Signs of Autumn

Happy October everyone and it really is beginning to feel like autumn now. On Saturday I had a clear up in the garden. It was time to start emptying some of my pots and pruning some of my shrubs.I still have some lovely bedding plants in flower, my gazania will keep putting on a show until the first frosts hit.

I gave the lawn a trim for one of the last times this year.

Once everything was tidy it was time to head out for a walk. As my regular bloggers know  my most anticipated sign of autumn is when the conkers start to fall. We are still enjoying above average temperatures and many of the trees are not only still in full leaf but still mostly green.

The horse chestnut trees nearest to my home showed the promise of things to come but I continued on to one of our local parks where there is a whole avenue of horse chestnut trees.

Initially I thought that there were no conkers on the floor here either until I approached the final tree and saw..

Treasure..

I love to find whole shells which I gathered up and took  home to open.

Just look at these beauties...

And of course I had someone to oversee the photography, my sweetest helper Billy.

Today's card challenge card is keeping with the tree theme, but of course in Jane's world at this time of the year that has to mean Christmas trees. For the first time I inked up a Meljen's image, a fun Christmas tree, which I won recently in a card challenge. I decided to make one of my favourite accordion cards. Here it is

Here are the parts in close up

This is a really fun tree digi stamp which I coloured with my Promarkers and highlighted with Prismacolor pencils. The scrapboard pieces and tags are really ancient, Docrafts (I think). The papers are all scraps from my Christmas paper stash so I really don't know what they are. I computer generated the large sentiment myself, the little tag is Lili of the Valley.  I added some Cheery Lynn holly leaf die cuts and a little jangly bell. You will also spot I have enjoyed using my Shabby White Frantage, I love that stuff ;0)

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

Christmas cards all year round Getting ready for Christmas
Papertake weekly anything goes
Creative card crew use a tag on your project mine is the LOTV Oh Christmas tree tag and the scrapboard tree tag. (the large brad is obscuring the top of the tag) and the santa tag.
Totally Gorjuss Traditional Christmas colours
Crafty Hazelnut's Christmas Challenge 3 main colours mine are green, red and white
Cute card Thursday use ribbon
2 Sisters anything goes
Loves Rubberstamps anything goes
Christmas at sweet stamping Here comes Santa Santa is peeping out from one of the tags
Rhedd and Rosie male card
Make it Monday  linky party #160
Doodle Pantry any digi goes

I also was the lucky winner of sweet Mia's recent giveaway and a wonderful autumnal pouch arrived for me a few days ago.

 There was even a bar of something special inside...mmmm

Thank you so much Mia, I love it. Mia makes the most wonderful handmade things and there are some lovely new autumnal pieces in her store. Do have a look here

We really are racing through the year now, just 85 days til Christmas and just 38 days until our grandbaby is due to make an appearance ;0) I am really trying to be ultra organised for Christmas this year as we will have a very welcome distraction arriving and I think lots of things will need to take a back seat for a few weeks.

Enjoy the rest of the week,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x