Being hopeful, Mindful Moments 10

This is my 10th Mindful Moments post and it will be my last as things are beginning to change and improve and we are slowly but surely coming out of Lockdown. By no means is this dreadful Pandemic over but the whole purpose of my Mindful Moments posts was to bring some mindfulness to the very dark place the UK found itself in 10 weeks ago. Back then we had no idea how long we would be there for. Here is my original post if you missed it. It was then the very start of spring and everyone but  key workers had to stay indoors. Now we are rapidly approaching summer. I have been able to see my son outside and will also be visiting my parents sitting 10 feet away in their garden. Although it's not possible to share a hug it's wonderful to catch up "in the flesh". However it seems that it could still be a long time until we see my daughter, her HB and our 2 grandchildren. Jack is only 3 and does not understand social distancing at all and Daisy would find keeping apart (as I would) very emotionally challenging. 

Last night was also the last of our weekly "clapping" for the NHS. This has been a joyful and supportive event for our street but I agree that now is the right time to try to get back to a little normality. What I really hope is that people continue to give the doctors and NHS staff the respect and thanks they have always deserved. Pandemic or no pandemic that have always given 100%. When this terrible illness descended and we were all told to stay indoors, they ran straight out, without ever considering their own personal safety. My doctor daughter also had all her bank holidays until the late May one cancelled and she never once complained. What an incredible job they did and are still doing.

I also hope that society also continues to be thankful for all the other key workers that perhaps previously we took for granted until life changed overnight. Teachers, postpeople, delivery drivers, shop workers, refuse collectors, the list goes on and on.  

So today's post is one where I trying to inspire some hope.

Most of my inspiration over the last 10 weeks has come from my tiny garden and from my daily walks. Mother Nature has never slowed down over these 10 weeks and has carried on blooming and growing. 

I noticed that my ornamental poppies in my front garden came into bloom this week.

Their stunning bold red colour inspired me to use red flowers, like the red in the English flag and hope for the future of our country. 

I noticed red roses in the park

and red geranium.

One of my hanging baskets has a deep red begonia which looks stunning with it's dark green foliage.

So back to my ornamental poppies. My dearest best friend gave me the seeds as part of a birthday present some years back and they just self seed each year. They are real show stoppers as they are enormous. I think the variety is called ladybird, and you can see why. 

I thought that it would be very apt to make my last Mindful moments project using them as my inspiration.

I wanted to make a thank you card for someone who recently painted me the most delightful artwork...and then apologized as she didn't think they were good enough as she has only just taken up painting! Believe me they are so gorgeous and I will treasure them. 

I don't have a poppy flower stamp so I decided to turn my Visible Image Creative Choas set into poppies. 

I also knew the perfect Visible Image sentiments to use too, these are from their "The world needs art" sentiment set. Those I have used on my card are so apt and so true! I made a distress stain inky sprayed background in green like the foliage of my plants. 

Here are some close ups.

I added a little glossy accents to a few petals.

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

Creative artiste 2/3 anything goes

Lil patch of crafting friends 2/3 anything goes
A vintage journey Beautiful blooms

Sweet stampin 1/3 anything but square

C.R.A.F.T 1/3decoupage/3D

Addicted to stamps and more 1/3 anything goes

Creative moments 1/3 anything goes

Simon says stamp Wednesday anything goes

Try it on Tuesday 1/3 cut it out
Stamping sensations say it with flowers

My lockdown crafting gave me such a focus over these last 10 weeks. I am still Zoom crafting with my little Daisy until we can craft together in person. I will continue as always to craft but I hope over the next 10 weeks that life may actually begin to open up a little more too and allow visits and perhaps even a mini holiday in the UK.  

Yes very, very slowly and by taking baby steps we are trying to move the UK forwards. The last thing we want is another peak of the virus.

So here is my last Mindful Moments quote which is actually a very famous short poem called;

Hope is the Thing with Feathers

“Hope” is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I’ve heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest sea,
Yet never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

By: Emily Dickinson

Let's hope we can come through this pandemic with the least possible loss of life. It is certainly  going to change the world and the way we live forever. Let's hope some of those changes are eventually seen as being for the better. One day we will be able to look back at all this as a historical event and my greatest hope is that we can learn lessons from this dreadful disease and that we never again have to live through such dark days. 

Thanks so much for stopping by over the last 10 weeks and reading my Mindful Moments posts.  I really do hope that they gave you a tiny ray of sunshine.

My "normal Jane's Journal" blogging will resume on Monday.

Stay safe, stay hopeful and stay mindful.

Bye for now,

With love,

Jane x

Upcycling a tomato can for Visible Image

Hello it's time for my fortnightly design team post for Visible Image.

We have a new challenge running for the next 2 weeks over on the Facebook customer page. The theme is up cycling.

I had a look in my recycling box and this is what I found... an empty tin of tomatoes

In my studio I use the rather attractive Pizza Express passata tins to store lots of my crafting accessories including pens, brushes etc. I decided that I would decorate my tin for some more crafting bits.

 I removed the label, measured the length and width of the tin (between the rounded end plates) and cut a piece of card. I added 1 cm onto the length of a piece of card for a small overlap.

I decided to use the eye from See everything

and some art words from The word needs art

I also added some extra "circles" using the stamp from my Guardian angel

set

Once I got my stamps out I decided to also decorate one of my other tins so I stamped up 2 new "labels". I stamped using Versafine Clair Nocture and clear embossed.

I added some extra circles using the stamps in the Guardian angel set.

I masked the eyes and added Brushos, rose red and violet to 1 label and Paperartsy Violetta Infusions to the other.

Then I removed the masks to reveal the whites of the eyes.

I coloured the pupils using glitter pens.

The clarity of Visible Image stamps really are second to none,

Finishing touches included white pen accents and glitter layer pen to some of the circles. 

I then attached the labels to the tins using red line tape;

And here they are;

And also back in my studio already filled!

and one last shot

I would like to enter my up cycled tins into the following challenges;

Creative artiste 2/3 anything goes

Lil patch of crafting friends 2/3 anything goes

Sweet stampin 1/3 anything but square

All the Visible Image links are listed below

Visible Image group page on Facebook. Our friendly Group is here ...it would be lovely to see you there. You will see lots of gorgeous makes by the DT and customers to inspire your own creativity.

The main Visible Image Facebook page is here; there are regular giveaways...open world wide. Do check out the Facebook LIVES and videos where you will be able to see lots of the samples we have been making with the new release in the flesh!

Their Instagram page can be found here

Pinterest here

And once again the shop web site is here; where all their gorgeous stamps and stencils can be purchased.

The up cycling challenge runs until  June 7th over on Facebook, with some really generous gift code prizes.

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Back soon,

Stay safe and stay creative,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Blooming and growing, Mindful Moments 9

Hello friends, here I am with my 9th Mindful Moments post. If you did not see my first post and wonder what these are do check it out here. Thank you to everyone who has been reading them. I can see from my stats that these are getting at least twice the usual traffic of my other posts, which has really inspired me to keep trying to get them written weekly if I can. I really hope you are finding them a moment to make you smile and stay mindful during these very turbulent times.

This week has been very much a blooming growing week; in my garden, all around me and especially my dear dino babies, more about them later.

I had my fantastic delivery of annuals from my local nursery. 

I bought a few veg plants too including Gardener's delight tomatoes and some dwarf beans. I have also been planting out some of the seed I grew.

My spring pots had finished and it was time to empty them out, wash them and get my summer bedding plants in.

Here is one pot finished..so much colour to add to my garden.

I can't wait to see them bloom and grow. They will bring such joy.

I also have digitalis in flower in my front garden, one of my faves. When they have seeded I will sprinkle some out the back again as all my old plants were dug up when we had our landscaping work in January. I'm sure they will reseed.

In the park there are so many gorgeous blossoms now. New ones seem to appear almost daily.

The coots on the lake at Beddington have hatched their sweet chicks.

 The ducklings swim by to say hello and are growing really big.

The Canada geese goslings who were mere fluff balls a few weeks ago are being proudly shown off by their Mum and Dad.

And as for my sweet dinos...oh my they are doing so well.7 of the babies have survived and even the tiny runt who I thought had died is doing OK. I saw them this morning and just look how big they are!

In the center above and below is the darling tiny runt, he is being well looked after by his family.

It is such a joy to see them growing up.

So my Mindful Moments project for today are some ATCs I made using a rather apt Paperartsy stamp set from yonks ago, a reminder that even rather psychedelic caterpillars will one day grow into beautiful butterflies!

Here is one in close up;

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

Through the craft room door 2/2 anything goes

Not just cards 3/3 anything goes

Cute card Tuesdays 2/3 critters

Fab n funkie 3/3 anything but a card
Creative artiste 1/3 anything goes
Lil patch of crafting friends 1/3 anything goes

Pixie's snippets playground #378 I used snippets of paper for paper piecing my flowers

If you missed my post yesterday I have a little giveaway running on my blog which is open to everyone worldwide. Take a peep here; it runs until 6 June and is gift to yourself or to a friend for one randomly selected commentator.

I found these inspiring words to use today;

“Every bird, every tree, every flower reminds me what a blessing and privilege it is just to be alive.”

Marty Rubin

These times WILL pass.

Thanks so much for stopping by and for the kind comments you have taken the time to leave me, they are so appreciated. Have a lovely weekend, take time to look around you at Mother Nature who is totally unaware of any Lockdown or Pandemic!

Please keep safe, keep mindful, keep washing those hands.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

With love, Jane x