The chilies have arrived

Last Thursday a very exciting parcel arrived in the post...my chili plugs. I love growing my own chillies and I am lucky that my sheltered garden allows me to keep them outside once the last frosts have passed by, usually in early May. I buy them on line from a great company, World of Chillies (and no I have not been asked at all by them to promote this!) 

They popped through my letterbox in their special protective packaging.

I opened them up and said hello!

I have a sunny place for them for the next few months on my kitchen side. They can keep my new pot of dafs company for a while.

They are a little bendy when first potted up.

But just a few days later they are nearly upright and growing strong

I can't wait til they are bigger and start to flower. We still have some amazing dried home growns from last year but fresh is best!

My card today is the first of my Easter makes for Dotty's as Easter day falls in just a few weeks on 1st April this year (April Fools day) yes seriously.

I used  this fab chili red Easter Graphic Fairy digi image and made a background with distress oxides through a Tim Holz stencil to give this cracked effect. The flower die cut is an old favourite Cheery Lynn.

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

Simon says stamp Monday Easter/spring
The cutie pie challenge spring cuties
Crafty sentiments 1/3 Easter

Creative Inspirations 3/3 any occasion mine is Easter

Let's craft and create 3/3 anything goes
Not just cards 2/3 anything goes
Simon says stamp Wednesday Easter inspired

I am loving having my darling Daisy staying. She goes home tomorrow. We've had the best of times, she is just a total joy to be with. We have played shops, crafted, visited a farm and had non stop fun. I shall be sharing  some of her craft projects she made with me.  Thanks for popping in and for the kind comments you take the time to leave me. 

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Growing

I love growing chillies and over the years I have tried several different ways. I have decided the best way is to buy small plants in March as it gives such a head start on growing them from seeds.
I bought these on line 3 weeks ago and they arrived in the post...

 I use dymo labels when potting them up...

into a vermiculite and multi purpose compost.

 I keep them on my sunny kitchen window sill

 and here they are this week...growing so quickly. The Zimbabwe variety already has lovely purple flowers. I will put them out on my sunny patio mid May.

My card today also uses stamps from a stamp company who are also growing very quickly. Yes the awesome Visible Image. They are on Create and Craft TV again tomorrow at 10am. Mark has some brilliant demos planned so do tune in to see what he is up to and you may even catch a glance at one of my samples.The show is on at 10am (GMT) on Sky 674,Virgin 748 or Freeview 23 or you can watch it via the Create and craft Website here
The curious cats  stamps sold out immediately during the last show in February so they, as well as some other amazing sets, are being taken back tomorrow. Here is another of my Curious Cats I made as a sample for the show.

I made the background with Distress inks and added Glossy Accents to his eyes. The nose has to be pink, just like my own darling Billy's is 😻
The paw prints and the sentiment are all in this set...and a peep inside...

 I think that cat has got paint on his paws 😼

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

The ribbon girl 2/3 use any image
Artistic Inspirations 2/3 anything goes
Crafting from the heart 2/3 anything goes
Lil patch of crafty friends 2/3 anything goes
Crafty friends 2/3 animals or birds
Simon says stamp Monday  splash it on I have used the wrinkle free technique or "swooshing"which a lot of peep seem to be calling it, for creating my cat fur!
As you like it 1/3 favourite colour and why I love green, especially for cats eyes.They look very mystical. I have also used green matting card so that his green eyes really shine out from my card.

It's nearly the weekend yet again, enjoy yours. I have quite an eventful day today and also weekend.... I have set my recorder just in case I am not in front of the TV at 10 am on Saturday to see Visible Image on TV!

I'll fill you in very soon. I will be back on Monday.

Bye for now,

Jane x

Last of the harvest

I have enjoyed a weekend sorting out my garden. I even had to cut the lawn as it is still growing. This is everything tidied up this afternoon. There is still a lot of colour out there despite it nearly being November.

My tiny garden is still giving me some last harvests. Today I picked the very last tomatoes but my chilies are still bearing fruit. Long may this mild autumn weather last. This was how my baby chilli plants arrived in April through the post.

 I planted them up

 and labelled them (edit; in response to Helen's comment/ question) and kept them on my window sill indoors until mid May. I then stood them out on my patio in the garden.

 and all through the summer they fruited their little hearts out

 and they are still out there doing so even now.

 My Hb keeps cropping and drying them out and they last us right through until next year...mmmm

It is wonderful to taste them in the depth of winter, it reminds us of the long hot sunny days of summer.
It's great to have memories of summer when the nights are cold and dark.

And on the subject of memories for my challenge piece today I wanted to show you the Memories box I made recently when I attended my great and super talented  blogging friend Brenda's workshop a few weeks ago. I had to finish it when I got home.

 It opens out like this

and inside is a secret box to hold some special memories

a couple of close ups of the details of the stamping and extras I added for decoration.

This is the back

and lastly a top view .
 I wonder if I should put a couple of my chilies in here.....I'm joking but it would be a safe place for some of my summer memories

I really enjoyed making it despite all the cutting and measuring involved. I never excelled at maths and this gave my brain a good work out. It was a super ink filled day. Below is a fun photo of us all.....(that's me front far right stroking the caretaker's dog and trying to look at the camera at the same time..is that multitasking I wonder?)

I would like to enter my Memory Box into the following challenges;

Party Time Tuesday anything goes
The Artistic Stamper Memories
Rhedd's Creative Spirit Halloween or not!
Simon Says Stamp Monday anything goes
Sweet stampin anything but a card
Fashionable Stamping Weather forecast mine is summer sunshine!

The clocks went back last night and by just gone 5pm tonight it was already dark......winter approaches. Keep snug and carry on crafting,

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x