Hot off the Needles

My niece requested a cream sweater for her birthday - work was busy so it was a few days late, but her birthday was Monday so it really wasn't all that late in arriving - and meant she got two cards, one with the sweater and one posted last Friday.

And I said that now we're into October and darker evenings (and rain and wind and general grey-ness), that I didn't feel it was too early to post some of the Christmas cards I have been making. These look like most of my favourites, though I need to look through my box and see what I forgot to pick out!

The screen ones were both samples for a technique challenge.

And these little pop-up ones were also challenge samples. 

I bought the Tim Holtz snow globe die set with a gift voucher last December, but it's taken me till now to have the time and energy to create a scene with it. I abandoned the snow globe part and  went for a little mountainside village.

One stamp, two looks:

And last of all - some time I posted a photo of  a tree-stump carved as a mushroom, along the main street in Greystones. It has now become a fully-fledged des res, complete with a little garden. 

By the Sea

I was visiting my aunt one day this week. After the horrendous traffic last time, I elected to get a train this week, though I think the timetabling was still suffering the after-effects of Ophelia.

I got a train before the one I normally get, so that I could post the sweater off to my niece. Although it was quite windy it was pleasantly mild and I had a lovely walk along the seafront.

We have - a young cormorant. two crows (there's also a photo of them looking at each other) and then what at first I took from the colouring to be a juvenile gull - but on closer inspection it wasn't, and was also too large. I think it must be a diver (loon). I've never seen one in Greystones before.  There was a gaggle of little plovers scurrying around the rocks and bathing in one of the pools, and once the beak emerged, I realised the next bird was an oyster-catcher. At first he was resting with his beak tucked under his wing, and I wasn't sure what it was. And finally some sort of little pipit.

Country harvest

Last weekend we went on a local blackberry-picking outing and came back with a small amount of sloes - but enough for C to decide that he'd take his last day of annual leave (which had to be taken by the end of the month) and take a day trip to the Burren yesterday and see if we could get more sloes in either of the places we've had good pickings before.

It wasn't the sunniest of days, so not good for photos but we had a lovely day out and did get a good harvest of sloes, and enough blackberries for one more batch of jam. As an extra bonus, it felt like Saturday so we have the Saturday feeling all over again today.

September Favourites...

We marked the last day of the month by going out and picking blackberries yesterday, and even a few sloes for some sloe gin. It was a lovely sunny morning, but the harvest wasn't great. Enough to freeze two 2lb bags for jam, and some for a crumble, with some kept out for a crumble today.

Here are my favourite cards for this month - including, as we're now into the last quarter of the year, the odd Christmas card.

inside of previous card

On second thoughts, that's enough cards for one post, so maybe I'll post a few Christmas cards later on in the week.

Autumn in a frame....

I was a little later than usual in getting a sampler made to switch out my summer-themed one...

A Miscellany

The Art Neko blog and website are still down for a revamp, so instead of posting on the blog, I thought I'd add another card here this week, although I can't provide any links.  The metallic tissue background was created for this week's TLC challenge on Splitcoast.  I used two different stamps from Art Neko, the still life with grapes and wine, and I stamped and cut a couple more leaves from the grapes and leaves with tendrils stamp.

A long-empty site near the bus stop has been opened up for work, and in the process has acquired a new hoarding.

And another utility box - very suitable for our climate, this one.

Utility Box Art

This barrister dog appeared outside the Law Society some day last week, unless I have been very unobservant.

The Viking invasion has taken place at the corner of Ellis Quay, but it's not an easy place to take photos with all the traffic.

And a couple of matchbox projects which I didn't include with my favourite cards last week. The Sizzix matchbox die creates a box about 3 1/2" by 2 1/2" by 3/4".  I'd like to try making a suitcase again with a couple of modifications to this prototype, but it was fun to make.