Wednesday 23 March 2016

What's outside your window?

Morning all.
Just popping by to share a card I made for a couple of challenges.


The main spark to this were the challenges at Less is More and The Paper Players.
LIM would like to see what is outside your window and PP is a photo of gorgeous spring cherry blossom.
This got me thinking of what should be in our front yard. We moved into a partly converted barn a few years ago and there are still plenty of unfinished jobs around, especially outside. The old farm yard is a great improvement on what it once was but my cherry trees are yet to make an appearance!
So just to show we have made progress, if a little slowly, here are a couple of then and now photos.


This shows the farm as it was when we first saw it and didn't for one moment think we could afford to buy one of the barns. Anyway as luck would have it, we were offered the opportunity to buy one of the shells and there began a wonderful adventure. Our barn is behind the derelict cowshed on the right. You can't see much of it, except a little bit of brickwork in the middle just to the right of the gate post.
So after a lot of dismantling of sheds this is what we were left with!


Bricked up stable doors, years of cow muck and concrete stanchions. The doorway you can see is now a glazed door into the kitchen diner.

As this was a conversion we even had to submit plans to the council about what plants we wanted and just out of shot behind the original brick wall divide I wanted some cherry trees.

This is the result so far. It is taken from the new window which is the left hand bricked up opening in the above photo. I want the trees just behind the mound of chippings in the corner.


Long gone is the cow muck but our neighbours have turned the other side of the partition wall into Steptoe's yard and the coping stones are loose on the top of the wall. They are in the process of renovating the old farmhouse but are taking an awful long time about it! So I am still waiting for the yard to be finished. There are cobbles from the original yard surface waiting to be reused and a wagon load of granite chips to surface the rest of the yard. The neighbours haven't done much to their half and we end up in a muddy mess when it rains but we are getting there, slow and steady!

So, that was my inspiration. For the cherry blossom I used a Crafters Companion die, cut in white then coloured with Copics. The window is a combination of MFT dies and popped up on pads. The stamped greeting is from a HLS set 'Doodled Flowers', thanks Kylie!

OK, enough, now I would like to join in over at -

      We'd love you to display our banner

Edited 26/3 Thanks for the reminder Sarah!

20 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing your story I'm sure all of the upheaval and delays will be worth it in the long run and that you will soon have those cheery trees outside your window. Your card is beautiful such delicate colours and beautifully CAS.

    Marie

    ReplyDelete
  2. So much texture--both in your life and in your card today!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Enjoyed reading your blog and it will be worth it in the end! Such a pretty card. Love the window detail and those gorgeous blossoms, here's to it happening in the not too distant future x

    ReplyDelete
  4. I wish I could see flowers out my window..but I guess it won't be long now! Your card sure makes me feel like spring. Thanks for sharing at The Paper Players this week!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful card Jules. Those cherry blossoms just scream spring to me, so delicate and soft. Always lots of work with a large renovation. Looks like you've come a long way already. xx

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thank you for sharing your renovation photos Julie ( you should have been on Grand Designs!!) and the story behind your beautiful card, so pretty and I love the frame xx

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is a gorgeous card - I love the detail of the stitched edging round the window - and beautiful colours. Your converted barn sounds brilliant! I hope you get your cherry trees soon :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your card is so pretty! Thanks for sharing at Less is More!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sierlijk kaart Jules mooi met de bloemetjes
    Groetjes Gerrie

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wow...what a challenge, to move into a barn. I am sure when you're all done, it will be fabulously amazing! JUST like your card....beautiful in its simplicity! You have more patience than I to do all those little flowers, but what a reward in the final outcome! So very pretty! Thanks for sharing this and playing with us at the Players this week!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wonderful photos Julie - it's always fun to visualize where someone lives and WOW! Blown away by your stunning, delicate and feminine card. Gorgeous colours and style and if you haven't done so already you may want to link up at ATCAS - delicate too. Thanks for playing along at Less is More this week. Sarah x

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a gorgeous card, Jules. I love the cherry blossom through the frame, so pretty. And thanks for sharing your photos, what a great project.
    Thanks for sharing with us.
    Anita x
    Less is More

    ReplyDelete
  13. The window really makes the flowers pop! Congrats on PP287 a cut above!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Beautiful card! Thank you for playing alone at ATCAS!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Such gorgeous blossom, it is one of my favourite signs of spring.Lou x (Guest designer at LIM)

    ReplyDelete
  16. It's taken me a while to get around to seeing what's outside your window!
    This is fabulous Julie, I shall look forward to seeing the real thing in some pics in the not too distant future!
    Thanks so much
    Chrissie
    "Less is More"

    ReplyDelete
  17. Gorgeous card, as always, Jules! I love those tiny cherry blossoms...they're so sweet! Thanks so much for playing along with us this week at ATSM!

    Looks like you're making progress on your barn ~ Thanks for sharing photos!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh my gosh...I am so sorry for my error! I meant to say...Thanks so much for playing along with us this week at Addicted to CAS!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting my blog and for taking the time to leave a comment. I really do enjoy reading what you have to say.

From 25th May 2018, in line with new Data Protection legislation (GDPR) by commenting you do so in the knowledge that your name and comment are visible to all who visit this blog and thereby consent to the use of that personal information for that specific purpose. If you leave me a comment on my blog you do so in the knowledge that it will be visible to all who visit my blog. It will also be visible for anyone to collect.

I personally do not collect any information stored on my blog.

If you have left a comment and don't want it to be seen, then please delete it.
Thanks
Jules :0)