yet more cards...

I've trawled through my picture files and I THINK these are the last ones to show you!

A few Easter ones that I missed the other day:

More stitchery ones.....this first one was for my Aunty Pat's birthday. She used to have a Yorkshire terrier called Pepper, so when I spotted this design I knew I had to try it for her!

MAY have got a tad  OTT with the adhesive gems on this one. I sent a similar one to Asta for a Good Luck In Your New Home card!

I like the simplicity of this one:

I like this next one, even though it took longer than most because of all the different 'bits'. 

I love the cat looking in the window, and the blossom!

 I sent this one to Feronia, in Australia.

This was a thank you card for friends of Bob's in the USA:
They sent him stuff.
Lots of Bears/dogs/cats/people sent Bob stuff.
(And Dilly).
They get more mail than me!

here's the reverse:

An old 'Penny Black' image finally used, with puffy stuff in the middle of the flower:

OK I *think* that's it, all up to date now.

I have LOTS more toppers done but would you believe I've run out of blank cards?! (But not envelopes, strangely!) I have tried to fold A4 card that I have but it splits along the fold, so not suitable, blast!
I shall have to go shopping!
I can't remember where I got the best ones from..... Paperchase used to stock some lovely ones but the branch here doesn't any more. I'll go windowshopping online one evening! Let me know if you know of any bargains anywhere, won't you?!

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Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

a few more cards

Continuing my update on cards I've made quite recently.

I made the 'toppers' for most of these last year; the images are from 'Lily Of The Valley' I think, and came free with a magazine as uncoloured images ready to colour and cut out.

I made these cards just after Scooter was ill at the beginning of this month, when I was first staying up nights with him. That first night, it helped me focus on something else.

Luvbug took most of these with him to Ireland, where his mum bought most of them, and kept others to sell on. This greatly helps with materials, and paid for the online art course I signed up for; thanks, Mrs M!

First a few more stitched cards-

Now the LOTV ones.
I love this first one, it was one of my favourites.

I kept back this next one and sent it to my cousin, Emma, last week for her b'day:

This one is a little different but because of the many metal brads it's heavy and, as unsuitable for youngsters, I kept it back from the pile that was to be sold....

Here's the pile that went to Ireland.

Still a few more to post....
next time!

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Love, tea & cake,  
Helena

Update on cards

I've been posting photo's of cards on my Facebook page, as it is quite quick to do. 

Blogger keeps urging me to switch to the 'new interface' and even put me there once, but I switched back! I don't like the new editing thingy! But maybe this is why it is slow to upload photo's, and even crashes sometimes.

Anyway, here I am, up at 4am again (oops) with Scooter on Mouse Watch at the kitchen door (every now and then he comes over and moans at me cos apparently there's something I CAN do to produce mice I'm just NOT doing it). Thought I would try to upload a few card photo's.

I'll do a few here, then schedule some more to come up on other days.

First, here are some of my Easter cards:

 (this went to Miss Peach's mum, Karla. That's Peachy up among the stars.)

 (This went to my cousin Jacky who is almost as cat mad as me. It's a Lesley Anne Ivory decoupage. I so pleased to find out that her designs were available like this at last. This was a very deep 3D card, with about 5 layers, I think.) 

Right now I have to find what file the others are in.....




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Love, tea & cake,
Helena

My first stitched card, and...... snow!

Well, they did forecast it, and it started yesterday afternoon, right on schedule!

Here's the view from our front garden about 2pm, the first of a few snow flurries. (It didn't start in earnest till the sun went down)-
The snowflakes revealed a spider's web against the window:

And the back garden?
The birds had been nibbling, quietly, casually... then the snow began and they all suddenly switched into top gear! Suddenly there was an urgency in getting as much of the food eaten as possible- as demonstrated by these starlings!
Now here's an oddity! This is actually a carrion crow, which, of course, should be completely black! I saw him the other week. I'm glad I managed to get a snap of him this time! I've seen blackbirds with a smudge of white here and there, but nothing on a bird this size.-He has the same on each wing, and some patches on his back. Rather than avoiding him or attacking him, which you might expect from his peers, the other carrion crows seem quite ok with him.

OK. Here is the same back garden about 90 minutes ago! Erm.... guess I should have put that washing line away, huh? :)

I stuck a ruler into the snow on top of the table out there.
It's blurred :( I suspected it might be, but it was far too cold to hang around for more shots!! It's actually over an inch deep, and still snowing.
...And here is the front of the house 90 minutes ago... I just opened the front window to take these. I love the way the shadow stretches out in the light from the streetlight.
Well, the idea of taking pictures this time of night was to get the snow undisturbed. It carried on snowing after I took them so I looked out again just a little while ago to see if I could take more. But look! Something has walked across our garden!!!!I wander what it was?!!

We do get cats walking about- but I hope it wasn't a poor pusscat out in this!!
The footprints look bigger than a cat's, though it's hard to judge because of how the snow drags as the foot lifts out of it. And of course, it's still snowing more, on top of them.
We do sometimes get a fox round here. I wander if it was him? RATS! I may have missed a photo of a fox in the snow!!! AArgh!

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OK here is why I was up and about late anyway. This is my first attempt at a stitched card. A wee little fieldmouse.


I really like how the colour of the mouse came out. I didn't have any brown thread, so I used one strand of dark red and one of yellow. Amazingly, combined they look just like golden brown. I'd never have thought of using this combination if I'd had brown!

If you would like to have a go, you can download the pattern FREE from Form-A-Lines Stitching Cards. The download comes with diagrams and instructions, too.

Here is a link straight to their free downloads. They also sell a wide choice of patterns for £1 per download, or £2.50 for a set of 3. The idea of the freebie ones is so you can have a go before parting with any cash, to make sure you can do it without going insane.

I found it harder than I expected, to be honest! But once I got into it I was ok. It's one of those things that, once you get the knack, you can go on quite smoothly and quickly. But I think I was thinking about it too much and getting in a tizz :)

I'm going to use this as the main part of a birthday card I need to make this month. I'm not saying who for cos she might read this.

Keep warm, people!