Every Inchie Monday -- Cambodia

For the last inchie of the year I have chosen Cambodia as one of the countries we didn't visit during the year. ( The choice was ours this week)
I have drawn the national bird the Giant Ibis, and have sewn the national flower, the Rumdul, Mitrella Mesnyl. It is a tree found in most streets in Cambodia. Not an easy one to sew as it has a high raised centre.

                                                  The complete card inches for 2018

A thread sketched poppy on a fabric collage.

After the one I made of mushrooms on the last workshop I went on with Hilary Beattie, I have decided to make some small ones and make a book of them.
This one is of a garden poppy, sewn with free machine embroidery on a fabric collaged background.

Thursday Journal with Neet

My choice this week with the quote "I don't know where you got your opinion from, but I hope you kept the receipt"
My background is distress oxides with several stencils used on top. I stamped and coloured the leaves and coloured the Dylusion figures with watercolour pens.

That's Christmas over for a few days. We are then off to my other daughters for our second Christmas at New Year, this helps share their brother for a few days before he eats me out of house and home.
I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and didn't eat too much, we did.

Every inchie Monday -- Sweden

For the penultimate inchie we are going to Sweden. I have sewn the national flower which is Linner Borealis, the Twin flower.  I have drawn the national animal which is the Elk/Moose

Have a happy Christmas and a healthy happy New Year. I am not sure whether to do next years inches, I will think about it over the next few weeks.

Fabric Language of flowers

This is my finished piece of work from my workshop with Hilary Beattie. It's a fabric collage background with thread sketching on top. I know it was called the language of flowers, mine just turned into mushrooms.

Thursday Journal with Neet

Neet's choice this week with "Go jingle your own blimmin bells." As I have been to one of my daughters and the weather was too bad to drive home on Tuesday evening I stayed another night and only came home today (Wednesday). I had been home for half an hour , and we were off to the eldest Grandson's carol service, with supper afterwards. Therefore this was done in a rush, and as it is now midnight I am am off to bed.
Have a super Christmas everyone, and a great New Year.

I am entering this in Art Journal Journey where Elizabeths theme is  'Tis the season'

Every inchie Monday -- Poland

This week we are off to Poland and I have drawn the national bird, the white tailed eagle, which is also a symbol of Poland
I have really struggled with the sewn one as the national flower is the field poppy and the tree the oak. I have already sewn these two and didn't want to do them again. So I have chosen a very common animal in Poland, the wild boar. Not an easy one to portray on an inch and I don't really think it looks much like one, but I did my best.

Thursday Journal with Neet.

I think it was my choice this week with the quote " Caution, mood swing in progress"
My background is distress oxides with a star stencil. The main figure and mushrooms are from Dylusions, and the bird a Tim Holtz one.
I have tried to stick to a fairly simple colour palette for a change, and of course it had to be turquoise and green.
I am also entering this in A Vintage Journey where the theme is Star light star bright. I hope this meets the requirements for this theme.

With Christmas fast approaching I am trying to organise myself. Cards done - yes
All presents bought - Nearly
Food - Gets lots in as my son is coming back from Russia for two weeks and he's bound to be hungry
Christmas over at one daughters and New Year with the other one, so I can share their brother equally. Two Christmases this year without me having to cook one of the big meals. What a change.

Every Inchie Monday - Montenegro

Off to Montenegro this week and I have drawn the national flower, the mimosa, and sewn the very popular olive tree. the olive tree has grown there for hundreds of years.

Tag Tuesday - Hearth and Home

For Wilma's theme of House and Home on Tag Tuesday, I have used a window and poinsettia and edge die for the main image and some Christmassy papers and a Christmas tree for the view through the window.

There are two wooden charms at the top. I will probably turn this into a card afterwards.

Thursday Journal with Neet

Neet's choice of quote this week which is "Mostly I sit around all day being fabulous" This was a last minute job as the week seems to have disappeared. This was not helped with a flu jab on Monday morning, a dreadful trip to Derbyshire for lunch straight afterwards with Peter's family, which took twice as long as usual,  due to the awful traffic. Then lunch in a very hot restaurant and a trip to the loo where I passed out. I ended up on the floor in a cool foyer with the first aid guy who was brilliant and our friend who is a doctor. They fussed around me for ages and threatened me with a visit to Derby hospital if I couldn't get my oxygen levels up. After giving up trying to let them get an ambulance, the first aider was happy with the fact that we would go home with our doctor friend instead of going straight home. I slept all the way home and felt grotty for the next few days. Still not right, but improving.
My page is distress inked, stencilled, and stamped with Dylusion figures cut out and coloured.

Every Inchie Monday - Chile

This week we are going to Chile for our inchie country.
When my youngest did her gap year she went to Chile to teach English. I went to see her and had a wonderful time. We went down to Patagonia, and saw condors, flamingos, dolphins and some birds I did not recognise. We went over the Andes to Argentina. Seeing the Andes was somewhere I had always wanted to go to, along with the Himalayas ( Doubt I will ever see those though)
I wanted to go to the Easter Islands, but Kevin Costner was filming over there, so no-one was allowed to go. I quite liked him before that !!
For my sewn inchie I have done the national flower (badly) The Chilean bellflower - Lapageria rose
The national animal the Huemul deer - Hippocamelus bisulcus is also on their coat of arms.