A Thankyou card

It's always good to keep a handy stash of thankyou cards  so I added this card to my box today. 

The flower is made with a pearl topped pin, a couple of tiny flower punchouts and three of the bigger flower. I glued the top part of the flower to the card to hold it in place but the rest is free to be fluffed up. 


I'd just like to point out - the pointy part of the pin is well ensconced within the top layer so hopefully my recipient's finger won't be pricked. We wouldn't want them falling asleep for 100 years now would we !


Tonic Studios Punches used.
Simplicity geared pattern punch -  Daisy Border
Simplicity geared classics - flower head
Ribbon Punch - 1cm

It's all in the presentation

If you've followed my blog for a while, you may know that I absolutely love making boxes. When I go to the trouble of making  handmade gift, I like to go the extra mile and make a handmade box to present it in. I had great fun decorating these boxes with a simple ribbon and flower embellishment. 

To stick on the ribbon , I used some double sided sticky tape.  I stick this to the box once I have cut and scored the template, but before sticking the box together. If you would like to make a similar sized box you could use my Playing Card Box template. I love to use Tonic Studios Super Trimmer to cut and score my box templates. It makes the job so quick and easy. I cut out all the outer edges with the trimmer and then cut the fiddly bits with my favourite scissors. The scoring is so easy to do with the Super trimmer, and it makes such a neat job. I used to do it with a ruler and a scoring tool, (and if that's all you have it will still work fine), but I would recommend the Super Trimmer to you. It goes so much quicker. I use it so much I'll be needing replacement blades very soon!

For the flower I punched out 5  flower shapes out of thin card, and then curled the edges of the petals inwards.  I then layered the flowers with a small dot of glue in the centre of each one. I pressed each flower in place until the glue dried using the eraser end of a pencil. I then finished off the flower with a jewel in the centre and glued it in place on the box. The finished flower is pretty sturdy. Because it is made of card and the layers are offset, it holds up well and can't be squashed easily. And doesn't it look pretty !

P.S. If you would like the opportunity to win a paper punch. Don't forget to enter Tonic Studios Giveaway which runs until February the 14th.

Making foiled flower decorations

Do you like the effect of these foil decorations on my greetings card? When you see them in person, they look like they have been foil printed onto the card because they are very smooth. Or perhaps they could even be peel offs. But no, they were much cheaper to make than that.

They started life as a roll of 3m Aluminium tape. The kind you use for DIY. All you need then are some flower punches. I've used my Tonic Studios flower punches here. 

All you need to do is punch out a few flowers and carefully peel off the backing paper- this is a bit fiddly- but worth it. Then apply to your card or scrapbook page smoothing it out carefully. Then use the bottom of a glass and rub in circular motion over the flower to burnish it to your page- this removes any catchy bits. For the finishing touch use a sharpish pencil and draw in lines and designs however you want the flower to look. I think the finished result is very satisfying.

For this one I used one of my Petal Pairs punches and a heart punch to make a leaf shape.

Believe me, you can get a whole lot of flowers out of one roll of tape. And you can use so many different punch shapes with this technique. Just try to keep to ones that are not too fiddly. 
Have fun, and let me know if you try this. 

Spring has Sprung

I think it's finally safe to say that spring has sprung here in the Highlands- we're always a bit behind everywhere else!  It's thrilling to see the signs of new growth in the earth, and the promise of much beauty to come. 

I have been busy with the decorating and clearing out and spring cleaning. I have much to do, but seeing the blossoms and having the lighter nights is giving me a little more energy. 
I am thankful! 

(Naomi, my older daughter took these pretty photos.)

Cosmos

No, not life, the universe, the cosmos...just Cosmos the lovely flower that is blooming away in my garden when everything else is starting to die back and look quite autumnal. There is quite a chill in the air, and these lovely flowers are not at all phased, and continue to blossom beautifully. I shall be saving seeds and growing a whole lot more of these next year!

Sunny day!

Hooray, it's been a sunny, sunny day. Just the perfect kind for gardening. Not too hot and with a lovely breeze for keeping the bugs away. I've had a pleasant time this afternoon doing some weeding. It's quite theraputic somehow. Gabriella had a great time playing with worms beside me and eating peapods, whitecurrants and tomatoes.

School is back...

...and for most Scottish schoolkids, summer is over. It's back to routine here, and for the last week or so it feels like it has been raining on and off. The moment the sun comes out there are bees,butterflies and hoverflies covering the buddlia bushes. We have decided to plant a buddlia hedge all along one boundary fence next year. You can't have too many of these plants.

On a creative note, I have spent the last two days making up around 50 greetings cards for a friend who kindly took an order for me at her church. So I guess I have actually been doing something crafty at last. The sewing machine has been put up and down and up and down several times this last couple of months with good intention to produce something, but it never really happened. All I made was a tiny muslin privacy curtain for the shower room in our log cabin. Maybe now that life is back to routine, I will be able to get something done around here.

I said, MAYBE!

Oh, and I hit the one stone weight loss mark since I started my healthier lifestyle plan! (Still a long way to go though!)

Summer rain

After the beautiful summer sunshine which we have enjoyed for a couple of weeks, we are now back to typical British summer weather. Rain, rain and more rain. The lilys are beginning to go over now, and the poppy petals have all been washed off. I am sure the bees, like us, are longing for a little glimpse of the sun ...

...And talking of rain, there has been a little rain on my parade lately as I have been suffering with what the doctor thinks is a hiatus hernia. But there is a ray of sunshine in that, as I cannot eat as normal and so I am hoping that I will lose some weight. I have also (when the weather permits) been out for a daily walk to get some exercise. Hopefully things will improve as I get a bit fitter.

On the crafting side of things, I am in the middle of a batch of greeting cards, and then after I have cleared that away, the sewing machine is coming out to play. Oh, and my daughter wants her room decorated. Right, I am getting off this seat and going for a walk now. I'll be taking my umbrella!!!!

Summertime, and the livin' is easy...

It's been a most enjoyable time lately as we have been out and about, spending time with my brother and sister in-law and family who were up for their annual Highland holiday.

We've visited the park...

...had plenty fun and fresh air...

...been to see the Moscow State Circus - that was really cool!

...and meantime, the garden continues to bloom and flourish. Already we are collecting seed heads for next year from some flowers. These seed heads are from some pretty purple violas. Exquisite don't you think?
Remember the pot I painted back in this post? Well here it is planted up with Alyssum and Osteospernum.

Naomi's Blog

Naomi, my older daughter has just updated her blog with some more photos. I particularly love this one she has taken of her little sister. Isn't it adorable? My little miss is always picking dandelions, daisys and buttercups - and anything else she can get her hands on. So this picture will be treasured.

The Visitor

Oh fuzzy little ginger one,
From morning light ‘til day is done
My garden is your pleasure.

No bloom too large, no blossom small,
You gladly pay respect to all
To gather golden treasure.

Floral Fiesta

Everything in the garden is looking stunning just now - even the weeds. We've been having a heatwave for the last few days, and it has been so pleasant to spend time getting some gardening jobs done. I'm following the shade around each day - so unheard of in the Highlands.

Naomi has been out and about with her camera taking some lovely photos, so I thought I would share a few with you. She will no doubt update her blog with some more shots soon.

Even this dandelion seed head looks so beautiful, (despite the fact I am trying to weed them all out).

God is so amazing - His creation is so beautiful!

Tulips

Somebody - who shall remain nameless, decided to pick all the tulips from the container outside my kitchen door. She then left them - with their very short stems propped back in the container - probably because she realised that she had done wrong and was trying to cover it up. So I stuck them into this crystal rose bowl. To quote the culprit who was trying to look on the bright side - "They look very pretty though!" - and they do. How could I be cross?

PS. Don't forget to enter my 100th post giveaway.

Pot Project

As if I haven't got anything else to do with my time, I decided to revamp an old plantpot. It was one I had picked up at my local auction and had peeling blue paint on it. Sorry - I forgot to photograph the "before".
I gave it a rub with a wire brush to remove the old paint, and then a scrub, and about 4 coats of cream masonry paint, and it was ready for a bit of stencilling. This is something you could do to jazz up any plain plant pot. It's really quick and easy.

I rummaged through my stencil collection - I didn't want to go cutting a new stencil this time.
My stencils have been used for many projects over the years. Walls, furniture, fabric, home accessories etc. Some are made from the kind of acetate that you use for overhead projectors and others are recycled out of shiny card used for the cover of sales brochures and other similar types of card. I simply draw my design and cut out with a sharp scalpel. Mind your fingers!

Here are my tools. I have a number of stencil brushes, but also sometimes improvise a little sponge pad out of a six inch nail and a bit of foam. I wrap the foam around the head of the nail and fix either with a sandwich tie, or a an elastic band.

There are various methods to stencilling, but I prefer the repeated stabbing motion method. I place a little paint in a tub - I reuse milk bottle lids for small amounts of paint (and mixing glues and all sorts of other uses). I load my brush, and then on a spare bit of card or paper - or in this case a scrap of wood, I pounce my brush to remove most of the paint, and then I do the same pouncing motion over the stencil, reloading my brush when needed, until the whole area is covered. Then I remove my stencil and tada, a lovely crisp pattern is left (or nearly crisp as it was a bit of a rush job). I use masking tape to hold my stencil to the pot. Low tack masking tape is best, but if you take a bit of high tack stuff and stick it o your clothing a few times first, it loses some of it's tack and then you have just made your own low tack version!

I will post it again once it is planted up.
I hope this inspires you to give some new life to an old pot.

A fleeting visit

We've actually been having some lovely sunshine this spring. So much so there have been moments I could have believed it was summer except for the lack of leaves on the trees. Still, the buds are bursting and all is looking beautiful, and that is my excuse for not being a bountiful blogger! That and all the spring cleaning I have been doing. So, I apologise for the lack of posts. Hopefully I shall get on with some creative projects soon!

Hope the sun is shining where you are!

Birds and Flowers

Here are some of my "little owl" focal beads

waiting to be made into necklaces.

This was an experiment using glass nuggets.

You can see the light through these as I have left a hole at the back.

And this is a beautiful flower in our garden.

It looks quite tropical for the Highlands.
(DH took the pictures)

Fresh from the Garden

I am on the Church flower rota this week

and this is my humble effort.

God's creation is so beautiful!

These are all from the garden, except for the green

ferny foliage, which is from the roadside! (Sweet Cicely)

It's been a while since I did any flower arranging,

I forgot what a delightful thing it is to do.

Polymer Poppy

I couldn't resist creating a poppy in polymer clay.

It was a fiddly business, but I'm quite pleased with the result.

It's about a quarter of he size of the real thing.

It is now a brooch.

Poppy Love

The weather has been conducive to gardening lately,
and so I have been outdoors much of the time.
These poppies are beautiful at the moment.
They are in the new bed in front of my new studio.
I am pretentiously calling this my "artists flower bed",
as I hope to grow a parade of colour here.

The studio is not quite finished inside,
I still have to sand and varnish the wooden floor,
but I don't want to be stuck indoors while the
weather is so pleasant.