Saturday 15 October 2016

Have a Green Christmas Eve

I read on Facebook this time last year about a dangerous new addition to a Christmas tradition.  People have been putting something out for Santa to eat and drink on Christmas Eve for a long time, but recently feeding the reindeer has become part of it.  After all, why not?  You could say that they are doing all the hard work racing through the sky, dealing with the parking problems while Santa just does the deliveries and consumes vast amounts of mince pies and sherry.  You could leave a carrot for Rudolf, but what about the other eight?  So stores have been selling wee bags of "reindeer food" which are actually sweets.  Children sprinkle these outside but instead of the team eating them the local wildlife has been snacking, and apparently dying because of it.

You could opt not to feed the reindeer but a better idea is to put something else out instead that will actually help the environment.  I am a little late perhaps but maybe not, as a lot of plants are still flowering or have gone over leaving seeds.  Collect these up (or buy seeds) and have a little fun with them.

This is the actual size and will print out on one A4 sheet of good quality stiff white card.  It is a good size to hold a fair few seeds but if you want a smaller version you could resize it.  Cut it out (a knife and ruler for best results) and score lightly along the dotted lines.  Fold and glue the side tab and base; to hold the top down you could use a small round sticker or you can glue this as well for extra security particularly if this is going to be mailed.  Please be aware that there are laws preventing the sending of some seeds into some countries; you will need to look this up if you want to mail this out of the country.  Gluing down the top also makes it look more professional.

Inside go the seeds and these can be sprinkled on the ground wherever you want.  The bed will first need to be raked and weeded and these do need to be the type of seeds that you can sow directly into the ground at this time of year, not the type you have to sow into seed trays first.  This is what it says on the back:
A bit small here but you get the gist.  All the fun of feeding the reindeer plus knowing no animal will be harmed and then the joy of the flowers next year.  Of course they will need to be the type that pollinators like; a list of these can be viewed here for butterflies and here for more general pollinators including bees.  You can also buy seed mixes and seeds especially aimed at pollinators from many seed merchants. 

Do reindeer eat seeds?  Well, they certainly don't eat sweets! 


Friday 14 October 2016

Seal of Approval

I hope this cross stitch design gets your "seal of approval".  I based it on a painting I did of a seal pup looking through a hole in the ice and thus it is ideal for an aperture card with a round aperture. 
This is what it looks like made up with a trifold card featuring a suitable background.  The card blank will also soon be available to buy, but for the meantime you can obtain the chart and get stitching.  Buy it here http://www.craftsuprint.com/card-making/cross-stitched-sheets/christmas/fur-seal-pup-cross-stitch-chart.cfm

Thursday 13 October 2016

Trick Or Treat?!

Trick or Treat?!  As a lifetime lover of all things spooky I do like this time of year.  I am also a lifetime lover of all things colorful so enjoy the colors associated with October too and this latest kit brings all these things together.  For best results print on sturdy card, and score along the dotted lines before folding.  Some people use a bone folder but I find the best results are obtained by scoring very lightly with a craft knife.  You will also need some glue to stick it all together, and a hole punch for the tag.
This is what it looks like from the front when made up.  On the back it says HAPPY HALLOWEEN in large spooky-looking letters and there is a "made by......." space for your name.  Line it with a doily and you can also use it to hold snacks at a party.

Saturday 8 October 2016

Apple Blossom Time

No, I know it is not apple blossom time but people do not always want greetings cards appropriate to the time of year.  Having a birthday in April that is often around Easter time I have always tended to get Easter-y cards but if your birthday is in the depths of January would you want lots of cards with dead trees, snow, lowering skies etc?  Probably not.  So if you have had your fill of woodland scenes showing autumn leaves, squirrels with nuts, toadstools etc this card might be welcome.

It comes with full instructions that show another card but everything is the same.  It just saves me having to take a different set of photos each time and might even tempt you to buy the card it depicts, who knows?

Coming soon the "seedy" ideas I mentioned last time plus my latest range of Christmas cards.

This card is available at