Easter Egg Hunt

This is the last of my Easter card posts.  You may recall that on Friday I explained that it has been a long time since I last made Easter cards but, during these difficult times, shut off from my family and friends, I wanted to reach out to those I care most about. I found some very nice Easter card kits on the Hunkydory website and I ordered four sets.  However, when I sat down to make the kits I realised that I needed cards for more than four of my closest family and friends, so I had to get a little inventive.

Having made my cards I encountered another problem, I did not have any stamps to post them.  I have scheduled these Easter posts so I do not know whether I managed to get any stamps.  If you did not receive an Easter card from me, please do not be offended, simply choose your favourite card and imagine it sitting on your side, because most likely, I intended to send it to you, I just could not find somewhere to buy the stamps!

You cannot tell from these photographs but all of the images are decoupaged and, although I had to split them between the cards, there were still plenty of layers to go around.  This first card uses the backing card and sentiment from the Hunkydory kit, I simply added some flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts and some flat backed pearls.

For this second card I used a paper from a K & Co stack of papers by Tim Coffey for the backing paper, such a beautiful paper, I love the stunning flowers and just look at that cute little bee.

All I added to this next card were some of the lovely flowers from WOC and some tiny pearls in the centre of the flowers.

Finally, more of those gorgeous Tim Coffy papers.  I added a bit of bling to the centre of the paperwhite narcissus using gold sequins.  Isn't that bunny cute?

Thank you for visit my blog, I enjoy reading all of your comments and thank you for taking the time to leave then.


Dionne

Easter Sunday

This year many of us are going to miss celebrating Easter in church, it cannot be helped, during this time it is more important to be safe now than sorry later.

Today I have some more of my Easter cards to share with you, these feature a country church in springtime.  My first card today uses the the backing paper, decoupage elements and image from the Hunkydory kit, along with some flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, flat backed pearls and a sentiment from my stash.

For this second card I have again raided my K & Co paper stack by Tim Coffey for the backing paper.  The little mulberry flowers are from Wild Orchid Crafts and the gems and tiny pearls are from my stash.

My final card today uses both the backing card from the kit, as well as one of the Tim Coffey papers, and flowers from WOC.

That's it for today, please come back tomorrow for my final instalment of Easter cards.

Dionne

Cute Little Lambs

I am back today with three more of the Easter cards I have made from four card kits from Hunkydory.  Yesterday I shared four cards I had made from a kit featuring daffodils and paperwhite narcissus, today it is the turn of the spring lambs, which we often associate with the arrival of spring and the Easter celebrations.

My first card today has a cute decoupaged lamb and I have used some of the backing paper from the kit, along with flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts, flat backed pearls and a sentiment from my stash.

This sweet little guy is mounted on some colourful backing papers from my stash and I added more of the WOC flowers, tiny pearls and a sentiment.

 

My final card today featuresthe rest of the backing paper from the Hunkydory kit, a matching tag and more flowers and pearls from what I had at home.

I hope that you are managing to enjoy your Easter holiday despite being shut in at home. I know that it is difficult stuck inside your own four walls but, as they say, better safe than sorry ..... and there is always crafting!

Come back tomorrow for some more of my Easter cards.

Dionne

Spring Flowers

Happy Good Friday.

It has been a few years since I last sent Easter cards but, at the moment, I feel we could all do with some cheering up. I spotted some very nice Easter card kits on the Hunkydory website recently and I bought four sets. However, when I sat down to make the kits I realised that at this difficult time I wanted to reach out to more of my family and friends than the four I had originally planned to send cards to, so I had to get a little inventive ....

I raided my very precious K & Co stack of papers by Tim Coffey for the backing paper on this first card.  I adore these papers and treat them like gold dust as they are now irreplaceable.  I realise that you cannot tell from these photographs but all of the images are decoupaged and, although I had to split them between the cards, there were still plenty of layers to go around.

The backing paper for the next card is the companion piece from the Hunkydory kit, I just added the flat backed gems and a sentiment from my stash.

This is one of my favourite cards, probably because it is my favourite backing paper from the Tim Coffey stack.  I just added a few flat backed gems and the sentiment.

The last card from this set has the other half of the backing paper from the Hunkydory kit, along with an Easter sentiment and gems from my stash.

I have a more cards to share with you, so please watch this space over the next few days.


Dionne

The Train Now Leaving Platform Seven

Do you even have a bright idea what doesn't work out exactly how you imagined it?  This project did not go how I thought but I thought I would nonetheless share it with you.

A few weeks ago, I saw some kits on the Hunkydory website which I thought might make fun cards for the young boys in the family, the series was called ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’.  Part of my problem was that I assumed that they were ‘cards’, I had imagined that you had to put them together in such a way that you could flatten them for posting and there would be a certain amount of self-assembly required by the recipient.   Wrong, the little steam train I decided to send to my nephew had to be fully assembled, it was difficult to do, my old eyes found the print size of the instructions was too small, I found it impossible to push the tabs through the slots and, when complete, there was nowhere to leave a message.   Oh, and there was no envelop or box to put the finished project in.  It does not really resemble a card, more a press out and assemble kit of a train but, in truth, that was my mistake.

There was much to say in its favour, it was made of good quality card.  It was printed on both sides, even the pieces which you would not see once the kit was assembled, and it was foiled.

I decided to make a simple paper box to send it in, it was being hand delivered* so the box did not have to be too sturdy.  I also had to write my message to a Post-It and attach it to the underside of the train. 

I am very tempted to pop another of the kits into my nephew's birthday present so he (or rather his mum) can experience the 'fun' of making one for himself!

Stay safe and well my crafting friends.

Dionne

* Now we are 'staying home' and self-isolating, I will have to leave his card and present on the doorstep, ring the bell and walk away.  The world has got very strange.

Knitables are Here

If you are a regular visitor to this place you will know that over the past couple of years I have developed a passion for making knitted animals, especially those designed by very talented people like Julie Williams (who designs The Little Cotton Rabbits Collection) and Susan Hickson (The Mary Jane's Tearoom Collection), I love their work.

Recently I was idlly flicking through Pinerest when I spotted a very attractive knitted teddy bear.  Further investigation revealed that he was one of a collection of animals by Sarah Gasson, called Knitables.  What made these patterns stand out, other than the quality of their design, was i) their size - each stands approximately 18 inches tall, and ii) their clothes are actually costumes ie surgeon, nurse, ballerina, super hero.  Wo could resist them?  Not me!

My biggest problem was which to make first.  The cat was not the first I made, or the second, but it was the first one finished and dressed - and here he is .....

Made in double knit yarn the fiished cat is 18 inches tall in his stocking feet and just oh so cuddly.  I was in a hurry to finish this bundle of fun and get him to my little nephew that I kept his jumper and trousers simple.

Overt your eyes now if you are of a sensitive nature - here come the naked shots!

Spoiler alert.  Coming to  post near your soon, watch out for other adorable Knitables.

I hope you have a great week.


Dionne

Two into Five

It has been a while since my last post, but I have not been idle.

A few weeks ago, I had a call from my sister asking if I would mind making a couple of cardigans for your youngest grandson. Of course, I did not mind, in fact, I was only too pleased to have the opportunity to make something small and plain, very therapeutic. My sister had bought a pattern and some navy and burgundy coloured yarns. All well and good, sadly things got a little out of hand once I got involved. The first cardigan I made struck me as a little small for the now very bonny 6-month-old. So, the second cardigan I made in the next size up - it came up massive. So, I took it on myself to make a second navy cardigan in the smaller size ... which came out considerably larger than the burgundy cardigan despite being made using the same pattern, the same needles and the same brand of double knit!

In the meantime, my sister's daughter-in-law rang and asked if we could make a replacement cardigan for one I made when the baby was first born - which he has now grown out of but his mum loved it so much she would really appreciate a replacement. Not a problem, so I ordered the yarn from an on-line shop. Whilst I was waiting for the yarn to arrive, I got a little bored and raided my stash and made a fourth cardigan, this one in royal blue. A few days later the beige yarn arrived and now we have five cardigans, where originally there were to be only two.

Before I show you the first of the photos I took the other day, I really must apologise for the quality. The weather recently has been quite dreadful and I hope that none of you have suffered as a result of storms Ciara or Dennis. (Even as I type this, I can again hear the wind outside and it is raining hard.) On the day I took these photographs it was very overcast and I had to have a lot of additional lighting, consequently the colours are far from true and there is nothing I can do to improve them, I am sorry.

I am never sure anyone is actually interested but, in case you are, the cardigan pattern is BHKC pattern number 3.

This is the little trouble maker that started my knitting marathon, the smallest of the bunch.

(This cardigan is actually navy blue, I am sorry about the colour.)

(This one is royal blue, so a little washed out.)

(Another navy blue cardigan in real life, followed by and biscuit coloured one .... not that you would know it in this light.  It is quiet interesting how artificial light changes colours.)

No two of the cardigans came out the same size, even though four of them were made to the same size, well at least accoring to the pattern.

I hope that you have a good week.


Dionne