The Gardening square metre

Hello, crafting friends!

Since the weather isn't enabling me to get out into the garden, I've decided to do some gardening in the Craft Square Metre instead! 

It's a bit early for an apple crop as we're still at blossom stage, but I wanted to give some love to this apple branch from Apples and Pears by Clearly Besotted. I stamped it in green ink, watercoloured it, left it to dry  and then fussy cut it. The background was made in the same green with a mix of stamping (from Stampin' Up's Waterfront), ink blending and watercolouring. 

When it was dry, I added a gingham border with Kaisercraft's Gingham. Under that, I glued a piece of red card stock and embellished it with a strip of patterned green washi tape. The panel was cut out with a stitched rectangle die from Heffy Doodle and the apple tree glued over the top. In all the excitement, the top left hand corner got damaged so I added a photo corner style trim with the washi tape and I think I got away with it! 

The sentiment is the Thank You Border die from Lawn Fawn, which I trimmed down for a different look. To finish the card, I knotted some twine round the card and made a little tasseled end, and added a tiny die-cut heart to the gingham.

CHALLENGES

Festive Friday are celebrating National Gardening Week and I have chosen plants, green and twine from their inspiration list; I was also inspired by the mood board at Create A Smile so I'm linking up there too.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

This card feels as if it was made by someone else! I normally make quite CAS cards but this one seems to have a lot going on. Do  you ever find that you've made something completely out of your normal style?

Sending hugs,

So grateful, I carrot lie!

Hello, crafting friends!

Hmm. I spent ages trying to think up that title and I'm afraid it is not the headline of the century or anything. So, moving swiftly on to a card I couldn't resist making with the very last bits of the paper I used for yesterday's card:

There were two carrots left and I fussy cut them thinking it would make a great 'thanks for the Easter parcel' card, or as a thank you later on in the year when friends share the surplus fruit from their trees or produce from their vegetable plots.

I masked off wide borders and stamped Hardwood by Stampin' Up into the remaining space using brown ink. I sponged a paler brown over it and then removed the mask. I decided that black twine could pretend to tie the carrots together then positioned them on the wooden background and embellished with green sequins.

The sentiment was cut from card I'd coloured ombré-style with green alcohol markers and I snipped the ends to make it fit my panel. This is a mini card made using a 12cm x 9cm (5" x 3 1/2") base.

CHALLENGES

I'm squeaking in at the last moment at Inspired By where I was inspired by carrots, the colours and the sketch (which I turned 45 degrees.) I'm also linking up with Inkspirational where the word prompt is Grow.

AND IN OTHER NEWS

Since Sunday when we were lazing about in the garden, we have been assailed by snow, hail, sub zero temperatures... none of which have stopped Madame Floof from having a dip in the river!

Sending hugs,