ED221Completed by Pamela Horton The whispering Platypus

Emy has stitched and made a sunny Spring image with the card profiled for this beautifully designed stitching pattern offered for purchase.

I have made 2 very different Christmas greeting cards using this same versatile design.

The mauve and purple card front features 27 purple and11 silver rice beads, 15 small pearl finished purple seed beads, 15 tiny dark purple seed beads, 5 round 3mm pearls and 18 silver glitter sequins which I have used instead of spacers.

I completed the stitching before attaching any beads. For the stems I have used single thread pale green embroidery floss and for the leaves 4 shades darker green.

For the tiny circles, and the outside edged lines, I have used a metallic purple and completed the other inner line, using 3 threads together, metallic glitter silver.

I printed the lilac mottled effect backing sheet onto 170gsm card and cut it at 12.5x 12cm. I copied the design and completed the stems using 1-4 spacing. The circles I have used 1-3 spacing and the leaves as indicated.

I coloured 27, 5mm silver rice beads using purple metallic permanent pen and allowed them to dry before attaching them using double purple metallic thread.

The 3 groups of 5 small seed beads are pearl finished which I have also coloured and allowed to dry.

The centre of each flower is finished with a sequin with a pearl centre.

I secured the stitching using magic single sided tape and attached the finished stitched work onto the 13.5 x14cm purple backing sheet and used red power tape to attach this to the 14.5x15cm white card front.

I have coloured the sentiment and attached it. I have coloured the peel off Christmas tree and attached it to heavy duty mirror silver card, trimmed it and attached it with small padded D.S. squares.

I have added peel off decorative and fine line silver strips.

To complete the insert, I have used the same mauve backing sheet, cut to size, to print the verse and add tiny Christmas tree.

I the left part is blank to allow for my special Christmas message. The more traditional green, red and gold themed Christmas card is stitched onto 13x12.5cm textured pale blue 170gsm card.

I have used 30, 5mm silver rice beads to colour with a red permanent pen and allow them to dry before attaching them.

I have used 15 tiny 2mm, round red metallic beads, 8, 5mm gold metallic rice beads, 18 gold faceted sequins instead of spacers, 18 tiny gold seed beads and 11 tiny red seed beads.

The stems are stitched using 1-4 spacing using green sewing thread and the leaves using the same thread and stitched as indicated.

The tiny circles are stitched using a single thread of red embroidery floss in 1-3 spacing. The outer single lines are stitched using the same red floss and the inner lines are stitched using gold metallic thread.

The beads are all stitched using double thread in matching shades of metallic thread. The 14 x13.5cm satin finished metallic backing sheet is attached using red power tape after securing the stitching using magic tape.

This completed topper is attached to the 15x14cm white 200gsm card front. I have attached gold fine line and decorative peel off strips and the glitter finished sentiment.

I have made the insert using a pale blue background sheet to cover with snowflake embossed acetate to photocopy and print the verse I have chosen and added a gold glitter star.

I am so please with the results and will make more of the same trialling different colour combinations. Pamela Horton. The Whispering Platypus.