April Pinterest Challenge by the Pin chicks

Hi,
This month gosh is it really the end of April its more like February here in Somerset,  this week we have had rain, wind,  snow, hail and sleet.  even today the sky came over black and down it came hail, sleet and snow all mixed in.  Roll on Spring or perhaps summer might get here first.
With the nasty flu bug I had I never thought I would even get started at one point but I did and here is my efforts for the month.
This month I have done some stitching on card and the patterns I found on Pinterest with this link.  Both pictures are free and there are some more designs on the link.
I used metallic thread for them both pictures and beads on the flowers,   The above one I am going to call "You are my sunshine"  I used gold thread and beads for the centre and variegated thread for the middle and pink for the outside with pink beads.  I hope you can see the beads better  on the close-up.

This is the other picture,  the picture is of a rose which I did in red thread and put silver beads on it brighten up because  the red which looked a bit mat,  even though it was metallic thread.
I hope you can see the beads on the picture.  I am putting the words "With Love" on this picture.
I did enjoy doing these pictures and at a later date I hope to frame both pictures.
I have no idea what the other ladies have done so please pop over and see there blogs  Carollyn,   Suzanne,   Muskaan

Imoshen seems to have already posted hers but here's a link to her blog

I hope you have a lovely weekend
                             Hugs
                         Margaret

Happy St Georges Day

Hi,

Happy St Georges Day,  Have a great day.

                       Hugs
                   Margaret

CD Sunday Challenge Special - Birthday Celebrations

Hi,
As special celebrations the CD Sunday Challenge is to BACK LINK to our favourite card that we have made for the challenges, Well that was one of the hardest things I have had to do in a long time,  the brain cells have been working overtime. Although I have not been doing the challenges for the whole six years I still had a lot of cards to look though.   In the end it came down to two cards and tossing a coin we decided on this card. It was made for the Coffee, Peach and Cream challenge in November 2014.   I used the Joanna Sheens CD Patience Strong. Down beside each image there are some of the flowers which I used to 3D the image, and then I put glitter on the flowers,  I matted the image on peach and cream card and used the backing paper from the image,  The ribbon down the side is cream with a narrow coffee ribbon and I made a bow with both ribbons,  I added coffee ribbon to the spray of flowers.  and peach gems at the top and bottom.   I finished off the card with gold peel off of Happy Birthday.
Here is a link to the original post with this card from November 2014
You may ask why is this my favourite card,   I just like the colouring and the image,   peach is one of my favourite colours, and out of all the cards I have made for the CD Sunday Challenge this is one of them that stands out the most.
These ladies come up with some great challenges and I hope they keep going for another six years,  I really don't know how they do it and think of something new every fortnight
I hope you like it too.
                                      Hugs
                                  Margaret

Living Coasts Torquay Devon

 Hi,

Over Easter we went to Torquay for a few days,  on Good Friday the weather was beautiful,  but we woke up on Saturday to rain and wind,  the rest of the weekend we were blown, battered and rained on,  hence the flu I expect.
On the Sunday we went to Living Coasts,  this is our second visit and its well worth a visit,  Living Coasts stands on the very edge of Tor Bay.   Living coasts features a range of fascinating coastal creatures from Penguins to playful fur seals. In the picture under the Penguins is a picture of a sea duck,  this duck came over to me and literally thumped me on the leg, looked at me and walked off,  if I had any food he definately was not having it, for such a small animal he had a definately strong beak.

This is just a few of the photos I took as we walked around, I might add that this was one of the bits where we managed to walk around in the dry,  when we finished we went into the cafe and the heavens opened,  which at least we stayed dry for a while.

The Auk cliffs





The Waders Estuary picture below, with a selection of birds that like mudflats and beaches their long beaks probe the sand for food

 View from inside Living coasts through the netting out to sea





Fur seals waiting for their food,  they were watching the other fur seals having their fish.

 These last pictures were taken from inside the cafe over looking Tor Bay.

Torquay and the bay

If you get chance to go to Torbay do visit Living coasts its an interesting place with plenty for the kids to do and see,

                  Hugs
               Margaret

CD Sunday Challenge - Get Well Wishes

Hi,
This is post two for today,   the sun has gone to my head today its another lovely day here in Somerset,   I still have the flu,  cant shake it off but at least I am up although I still have not been out for two weeks,  Vernon is a lot better,   he managed to cut the lawn today so he's on the mend,
This card is for the CD Sunday Challenge,  Get well wishes,  I have tried its not my best effort and its taken a couple of days but I got there in the end,   I used a 7x7 card for a change,  the background and image are from Joanna Sheens  The Royal Horticultural Society CD,  I embossed the green card with a leaf design,  added a bow and a butterfly matching the butterfly with the colour of the flowers and placed a pattern piece over the plain red card giving the butterfly a double look.  I tried to make a card for a man rather than a female as male cards are not easy to make but they do sometimes need a get well wishes card.
I hope you like my card,  until we meet again take care
                                  Hugs
                              Margaret

My goal so far

Hi,

This is post one or two posts for today,  yes I know Auntie Sue said this earlier on her blog you wait ages for one to come along and you get two,  sorry Sue I used your words but its true,
As you know I am doing a mat for the Fibromalgia course I am on,  well I finished the three month goal and have continued with the final row,   And this is how far I have got,  half way with the hearts and then there is a row to join them to the doily.   Its a long way round but its coming slowly.
I am using the cranberry bush for the hearts,
                            Hugs
                        Margaret

Craftree 2016 year long 24 Snowflake Challenge

Hi,

It seems ages since I posted anything,  the flu I got after Easter is still around,  the cough wont go and I have little or no energy.   This snowflake took me a week,  yes a week and to be honest I got fed up with it, anyway here is day 5 of December from the book 24 Snowflakes in tatting by Lene Bjorn,  I tatted it in Ice Blue lizbeth no 20.
So onto the next snowflake and hopefully it wont take me a week.
I am so behind with commenting on the blogs,  if you have not had a comment sorry some days have been a big effort just to get out of bed.
News on the Land of Laces mat I am busy on the heart row and have completed eight hearts so far.
Hope you are keeping well and until we meet again take care
                          Hugs
                      Margaret

International Tatting Day - 1st April / Craftree 2016 year long 24 Snowflake Challenge

Hi,
Happy International Tatting Day,   the day we try to show the world that tatting is not dead and buried.
I am combining this post with two things firstly the snowflake above is my Craftree 2016 24 Snowflake challenge and is the 4th Day of December,   I used Lizbeth thread no 20 in Ice blue and Niagara Falls which I had left on the shuttles from the 3rd Day of December,  Not sure about this colouring,  I have sewn the snowflake onto a white gift bag,

This is my other part of the post two hearts from the pattern Immortal Heart by Tatmon,   they are small so I made two and joined with a piece of ribbon.  I used Cranberry Bush Lizbeth thread no 20.

So now for a piece of chocolate and start the 5th day snowflake. or my Land of Laces doily whatever takes my fancy
Have a lovely tatting day

Happy Tatting
Hugs
Margaret