It's all so fishy....

ATC (8,9 x 6,4 cm) Water colour and pen on w/c paper and cardstock

Birds....

These are my latest ATCs.... Water colour and pen on water colour paper. 6,4 x 8,9 cm.

Boys boys boys....

Ok... so I have been very busy cross stitching lately.... not much time for art. But I have managed to make a few cards.... So many people are getting babies these days.... all boys!!! And such an occation can't go unnoticed!! So cards were made.

These two were made for my two nearest neighbours (one next door, and one directly across the street)

And this one I made for my husbands niece in Norway. She had a boy just 3 1/2 weeks ago.

I'm still considering making my christmas cards this year...... better get a move on if I'm doing that though... I made all my christmas cards last year.... not quite sure if I really want to do it this year. Maybe just make a few for my closest friends and family...?? That'll mean less time for art....

Update II

This is how far I've come on the advent calendar..... I've finished the top pic plus the three first borders. Just another two borders and the bottom picture to go.... Will I make it in time??? Probably not since I've got another cross stitcing project going.... it's going to be a christmas present, so I can't put a picture of it on here just yet.... sshhhhhh...

Back to the advent calendar..... I've altered it a bit.... The borders are supposed to be stitched on aida bands and then sewn on to make pockets for the advent sweets..... but I don't fancy the pocket idea (it makes the calendar buckle and twist when you put things in it) so I'm stitching the motives directly onto the calendar itself. I'm then going to put small rings next to each number so you can hang small parcels from them instead. That way I'm not that restricted in size of what I want to put in the calendar...... I have no idea where to get small rings though.... but I know they are out there somwhere.....

Update..

... on my cross-stitching. Here's a picture of the calendar before I did the back stitch on the top bit:


And here is the top picture of the advent calendar finished, with back stitch:

Huge difference.... isn't it. It always amazes me how much the back stitch brings the picture to life.....

The back stitch on this bit was really.... uh.... phewww.... boring. Normally I don't really mind doing the back stitch, but on this picture it was very very small stitches (some just a quarter of an aida square) so it was very time consuming and you needed a lot of concentration to keep track. I think I spent as much time on the back stitch as on the cross stitch itself....

I have fininshed the top border (under the teddy) and started the second border as well, but I haven't got a photo of that yet. Will do a bit more and then do another update....