The day after!

Well, as I said, I was rather emotional yesterday, less so today but a little tired, happy, too! Thank you so much for all your lovely good wishes & happy birthday's. No cards in the pile for tomorrow so I might have a rest from posting & have a chance to visit & read others blogs! We'll see what turns up in the post.

I know I'm not quite finished, but I have been amazed at everyone's generosity, the care put into each card, & so touched by the tenderness & friendliness of virtual strangers who have become virtual friends, all joining me in the emotonally charged epic journey of becoming an important decade older. Again than you.

Todays card was from Laura from Berwickshire, UK. Her card is just beautiful, those lovely roses, sumptuous burgundy silk & pretty lacey bits make a lovely card.

I am enraptured, thank you.

I had a surprise  card in the same package, from Laura's  other half , Rich, who wanted to join in (thanks so much!)

It's stunning in black & white, the perfect way to see a Michaelmas daisy.

I am delighted, thank you.

My Actual Birthday

Well, you're right, as some comments say I'm falling apart & I don't remember anything, but it all starts here, today, now! I've had such a great day, family friends cake cuddles & cards...flowers & some yoga & great food.

Todays card is from Laura at Shine the Divine in NH, USA. This is my first photopostcard & it is just wonderful, I  love it! This is a beautifully rusted guard rail & Laura saw it & thought of me. On the back of the card are these words

May you be blessed with kindness.
May you be blessed with compassion.
May you be blessed with joy.
May you be blessed with peace...

all the days of your life.

gentle steps,

Laura

To be thought of, with meaning, from so far away; I am honored. Thank you so much.

My next card is from Joyce at  WV, USA from Calico Paint It is so bright & colorful & yet subtle, blended at the same time. I love her little hand drawn birds & the gold relief dove with an olive branch, so sweet.

With the olive branch in a little piece of heaven, I feel hopeful, thank you so much.

There were some more great bits & pieces to play with later, too, you shouldn't have!

It all came in a brightly decorated envelope with more lovely birds! The post will never be the same after I stop receiving all these cards!

Oh, I will :)

Earlier my parents were remembering this day 50 years ago, hard to believe I was their little baby; again, I am honored & this has really been the best day I could have. Thank you  for being here with me.

Can you tell I'm feeling a little emotional?

My last day in my 40's!

I'm a bit later in the day with this post as we had B&B this morning, then I had an Osteopath appointment about 25 miles from home & as I was that far away I thought I'd go a little further to a tiny little garden center. I bought myself some calendula - mine just haven't appeared in the garden this year- a claret colored Pink & a claret colored Wygeila. Claret & orange, mouthwatering! I'll take a pic when I've planted them!

On the way I was stuck in roadworks (yes, we have them here occasonally!) On my right I saw this, well, I had to take it didn't I? I felt like getting out & adding a zero ;) .

On my left the island just off Skye called Pabay, with the mournful looking trees - I love those trees - normally you can't see them as they blend into the mainland. It just needs a bit of mist...

The turning to the osteopath (no I didn't take a pic of him, either!) is opposite this beautiful attraction, Eilan Donan Castle. It used to feature under a hot air balloon for BBC1 a year or so ago. They are big on weddings & there were a million visitors there (why don't they come my way?!) I had a latte & was a tourist for a moment, recovering after being manipulated! It helped a little but aches & pains are just what I have to learn to live with apparently, thanks to weak joints. I'm lucky not to have anything really wrong with me....perhaps it's an age thing?!

You'd either love wearing that uniform, or you'd hate it. He was photographed a t least 50 times when walking over the bridge so he couldn't mind me snapping a pic & showing it to my friends!

On the way back to Isle Ornsay these boats, more interesting than the usual ones, were in the bay.  Taking all these photos are what kept me out for so long, but i think if you can give some purpose to waiting in a traffic jam & the like it's worth it. I like using what's around me, altho the guy behind must have thought I was mad!

I opened 2 cards today, which leaves one for the big day unless the wonderful postie brings me more!

This is from Hanna at iHanna from Sweden. This is such a pretty postcard, how did she know I liked roses so much?! She has a passion for cutting up magazines & obviously reads as many gardening mags as I do.

I feel I am in the garden smelling these lovely roses. Thank you!

The next card is from Jan at Laughing Dog Arts in Oregon USA.

This postcard is so striking & is really a mini quilt! All the black & red lines in the print of the horse are beautifully hand stitched & what incredibly precise & pretty beading, then more lovely stiching around the outside & that wonderful message to me! It is gorgeous.

I am riding, dreamily, off into the sunset. Thank you so much.

It came wrapped in this lovely envelope made out of a calendar, so resourseful, I hate throwing calendars away!

It's the day after tomorrow!

This morning's first card was from Jackie at Dog Daisy Chains in Lancashire, UK. This card is astonishing, I love it , love it! All that free machining gliding thru layers of sumptuous silk & silk velvet, & the colors, blue, grey, green, lime & smokey pink, mouth watering! Jackie calls this a piece of imaginary marine life, wonderful.

I feel protected, totally surrounded by these little sea creatures. Thank you so much.

My next card was from Julie at Mixed Media , Lincolnshire, UK.  This card is wonderous, I absolutely love it! Layers & layers of hand dyed fabric, some with beautifully frayed edges some neat stitched down to depict waves in the deep blue sea. Love the sandy bit, too, I can feel it in my toes, & those pretty shells!

I feel I am on a journey, & I can see across to where I am going, thank you very much.

This came in a fantastically colorful envelope, more joy for the postie! I can feel an envelope collage coming on even more!

There were all this wonderful little bits & pieces to play with later, thanks!

Looking at my pile of waiting cards I realised I could open 3 but that made it all quite overwhelming! Thank goodness I have spread this out, over a month as Corrine pointed out, as if I'd saved them all till the day I would have needed to spend a week in a very quiet room!

My third one came from Carolyn at  Mixed Media Textile Art in St. Ives,  Cornwall, UK. This card is absolutely facinating, I so love it! It is full of layers, gauzy bits, drawings & as for the seafront, well, lots of lovely detail with beads, shimmery fabric, fish & shells.

I feel happy;  that I am there by the house &I  have come home.  Thak you very much.

In the package there was more, I could hardly contain myself!

I have oft admired Carolyn's hearts, & now I have one, one of my very own & can't quite believe it. I am honored, thank you so so much!

Monday's card

This morning i opened a postcard from Sylvia at Studio Sylvia, Victoria, Australia, who taught me to do this (simple, I know!) link thing, for which I'm so grateful! This card is marvelous,with it's pretty filigree butterfly & flower, delicate pearls & warm colors. It's a mixture of painted papers, ribbon music & text & Ii love it, with me all framed up like that!

I feel all fluttery! Thank so much.

There were some lovely goodies for me to play with, I love all these extra bits & pieces, thank you!

Some more of the garden I visited. I meant to put this view in yeaterday to give an idea of place - nice setting, hmmm?

The Cuillin hills

Primula & ophiopogon (sp!)

Mecanopsis to match the house, or vice versa?

campanula, I think. Oh, time's up!

Two more beautiful cards

I can have two cards again today! The first one is from Sue M at Sue's Craft Cupboard, a brand new blog,  in Victoria, Australia. This is a fabulous postcard, full of detail, lots of layers made out of a mixture of handmade, hand painted & found papers. Even a wrapped slide mount & a cute little dragonfly! Another fab heart from a bit of map too! My 15yr old just came back from a weekend away & noticed "a lot of love" in the recent collection, well, it's what makes the world go round! I love all the text messages, especially for me, particularly the word 'exceptional' ! :)

The envelopes & another birthday card were pretty amazing too, more eye candy for the postie!

I even got a present of Sue's lovely handmade cards & everything was tied up in pretty ribbon & paper - everyone's been great with the wrappings!

I am feeling exceptional, I really am, thank you!

My second postcard of the day was from Kelly at the Happy Shack, in Florida, USA. This card is positively gleaming, so shiny with wishes - it says on the back "my wish for you is your wish come true" I will wish for myself & of course for all of you. Love the lime, turquoise & green pretty retro flowers, they take me right back!

Another wonderful envelope to feast our eyes on!

I feel quite wishful, thank you so much!

Yesterday I went on a visit to 3 gardens on the peninsula, one possibly opening for the last time so quite poignant. I was helping with the teas & even did some baking ( I made banana bread cupcakes as I knew the loaf would take too long so I prepared the oven putting the baking shelf in -it's a 2 door Aga - & wondered why they weren't cooking. Put them in the wrong oven, oh well we got there in the end!)

I was shattered what with the baking, the running around 3 gardens within the time & the teas - fabulous weather, just enough of a breeze to keep the midges away & a bright sunny sky, so I've only sorted a few images to share with you, just to show what can be done on Skye. 4 days to go, I can hardly believe it!

Deep purple Iris

pretty flowers (?!)

Lupin

Mecanopsis

Valerian

Today's postcards

Today I opened 2 postcards, well, there are only 5 days left now! The first one in line was from Jacky at art4moi from Victoria, Australia. This postcard is amazing, it's a weaving technique, learnt, as Jacky says, in Jude Hill's online class - Jude's work is fabulous. Jacky has used linen from a table napkin & fabric from the '70's (oh, I remember those!), nothing like a good bit of recycling & lots of beautiful slow cloth hand stitching - sraight, cross & tiny french knots. What a subtle red, with other lovely dashes of color, I absolutely love it!

I am enraptured, thank you so much.

The next card was from Lorna at Artymess in Hampshire, UK. & other members of her family!
Her card is remarkable, full of hundreds of little flowers , beautifully hand stitched onto her wildly free machined with glitzy thread background. If I sat down to count the stitches, I wouldn't have finished by dawn, I just can't believe the effort put into all these cards!

This is the back, unbelievably, more lovely love! Soft, too & puffy like a little pillow.

Jim wanted to join in, I was quite delighted! (the only man brave enough!) Love the little birds, the canoodling couple & this is the face of spirituality, protective.

It was an extra surprise to receive a card from Ruby! I had no idea, & so sweet!

Then there was another added gift of a beautiful little silk bag full of goodies & all of the above were wrapped up in this cool envelope - the postie has been loving all these!

I am completely mesmerised, so grateful, thank you.

Thanks to BT for getting back on line!

Yes, well, it's a shame there was a huge fault in the first place, but we're none of us perfect, are we? & at least they fixed it so only half a day was lost. Of course, if it had been a day for going into work, I'd have been more organised (?) & got the post in before the Crash, but I'm here now, there's no point in crying over spilt milk (I hate it when people say that, I do like a good moan, just sometimes!)

So yesterday's card was from Dot at dotslifeandart over in Victoria, Australia. This is another exquisite card that leapt out of the envelope with an explosion of color. It's felt, with thousands of embelished embelishments, beads, buttons sequins, & yes, more lovely love! There are delicious remnants of fabric & yarns tucked in to a soft surface using millions of tiny hand stitches. I don't exagerate!

I am flabbergasted, thank you.

This mornings card was from Maggi at to dream to stitch from down in Derbyshire, UK. This card is another stunning creation! Beautiful silks, gauzy bits & embelished, with lovely hand stitching leading me, I feel, deep into the peaceful hills.

The two cards have that brilliant emerald green in common!

"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it" Hopeful words, indeed.

I am full of admiration, thank you.

Incredibly, more fell out of the envelope, should I or should I not, wait? That would be silly ;)

Look at these delectable things! Lovely silky hand dyed fabric with all these fabulous beads.I'll tell you what I think they are - on the left, Tyvek, below, stitched felt, above friendly plastic & above those, air dried clay all with beautiful stitches, colors & textures. These are fabulous, I feel an amazing piece of art to wear coming on with these extra pieces! Thank you so much.

What amazes me, with all of the wonderful cards & presents  I have received, is the level of time, care, & yes, love that has gone into them all.

 I really didn't think it would be as good as this.