Ooooh, look what just arrived!

The postie just arrived with a package for me..........

 ......my new Christmas stamp sets! There are also a Halloween set and a hats set in there. The ones along the top are from the Crafty Impressions range in their new festive red packaging. The bottom row are from my Doo Lally Pip collection and, in the middle are my "Little Doo Lally Pip" stamps. There are loads of them....thirteen Doo Lally Pip sets, nine Crafty Impressions sets and ten Little Doo Lally Pips.....makes me realise just how much drawing I did a few months ago and it still gives me a thrill to see them turned into the finished product.

All the new Christmas stamps are available now from Personal Impressions stockists - if they don't have them in, just ask!

Along with my own stamps there were a few of the general Crafty Impressions Christmas word sets.....

......these will prove very useful additions in my sample making.

Speaking of which, it's all hands to the deck now (well, my two hands anyway!) to get lots of samples made with them all. The only question is.....where do I start!
I've just popped back here to add a couple of pictures of a canvas that I finished today - I didn't want to leave it part done when I started my Christmas samples. This one features my Piffy on a Rock Cake character and I've used calico across the bottom of the canvas again for grass. I really like the tactile quality that the fabric gives.

 Here's a closer look at the "grass"....

.....the tiny flowers are circles of painted card that I've wet and scrunched up before heat setting to stiffen them. I added little dots of dimensional pearl paint to the centres. You can see more close ups of the canvas on my Etsy site.
Well, it's been dull and misty here all day, with some showers too and the sun has only just put in an appearance. Yesterday was perfect weather for the garden party at the Vicarage where there was a barbecue as well as three tables weighed down with delicious salads of every description, cous cous, potatoes, trifles etc, all lovingly prepared by members of the parish. A lovely afternoon was had by all though I didn't win anything in the raffle (I never do!) and I didn't go on the bouncy castle either!
I did get some more good bat shots last night and will keep on trying until I manage to get a picture of one face on as it flies towards me....I'm determined!