Snail Mail - Tiddly Inks

Such a cute image that says it all!

The sentiment is by Art Impressions

I based the colours I used on the designer paper I chose for my card. I thought it goes well with her safari style hat. I used coloured pencils and just a little ink around the edges of the die cut piece.

And just a simple kraft envelope is all she needs to be on her way!

I'm entering it for the Tiddly Inks Tiddly-Tac-Toe Challenge which is a fun spin on a challenge.

I covered the Tiddly Inks square as well as the embossing, die cut, designer paper and distressing squares.  Come on over and play along with us!



Finally  here is another card I made with this image back in 2017

Jigsaw Puzzles - Birds, birds, birds

I can never get enough of birds! And when I saw this puzzle up for a trade, I had to give it a try! It was an easy and enjoyable 550 piece build.

I started with the birds, naturally!

Look at all the interesting colours left in the box. The pieces vary but it is not a true random cut.

And finally a couple details. I so love all the details!

Making this one may become one of those yearly summer routines!

And here is the box with all the details in case you would like to hunt one down for yourself! The quality is not very good, the card is thin and several pieces had started to lift so I kept glue at hand to stick bits back, ready for next time!

Happy puzzling!

Crocheting - 'Woven' Blanket

It has been many years since I first used this pattern so it was really nice to give it another go this year!

The first step is to crochet a grid. I chose to do it in the 3 colour striped pattern of the original design. The pattern dates from the late 70's if I remember correctly, or maybe 1980, as that was about the time I made one in very similar colours to the pattern picture from the magazine.

The first grid layer, ready to add the second one in 2019 colours... LOL

One does exactly the same 1ks, dc in dc (or 1ks treble into treble) repeat, only this time the dc (trble) is woven around the dc (trble) in the previous layer. The result is a woven look and a blanket that is double thick, soft and squishy!

I love how it turned out. I used Bernat Premium and a 4mm hook. The yarn is very nice and soft and the colours beautiful,  but some of the yarn was very lumpy with uneven patches. Did not inspire confidence in me to make something I expect to last a long time, or put a ton of effort into. Fine for my blanket though!

Common Blackbird - Colouring

This one was a quick and fun colouring page. It is the Common Blackbird. Such a pretty bird with the bright beak, eye rings and legs that contrast so well with it's pitch black feathers. I added lighter areas of black to help define the bird better.

 It is from Millie Marotta's 'Beautiful Birds and Treetop Treasures'

Cobble Hill - Summer Goldfinches

Another lovely image from Cobble Hill -  called 'Sunflowers and Goldfinches'

At first I thought all that green may be a bit boring, but in the end I enjoyed every minute of making this one.

I did sort all the pieces with yellow in them out first and did the flowers and birds for a start. Then moved on to sorting the different greens and completing the puzzle.
I don't always go about my puzzling this way, but it sure speeds up the process!

I love all the little details...

Finally I decided to store the edge pieces separately from the rest. I've never done this before and thought I would give it a try. I recently traded a puzzle and it came separated out. It was convenient, but I do like the process of digging through all the puzzle deliciousness, getting familiar with all the shapes and colours of the puzzle while hunting for the edges. So I thought I'd give it a try. The verdict is still out on that...

I am very glad to add this one to my puzzle collection and already look forward to doing it again!