The three As in May (and a couple of extras)

The three As in May are Aquilegia or Granny's Bonnets (above is a self sown one (I think)...

This was one from my sister's garden which has a lovely flower with lots of petals...

Then there's Astrantia and this may be Burgundy Manor but it could also be Star of Love.

The third is Allium, which I love but they don't seem to like my garden.  Even the ones I grew in large pots with the roses haven't come back as much as I hoped they would.  I like the ones I have got though. These are Christophii I think.

The couple of extras are this new acquisition, a geum (the label says Total Tangerine, but I am hoping it is Totally Tangerine). It will provide a fabulous contrast to all the pink and purple in the garden.  They are supposed to be good in pots so that decided me.  They are also supposed to flower for a long time and not require staking. 

The other extra is this lovely apricot foxglove.  I didn't think any of the apricot foxglove seeds I sowed last year did any good, so I think this may be a self-seeder from two years ago.  Whatever it is, it is so welcome!

Just because I can, here is another shot of the aquilegia.

It is the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this coming week, so I shall be watching the TV coverage as usual.  It is always interesting to see which plants are popular. 

Birds and chairs

A bit of a random title for this post, but there we are.  We have had a new visitor to the bird feeder recently.  While a goldfinch may not be unusual for many of you, it is for us.  We have mainly sparrows, the occasional blue tit and I think there may have been a great tit once.  However, not a goldfinch!  

I have been really excited each time I have spied him/her! (apologies for the washing line cutting straight through the photo - I was taking this from the sitting room window and had to zoom in). I hope I continue to see him/her.

In other news, I have eventually finished a major sewing project.  A few months ago, I was looking for a large patchwork blanket or something similar to cover my very boring brown chair.  I am not a 'brown chair' person - I like colour.  I couldn't find anything that appealed to me, so thought I would make a patchwork blanket myself, using my large stash of fat quarters and other material.  This has turned into a major project, requiring many hours of work, quite a bit of unpicking and the use of my sister-in-law's kitchen table and her floor on several occasions as it required a big space when I was sewing it together and then quilting it. It is the biggest sewing thing I have attempted!  It also turned into a chair cover, rather than a blanket, and this necessitated looking up how to bind inner corners. (It would probably have been easier to make a big quilt blanket, but that would have been even more difficult to manage!) 

It has also turned into quite an expensive cover as I had to buy the wadding and a bigger piece for the backing.  However, it is finished!  The inner corners didn't work that well as my cutting and sewing was not as precise as it should have been, but as I am the only one judging it and the 'Quilt Police' are not going to call round any time soon, I think I can live with it! 

It has lots of lovely colours and patterns and makes me much happier than the brown cover.  Of course, it is now somewhat obscured by the cat blanket (as he has decided this is his chair - rude!), but I know it is there.  It will cover any chairs I may have in the future too, so all my hard work was worth it!

Cards so far this year

As you know, I enjoy making cards, so here are some I have made this year.  Above is a stencilled one and I have made this at least three times now, with different colour ways.  It works really well.

Another stencilled one but with the sentiment in a 'spotlight'.  

Here it is a bit closer.

I like to have lots of thank you cards at the ready.   The stamps, 'Linocut mini sampler' from Clarity Crafts, are created from the artist's own lino cuts which were shrunk down.

A collage card inspired by an online course with Laly Mille, called Naturalist.  This was for my colleague at work who enjoys nature, entomology etc. 

A new stencil and die combination from an American company.  The extra tax made this an expensive purchase, but I have used it several times, so it is worth the money.  I used a paper pad for the shapes.

A hyacinth card for my mum-in-law.

This was for my sister-in-law who likes butterflies. 

A card for a friend using the stencil and die combo from America. Lots of different scraps from paper pads were used here.

Finally for now, a card for my nephew and his fiancée, using gilding flakes. 

It's so nice to be able to create personalised cards and posting about them here means I have a good back catalogue to refer to!

More mid-Spring flowers

In my previous post, I mentioned that the Finola tulips at the front of the house had really opened up, so here they are.  You can see that rogue yellow one!

Here's a close up.  It makes me smile - it obviously wanted to be different!

In the back garden, the unnamed fringed tulip has returned again this year, much to my delight.

Only two of the eight Ronaldo tulips bought last year have put in an appearance, but I am pleased to have them.  My new tulips have been disappointing this year.

In the back garden, Lathyrus vernus have been putting on a lovely show.

Tulip 'Danceline' which has come back for three years now, just this one bulb.

It's apple blossom time for my little patio James Grieve apple.

The flowers are so pretty.

Magnolia 'Susan' is also flowering and on sunny days, the flower scent wafts through the garden.

The lilac tree is also in flower.

The blueberries are flowering and are a-buzz with bees.

There was a strange coloured sky the other week and a rainbow, which I managed to capture. I still find them a magical thing to see.

Mid April in the garden

Spring is certainly here and the garden has shifted up a gear.  Above is Erythronium Pagoda with a beautiful open flower.

The clematis plants on the arch are looking lovely too - alpina 'Frankie' and and alpina 'Blue Dancer'.

Tulips in the border...

...my favourite, Ballerina, with a fresh lemony scent.

Muscari or Grape Hyacinths always bring me a lot of joy.

These are the best tulips I bought last year, a variety called Finola. They have opened up more since I took this photo and there is one yellow one amongst the pink, but that makes me smile.

They are at the front of the house, so greet us as we come in - a very cheering sight!   The Choisya 'White Dazzler' is indeed dazzling - lots of flowers with a honey scent.

So pretty!
 

Wanderlust 2026 - weeks seven to thirteen - roots and wings

As promised, here are the other pages of my Art Journal course which I particularly enjoyed, from the first theme of Roots and Wings.  Above is a nameless photograph of a member of my Dad's side of the family.  We have a lovely Victorian album but absolutely no idea who any of these people were, which is really sad.  The photos were taken in studios in Scotland.  We had to look into our ancestry and choose some art work to turn into stamps.  I chose ancient Celtic symbols carved into rocks.  We also incorporated some weaving which was fiddly, but the end result is very pleasing.  

Using vibrant watercolour inks was the next media to use to create a sort of map of challenges and happy things in our practice. 

This week was all about creating a Polish style of hanging decoration.  As I am keeping everything in my journal, I  translated this to a 'washing line' style of decoration.

Creating our own inks was the next challenge and I used walnut ink and tea for the backgrounds and stamping, with the bright yellow turmeric ink for highlights.

Probably my favourite week was the one by Alison Bomber who I follow on Youtube.  We used a multitude of media for this triptych and I used crackle paste for the first time.  It was very satisfying (once I had got the lid off - and Chris had to help me with that!)  I added pressed leaves and flowers from the garden, which I had collected last year.

Finally, this week was a gentle journey into collage and thinking about a safe and happy place.  

So, on to the next theme which is Paper Alchemy (should be right up my street!)

Happy Easter 2026

To those who celebrate, Happy Easter.  Above are some of the cards I made this year.  I hope they have all got safely to their destinations.

The 'seasonal tree' in the sitting room is full of Easter decorations.  I enjoy changing these to reflect the seasons, months and celebrations.

Another card - I made a few variations on this one for my cat loving friends.

It wouldn't be Easter without some treats, so I made some butterfly cakes with a couple of Cadbury's mini eggs on top. 

Storm Dave is starting to make his presence felt today here in the UK, and it is certainly windy outside.  Enjoy the Easter weekend and celebrate new life and renewal, despite the weather!