What a lovely day it's developing into! This belated birthday present arrived - it looks inspiring. I'm saving it for a good browse later.

Here I go again!

Oooh, like I said I love playing with images!
All done in www.dumpr.net
The first is from a stitched ATC, then from photos Frost on Ivy, and Snow on Japonica.
Inspirations for needlefelting maybe - but I'll never get round to doing any at this rate.

ATC Mountain Meadow in art gallery.

John has gone to Worcester for the day to watch cricket so I'm enjoying a lazy day (so what's new?).
I'm working on a needlefelt ATC to send to a friend, but couldn't resist another play on www.dumpr.net
I love finding programmes like this - how childish is that?

Dylan - Rubik's Cube

A game with www.dumpr.net

ATC Demo 2 Needlefelt, "Flowers on the Hills"

A second demo for docrafts forum - with landscape background. I made an error in the print out - the foundation felt is pink, not blue, to show through slightly in the sky.

Even more fibres!

Needlefelt ATC

Shells, butterflies, beads and stitching added. A little more needling to lay down stray fibres.
Maybe not the 'correct' way - I don't know - but it's my way!

I was asked how I did hand needlefelting, on docrafts site.
Well - by trial and error really! Anyway this is the first stage - purple and white wool tops laid quite sparcely and randomly onto purple felt background, needled quite a lot. Other white fibres added to give some definition.More needling.

Cross Stitch with Beads

I stitched these when I was on holiday recently,thinking I'd make ATCs with them. Now I'm wondering whether to frame them as miniature pictures for a time - they can be ATCs later!

The day has come .......

And this is the tidiest corner. I dare not take photos all round my room! So I've just ordered yet another drawer chest - will that keep it tidy!
I'll know in a few week's time.

Another small cross stitch picture in my 'clear out'. This is going to Elvery, who lives in Australia and says she has fuschia in her garden.

Assisi Embroidery

I'm attempting to sort out - throw out - an accumulation of cross stitch pieces I stitched long ago. I don't think I'll throw this out yet - though it's never been framed and probably hasn't seen daylight for 20 years or more. Maybe I'll pop it into a frame and give it to a charity shop - I doubt anyone would buy it though!
Later ... I've had an email from Cilla, who lives on a farm in New Mexico, saying that she would like this, She saw it in my flickr gallery (konnykards) I'll be happy to send it to her.

ATC Needlefelt with Braid and Buttons

Yesterday I bought some braid with daisy flowers so I've used one flower, with silk and wool tops, buttons and french knots.

Each time I look for something in an old box I go all nostalgic!
This time I found this old sewing catalogue so I googled and found a pic of my first sewing machine - I had always used my mother's until I bought this. Oooh! I loved it.
The wooden table is still around - albeit in the shed.
All this makes me think I should be updating my present machine - I've had that too long and they all look so appealing these days with all the wonderful things they do! Will the pension stretch to it I ask - sorry no says the bank account!

Sepia Images for Greetings Cards

I like greetings cards in sepia matted on cream and gold layers. These are edited from original parchment craft cards made some time ago, and are ready to be made up.

I had a walk round the garden - not far as it's not large - the lilac is in bloom and the scent is lovely in late afternoon. But it's all blooming too high for me to get a photo so I had to find this pic to remind me of it.

Day 1!

Physio said - EXERCISES! - and gave me eight to do three times a day - also STAND every 20 minutes.
Well if it will improve my back and posture I'll give it a go.
I'm putting a self reminder pic down the side here and I'll have to set a timer every 20 minutes to remind me to 'jump up' as I'm sitting for hours here or stitching.
Maybe I should have chosen more energetic hobbies in the first place!

Three Poppies

Well this is it - my first needlefelt to be planned - the others so far have just 'happened' and built up as I went along. I did set out to do this.
Now I need to improve the felting to make it smoother -
though I quite like the chunkiness at times.

Poppy

I just walked round the garden - good, fat poppy buds, so we'll soon have some gorgeous flowers like this one from a few years ago.
I'll go and try to make another needlefelt poppy ATC now.

Mosaic of Flower Photos

Played about with another Flickr Toys programme today, with flower photos - love it!

Two in one day! ATC Mountain Meadow

John's day was watching the cup final, test match, and a couple of other football matches - so if I was to see him today at all I had to sit in the lounge. I did just that this afternoon and stabbed and stitched another needlefelt ATC - we didn't speak a lot.
Both content!!
Again I didn't know what I was making when I felted the background - except that it was a general thing that would have flowers on - as I always do flowers. Well a bit of the sky looked like a mountain, not a cloud, so that was that.

Toppling Pot

Decided to have a very restful day, but felt (no pun intended!) unsettled. I had a browse in a couple of Cloth Paper Scissors mags - decided everything in them was too clever for me so did a quick therapeutic bit of needle stabbing - on felt I hasten to add!
Funny that I can't plan a needlefelt design - I just did the background and put one flower on it - added a bit of brown in the corner and decided to do something sideways rather than upright. Anyway I enjoyed doing it. I'll probably prod the fibres in a bit more later and send it to someone - I have promised a few RAKS.

ATC Images Cube

I just found fd's Flickr Toys programme and thought this was a novel way to store images of some favourite ATCs that have been traded.

Montana on Old Shed

The Clematis Montana and the shed were very old - like us - as the shed was falling apart, except where a strong Ivy held it up, both had to go last year. John took several cuttings which quickly rooted in the Autumn.
Several neighbours had one and we planted one on a trellis.
Today it's about eight feet tall and has ..... one blossom on it.
We won't be around when it achieves its former glory - that took 40+ years, but lets hope it brightens up a bit soon!

If you like this sort of thing!

Our son Neil is 45 today - he works for a small travel company in London and for some years he has been on his own. He is frequently away on short trips with his job and has had several long vacations to do treks. His idea of a holiday is three months in the Andes, trekking as far as the Antarctic - trucking in Kyrgyzstan, the Sahara, or across the old silk route in Asia.
One of his trips was described as 'not so much a holiday as an experience with dessert hazzards' by the travel company.
He is planning a cycle ride next year, about 6000 miles, from Cairo to Cape Town in five months. In between he does Triathlons, Half Iron Man and such energetic things.
Where did we get him from? Us - who have always loved home, gardening, cricket, football, crafting, civilised holidays in the sun - all the good old solid things of life!
Great that we're all different though - maybe he will settle one day.

Cousin Judy sent two photos that she took in a bluebell wood near to Cleobury Mortimer last week.
Here's one - I love them both and just wish I could walk well enough to go there!
Having the photos is good though - more inspiration for stitching!

My favourite card, from John.

Well. I'm 73 today - some of us crafters have to be that old!
Have lots to muse about and do today - I'll be back!

ATC Organza Flowers

Even more nostalgia!
The linen background is a piece from a jacket I wore at a friend's wedding more than ten years ago - I decided a while ago that even I shouldn't keep wearing such ancient clothes so I cut it up and used most of it in a ribbon embroidery class - but I still have bits big enough for ATCs -great recycling!

It was so warm and sunny yesterday, a friend called and we enjoyed sitting in the garden with a glass or two of wine! What could be better - I even stopped crafting and PC gazing!
I did take a few photos though as there are lots of lovely blossoms and spring flowers about. My favourite was this fern, just unfolding. The ferns are a nuisance later in the summer but I forgive them as they are so lovely as they open.

Nostalgia!

I love crazy quilting and patchwork and may have to keep this ATC as it evokes nostalgia - something that comes over me in waves in my dotage!
Remember the small print cottons and voiles used to make little girl's frocks (that little girl is now in her 40s!)-remember the little shop in Bruges that sold such lovely lace - remember those Spanish markets with cheap bead bracelets - remember a lazy daisy stitch sampler made with a group of children in a craft club - oh! - remember a wedding dress 50+ years ago with seed 'pearls' head dress (and made with gorgeous lace from the Rag Market). Precious memories.

More Needlefelt

GMT 7.30am Wednesday 7th May.
I was not expecting to enjoy needlefelting greatly when I bought a small starter kit and instruction leaflet just a few weeks ago - nor thinking it was really suitable for the small area of an ATC.
I was wrong - I really love the vibrant colours of the fibres and the feel of the felt as it builds up with quick sharp stabs of the needle.
It's quite therapeutic and luckily I haven't stabbed myself so far - I probably will one day and so will add a bit more colour to the felt.
The ATCs seem to be popular to trade, so I'm happy.
Yesterday I ordered a book about fabric fusing with a soldering iron - something else I know nothing about yet - it sounds a bit hazardous!
Well it's a lovely day, lots of blossom in the gardens I see from
here so I may have to take a few more photos before breakfast.
What a contrast to the grey skies and snowy pics taken recently.
I'm struggling with a deep personal sadness about a very dear friend, but there are still good things to look to and to share.

Home from Spain

We had a lovely holiday, lots of sun, lazy days and I made at least one ATC most days - 18 altogether!
Gwen asked to swap the needlefelt poppy card I made previously but as it was already promised to Wendy I made this for Gwen - I hope she will like it.