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

Raining conkers

Those of you who know me well will remember that there are lots of special images during the seasons that I just love. In autumn one of them is conkers.  Oh yes I have never ever grown up when it comes to conker season. I still get a thrill when I find my first one, which I did a few weeks ago. I even found out from my son's girlfriend that she went to pick him up from a night out with the lads at the weekend and found him and his friend climbing a lamppost trying to reach some conkers. He is 23! I think my love of them must have rubbed off on him. As a lad he always had pockets full of them. Every year my daughter and I always exchange texts of " Found my first conker!". You can tell that it does not take much to make me happy.

After the delights of my Dad's birthday party last Saturday my Hb and I decided that a good long autumnal walk would be perfect. We had noticed that our local trees were  full of ripe conkers and we would go to our favourite haunt to find some.

I just love seeing those beautiful brown conkers peeping out from their prickly cases.

There are several very mature horse chestnut trees in this particular park. They are all grouped together and there were hundreds and hundreds of conkers amongst their branches.

We spotted lots on the floor still in their cases. After a few minutes we noticed that we seemed to be targeted by something up in the trees which was knocking them down and almost hitting us. We did a few dances out of the way and looked up expecting to see a squirrel. We were amazed that it was not a squirrel up in the branches.......

It was a parrot! I quickly zoomed my camera onto him and got this shot of him opening up the shell ....

and this even clearer shot of him picking up the conker in his beak and tossing it down to the ground at us!

We gathered up some "treasure" including some "cheese cutters" to bring home with us. We still cannot resist filling our pockets.

Aren't they beautiful? I think this year they are extra beautiful after all the rain we have endured. I suppose that is one good reason for a wet summer.

Even Billy wanted to take a peep at them too when I put them in the garden.

He looks as though he is guarding them, bless him.
That evening a very talented lampworker Claire of  Rowanberry Glass I have known for some time listed some amazing beads and jewellery on Etsy and amongst them was none other than a conker necklace. I just knew I had to buy it and was so lucky that at 9pm,when they were listed, I quickly put it in my basket on line and it was mine. It arrived on Thursday and I am so delighted with it.

It was really hard to photograph in the sunshine but it quite stunning. The bead is glass and Claire has added little leaves and a silver chain.

So now I have my very own glass conker and can wear it even when the conkers have fallen and winter has arrived.

As the year is racing along so quickly my challenge card just has to be a Christmas card today. Vivienne close your eyes but there are only 80 days left til Christmas :0)



Isn't she a cutie?

She a stamp drawn by the talented Mo Manning and is called Little Elf Mim. I thought she was very apt swinging here from the branches like that naughty parrot in the tree.

I coloured her using really traditional Christmas colours with my Promarkers and highlighted her with my Prismacolor pencils. Unusually for me I also cut her out. I used some shiny foil Christmas die cuts in the background and some gorgeous double side satin ribbon from my stash on the bauble. The second thinner red ribbon reads Happy Christmas.I used some diamond dust on her hat and top to give some extra sparkle.


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

DP2 (Mo Manning) Challenge anything goes #155
Cute Card Thursday #237 lotsa ribbon
Simon Says Stamp Glimmer and sparkle
Sparkles Christmas challenge Traditional I have used very traditional Christmas colours.
Forever Friends Fortnight Challenge Anything goes #46
Charizma Cards #39 badda bing (bling/shiny)
Winter Wonderland across the miles
Crafty Hazel's Carol singing
Holly Jolly Glitter and bling
Make it Monday Linky Party #109
Fashionista Challenge anything goes Christmas
Totally Gorjuss anything goes #152


It was very wet and windy yesterday and has been literally raining conkers around here. The weather for the weekend though is looking good. This morning the sun is shining and there is a gorgeous blue sky. Strictly has started again on BBC1 , a sure sign that the countdown to Christmas has started too. I just love watching the dancers teaching their new recruits. As a dancer myself it really is much more difficult than it looks.  Enjoy your weekend.....Keep Dancing!

Back soon,

Bye for now,

Jane x