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!