Pollen calendar

Is anyone else suffering with hayfever as DH and I are? Something has just started flowering, and from 2 days ago we've both been miserable. I was doing some searching and I found this fascinating calendar which seems to indicate that we're sensitive to lime tree pollen. And according to the cheerful little titbit at the bottom, a glass of beneficial red wine is not going to help. D'oh.
Source: metoffice.gov.uk

ETA: Very interesting. Both of our noses started behaving in a more civilised fashion around the third week in July. According to this chart, that seems to imply that the problem could be lime trees. We haven't got many limes close by, but there are a lot in the park about a mile and a half to the east of us. We've had more winds from the east than usual this year so maybe, just maybe, we've found our answer.

Dragonflies

This month my work has come between me and crafting, and so has the garden. While the weather has been kind, we've been spending lots of time trying to tame it into something that looks as if we intended it to be that way. All our time outside has inspired these simple, universal cards. I'll stamp them with the appropriate greeting outside, and/or sentiment inside, when the time comes.

They are for:
Cuttlebug Mania: bling (it's hard to see but the borders are gold with glitter and the centre dragonflies are gold with hologram shine)
Less Is More: metal (the pearlised dragonfly brads) and welcome Anita!
Papertake Weekly: blue and green, bling and glitter
Simon Says Stamp: anything

ETA: Drat. 30 minutes late for the LIM entry. Ho hum.

Forever Friends

A quick card to show you after such a productive day that my feet are aching. This is for my sister-in-law's birthday next week, and I'm entering it into these challenges:

Cute Card Thursday: lace
Cuttlebug Mania: ribbon
Papertake Weekly: in the garden (I hope the watering cans and resultant flower-gathering are close enough - I seem to spend half my time in my garden with a watering can so it seemed appropriate.)
Simon Says Stamp: colour swatch in pinks, blues and aquas
Sketch Saturday

Angelina Ballerina

My cousin's two beautiful girls have been Frozen-crazy since it came out. But that means that if there is any Frozen merchandise that they DON'T own, then the chances of my finding it for a birthday present would be minuscule!

My cousin was telling me about how much they loved a recent children's ballet performance of Swan Lake a few weeks ago, and that gave me an idea. I hope she won't mind my sharing her text, because it's hilarious and deserves airing. A was convulsing all those within earshot of her with her audible running commentary; "he's not got any trousers on" and "the swan is behind you" and "I need a wee". Bless her!

But I digress. A's 3rd birthday is tomorrow and I'm Frozened-out so I picked Angelina Ballerina instead, and went all girlie with pink, aqua and glimmer. I used a technique seen on YouTube for cutting half a shape into a fold. I quite like it, but having the Cuttlebug which is smaller than the Big Shot, the card height is limited to 15cm.

Cute Card Thursday: brads
Cuttlebug Mania: stamping
Papertake Weekly: anything
Sketch Saturday
Simon Says Stamp: sentiment
Stamping Sensations: flower power (the pink paper is also embossed with flowers, but it's hard to see)

Hoppy birthday MIL!

I may have said this before (like every year!) but my MIL is a bit of a frog fanatic. Their house is a shrine to frogs of every shape, size and colour, which makes birthday cards easy. The main challenge is finding a different design each year, but after going to the Oyster Stamps craft retreat in Daventry in March and spending rather too much on goodies, this time I had it in the bag.

One of the dies I bought was this delight from Memory Box. I couldn't wait to play with it. I cut the frogs with my Silhouette and the bullrush (called Cattails from Die-Namites) I cut in half and placed on each side. Eucalyptus Stickles and a hand-cut lily pad finished it off, and MIL was almost as pleased with it as I was.

Challenges:
Cute Card Thursday: sentiment
Papertake Weekly: Take your pick (I chose White Plus One colour, and am hoping that silver counts as a variation of white)
Simon Says Stamp: anything

Mini for Mother

I've been thinking about making a religious mini-album for Mum for years. I've had umpteen ideas about how to do it, and have bought parts and allocated materials for several of them. However it took Georgina's gift (thank you!) of 2 little black mini albums (I already have 3!) to make me get my act together and actually produce something more tangible than ideas, notes and bags of bits.

I've just realised that it's largely a Stephanie Weightman book, too, with the Large Flourish Tattered Lace die from magazine #6, and her Floral Textures paper. The other dies are X-cut book-plate, QuicKutz Nested Circles and Scalloped Circles, and Spellbinders Lacey Circles Nestabilities dies. The Bible quotes and hymns are computer printed and the gems are from various different packs.

I haven't given it to her yet, but she doesn't read this blog so it's safe to show you first!

Mothering Sunday

In the UK Mothering Sunday is 2 weeks before Easter, which this year fell last weekend. I decided to try out the mini exploding pop-up box for both MIL and my Mum, using some of the beautiful card and papers that Georgina gave me when she came to visit for a wonderful weekend. Thank you G, and yes I have linked up to your blog so you'll just have to update it now!

I used this tutorial from The Craft Spa, and came up with these little delights.

Both of them were intrigued and quite charmed. They like getting something different from me, and it's getting more and more of a challenge to find new techniques. But you know me - I like a challenge.

Talking of which, I'm entering these into the following challenges:
Cute Card Thursday - Spring fever
Cuttlebug Mania (I just discovered this through Pixie's Crafty Workshop - thank you Di!) - Freeze frame
Papertake Weekly - Happy anything
Simon Says Stamp - Spring Pinterest Inspiration