Lesley McLean
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lmclea2.bsky.social
Lesley McLean
@lmclea2.bsky.social
Writer & editor of greeting cards and jokes; artsy-crafty; reader, especially of crime thrillers - like to post reviews too!
Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice - When a small Anishinaabe community loses all power and communication with the wider world, they band together to survive the winter. Then an unexpected visitor arrives. Should he be allowed to join them? The death toll rises…
December 27, 2025 at 9:37 AM
Today I am channeling two festivals. No way I’m waiting until Halloween to wear my new Shining cardigan 🤷🏻‍♀️🙈😂 @stephenking.bsky.social #christmas #halloween #horror #Shining #stephenking
December 26, 2025 at 11:21 AM
My Editorial team built a little book Xmas tree 🤩 Sophie was chief book collector, I made the decorations, Seherish did lighting & Pete took the photo.
So many colleagues have stopped to talk about reading. It’s small but mighty and I’ve got a funny feeling it might turn into a tradition! #christmas
December 6, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Last Friday in the month, must be Talk and Draw with the NationalGallery. Our painting was the pointillist masterpiece Coastal Scene by Théo van Rysselberghe. We rubbed out to show light areas, made a palette, and focused on some speedy mark-making! #nationalgallery #pointillism #art #landscape
November 28, 2025 at 5:44 PM
(Radio) ga ga over my latest Christmas tree topper! Meet Freddie - he’s a legend and a gingerbread man made from punch needle, then he’s stuffed, and backed with felt. He has a handy loop to hang over the top of the tree.

If you fancy Fred or one of my other legends for the top of your tree…
November 23, 2025 at 8:14 AM
We hope you have a fab-BOO-lous Halloween! Don’t forget to share your themed ideas with us @TheColourCoop on Insta #fabboolous👻 #halloween #halloweenvibes #halloweenart #design #illustration #fun #funny #pun #wordplay #ghoul #ghost #spell #eye #pumpkin #writer #halloweenfun
October 31, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Have a holly Jolene Christmas! Here’s my latest punch needle, a gingerbread Dolly for the top of the tree. A Xmas tree-topper, punched with embroidery thread, finished with sparkly (fake) gems and stuffed with love. The back is felt with a loop to go over the top of that lonesome pine #punchneedle
October 2, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Wee tea time walk since I’ve been in all day doing ‘stuff’. Could hardly see for the lowering sun but there were some pretty fluffy clouds #littlefluffyclouds #autumnsky #methley #eveningwalks
September 28, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Love being back doing National Gallery Talk and Draw sessions. This month we concentrated on Millet’s The Winnower. Quick shape sketch, drawing the figure out with a rubber, & finally using colour to add life. #nationalgallery #nationalgallerylondon #sketch #draw #art #pencilsketches #mentalhealth
September 26, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Our prompt is toadstools - it won’t be long until a forest of fungus pushes up through the ground to say hello. Check out more @thecolourcoop on Insta. Share yours and tag us 🍄 #toadstool #mushrooms #mushroom #fungi #fungus #toadstools #chanterelles #foraging #autumn #september #penart #illustration
September 6, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Little bit of Sunday sketching - Edinburgh’s old buildings stepped up the hill. Not sure if I’m done - need to live with it a little bit 🤔 #edinburgh #scotland #sketching #drawing #blackpen #buildings #architecture #historicbuildings
August 31, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Thanks @goodhousekeeping.bsky.social for using my teeny tiny book review in your October issue!
August 30, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Guess that’s why they call it the blues… inadvertently only read books with blue covers this month. So many 4-star reads - I must be feeling the book love!

In photo, book covers for:

The Rush - Beth Lewis ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cover Her Face - PD James ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Dead of Winter - Stuart MacBride ⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 30, 2025 at 10:21 AM
What says Christmas more than a Tina Turner tree topper?! 😂 My punch needle music legends all start off with a gingerbread template. So, who’s next? I’m thinking maybe Freddie Mercury, or Amy Winehouse? 🤔 #punchneedle #needlepunch #handcrafted #christmas #treetopper #decoration #legend #tinaturner
August 24, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Saturday morning was brought to you by the letter P for Pilates, plus Pirates in a chapter or two of @dougskelton.bsky.social Ship of Thieves, and Pastel de Nata at De Oliveira’s - aaaaargh! #pilates #pirates #piecesofeight #jonasflynt #historicfiction #pasteldenata #potuguesepastry
August 16, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Such a lovely day at Globe Arts experimenting with folk art and learning about pattern with @lindsay_loves_to_draw (on Insta). Happily recommend! #folkart #pattern #painting #gouache #watercolour #art #GlobeArts #Marsden #chicken #rooster #cockerel #hen
August 14, 2025 at 3:46 PM
It’s 1898 in the frozen Canadian wilderness, when 100,000 prospectors looking for gold migrated to the Yukon over just 3 years.

The Rush by Beth Lewis is the story of 4 women who, through choice or circumstance, end up in lawless Dawson City.

It’s the story of a murder…
August 10, 2025 at 9:27 AM
Yes, it’s Ozzy, the bat-biting Prince of Darkness immortalised in punch needle! Because why wouldn’t you want the heavy metal legend as a gingerbread man treetopper?! #punchneedle #needlepunch #treetopper #gingerbreadman #christmas #ozzy #ozzyosbourne #blacksabbath #legend #heavymetal #rock
August 8, 2025 at 7:55 PM
And breathe… little stretch of the legs to kick off the weekend #methley #yorkshire #august #summer #clouds
August 8, 2025 at 5:29 PM
The purple people pleaser himself takes his place in my legends line-up! Prince is my latest gingerbread man Christmas treetopper. Made using punch needle, fabric and felting #punchneedle #needlepunch #embroiderythread #prince #gingerbreadmen #christmas #treetopper #legend #purple #bowie #eltonjohn
August 2, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Happy Yorkshire Day everyone! #YorkshireDay #yorkshire #godsowncountry
August 1, 2025 at 7:14 PM
July reads
City of Vengeance - @dvbishop.com - fantastic historical crime fiction on the streets of Florence in the 1500s ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer - @ragnarjok.bsky.social - if Miss Marple lived in modern day Iceland ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️
Redemption - Jack Jordan - least said ⭐️
August 1, 2025 at 5:03 PM
It’s Sunday, so here’s a pile of pigs for ya! #pigs
July 27, 2025 at 2:58 PM
OK, so I made my Bowie Christmas tree topper, then Sir Elton, can you guess which purple prince of pop is next up in the old punch needle hoop? 💜 #punchneedleart #needlepunch #bowie #elton #prince #christmastreetopper #crafting
July 26, 2025 at 7:15 PM
Oops, Lego, I think you meant Game Boy… didn’t you? #typo #autocaption #oopsy
July 26, 2025 at 11:59 AM