Dino ducks

Down at the local ponds there is a family of Egyptian geese (or dino ducks as I affectionately call them) who I have watched grow all season. There were orginally 9 babies and now 6 have come to near adult hood. here they are with their Mum and Dad.

They have really got to know me as I take food for them and they come out to greet me.

The chicks cheep and the adults honk their hellos!

I am sure it will not be too many weeks until they migrate for the winter. It has been a total joy watching them grow up.

My card today had to me a new baby card. My latest for sale at Dotty's Teahouse, Carshalton, SM5 2EP. There has been quite a baby boy boom and I have sold lots recently.

This one is a Lili of the Valley simply print image with a hand stamped sentiment. The little birds on the backing paper make me think of my sweet dino babies.

I would like to enter it into the following challenges;

A bit more time to craft 1/3 anything goes

Dies R Us Nature I have used a Works circle die around the sentiment and Memory box stitched hearts.

Cute card Thursday 1/3 anything goes

The Cutie pie challenge1/3 celebrations

Happy Little stampers 1/3 anything goes with dies I have used heart dies and one for my sentiment

Thanks so much for stopping by today,

Bye for now,

Jane x

Back to a typical English summer

The 6 week heatwave finally broke overnight and we had some welcome rain. Today is forecast to be sunny again but for the temperatures to be back to near 25c rather than 35c! It really has been a real tropical heatwave here in the south of England. Even yesterday it was 32c in the afternoon.

I have been able to potter around and have left some garden jobs until it is cooler so hopefully I will be able to start them soon.

My walk down to Dotty's teahouse on Monday was delightful as always if very hot this week. What is there not to love about a clear blue sky?

I have noticed that there seem to be lots more ducklings and other baby fowl this year..I think some may have even hatched a second brood, if that is possible.

 The waterfall is always a popular place for the ducks to cool off

 I had to grin at this sign...whatever next!

 People had found shade to have picnics and enjoy our beautiful parkland. 

My card today is one of my newbies for Dotty's and it was inspired by all the wonderful open space I have the pleasure to be surrounded by.. and of course it had to feature a little bird too. 

Friends cards sell well at Dotty's and this stamped sentiment, an oldie from Lili of the Valley, is very popular. The backing papers are ancient from my stash. The dies are a mix of Cheery Lynn, Marianne and memory box. 

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

Pixies' snippets playground #332..I used lots of snippets of card for my die cuts. 

As you like it 1/3  fur or feathers mine is feather for this card as I love looking out for all the birds and ducks on my walks to Dotty's...and their offspring are soo cute.  

Emerald Creek Dares 1/3 the great outdoors

Cute card Thursdays anything goes

A bit more time to craft anything goes

Lil patch of crafting friends 1/3 anything goes

Today we are meeting up with my DD and kids and plan a day out. Lots of fun and laughter ahead.

Enjoy your Wednesday too. It's also International Cat day today 😸..so Billy wanted to say hi to everyone too.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

New life on the ponds

I really love my walks down to Dotty's. I take my new card creations to sell and it involves no transport costs and no air miles! Every season is so different at the ponds and over the last few weeks I have been watching all the nest sitting by the ducks and moorhens. Mr and Mrs Swan are nowhere to be seen but no doubt will be back at some point, with or without their brood.

I said good morning to Mr Heron...who was basking in the sunshine...

Last week I noticed that one of the coot nests was empty.

I then heard that family cheeping of a Mother coot keeping her brood close to her .....and I spotted these sweeties.

How cute they are with their little red heads. 

I also walked over to the other pond and found some slightly older chicks with their Mum swimming in the sunshine.

As I took some photos I spotted something in the rushes....Oh wow a Mummy Moorhen with her babies. They are much more shy that coots.

As I walked home I witnessed the newest family feeding their babies...

The weather has been just amazing and I find my walks make me appreciate life and enable me to recharge my batteries and find great peace with Mother Nature. I am blessed and Mother Nature has a good way of reminding me.

My card today is a baby card...for a Christening.. which I was commissioned to make.I sell a lot of baby cards in Dotty's . I used a Lili of the Valley Simply Print image. The lady asked me to just add an initial..something I have never been asked to do before..for the baby, who was called Florence. The papers are ancient from my stash and the sentiment is a hand stamped Lili of the Valley fave.

I would like to enter it into the following challenges.

The ribbon girl 1/3  use any image
Let's Craft and Create 1/3 girls girls girls
Noor summer
Deep Ocean die cuts, chipboards and/or punches
Try it on Tuesday 1/3 letters numbers or both I have the letter F on my card

Simon Says stamp Wednesday use patterned paper
Crafty Hazelnut patterned paper challenge June
Simon says work it Wednesday's 1/3 summer icons I think there is nothing more iconic in the  summer than a hammock, roses and bunting..all on 1 card!
Shopping our stash think pink

Thanks for stopping by today and for the kind comments you take the time to leave me. I was thrilled to see how much love there was for Billy's summer garden I shared in my last post and the monolith I made, thanks so much!  Enjoy the rest of your week.

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

A rather unsual duck

When Bear stayed recently I took some longer walks with him and we went to see if the swans were nesting in Beddington Park. There were lots of fowl on the water and under the weeping willow I spotted a very unusual duck.

He was all by himself among the mallards and had found himself a little perch to preen himself on.

Wow just look at this handsome chap....

I've never seen a duck like this before

I looked him up when I got home and found out that he is a Mandarin duck. I couldn't see a female but I will keep an eye out.
The adult swans have moved on,  just as they have at my local ponds, but the year old cygets were still there with their sweet juvenile plumage.

My challenge project today had to be bird inspired. It is a tag that I have made for Easter and features lots of birds.

I had a play with my Distress Oxide inks again both to make the background and also through my flourish stencil. I just love these inks. The bird on the branch is a Tim Holtz die and I have added crackle on top on my paints to give some texture. I tried stamping with archival under the Oxides and was delighted that this gave a very soft subtle background effect.

  My tiny birds are by Marianne and I inked them up with normal Distress inks and added eyes with a gel pen. The foliage is a mix of Tim's greenery thinlets and Cheery Lynn. The stamps in the background are all Tim Holtz and I added some Remnant rubs too.

My tag was made for the following challenges;

A Vintage journey all aboard
Dies R Us 1/2 Easter
Crafty calendar April showers/ spring
The Artistic stamper 1/3 backgrounds
Love to Create 2/2 anything mixed media goes
Simon Says  Wednesday anything goes
Simon says work it Wednesday spring
That's crafty 1/3 foliage and/or flowers
Fussy and fancy 1/3 embellish it.

Thanks for visiting me today.  I hope you are enjoying your week? Our gorgeous sunshine is here again and the temperatures are still very mild indeed. My birthday celebrations continue today as my Hb is taking out to lunch in London. I shall take my trusty camera with me 😉

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x

January came and went

Goodness me where on earth did January go....one blink after Christmas and here we are at the last day of the month. It's been a busy but fun month for me especially celebrating my Hb's recent milestone birthday.  As a family we now have birthdays right through til June...one a month and the one in May is our 2nd grand baby's actual birth day (due 6th May) so my darling girl is nearly 6 months pregnant already.

There are already signs of the wildlife on the ponds getting ready to make nests and deliver the next generation. I spotted this handsome mallard duck preening himself and obviously getting ready to make an impression on the ladies 😉

He flipped and turned in the water

and had a good shake

a bit more preening

 Then it was time to meet up with the ladies

My waterfall shot today shows all the goings on down there...it's like Piccadilly Circus. Lots of meeting and greeting going on between the fowl.

Today's card is a revisit for me of one of my Tim Tag cards I made last year. I wanted to make something which features lots of wildlife.  This is my original post here and you can see how I made it. I made 4 bases at the time and I had one left which I have never made into a card. If you weren't aware, Tim decided to stop his monthly tags. I know he had been doing it for 10 years but I really miss it. So I decided to revisit my own cards I made over the 3 years that I had been a part of the fun and made something new. I hope to do this on a regular basis.

I had this base made...lots of lovely pinks and oranges again, I must admit I quite like this combo. I added just a bit of green to make it a little more wildlife friendly.

 I die cut some flowers using off cuts of pink and orange based inky scraps and a butterfly and here is my finished card.

My card was made for the following challenges;

                                                           Paperartsy pink and orange

Crafting from the heart anything goes

                                                         Paper Creator anything goes

                                                 Let's craft and create things with wings

Creative moments anything goes

Crafty Catz 1/3 anything goes with a twist of a ladies' card

Addicted to stamps and more anything goes

Simon says Wednesday anything goes
We love to create 1/2 anything mixed media
As you like it favourite flower and why..mine is the good old daisy I made amongst my little bunch on my card...as this is my darling granddaughter's name.

I will be back bright and early in the morning with my DT card for Country View as we greet the arrival of another new month.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Bye for now,

Jane x