A tag, clouds and poppies

Hi everybody!

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend.

I was up very early this morning - couldn't sleep again, the pains always wake me at crack of dawn. Not good, but on the other hand, the morning sky was sooo beautiful today, it would have been a shame to have missed it!

At the moment I am addicted to using the giant (10") tags that Sandy sent me, they are just great. I painted this one with blue and green metallics, and sprayed some blue and green inks to deepen the colour. When it was dry, I added some background stamping with my fave script stamp, and then stenciled some numerals and alphas randomly down one side and the bottom edge. The next step was to add the diamonds with green structure paste, which I sprinkled with some fairy dust. When it was all dry, I added some fragments of torn letters, and the image, cut from a magazine. I used gilding flakes to 'frame' the lady, and 'crowned' her with a bubbly hair-do. I used home-made paper beads and 2 recycled beads as embellishments. I like the way this has turned out, and am looking forward to working on the next giant tag - I still have 8 in the packet!

I am linking to AJJ - circles.

This was the beautiful sky this morning, just before sunrise:

During the day we had lots of clouds, but it did stay dry and we had no more storms today.

At Manus Mikrokosmos the photo challenge this week is 'red'.

I have made a collage of poppy photos.

Have a great day, take care, and thanks a lot for coming by!

Flowers and birds

Hi everybody!

We had another day of sunshine and warmth today, and the rest of the week should be really hot, with a few little showers and storms in between to cool us down!

This is another of the cards I made for my DT work at Gecko Galz.

I used floral symphony 'hydrangea dreams' as BG paper, and matted it with some coordinating turquoise cardstock. The image from Vintage for me 664.1 has been printed onto canvas - which almost gives the impression of embroidery - and matted with green mirri-card and turquoise cardstock. I added some white rick-rack brad, blue roses and a dark green bow as embellishments. This card was also quick and easy to make.

(Material list: 6" card blank, cardstock and mirri-card for matting, BG paper and image, embellishments)

I saw lots of flowers again on my walk today, it looks more like summer than spring.

The lawns were covered in these little star flowers - does anyone know what they are called? I found them so pretty.

And the  'toddler' goslings are nearly adults:

I saw the thistle on my way home by the wayside, it was nearly as tall as I am!

Have a great day, take care, and thanks a lot for coming by - your visits and comments are always much appreciated!

Happy Mail, Mail Art, Spots and Stripes

Hi everybody!

Hope you have had blue skies and sunshine as we did here - it has been a wonderful day.

Today is half time for the 'It's in the mail' challenge at Try it on Tuesday.

Hope to see lots of you joining in!

Here is another envelope I made, using BG paper from Gecko Galz 'vintage for me', tissue tape, postage stamps, some images and some stamping. These envelopes are quick and easy to make, and bring a lot of joy to people when they travel by post. I am also linking to Moo Mania and More, mail.

It's time for a new tag over at Tag Tuesday, too. Our theme this week is 'spots and stripes' - or is it 'stripes and spots'? Whatever, I had fun striping and spotting, or was it stripping and spitting ?!

I used my lovely cup stencils, painted them with black gesso onto some white scrap card, and then just played with a white gel pen when it was dry - it was fun! The butterfly was flying around my table, and fitted, so now it's here. I mounted it onto some black matting, and that was it!

I am also linking to AJJ - circles.

And I have received HEAPS of Happy Mail, so called because it makes the recipient very happy. First of all  sweet Sandy sent me 2 parcels full of goodies - magazines, oodles of tags in all sizes, chipboard embellishments, corrugated card and some wonderful stamps, which I am very much looking forward to using when my fingers are less shaky. Thanks a bunch, Sandy! Am I lucky or what??

And Mo - who recently travelled from Bonnie Scotland to Bonnie London, sent me a new A-Z of London. My old one is missing a lot of pages, as I have used it a lot during the past 20+ years, and the new one also has maps in a better size, which are easier for me to see - just wonderful! And Mo sent me die-cuts, papers and some very pretty serviettes, as well as a gorgeous ATC she made. Thanks Mo, you made me very happy too!

And just a few pics of the wonderful blue skies today:

Diamonds, butterflies and birds

Hi everybody!

I'm happy to say we had nice weather all day today, which was a really good feeling. It's good to go out without being wrapped up in coat, scarf and cap, and to feel the sun. Hope the sun has been smiling on you, too!

I made this altered matchbox holder recently. I made the covers for the 4 matchboxes from coasters, which I embossed with a TH texture folder, and then painted with various colours. I started with some crackle paint in weathered wood, but it didn't look crackly enough. I put a coat of blue metallic paint on top of it, and then the crackles showed up better. Then I stenciled the diamonds and numbers with structure paste, which I embossed with Frantage EP after it had dried. The image has been cut from a gecko Galz image sheet,  crackled and distressed. The matchboxes were painted with the same combination before I sandwiched them between the coasters. I added screw brads as knobs, and some flat wooden beads underneath as feet. I was pleased with the distressed and crackled look, and the little drawers will be filled with paper clips or brads etc.

I am linking to Craftroom challenge, recycle - the coasters and boxes have been recycled, and to Simon Monday challenge - M for matchbox.

This morning I visited 'my' geese and ducks at their feudal home.

The goose in the background has her three little goslings nestling next to her:

As I went past, she unfolded her wing to cover them:

The ducks were resting everywhere in pairs:

This cheeky little bird is dancing on the lion's nose:

And this little wren  obligingly stood still to have its photo taken:

All in all, a lovely walk.

Have a great day, take care, and thanks a lot for coming by!

Sunshine, clouds, and marmelade

Hi everybody!

Today started off cold, damp and windy, but in the course of the day it got better and better, and this afternoon it was warm and sunny. But for tomorrow we have been promised cold and rainy weather again! We just have to take it as it comes!
Some time back a neighbour gave me a tin of Mamade, a seville orange concentrate for making marmalade, so I decided to make it today, as I had collected enough jars. I added some ground ginger, mixed spice, cinnamon and a glass of brandy to round of the taste, and the finished marmalade is really very delicious. I made some tags instead of labels for the jars, as I thought they would make nice presents to give to neighbours. But after tasting it, I think I just have to keep it all myself - sounds greedy, but I can't let it go!

 

At Manus Mikrokosmos the theme for the photo challenge this week is 'from above'. I took a photo of one of the wild flowers I saw on my walk today, and love the sunny colours.

Then I made some digital alterations using the photo:

I am also linking this one to Moo Mania and More, Mail.

And last but not least, a few images from my walk today:

Is that horse wearing its pyjamas?

Have a good day you all, take care, and thanks for coming by!