pastel Giveaway

You just have to visit here  to see the new Pan's Pastels that Lin has in stock - and the amazing things that she has made with them.  You can also be in with a chance of winning some!

Awesome

At last - I have managed to make something!

It took me over a week - I am so slow and out of practice.  'Life' has been getting in the way of crafting, but I am sure once the autumn comes and there is less going on, I'll get back into it.

My daughter-in-law's parents are visiting from Japan, so I made them a little book to take back with them of photos of his stay with them last year (this year was cancelled at the very last minute due to the Tsunami) and I have also included 'big' events of this past year up to date.  Such as first day at school in his new uniform, winning a medal in the school sports day, special photos with mum and dad, learning to ride his bike without stabilisers in the pouring rain - that sort of thing.

The book was inspired by one a forum friend Paula made me - you can see her blog here  obviously mine isn't a patch on the one she made, and I didn't have all the wonderful embellishments she used, but Haruko's parents seemed very happy with it and my grandson explained to them in Japanese all the events and Haruko translated all the messages for them.

 

It was a very hot and humid six week summer break in Japan last year so an afternoon nap was essential!

There are lots of exotic insects in JiJi and BaBa's (grandad and grandmother) garden.  This was a green stick insect that was on his bedroom windowledge.  At least I think it was a stick insect.  Long and bright green, with long long legs - and perfectly harmless

I won't bore you with the rest of it - just wanted you to know that I haven't given up!

Time for flower arranging again.

 

It was our annual flower arranging and lunch day yesterday

The weather was excrutiatingly hot and humid but we still had fun.

This is a pew end but as I don't have a pew, its laying on my table.

 

This very large arrangement is difficult to display.

 

It smells wonderful and is designed to look nice from all sides.

 

Its in a long tray which holds three Oasis blocks so quite a lot of space to fill.

We all took food for lunch - and had a veritable feast - it was great - and there was laughter all day long.

(We made the little pew end arrangement in the afternoon - as you can probably guess.  We were all wilting from the heat, and full of fabulous food)

Getting out of the doldrums!

I received my monthly email newsletter from UK stampers - with a Vintage Challenge in it.  I took a look at the links and decided to have a go.   It's taken me a few days - and I think it's kicked me out of the doldrums and hopefully back into crafting.

 

There was a 'recipe' of things to use - some of which were a vintage image.  Which you can see above. I have enhanced it with inks, and sewn on an embroidered piece of lace embellished with sequins.

 

As cards seem to be my downfall, I decorated an old cardboard box and turned it into a jewellery box for a necklace a friend made for me.

  I covered it with really old vintage material which I enhanced in places with ink to give it depth and more colour.

 

Other elements I included from the 'required' list are a vintage shirt button in the top left hand corner, a scrap of frayed vintage ribbon which I have stamped, and I have edged around the box with vintage lace - I had just enough to go around it, and I 'curled' it over the lid to make a frame.

When I started out the old material and image looked flat and faded and, well ordinary, but with the addition of the inks I painted on here and there, it seemed to come to life, and I was rather pleased with the enhancements to the face, bonnet and ribbons, shawl, little flowers on her dress, and the addition of the pretty lace.

I added quite a bit of shading to the roses, and some of the leaves, and I found a little butterfly at the bottom which had faded so gave that some ink tinting with a combination of the rose colours.

Thank you so much for looking and leaving comments - I have been 'away' from blogging for so long, I thought you would have all forgotten me!

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!