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Tuesday 26 May 2020

Save the bees!

Hello crafting friends!

I've been trying to make a Christmas card for Rudolph Day but it's not going well. On the other hand, while wandering around Blogland, I spotted Milka's blog hop raising awareness for this year's World Bee Day and was immediately inspired!

Bees and other pollenators are so important for food production, and numbers have been declining because of loss of habitat, toxic pesticides, climate change and disease. So how can we help? Well, it isn't hard to create a friendly environment for them - check out these ideas. If you don't have a garden, you can still attract bees to balconies, window boxes, terraces etc. There are many other things you can do too - support local bee keepers for example, and don't use pesticides on your plants!

Here's my card celebrating bees:


To make my background, I sponged distress ink through the Honeycomb stencil by Funky Fossil. The cow parsley, from Funky Fossil's In the Meadow stamp set, was stamped over the top in green ink and the flowers coloured with a white gel pen. This doesn't completely cover the green but does give some nice definition. I trimmed the panel with a Heffy Doodles stitched rectangle die.



I don't have any bee stamps! I do have a set on order but it didn't arrive in time, so I had to draw a bee using a fineliner. I tried to make him look nice and fluffy and coloured his body with a yellow marker and his wings with a Wink of Stella pen before fussy cutting him.


For the greeting, I used black ink to stamp a sentiment from Clearly Besotted's Simply Said onto a scrap of card stock and heat embossed with clear embossing powder. I die cut the left edge of it with the stitched rectangle die, snipped the other end into a ribbon tail and glued it onto the card panel. Finally, the bee was popped up on dimensionals and the panel attached to a card base.

Thank you very much you bees - you are appreciated!

CHALLENGES
I'm joining in with Milka's wonderful To Bee or Not to Bee blog hop; I used LeAnne's sketch from the Paper Players (taking the liberty of flipping the sentiment over to the other side); I'm also playing along with Time Out where the theme is Free (I want bees to live their lives free from the threat of extinction); and I WAS going to link up with Tic Tac Toe but I'm out of time :/


AND IN OTHER NEWS
I'm a big fan of honey. I use it as a topping for natural yoghurt with chopped nuts; also to make a chocolate sauce perfect for a banana split or to top ice cream - 1oz melted butter, 1 tblsp cocoa, 1 tblsp honey, dash vanilla extract whisked together. Oh yum! And then there's honey pie...


... here is an ACTUAL picture of an adorable honey pie!

Looks like the lockdown in the UK is really beginning to lift now. What do you think?

Sending hugs,

30 comments:

  1. Really striking card, great background and image.

    Kath x

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  2. Great job free handing that bee image! I love the layout on this card and the cow parsley (which I call Queen Anne's Lace : ) is a wonderful image! Everything about this design works perfectly together!
    Rachelle : )

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    1. I call it Queen Anne's lace sometimes too Rachelle, and it does sound more elegant doesn't it!

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  3. I like everything about your card, I am a big fan of bees too! AND honey, and chocolate, and Eva and your little hand-drawn bee! SO cute, and no probs with flipping the sketch. The honeycomb background is pretty awesome too! Thanks for playing along this week!

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    1. Loved your sketch this week LeAnne and well, to be fair, there's always something fun going on at the Paper Players!

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  4. Super cute background and design Vicky.

    Hugs Diane

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  5. A super CAS Bee inspired card Vicky but of course the honey pie steals the post. We've a swam gravitating around our paddocks and garden the last couple of days, not quite sure where they originate from but do wish their Queen would guide them home.

    B x

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    1. Lol, my honey pie ALWAYS steals the show! Lovely to hear that there are still swarms around but I agree, it would be better for all concerned if they were tucked up safely in a nice hive! x

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  6. You drew the bee!!!!! It's a fluffy wonder Vicky.
    Love the stamp and the stencil such a beautiful card.
    Take care
    Faith x

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    1. Aw thanks Faith! Did I make him floofy enough?! x

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  7. You are so talented. Love this gorgeous bee card and so clever of you to draw the bee yourself. Great background.

    Super pic of Eva too.

    Hug xxx

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    1. Oh bless you Sarn - he is a rather basic bee but I became fond of him :) Eva is doing what she does best - being cute!
      xxx

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  8. Super card Vicki. Love how you added the white gel pen-adds lovely detail to the flowers. The honeycomb stencil the perfect choice and what an adorable bee! I am a honey freak too! And you real honey looks adorable! Thanks for joining Time Out

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    1. Thank you for your lovely comment Sandie. My little Eva is adorable isn't she :)

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  9. Bee-utiful card, Vicky! Your drawing skills are to be envied, that's one pretty and fluffy bee. I love bees too, they are a precious wonder. Always wonderful to see you in the Player's gallery!

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    1. Thank you Stef! I'm glad you like me little fluffy bee! And thank goodness for real bees.

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  10. This is so, so clever Vicky! The layering and composition is perfect, and that bee - who needs stamps with drawing skills like that?! Just fabulous! An adorable honey pie too! Thanks for sharing with us over at The Paper Players this week!

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    1. What a lovely comment - thank you Joanne!

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  11. Vicky, this is fabulous! I love the honeycomb background and that little bee! Your drawing is perfect! SO happy you joined us at The Paper Players this week!

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    1. Thanks Claire - always fun playing with The Players!

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  12. I can't get over how much your Eva looks like my Bella, she even has the same bottom teeth (which I'm always saying I might have to get her braces....). Bella is 8yrs old and my constant companion. I garden for a living (in New Zealand) and very aware of the decline of bee's and butterflies, especially Monarchs which I help to breed in Summertime. I have one chrysalis left, have released around 30 butterflies this year. Sorry, came here to comment on your card and have found a lovely to person/blog to follow!! Your card is beautiful, ,love the soft honeycomb background and so jealous you have that floral stamp set (I'm on the FF Design Team and the latest release stamps STILL haven't arrived....). And I'm blown away by your drawing of the bee, thought it was a stamp. Will stop talking now and thank you so much for joining us at TIME OUT!! xx

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    1. Eva has lovely teeth but there is a goofy expression she does where her bottom teeth become prominent and it always makes me laugh. Your Bella must be living her best life! All goldens want is to have constant company and to be outside whatever the weather. Helping to breed butterflies sounds like a satisfying thing to do and gardening in beautiful NZ with a golden helper, well that's my fantasy life right there! Thanks for coming to visit - hope to see you here again soon! xx

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  13. Absolutely fabulous....just love your sweet card. Thank you so much for taking the time to play along with us at Time Out!

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  14. Beautiful card! I especially love the background you created. Thank you for joining us at Time Out!

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I'd love to know what you think. Do leave me a comment - it always makes my day! Vicky x


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