Portugal - from sunshine to showers.....

We had an incredibly restful holiday in Portugal - such a beautiful country...... 

The hotel had glorious gardens, where you could sit by little streams like this one if you wanted to get away from the noisier pool areas.... 

We did have a bit of drama - on the first evening there we were sitting out on our balcony, it was about midnight and very quiet. We had closed the sliding doors into the room - and then discovered we couldn't get back in, there was no handle on the door (I assume for security reasons). Panic stations. The place was deserted, there was nobody in the rooms on either side of us. Then I realised I had my iPad out there, so I looked up the hotel, sent them an email headed URGENT and prayed that somebody would see it. Please help, I wrote pleadingly, we are locked out on the balcony of room 08, please send someone to rescue us. 
They must check their emails regularly, because within minutes the night manager was there, trying very very hard not to laugh.........

But apart from that, and returning to the aftermath of the referendum, we had a great time. I had left a key to our house with my friend who was going to pop in and water the garden while we were away. Ha! I think she had to drain the water out of the half drowned pots, apparently we missed the monsoon. So everything had doubled in size in two weeks, the hostas were flowering......

and I found two of these wrought iron plant stands all rusty and abandoned in a far corner of the garden, I lovingly rubbed them down and repainted - looking quite good now that the flowers I planted have begun to trail over the sides.....

I'll be back tomorrow with some crafty stuff, see you then x

Blue on Blue

Now those of you who visit me often, know how much I like white on white cards. I was about to make one, when I thought 'I wonder how it would turn out done in a colour'

So here it is, my 'blue on blue' card.

I rather like the effect, and will probably try it again, I rather fancy a totally coral card, or maybe a mint green.............watch this space!

Engagement Card

Here's another Fiskarettes card, this time using those really cute little intricate shape birds - they were punched in white and sponged

I used my new favourite tool, the shape cutter to cut out the aperture and a scallop bottom edge for the card. The leaf spray is Clearly Besotted

Flowers for Hospital

These days, at least here in the UK, flowers aren't welcome in hospitals, so I decided to make these.

The stems are coffee stirrers painted green, then I punched a bunch of flowers (Bloom Fiskars squeeze punch) and stuck one to the front and back of each stem. The 'vase' is a plastic milk shake bottle filled with shredded tissue paper

I reckon this would brighten the day of anyone in hospital, and would only take up the space of a card on their bedside locker

When I was doing my nurse training, back in the dark ages, flowers took up a huge amount of time, and the lowliest junior nurse had to tend to them. Every evening, dozens of vases were removed from the ward into the sluice, where they lived overnight, after having the vases washed and dried until they sparkled, and clean water poured in. Then the vases were carried back the next day. What a palaver! I can see clearly why they aren't welcome these days

Sailaway

I used the shape cutter tool by Fiskars to make this one. The waves were cut using a scallop border on the hearts template, then I used the positive cut to sponge the sky, and the negative cut to make the waves......

The boat is simply made from a punched circle and some scraps for sails

I run a regular feature over on the Fiskarettes UK Facebook page on using up scraps, and another one on making cards for men, so if you don't already visit there, be sure to pop over for a look. There are regular contests and giveaways as well.

New Home

This one was made using Simon Says Stamps 'build a home' stamp set. Love the simplicity of it, the clouds were Fiskars cloud punch, and the tiny hearts are the 'waste' from the heart border punch

Why is it that when I go on holiday, I lie on a sunbed making lists of all the stuff I have to do when I get home? I take a special notebook with me just for this purpose! This year, with my new found gardening obsession, there is the added pressure of wondering how all my new plants are getting on without me....oh, it's so exhausting being on holiday.......

Dad's Day.....

Here's a couple of Father's Day cards made for the Fiskarettes facebook page. 

I used the star power punch to punch some corrugated packing material for this next one, honestly, those punches cut thick materials like butter

I am off to Portugal for a couple of weeks. Look out for some snaps of sunshine and fishing villages (although the forecast for wednesday is rain!)

Wall to wall sunshine and a garden....

Here's a card I made for the Fiskarettes page on Facebook. I used the shape cutter to cut out a circle and sliced it in half, then scalloped the edge. Voila, an umbrella! The background raindrops are a stencil, and the clouds are momory box dies, both from Simon Says Stamp

We have a finished garden! Here is the new patio looking out from the house....

Plenty of room to sit and enjoy the sun, it's been scorching today...

The lawn further up looks a bit of a mess after having a cement mixer and piles of bricks on it for five weeks...

But the new lawn looks like velvet

The yellow hose snaking it's way around the garden is a permanent fixture at the moment as we water in the new lawn and plants...

The tumbledown walls halfway up the garden have been replaced as well, they really were crumbling and I was concerned that the children would clamber all over them when they visit and that the whole thing would collapse. So now it's child safe. We still have a lot of planting to do, fences to paint, the deck on the canal to spruce up......... 

So now that that is over, I can turn my attention back to my blog - I have neglected it over the past few weeks. 

A paddling of ducklings

We have had a couple of ducks nesting in a tree in the garden - who knew ducks nested in trees? I didn't! So yesterday, there was a big commotion up there, lots of rustling and quacks, and all of a sudden it started raining ducklings. Out of the tree they tumbled. Mama duck had obviously decided that this was the day her brood needed to get out into the world. So they picked themselves up with a little fluff of baby feathers, and set off behind Mama

The first obstacle was these steps - under construction. Mama hopped up, the babies gathered in a chirping little huddle at the base of the steps.....

Mama quacked encouragement, but there was no way those little things were going to climb those steps, so we carefully lifted them up, one by one....

 and off they set again.......

I opened the gate at the top of the garden which leads down a steep bank to the canal. Mama got very excited at the sight of the water, and flew down the bank, leaving her chirping brood at the top. They took a few tentative steps, then all rolled and tumbled all the way down to the water - it was hilarious to watch, like a load of little kids rolling down a grassy bank

Papa duck was swimming around waiting for his family to arrive. He started quacking quite loudly - I think he was saying 'for heaven's sake  get those kids under control'

Eventually, they all hopped into the water, and off they set - the babies took to swimming like, well, ducks to water!

It was such a special little episode, I had to share it. I just hope they remember how we helped them, and come back to nest with us next year

Not such green fingers.....

So the garden is taking shape, slowly, very very slowly, but it has gone from this.......

To seeing Paul, our very patient landscaper getting almost to the end of the marathon.....

and in the meantime, I have developed a sudden and quite inexplicable obsession with gardening. Now you must understand that I haven't a clue what I am doing. There were lots of large shrubs in the area that has been paved over, so I dug them up and planted them in other parts of the garden. 

Then I watched Gardeners World on the TV, which told me that you should put a few handfuls of compost or something into the hole you have dug for the shrub. So I rushed out and bought the stuff, pulled the poor shrubs back out of the ground, added the compost stuff and put them back. Poor things.....

Especially when, a few days later, as the landscaping progressed, I thought 'hmm, I think I planted this yellow bush in the wrong place', out it came again to be replanted in a totally different spot. So far, everything seems quite perky, even the plants that were uprooted three times before they reached their final resting place look okay, but I bet if plants have any sort of sensors, they want to curl up and die when they see me approach with my little trowel in my hand

The other thing I have learnt is that some plants that I have been nurturing - great big tall spiky things, I gave them a good feed of fertiliser - turn out to be a rather nasty weed. Well, how was I to know? And how is it that garden plants that you have to nurse along as if they are babies, fertilising them, watering them, staking them, grow at a snails pace, whereas weeds that get no attention at all, spread like a wildfire and grow at a staggering speed.

The final thing I have discovered (well, apart from the fact that you can spend the equivalent of the gross national income of a small country just in one visit to a garden center) is that someone invented gardening gloves as a necessity, not as a fashion accessory. I tend to forget this, so my nails (never my best feature) and hands now look as if I have taken a new job helping those guys who are permanently restructuring our motorways. 

Finally for today, it's Max's ninth birthday today, here is the card I made for him - suitably quirky I hope. Milo was seven yesterday. Happy birthday boys!   

Gardens and Glue....

So I have been a bit busy...the garden is being landscaped. Who would have thought it would take so much effort to choose new paving...

That filled in fish pond that we inherited had to go....

So now it's gone - but not before a boulder the size of Stonhenge was dug out, and they unearthed the foundations of some ancient building that also had to be dug out. Let's hope we haven't destroyed a major archaeological find and dug up the foundations of a Roman villa or an Egyptian tomb - no, I'm being silly now....

So this is still a work in progress, I will update proudly when it's finished

Then Max and Milo came up for Sunday lunch with their parents. The boys and I spent a happy afternoon in my den, painting and making apples for their teachers. Much glue was spilt in the making of these apples, but they were so proud of their efforts. Max had watched my YouTube video on making little pumpkins, and wanted to try, so we adapted it to apples. He also said 'if you don't make more videos soon Ma, I am going to have to unfollow you'

and lastly for today, a quick card idea. A single white punched butterfly, stacked on top of six different coloured punched butterflies. A doodled trail, a scattering of gems, and you are done!

Swimming along - and some winners

Today's card was made with a watery background stamp from Designs by Ryn

here are the punched elements that made up the fish - quick and easy!

On to the winners of the colouring books. They are:

Glenys Beedell and Nanapat

Congrats ladies, email me with your addresses and your prize will be on it's way

I am having a bit of an intensive workout in my crafting den today - I have all sorts of projects that I need to get under my belt, my mojo has gone missing and so far I have stared blankly at the wall waiting for the crafting fairy to come and shower me with a bit of magic - so far she hasn't turned up, so I think it's time for coffee and a few deep breaths.......

Balloons in every size......

I fancied making some balloon cards, but I don't own a balloon stamp, die cut or stencil, so I made my own.......

I used the Fiskars shape cutter and the circle template - draw two lines onto a piece of spare cardstock, and cut around the circle to the lines

Now you have a partially cut out circle.....Draw a little 'neck' to the balloon in pencil as shown below, and cut out with scissors

You now have a balloon shape.....

Which you can make in any size.....

Use a post it note or washi tape to steady your base card and the template and using a blending tool, start sponging your balloon....

You can see that I sponged the ink more heavily at the sides and neck, leaving the center paler

Now reposition your template....Sponge another balloon, sponging over the yellow area as well. Pale colours work best. I used Simon Says Stamp dye inks, Lemon Chiffon, Mint and Sea Glass. These colours blend beautifully together

So now you have two balloons, repeat the process with a third colour

Add some strings and sequins. I love the way the balloons look transparent, just like the real thing.....

Here is a second card, this time using a HUGE balloon made with the biggest circle on the template

 and some smaller balloons floating up - the WISHING stamp is by Simon Says Stamp, and I used the Brother label maker to do the 'make a' part of the sentiment

Using the Brother P touch label printer is my latest passion for sentiments, it's easy to type out what you want to say when you don't have a suitable stamp. I get generic refills for the machine at a fraction of the cost of the real thing and they work perfectly

Like Colouring? Giveaway.........

Have you got swept up in the latest craze for adult colouring books as a form of relaxation? I have a couple of these books to give away......

I reckon those designs would be pretty enough to frame when completed. All you have to do is leave your name under this post and I will pick two winners randomly on Sunday. Good luck

The 'adult colouring craze' certainly seems to have caught on - I spotted a rather burly looking guy in my local coffee shop sitting happily with his colouring book and some coloured pencils. He was getting some strange looks, but was happily oblivious and carried on regardless. As a relaxation therapy, it beats standing on your head in a yoga position or sitting cross legged on the floor doing some deep breathing - now you couldn't get away with that in a coffee shop!