Sunny Southeast

I was down in Waterford on Tuesday - a few quick snaps. There is a strong Viking heritage, hence the boat sculpture which was in the centre of a small roundabout.

May Favourites...

Not very many favourite cards for May - I made some chalked Christmas cards which I really liked but it's too unseasonal to upload them here!

Not very many photos to choose a header from either, in my June 2015 folder. This is a bluetit feeding a young one. Today I saw a relatively juvenile robin scavenging on the back lawn, but was unable to take any photos.

Tyvek #3

I made up my third piece of Tyvek today for a mixed media challenge. I seemed to get better results with the iron today - maybe because I actually used the ironing board! Perhaps it retains and reflects more heat than whatever I tried using upstairs in my attic for the previous two pieces.

Quick snaps

I was coming down the quays last night and spotted this great decorated utility box. Unfortunately I was in an express bus so it wasn't in the bus lane - and a taxi drew up just as I was taking the photo - but now I know where it is, I'll make a point of walking past some time soon.

And a treat this morning - I was afraid to get closer to the window in case I scared it away, and it was a dull grey, damp morning so the light wasn't great, but it's been several years since I last saw a bullfinch in the garden. This one was breakfasting on dandelion seeds.

Play Time

I had a day off today - and while it's sunnier now, it was a pretty dismal, dark, wet morning. So I decided to have some play time and finally experiment with the Tyvek I bought at the Knitting and Stitching show last November.
When I first researched it, a lot of people mentioned Lumiere paints - which I don't have, so I was totally experimenting. I started by cutting a sheet in quarters (for Americans, the European A4 is similar to letter size).

Two pieces, I gessoed. One of them, I misted with Brusho Acrylic mists and a stencil, but it was the least successful of the three pieces I used today, so no photo.
The second gessoed one, I added Twinkling H2Os. And when that had dried, which took a while, I stamped a flourish stamp in gold and added embossing powder, reckoning that the heating process would melt the powder. Which it did...

For the other two pieces, I used a pearlescent acrylic medium mixed with Perfect Pearls.
I used one piece today - I'll get round to the other one another day. Hopefully I can find my old iron first...our new one is too fancy, and kept pausing because it realised that it wasn't in contact with anything, or else I'd held it horizontal for too long or else I don't know what...

And the two good pieces, I turned into cards. I'm sure I won't waste the failure either, but it might be a while before it gets used up.

I didn't get the beautifully bubbled effects that I'd seen looking at some examples online  - but I still have four sheets left to play with on another rainy day.

On the Way to Work

On Monday we both made the journey into work from my aunt's. It was actually a lovely walk down to the train station - the weather was still mild. And I walked out to work from town along the Liffey, which is not my normal route...

Loved the colours in this!

Half a loaf dog is better than none...

Spring Flowers

We were minding my aunt's dog over the weekend and for a couple of work days. Saturday was damp and drizzly to start but turned into a beautiful afternoon and we really enjoyed sitting out in her garden. I'm not sure what the white flower is - I'll have to ask her next time I'm out. The bluebells were just beautiful, too. She has several bird feeders - but this little hen chaffinch ( I think) came right up to the conservatory door several times.

Coming home from work today, I noticed some dead ivy wrapped around a tree - the council workers or a local person must have cut the ivy stem. It intrigued me - it almost looked like dried silk, so I got the camera out of the bag - and then snapped the tulips growing wild. It's an area along boundary walls with quite a few trees, and about 3 or 4 years ago a whole pile of mulched bark chippings were spread thickly over the area. This year it has really greened up beautifully.

April Favourites...

 It felt a bit like a "bleah" month, but I seem to have found a few cards I like well enough to count as favourites.

The one with the "apple blossom" (best stamp I had" and clock face is an interpretation of the Bulmers cider ads with the orchards and "Nothing added but time" slogan. And the garden bench was the first time trying out a die which I got with an Amazon.com gift cert at Christmas. I usually mostly buy books because they don't attract extra tax and duties - and are no hardship to buy anyway, but I treated myself to this too. And the next two were playing with some fun birthday gifts!!

Anniversaries...

For some reason, I was sure I had started my blog in May. But recently I looked back, and it was 22nd April 2009. So today is my blogiversary - who knew I'd still be going 8 years later.
Yesterday was my birthday - so I took a memory trip back to two years ago when we were in Giverny and I never got round to editing and sharing photos from that day. My sister and aunt got a slideshow of ALL the photos; the overload is why I never got to do anything about them.

Here's a quick pick. It was a lovely day - Easter was late, so the gardens opened to the public a little earlier than usual and we were able to go on our last day in Paris. It changed the whole feel of the trip from just a city break to a holiday, because we got the train to Giverny and then we were right out in the countryside. When we arrived, the gardens were full, because there was a big group from a cruise ship. We walked around the gardens once in the throng, then sat on a bench at the back of the water garden for about half an hour enjoying the peace (and a cuckoo calling in the distance), and then when we walked around the gardens again, they were practically empty.

Now I think I want to make a card with my dogwood die!