The Griffin's Nest

 Anybody who knows me knows how much I love snacks.  They also know I am allergic to nuts, which makes healthy snacking a problem.  Manufacturers of the healthier snack option tend to think that nuts have to be involved, so it is back to the crisps for me.  No nuts in a crisp!

But scrolling on Facebook recently I came across an advert for trail mix.  I used to eat a fair bit of this back in the days before I became allergic to nuts but for obvious reasons haven't had any for a long time.  I also had started to find it a bit boring, and rather like eating muesli or granola at more times of the day than just breakfast.  This looked different, more exciting with a wider range of ingredients.  A quick look at their site confirmed my initial thoughts that yes, this was a trail mix for the 21st century but oh dear,most of the mixes contained...nuts.  

Undaunted I messaged the staff at The Griffin's Nest and was told to my joy that they could tailor their mixes for individuals and substitute something else for those pesky nuts.  Yay!  A few days later and this was what arrived in my mailbox:

A sturdy reusable cardboard box filled with five paper bags, each containing four 45g packets of five different mixes.  Two Mixes of the Month, The Rocky Mountain Mallow Mix, the spicy Meanwood Valley Trail Mix and my own concoction "Choose Your Own Adventure" which I called Summer Special.  Here's a better look at the packets:

Let's open a packet.  How about Summer Special?  I ate one packet so there should be four packets instead of three:

Note the paper bags.  They do have plastic windows but these can easily be removed and the rest put in with the recycling.  There is also a useful resealer so you don't have to eat it all at once, although I couldn't resist doing this.  Turn the striped packet over and you will see a label showing exactly what is inside:

Not easy to see but you get the idea.  A list of ingredients with allergens in bold type, plus a short piece about the company.

Also inside the box is a printed list showing what each pack contains:

It's a bit small but you can just about see the mix type, price and my notes.

This packet contains a more interesting recipe than the usual trail mix.  There's puffed rice, chocolate honeycomb pieces, dates, sunflower seeds, sultantas and banana chips.  This is my own slightly more indulgent choice, a visit to the website will show you what the Griffin's Nest team have come up with.

• Quality - Can't be faulted 10/10
  
• Value For Money - I would say pretty good.  Not a bargain or overpriced 9/10
  
• Delivery - I was informed that due to some items being out of stock the box would be a couple of days late.  As it was the time between placing the order and receiving it was fast 10/10
  
• Versatility - I was able to tailor the mixes to suit me as well as concoct my own from a list of ingredients.  Very impressed. 10/10
  
• Green - Most of it can be recycled.  A bit of plastic here and there but nothing major. 9/10
  
• Customer Service - A chat function on their site plus messages and emails.  One of the best I've encountered. 10/10
  
• The Whole Nine Yards - This company have certainly done that, and I'm told more mixes are in the pipeline as well as some savory ones.  10/10

That's a great score!  They will be hearing from me again...and again...

Graze

 I don't know who dreamed up the idea of subscription boxes, but one of the earliest must surely be the Graze box.  Most boxes are monthly but this comes every week, in a letterbox friendly card box containing four snacks.  Boxes vary in color, and sometimes you get one with a seasonal motif but here is a typical example:

Simple and effective.  The address is on the reverse and holding it closed are two plastic bands.  Cut through them and open up to reveal...

The wee booklet contains the ingredients of each box plus a tear-off strip with four vouchers to distribute to potential grazers.  Most of what you see is recyclable, from the box and booklet to the plastic trays which have a triangle with a 1 inside meaning it can go into kerbside recycling.  The only parts for landfill are the plastic bands and peel-off lids which isn't bad.

When I first joined you sometimes got a paper napkin with certain snacks or even a wooden spoon but those options are long gone.  Another older feature is that occasionally you received a card sheet with push-out shapes that made up into a figure such as a snowman, robin or bunny.  The idea was you posed it and took a photo to be entered into a Facebook competition.  I just displayed mine on my mantelpiece but it was a nice gesture.  I guess one that ultimately just made more waste to  be recycled, but there you go.

Here are the four snacks, this time all savory but usually a mix of sweet and savory.  How do you know what you are getting?  It is fairly random but you have quite a bit of control.  Just go to the site and you will find headings for different types of snack.  There are savories, cookies, cakes, dips, "a touch of chocolate", seeds etc.  You get the chance to rate love, like or bin with (on some items) the option of ticking a box for Send Soon.  This means that you want the item as soon as possible.  Love means you will get the item a lot, like sometimes and bin never.  Be warned that if you can't eat nuts you might get them rather often and all the food comes from a kitchen that must be awash with them.

This bos was a good one as it had four of my "loved" Send Soon items.

Chilli Bean Crunch - chilli broad beans and wild rice sticks

Lightly Spicy - carrot crisps, wild rice sticks, jumbo chilli corn and black beans

Spicy Sriracha Crunch - salted corn, sriracha coated pea and corn hoops - salted

Smoky Barbecue Crunch - BBQ flavoured peas, corn chips & chilli corn

The Graze ethos is to replace unhealthy snacks with healthy ones, such as the type they sell.  Everything is high quality, and the only reason I "bin" anything is if it is not to my personal taste rather than it isn't up to standard.  What I subscribe to is their Variety Box and it costs £3.79 a week.  There are other options to fit in with diets, a gift option if you want to send a box as a present, a shop where you can buy more of your favorites and plenty of information about health benefits of the items in the boxes.

Graze has branches in Ireland and the Netherlands as well as the UK and I get excited every Tuesday (you can have your box delivered other days if you wish) when I hear the thump of the box landing on my mat.

• Quality - Can't be faulted 10/10
  
• Value For Money - I would say pretty good.  Not a bargain or overpriced 9/10
  
• Delivery - You get the odd hiccup when the box is a day or so late but nothing serious.  You don't have to sign for it (hooray!) and it is delivered by your postperson 9/10
  
• Versatility - Allergies are warned about and it really is unsuitable for anybody with a serious nut allergy but it does not claim otherwise.  You can opt out of anything not for you, buy a box as a gift and more of your favorites 8/10
  
• Green - Most of it can be recycled.  9/10
  
• Customer Service - A Facebook prescence but not big posters.  Whenever I have contacted them I have been dealt with courteously and helpfully.  Website average to use. 8/10
  
• The Whole Nine Yards - As mentioned you got more of this a few years ago than you do now.  Plain and simple is how I would describe it and nothing wrong with that.  I haven't used their gift service so am unsure how the boxes look but a bit fancier would be worthwhile. 6/10

So, would I recommend it?  Yes I would.  I would like a few tweaks such as more new snacks more often, a chance to suggest new ones via their Facebook page and more seasonal specials.  Currently this is limited to their mince pie flapjacks but some sort of Easter biscuit would be nice, or maybe their Tom Yum Yum rice crackers for Chinese New Year.  Long discontinued, they are still my #1 Graze snack and the best rice crackers I ever tasted.

Spring Borders

It is a bit late in the year to be thinking about Spring, but more than one of these colorful borders is suitable for summer too.  Print them out and add them to your cards and scrapbook projects, or use them in other papercrafts.  How about napkin rings, borders on party crowns or even print them onto inkjet fabric for some wearable art?  Find them here

Bow Box

I'll kick off this new feature with a craft themed box, Bow Box from Eliza Henri Craft Supply.  Bow making is in right now and there are quite a few sites out there selling supplies for it and this is one of the best.  If you are new to bows and aren't sure what to get why not opt for a bow box?  Each one contains fabrics including one full-sized sheet, either a template, bow holder or large embroidered item, smaller sheets of felt, glitter, printed fabric etc and other items all on a theme.  I bought the March one which was Queen Bee and here is what the postman slipped through my letterbox:

Says it all, doesn't it?!  An attractive and fairly sturdy card box that will fit through a standard letterbox and is delivered with the mail.  I didn't have to sign for it and my address is on the other side.

Now for the unboxing!

That looks nice.  I love the way the contents are packed in their own tissue paper with a seal.  Not ojnly does it look good but it also helps stop the items moving around in transit.  The writing says that you can enter your creations in their monthly contest on Instagram or Facebook.  Now let's see what is inside:

Looking good!  To itemize:

• A4 yellow fabric with black lace overlay
• A5 yellow wool felt, bee printed white fabric, pale yellow, gunmetal and gold with black lines glitter fabric
• Queen Bee bow topper (or crown)
• Clay figure
• Honey Bow template 
• Slip of paper explaining the contents

 

These are the fabrics and yes, they certainly are on trend as yellow is the color of 2020.  Bow fabric varies a lot in thickness and quality and these all get my vote as being some of the best quality I have seen with a really sturdy, firm thickness and texture.  The glitter does not shed and both the lace and patterned bee fabric are securely bonded to the backing.  The felt is not the kind you buy in most craft shops that you can "shoot peas through" as my mother used to say but 100% wool.  Anything you make with these beauties will last and it doesn't have to be bows; I reckon any of this will do just fine for a new sunglasses case or wee coin purse.

The Honey Bow template comes in its own packet (the "baggie" type with a clip top would be easier to use than this which has glue on the back).  Itis made of wipe clean plastic and the small photo shows you what it should look like with a simple instruction as to what goes where.  It is easy to make up and looks good. 

I could have either had the crown or the topper and I got the latter.  I suspect most people did, the crown being a more premium item that only the luckiest person receives and sadly this was not me.  It is part of a new range so can be bought separately if you want one.  The topper is the same excellent quality as the rest of the items being stitched onto glitter fabric backed with felt.  Just cut around leaving a small margin of about 1/8" and you have a lovely topper that looks like this:

Next comes a surprise in a pretty bag labelled Treats Inside...

The bag is paper so can easily be added to your recycling and inside is:

A wee polymer clay topper!  It is  beautifully handmade and measures 1 3/4" x 1 1/8".  As a lover of all things kawaii I think she will be made into a lapel pin for my jacket.  She was packed inside a small plastic packet so every effort has been made to ensure that even more fragile items arrive intact.

I can see why this is the #1 craft subscription box in the UK.  The website tells you all about the boxes (without spoling the surprise) and explains how all the items are not currently available but brand new items and all on trend.  There are discounts for people who want to sign up for 6 month or yearly subscriptions (6% and 12% off) or you can just order a single box.  Join the customer group on Facebook and enter the competition and you might win back the price of your box.  Shop on the site and get Glitter Points as you spend to use on purchases and check out the wide range of items on the rest of the site including Fiver Friday where you can get a bundle of fabrics for just £5 every Friday. 

It is a pretty user friendly website complete with blog, items grouped under what they are as well as themes.  The site gets updated regularly with new stock which taps into current trends and changes with the seasons.  It is certainly one of the best sites if you want to make bows.

RATING
Quality: No complaints here, everything of the best 10/10

Value For Money: £10 charge plus postage is about what I would expect.  Not a huge bargain but not overpriced either 8/10

Delivery: Worldwide and delivered with your other mail, no signature and it fits through the letterbox.  Apparently they usualy require a signature but I got lucky!  Sturdy and well packed 9/10

Versatility: Not an issue here altough I have a wool allergy and wanted the crown!  The boxes sell out fast and aren't customizable but this category is not really applicable.

Green: Card box, paper bag, leaflet and tissue paper can all be recycled.  The rest is for wearing and is not biodegradable or made from anything that helps the planet.  Maybe one day...8/10

Customer Service: This company has a lively presence on Facebook and is easy to contact.  I haven't needed to about the box but have posted about other things on their page and had replies. 9/10

The Whole Nine Yards: Such a prettily packed box filled with carefully chosen items.  I reckon they deserve 8/10

So pretty impressed overall.  Would I buy again?  Yes!

Boxing Clever

One new trend that is getting more and more widespread and popular is the subscription box.  Many sites now have this feature where you sign up to receive a box of goodies every week or month.  I've subscribed to Graze for several years and this was one of the first but now you can sign up and receive boxes of just about anything!  We are living in a mail order world and who doesn't love the idea that a box of surprise items is going to land on your mat regularly?  From now on I am going to be featuring reviews of some of these boxes including some one-off options.  Each box will be graded thus:

• Quality - No good me telling you how much I love/loathe something as this is down to personal        taste.    It is more important to rate the items according to their quality
• Value For Money - Is it worth the price and cost of postage?
• Delivery - Choice of courier, cost, time it takes to arrive
• Versatility - Do they cater for allergies, offer gift options, trial box and delivery instructions?
• Green - Is the packaging recyclable?  Does the company have policies regarding this?
• Customer Service - User friendly website, presence on Facebook/Twitter, are the people easy to get hold of?
• The Whole Nine Yards - Little extras like pretty packaging, handwritten note, free gift etc

Flamingo Fantasy

Its over two years since my last post, during which I have had a bereavement and a change of circumstances.  I hope to be fully back here now and filling the blog with more posts on all aspects of how to be green, crafty and more.  Nobody in the UK can say that we haven't had a phenomenal spring and summer with very warm weather even in March, something which is very rare.  It is still June but I keep thinking that we have had the summer already; hopefully we have much more of it to come.  Flamingos are very in right now so here is a card that features them:

How is this card green?  Because it consists of just a sheet of card and if you omit the optional paper tole pieces as I have here no glue or foam squares are required.  I used to use a lot of the latter but they are not biodegradable.  Now I am more into finding ways of making cards 3D without them, like this one.  It folds obligingly flat (Operation Pancake again) and fits into the envelope supplied with the kit and will only cost you letter rate.  

Also included with the kit are several banners saying Happy Birthday, Happy Retirement and Bon Voyage plus three blanks, three gift tags, four envelope seals and a sheet of patterned paper for whatever you like.  Print it onto a thin paper and cut a 6" x 6" square from it and make an origami model to enclose with your card.  There are some simple instructions too and the whole can be bought here

Apple Blossom Time

It might almost be apple blossom time and there is blossom on some trees but it is also pretty cold here in Devon.  Alexa told me that it was only 47º which is low for the end of April.  The sun might not be shining but indoors it is always crafting time and here is my latest kit to put you in the mood for some better weather:

This comes with a full complement of items to make it up into a four layered paper tole creations plus a matching envelope, tag, seals and other items.  You can buy it here

I made it up like this but you don't have to.  Here are two other options to get you started.  First up is this:

To make this you need this kit plus a blank white 5" x 7" card and some lime green card or paper.

I) Cut a 2" x 7" wide piece of lime card and stick it to the right side of the card.  On top mat a piece of the patterned paper 1¼" x 7" and attach a suitable label at the top.

II) On the left side cut out three lime squares each 2" x 2".  On top mat slightly smaller cutouts from the relevant patterned squares.

III) On top of the middle square attach a cutout piece of blossom.  You could use foam squares to raise it up or just leave it flat for a card you can mail.

It won't fit the envelope but you could always make your own.

Or you could make a card like this:

For this you need a white card blank 5" x 5" and the lime card again.  You would have some left over if you made the earlier one and I just like the color!

I) Print out another envelope and cut off the back part, then attach it to the card front.  Then cut out a 4½" square and cut out a 3¼" square from the center.  Attach as shown.

II) Cut out a 4¼" square of the patterned paper and cut out a square 3½" from the center.  Mat on top of the lime shape.

III)  Cut out four envelope seals and place at the corners.  In the center attach the blossom second layer without the shaped frame.  Place a greeting at the top.

This card will fit the envelope!

Spring Has Not Sprung

It is past the middle of March and here in the UK we are having some of the coldest, snowiest most unseasonal weather ever.  As I type this it is snowing as it has been all day and most of yesterday too.  Looking out of the window I can see this view:

Some people might dream of a white Christmas (I am not among them) but nobody dreams of a white Easter!  Better batten down the hatches and get down to some serious crafting. 

I forgot to post the link for the chalked background project in my last post Poppies Iris Folding Card.  You can buy it here   Also new is this Spring Cottage Window Card, the first in a new series which looks like this when made up:

It is not obvious from this rather flat-looking image but the front has a round aperture and the cottage view is inside.  You can get this here

Next up is the Easter Bunny Pop-Up Box Card. 

You can get this here




So even if you are gazing at snow out of the window at least you can make something to put you in a spring mood.

Talk About Chalk

I've posted quite a few iris folding patterns up on Craftsuprint and they are probably my best selling range.  Fun to make and a wonderful way of using up all sort of oddments they must be the ultimate green cards.  Usually they have plain backgrounds (ie whatever color card you have chosen) but this is a bit boring.  How about some backgrounds?  

There are a great many ways of doing these of course.  You could paint (or crayon, or pencil) one, stick dow some patterned paper, use patterned card...or use chalks.

You can buy sets of chalks inexpensively from many places and they come in sets and remind me of eyeshadow palettes.  Here is one:

A basic set similar to mine.  You can also buy sparkly ones and I keep meaning to do so!

You will also need some cotton wool to apply the chalk.  I usually tear up one of those flat round pads and use a third per color.  

Now you need a blank white greetings card (this one is 7" x 5") preferably non-glossy and some templates.  If you buy one of my Poppies Iris Folding Card sheets you will get four.  Two clouds, a treeline and a line of grass.  Trace around them, transfer the tracings to card and you have your templates.  If you want to use them lots of times you could make the templates from one of those thin plastic sheets used for glass painting.

Fold the card in half and work with it landscape style.  Chalk up a piece of cotton wool with pale blue chalk and lay down the two clouds.  Apply chalk around them until your card looks like this:

Note that you haven't chalked all the way down, just over halfway.  Now lay down your treeline template and apply some mid green chalk to another piece of cotton wool.  Rub chalk onto the trees until you reach just where they stop, then apply lighter green chalk below this, and finally yellow chalk below that.

Finally lay down your grass template at the bottom of the page and apply some darker green chalk for the grass.  The finished background now looks like this:

Ta da!  Now you have your field where poppies are going to grow.  Or any of my other floral patterns.  The chalk is (as far as I know) environmentally friendly and you are using up oddments for the iris folding, so behold one green card.

All That Glitters...

...Would be better if it was actually gold, rather than glitter.  Gold after all is a natural product that comes out of the ground, whereas glitter is made of plastic.  Anybody who has been reading the news and watching BBC's seminal Blue Planet II series will be aware that there is too much plastic in the world today, and that plastic glitter is particularly nasty stuff.  Why?  Because most plastic items have to actually fall to pieces first before they turn into those pernicious "nurdles" or mermaid's tears that are finding their way into the food chain, whereas glitter is there already.  I'm not against plastic as such, just our abuse of this useful material and we don't need glitter really, do we?

As crafters we mostly love the stuff, and children love it as well.  Some nurseries have already banned it but if you are looking at that matte Christmas card and thinking it looks bare help is at hand in the shape of BIODEGRADABLE GLITTER!

Yes, you can have your cake and eat it with this substance as it is not plastic and does not harm the environment.  If you live in the UK you can buy it here and it is not just for cards.  Release your inner fairy (or unicorn) and adorn yourself with it, great for Christmas parties and festivals.  It is also the sort if think you can use if you make melt-and-pour soap like I do.  These people really care about our planet and are supporting Plastic Oceans website which you can check out with this link.  They even got a letter from David Attenborough thanking them for their support! 

Now we can sparkle with a clean, plastic free conscience.

If you want some ideas as to where to put this glitter I have just made available some new Christmas card designs.  These all fold pancake flat for cheaper mailing and are mostly letter rate (the fan is larger).  Journey To Bethlehem with O Little Town:

Or travel with We Three Kings:

Feeling hot?  How about a Poinsettia Fan Card:

There are plenty more, and think of all the opportunities for a spot of eco-friendly glittering!

Christmas Rose Iris Folded Card

Earlier this year I posted a review of a wonderful book about making paper mosaics.  This is certainly one way of using up old cards and papers, but another one is surely iris folding.  I have just posted up another pattern entitled Christmas Rose Iris Folded Card and you can buy it here and this is a picture of what it can look like:

The pattern comes with a leaf, bud and a couple of petals for arranging on your card or memory album page however you want, this is one possible arrangement on a 5" x 7" card.  The tiny dots are whatever type of sprinkles you favor for the centre. 

This is a very detailed pattern which is best made with single strips of card or paper without a fold or it will never lie flat.  First cut out the outline and attach your pattern, then arrange your strips in rows going from teh outside to the center.  I think this is best attempted by those already au fait with less fiddly iris folding, but it is ideal for using up old cards, wrapping paper, leaflets, catalogs etc.  Or leftover bits of acid free paper if you want to put it on an album page.  When glue is dry trim around the outside and start arranging with the leaves and petals.  You can use this as a Christmas rose or for any time of the year in the colors of your choice.

I am trying to find lots of ways of using up those old cards now they cannot be recycled.  I plan to post some ideas here so watch this space!

Boxing Clever

Last week a wit posted an observation in an email that at midnight on August Bank Holiday Monday the staff of supermarkets grab all the summer stuff and dump it in the nearest skip.  Then they rush back in, put up the decorations and blow the dust off Now That's What I Call Christmas and gleefully put it on.  I went into my local Lloyds Chemists on 1 September and there was a cardboard stand packed with Christmas giftware.  Admittedly most of it was from last year (and some I think from the year before) but at least half I had not seen before so this does prove that it gets earlier every year.

With this in mind and knowing too how many people have a lot of people to send to here is a popup Christmas card, the first in a new series of baskets.  They will not all be Christmas themed but some will and here is Christmas Poinsettias Basket Card:

Festive, isn't it?  All packed onto one sheet and easy to assemble.  Just cut it out, fold the base into a box shape and put some paper glue on the tab.  Then slot the handle part in the back tab and the other insert in the front tab and you have a card.  Also included is a label with Made By:... to stick on the plain back, a gift tag and an envelope seal with Merry Christmas to dress up a plain envelope.  No, there sadly it not an envelope with this as it would be more than one sheet and not cost a mere 70p.  You can buy it here

Here is another one called White Christmas Basket Card:

Find this here

Boxing Clever

I am not a fan of getting ready for Christmas too early.  Summer is all too short here in the UK and I prefer to enjoy it without looking at images of snow and ice.  I do realize that some people have a huge amount of stuff to make and some of this has to be sent overseas so I have made a start designing.  Here is the first entry in my new series of boxes shaped like buildings:

You can buy this here  It is simple to make up; cut out and score along all the dotted lines then fold them inwards and apply glue on the tabs.  This means both side of the roof if it is going to be a card, and only the side where the tabbed side does not rest for a box.  If it is a card you can also lose the foldover tab and the tabs along the bottom.  But wait, there is something missing!

It is a base.  Sorry folks but if this is all going on one sheet with a lower price tag there is no room.  But don’t worry, all you have to do to construct one is rule a rectangle 6cm x 7.2cm and attach it to the bottom.  Actually you don’t even have to do that as here is one:

Or a whole sheet of six of them:

 

This is for those of you who want more than one to use as favor boxes.  They look great beside a plate and can contain a small gift or some sweets.  If you want a whole village of buildings when the other boxes appear (there is a sweet shop coming up next) you could use them for this.  They would look good standing under the Christmas tree (full of goodies of course).

Cut & Create Cards

I know, I know I am a truly terrible blogger.  I ought to be here every day thumping out ideas on recycling and being green but I'm not.  Yet here I am now with a book (well sort of book) review and what I think is a good idea, or at least one possible solution to a new(ish) problem. 

You can buy a copy of this wonderful and innovative item right here if you live in the UK.  If you don't it is available elsewhere such as in the US here and is well worth looking for.

Why?  This is not so much a book as a kit comprising a booklet and everything you need apart from scissors or knife, hole punch and glue to make nine beautiful paper mosaic pictures.  I have done a lot of papercrafts but I have never tried this one and was keen to have a go.  It comes as an A4 sized folder with a booklet on the left and a wallet on the right filled with the papers and bases.  The instructions are simple to follow and include diagrams showing how to make up each picture.  These are arranged into beginner, intermediate and advanced with three pictures of each and all depict scenes from nature inspired by the author’s Japanese background.  These include a night time jungle at night, a fox in a forest, birds flying home, an egret posing in the water and my own favorite showing cherry blossoms. The materials are all good quality and I would give this set five stars for originality, beauty and user friendliness.  Suitable for a variety of ages as it is not very large and you only need a few additional items you could even take it on vacation.  

So how is this green and what fairly new problem would it solve?  I don't know about your council but last Christmas mine said that they could no longer accept greetings cards for recycling.  Whether you buy or make them they do tend to bristle with glitter, bows, gems and even if not often have a plastic coating to make them shiny.  These things block up the recycling machines and break them so you have to think of other things to do with them or they go into landfill.

Surely making paper mosaics with them is one such idea.  I've made tags with them, cut out bits of them for cards, used them as postcards with the backs cut off and one Christmas even used the shinier and more water repellent ones as coasters, cut into squares.  Trouble is I have have tags coming out of my ears, people think I am cheap making cards with them, I bought some lovely Fair Trade coasters and no longer send postcards.  I am due a new idea and this is possibly it.

Fun With Office Paper

You are probably thinking that office paper is not a lot of fun but that depends on what you are going to do with it.  Office work is not that amusing usually but all those sheets of rather pretty pastel paper invariably make me think of spring and Easter.  My grandmother used to make them into paper flowers when her sister in law gave her some sheets from the office where she worked and I have made some iris folded cards by cutting them into 2cm strips.

You can buy this card pattern and make your own by visiting https://www.craftsuprint.com/card-making/iris-folding-patterns/easter/easter-chick-iris-folding-card.cfm

Of course you can also use patterned paper and spring colored wrapping paper, seed catalogs or anything else including scraps of fabric or ribbon.  There are two other patterns in the Easter Iris Folding series and these are shown made up patterned.  Check out the bunny at https://www.craftsuprint.com/card-making/iris-folding-patterns/easter/easter-bunny-iris-folding-card.cfm

and the egg at https://www.craftsuprint.com/card-making/iris-folding-patterns/easter/easter-egg-iris-folding-card.cfm

Note the cheeky chick peeping out through the hole!

Blooms For Bees

A while ago I signed up for the Blooms For Bees project.  I did not expect to be lucky enough to be chosen so imagine my surprise and delight when I opened a mysterious brown envelope last Saturday and found that I was on board!  You can read all about the project here but in a nutshell it is about discovering whether a new bedding plant (a compact habit dahlia) is attractive to bumble bees, and which color flowers they prefer.

This is something near to my heart that I am always going on about.  As it says in the accompanying leaflet there is a discrepancy between the flowers bees and other pollinators will visit for nectar and pollen and the flowers people grow in their gardens these days.  Garden centers and catalogs are going for flowers that are ever showier, brighter and more artificial looking that appeal to humans (although not usually to this human) but not to anything else in nature.  Thankfully the RHS has put helpful "Perfect For Pollinators" symbols on some plants but not everything has been tested and there are new cultivars out all the time, hence this project.

I planted my seeds out in seed trays last Sunday according to the instructions and now have to wait and see what comes up.  The dahlias are going to be white, purple and red so it will be interesting to see which colors the bees like best and what bees visit my garden.  I imagine honey bees will like them too and who knows what else?  I will keep you all posted.

Until then here is what they look like now!

Keeping Mum

It is now officially spring here in the UK and time for making some cards.  There are so many occasions for them in the first four months of the year: Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day, Mothers Day (if you are in some countries) and Easter.  I made this card kit for Valentine's Day that can be bought here

This has banners that say Be Mine, Happy Anniversary, I Love You and Happy Birthday as well as "blank for your own special message" as they say on shop cards.  I was daft - why did I not include one that says Happy Mothers Day?

I am going to remedy this right now and here it is for download into the graphics program of your choice:

This is the same size as the others.  Just right click to collect, then save and use.  So now the card looks like this:

 Now, why did I not think of that before?!