I think I need a holiday, a nice peaceful and relaxing holiday - and any of these places looks absolutely idyllic! If only they were photos from a catalogue of holiday destinations and you could just pick one and be there, living in it and unwinding. Even, like the lady on the top row, taking a picnic and spending an afternoon there would be glorious.
The colour scheme of the whole collection is very calm and serene isn't it? There's just something about the blues and greens and earthy browns that really seem to bring a sense of peace and order. You can hear the water splashing and lapping at the edges of the banks and jetties, birds calling in the sky and faint honking from the geese and swans on a nearby pond. The Highland cow is staring straight at us wondering why we are standing so still with our eyes closed just listening and breathing and being, but he doesn't really care much about the answer because he is so chilled and laid back himself.
The little details in these cards are lovely, tiny little birds and butterflies, the smallest embroidered geese I've ever seen, and a sweet little campfire. The longer you look at them, the more you actually see.
How clever is this one with the machine stitched, folded ripples? The print on the fabric is ideal for the splashing water coming off the cascade, which itself has been made slightly sparkly. The trees have been stitched with two colours which is a fantastic way to add a little bit more interest rather than having the forest all of the same colour.
Anyone fancy a kayak? Or is that a canoe? I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between the two boats, either way I hope the person has a brilliant time being on the water. I love the way the fabric has been cut to form the bank and then edged in the green stitches, it kind of mirrors the shapes in the petal print fabric which has been used for the water and looks great.
These are the geese/swans I was talking about (probably geese as I think swan beaks are black)- they are tiny when you remember that the whole card itself is only 3.5" by 2.5" big. The foliage around the pond is lovely too, textured stitches that lift off and add fluff and moveable stems that can blow in the breeze, bullion knot rushes and a variety of colours of french knot which is also a nice touch, bringing the colours of the card together.
I like that two of us have gone for a camping theme. Our tents have both been made with felt, but I didn't think of adding a campfire to mine. This lucky camper has also got a boat moored up there as well, waiting to be taken out for a sail over the waters, perhaps to where the hints of purplish mountains awaits. What a great interpretation of the colours in the fabric.
I think the picnic basket in this is absolutely delightful! What a fantastic way to use the texture of a more open weave fabric to create a kind of wicker effect. The lady herself is lovely with her little purpley-blue shoes on and her summery yellow dress matching the centres of the flowers.
The Mother and I were trying to figure out how the butterflies have been made on this card because they are absolutely tiny! They could possibly have been embossed, or cut with one of those shape punches maybe? They appear glued or painted on and add some really sweet interest to the card. The bullion knot bullrushes also have the most amazing wiggle to them, like they're dancing in the breeze!
I believe that the fishy looking waves, or wavy looking fish, in this card have been made with twisted detached chain stitches? I don't know if there is a different name for them but they're made almost in the same way as a normal detached chain, except you twist the loop before you catch it down at the end. Again there is a wonderful use of different types of fabric as well with the thicker, heavier woven material being used for the jetty and looking perfectly at home there.
And finally, I do enjoy a well placed sequin and this one has a shiny sequin sun! It's amazing how some simple drawn lines can suddenly turn into a whole image and this is so lovely in its simplicity. The waves are sparkling, although not necessarily blue which looks like they've picked up some colour from the sun to reflect back in warmer golden tones, and the little red boat against the dark blue fabric is perfect.
What an amazing collection of cards!
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