Hi!
The other day as I walked up the garden I spied lots of wood shavings of the lawn. This was very odd and confusing! I looked up into the tree and realised that quite high up their was a perfect circular hole- it looked like it had been done with a tool. The only possible explanation was a woodpecker but it was hard to believe. I sat down with some binoculars and sure enough a woodpecker was happily drilling out a hole in the tree. Hubby set up his camera inside the house and managed to get some photos. I couldn’t resist using one to make a card for my dad’s birthday.
I designed my papers in Craft Artist using the Autumn colour pallette from the Craft Room challenge blog
and the layout from Sketch Saturday Challenge
Here is the finished card with matching inside
The edges of the card were inked with peeled paint distress ink and the papers edged with marsh green promarker. The gems and button were from stash.
I would also like to enter the Things With Wings challenge at Sparkles monthly challenge.
Jellie, this is marvellous! How exciting to see a woodpecker in action, and to find the shavings under the tree. They are such amazing creatures with specially designed skulls so they don’t knock themselves out with all that hammering lol! Really clever of your hubby to catch such an amazing photo. I love what you’ve done with it, with the gorgeous wooden hanging, so appropriate. It’s also a great man card and your dad will love it!
Thanks for your lovely comment, and I’m so glad you like my felt! I am surprised how easy it is, even if it is pretty hard work physically. It is soooo much fun!!
I think your work is lovely, and you have nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes we are our own harshest critics… A while back I was tempted to remove my awful first videos off my Youtube channel and felt embarrassed about my early projects, but then thought better of it, because they show different stages in my creative journey, and it’s good to look back and see how one has progressed. It is also very helpful for others who may be on the same journey but at a different stage. Also, until very recently, I felt demoralised when I looked at the amazing talent of others online, and I wrestled constantly with the issue of whether I could call myself an artist – it seemed so pretentious and I didn’t feel good enough, but I have worked through that issue now, and decided not to compare myself with others any longer and accept that I am only in competition with myself. I accept that not everything I do is as successful as I would wish (I’m a perfectionist too!!) and I generally leave the mistakes in my posts (although I do often remove them from videos because of trying to keep the length under control).
If you look up Jennibellie on Youtube you will find some great videos where she speaks about the positives and negatives of comparing ourselves with others, and how to accept that we are actually artists! I have found this very helpful. Ultimately, it’s all about self-confidence and not worrying about what other people think (which doesn’t matter a hill of beans anyway) and to accept that there is really no right or wrong about our creativity. The fact you are doing this at all proves that you DO have talent and that what you are doing is an expression of your creative soul, and for one, I am very glad you are sharing it, because I really enjoy visiting your blog!!
So go for it girl. You are a lot better than you think you are!!!
I am exactly the same as you with the Cougar! I haven’t used it for ages, and I need to get it up and running, like you, to make stencils for my mixed media work! The trouble is, there always seems to be something else that needs doing first and I don’t get to it, and as time goes on I am losing confidence a bit and think I shall be back in the beginners’ class when I do start again!
Hugs,
Shoshi x
Hi Jellie, thanks for your reply, and you’re welcome! I think we all need this pep talk every now and again because it’s soooo easy to slip back into negative ways of thinking about our art!
Keep up the good work, hun. And do please let me know what your dad thinks of his card!
Shoshi x
A woodpecker setting up home in your garden how honoured are you. Perhaps in the spring you will have the tap tap tap of baby beaks. I love how you have used your wonderful photo with our colour challenge. Thank you for sharing with Craft-Room Challenge XOXO Zoe
woodpeckers are the best! and pretty awesome to have one in your garden, I love their noise 🙂 lovely autumn card too. Thanks for sharing with us at Craft Room Challenge, Debi x
Awesome masculine card. Love the story behind it too. Thank you for joining us at Sparkles Monthly Challenges this month and Good Luck. We hope you join us again.
Amy- DT Sparkles Monthly Challenges
{Lil Cutie Creations}
Thank you so much for joining us at Sparkles Monthly Challenges for our ‘Things with wings’ challenge.
Happy crafting.
Hugs Helen P (DT) xx