Gems in the rain

The weather has been very fickle for the last few weeks. Dismal rainy days followed by glorious sunshine. In 12 hours we can go from saturation to blue skies. British weather certainly is not boring.

I have been trying to get out into the garden to tidy up a little but realistically there is not a lot I can do at the moment. I still love looking around and seeing what is going on in my little patch of earth. I spotted raindrops on my new lupin leaves and thought how beautiful they looked trapped in their centres. I grabbed my camera and took these photos.

 To me they looked just like little sparkling gems..so beautiful.

I have been busy making new stock for Dotty's Teahouse and I finally had a chance to play with a gorgeous new Lavinia fairy stamp I won a few weeks back in the Ink Arts challenge over on Facebook. I made my card and then thought I would add some jewels (gold glitter) to the centre of my flowers and also a few sequins for extra sparkle. Mother Nature gives me so much free inspiration for my cards, even in the rain!

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

Stamping sensations 1/3 anything with flowers
C.R.A.F.T Mother's day/female
Crafty catz 1/3 anything goes
Fashionable Stamping 1/3 one for the girls

The weekend weather is looking pretty good and yesterday was a gorgeous blue sky one so I may well be able to get out into the garden. Enjoy yours and I will see you bright and breezy on Monday morning with my weekly Visible Image DT post.
Thanks for stopping by today and for the kind comments you take the time to leave me, I really appreciate every single one. I would also like to warmly welcome my newest followers, it's lovely to see you joining me here on my creative journey.

Bye for now,

Jane x

Welcome rain

We have been threatened with a hose pipe ban in the South of England this summer unless we have some more rain. We had the driest April for many years and until last week no real rain fall. However there were a few days last week when we finally had some rain for my parched garden and I really want to share these photos today.

I love the smell in the garden at this time of the year after it has been raining, that gorgeous earthy, green smell...it's as though the ground is alive and breathing. I took these photos

My foxgloves lapped up the rain and are racing away, Old Choc, my Christmas tree was pretty happy too...

I have pink and white foxglove blooms this year, they all self seed and every year I have different shades.  I also spotted a visitor below

Well hello Mr Bumble

How pretty the rain looked on my shrubs

So I was inspired to finally ink up my Lavinia Green Man stamp which I bought at Ally Pally in April and decided to create an enchanted garden scene.

I made an inky background with distress inks. I added some honeycomb stencilling, as inspired by Mr. Bumble.

So I would like you to meet my first Green Man card...

It's a fab stamp and I added lots of his leaves in different shades and types of ink. I also added a border of Lavinia leaves and flowers and gave him a few white pen highlights.

I have put him up for sale in my Etsy shop here

I would like to enter him into the following challenges;

A bit more time to craft 3/3 anything goes
Artistic Inspirations 3/3 anything goes

Creative Inspirations 2/3 anything goes
Fashionable Stamping 3/3 let's go wild
Emerald Creek Dares 2/3 dream a little dream
Crafty Cardmakers 1/3 floral profusion
Fussy and fancy 1/3 flowers

We have enjoyed steaming hot weather this week and yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far. The temperature topped 28c and more sunshine is promised this weekend here in the South, although Monday looks as though we may get some rain. Perfect for my garden, if not for a bank holiday.

Enjoy your weekends and your gardens if you have them. They are such enchanting places at this time of the year and who know, you might even stumble across the Green Man 😉

Thanks so much for stopping by,

Bye for now,

Jane x