More glorious sunshine

This late but long summer has been glorious and this week the temperatures are rising again to 26c by Friday. This morning, as it's my day off, I trotted down to the high street to have my hair cut and this was my beloved ponds at 9.30 am.

Doesn't sunshine just make everything look perfect? My heart skips a little beat when I sit for a moment by the ponds as it brings back so many memories of summer days when my children were small. We visited the ponds most days and they spent many happy hours in the amazing play park there. I also thought that in a few years time I will be able to retrace those memories with my grandbaby who is due in no less than 80 days time ;0)

My garden produce continues to provide lots of tasty treats and my tomatoes have been made so beautifully sweet by the long sunny days. I love just pulling a fruit off the plant, a quick wash under the tap and then the joy of a still warm snack.

I also grew a couple of unusual plants this year. The first I would like to share with you are the cucamelons. They are a range of seeds from Sutton's and  I bought these in the spring. I started them off in my little indoors propagator in the sunshine of our back bedroom. They taste of cucumber with a very slight sweet twist and I think will be perfect for Pimms this weekend, it is a bank holiday here in the UK.

Here they are back in May being planted out in my hanging basket

Last month

 and today

I have been able to spend the this afternoon with Billy in my garden studio cracking on with some jewellery making and some card commissions. I have also been deadheading my pots which are still producing amazing blooms. I'm not sure you can really call this helping ?

My card today has a garden theme and features the red and green from my tomatos. I have used my Magnolia yummy Strawberry Kisses Tilda stamp. This card is for sale here in myEtsy shop

 I have added my usual recipe of glossy accents to the strawberries to make them even more delicious looking. I coloured my image with Promarkers and highlighted with Prismacolor pencils. The die cuts are Cheery Lynn small butterflies are a MS punch. The tags I made are by LOTV, part of my Pretty Vintage win. I have tied a dragonfly charm with some twine and added gems in red and green at the sides. The flower I made with prima petals with a Card Candi for the centre. I have just bought some new Craftworks card candi and this is one of the new packets. 

I would like to enter my card  into the following challenges.

Papertake Weekly flower power
Top Tip Tuesday use things with your initials My initials are JT. Now J is incredibly difficult but I thought I would push my luck and suggest Juicy strawberry  jewels (jems) for J and  for T I have used Tags, Tilda stamp, Tibetan charm and Twine
Ribbon Girl Red
Emma's cards Floral
Penny Black and More In the garden
Passion for Promarkers Fave colour combo mine is red/green
A little bit crafty summer sun
Cutie Pies Anything goes
Ohh La La Inspired by a song Whenever I use this stamp I start humming The Beatles "Strawberry Fields"
Crafty Ribbons 3 of something I have made 3 tags
Stamping Sensations Wings and things and a touch of vintage
Marvellous Magnolia anything goes
Loves Rubber stamps round or square cards
Craft Room Challenge Use something new the new is my new dragon fly charm, the card candi and the vintage tags stamps
Make it Monday Linky party #154
Bunny Zoe Bingo I have used the far right vertical line; Tag, gems, charm
Rhedd and Rosie's challenge use red

I hope every one in the UK is making the most of this glorious weather. It's work for me tomorrow but I am really looking forward to the long bank holiday weekend, let's hope the weather can last until then. Enjoy the week and your crafting. Welcome to my newest followers and I hope you enjoy following my creative journey and thank you to everyone who stops by here and leaves such sweet comments. It's the start of the Great British Bake Off on TV tonight...I watch very little TV but this is one of my must sees ;0)

Back soon,


Bye for now,

Jane x