12 Tags of 2015 - May (and June and Dot)!

Some time ago my brother sent me some old family photos - we thought we had lost them when we moved but last week we found them again!(OK, so we moved 2 years ago - we still have unopened boxes!!!)
When I saw this photo of my Mum and her younger sister I knew I had to use it!

My Mum's name was Doris but had always been known as Dot, my Aunt's name was Pamela but she had always been known by her second name!
Of their three brothers only one was known by his original name!!
This photo was taken just after the Second World War when my Mum was about to get married. A time of uncertainty, neither of them knew that their future lives would turn out to be so different. I hope my tag reflects this.

As we were away at our caravan resources were limited - although I didn't have many of the products Tim used anyway (see Tim's here along with tutorial)  I think I will be buying ready made sticky back hessian(burlap)though - I used a scrap of fabric and stuck it to a tag but had a few problems!
I used some scraps on the top corner along with some of Tim's papers. The flowers are from the Tattered Florals strip die, coloured with distress inks and white pen, the leaves were cut from a magazine and darkened with Brushed Corduroy ink. I found the initial stickers and the clock in a magazine too.
I tried using ribbon but it looked a bit too heavy with the lighter fabric so added distress coloured muslin and some little bits from bracelets.
The words are from Tim's word sticker books - Chitchat and Smalltalk.

Despite their being separated for years, my Aunt went to live in Africa while my Mum and Dad lived on a low agricultural wage, they remained close. Both of them had happy lives and my Aunt still lives close to the home where they were living at the time of this photo.

Thank you for all the kind comments you have been leaving for me - the connection while we were away was worse than ever! I will be trying to visit before we go off to France but please don't think me rude if I have to wait until we get back!

Thanks, as always, for looking, Chris 

WOYWW 312

If it hadn't have been for Julia none of us would be here! What a mad thing to do, but how great that we can get together each week by linking to her blog The Stamping Ground! So, a big 'Hurray!' to Julia and 'Thanks!' too!!!
My desk - 10 minutes ago - we got back about half an hour ago - the coffees are made and I've hopped on here before hubby starts to look at the photos he's taken while we've been at our caravan with my son and grandchildren! 

 What you see here is the mess I left on Friday covered by my trusty pencil case(yes, there is too much in here - I need to take some things out before the zip breaks!!) and my little case that contained most of what I needed this weekend - we had a couple of days before they arrived so if you squint you may see my Tim tag!!!

I now have 5 days to prepare for our France trip and although I may blog between now and Tuesday I won't be here showing my desk for the next 3 weeks.
I have an ATC though (and a couple of spares if anyone wants one) so off now to make my link!

Thanks for looking, Chris 

Try It On Tuesday

The  new theme at Try It On Tuesday is 'Crowning Glory'. You can find the details of the challenge here and also see the fabulous samples the Design team have created! 
One of my heroines is Eleanor of Aquitaine. We are off to Poitiers  to see my (ex)sister-in-law and her husband! Eleanor  was married to Henry II in beautiful Poitiers Cathedral. She was placed into a tomb at Fauntrevaud Abbey and we were taken there last time we visited.

I started my journal page by coating it with black gesso - scary!!!
Once I started to use my stencils with an old Adirondack Copper paint and white pearly ink it began to look better.

I used a Sheena Douglas crackle stamp in the parts around the edges.
I wanted to include a picture of the abbey but decided to use another Sheena Douglas stamp. The Abbey was one of the biggest in France and was unique in that it was run by women! Eleanor gave a lot of financial support.

I stamped the door onto tissue and added it to my page using Multi Media Matte gel.
The image of Eleanor is from the internet and is from an original mediaeval painting.

I added some hinges using the bronze paint. The words(from TH idea-ology small talk) were edged with the same paint. 
The words seemed so appropriate as she was a very determined woman -  she married a French King but failed to produce an heir so the marriage was annulled and she married Henry but sadly ended up being imprisoned by him at Winchester castle(we visited the castle but could find no reference of her)and several others around the country. Two of her sons, Richard I and John became Kings of England and Eleanor returned to France and spent the rest of her life at the abbey. 
For Eleanor's name I used the French version - around the Poitiers area there are plenty of mentions of her as this was where the royal court was held.

I edged the whole page with Copper too!

I hope you will join us this time, as you will see if you pop over! My teamies have made a real variety of projects!

Thanks for looking , Chris

Dragons Dream in Yellow!

Time is a bit limited this month but I needed some crafting time - I won't get much next month apart from my travel journal! I love flowers so thought I could use them on this tag!
The recipe at Dragons Dream is Yellow and Texture. I started with three distress inks - Mustard Seed, Squeezed Lemonade and Scattered straw and added them to the tag with a sponge. I used a Dina Wakley mask too, after I had used a stencil with Grunge Paste mixed with Fresco paint - Yellow Submarine. 

The flowers are from a Paper Artsy Hot Picks - I added some little beads that I got from the £1 shop nail art section. Before I stuck them down I added the butterflies and some dots using a Crafters Workshop stencil, a little bit of text from a Visual Image set and the 'beautiful' from a set that has become separated from the info sheet. I then spattered some watered down PA Fresco - Little Black dress.

I am entering in Dragons Dream TIO 191 - Yellow and Texture
Stamping Sensations - Flower Power
Our Creative Corner - April showers bring May Flowers  my rain has made mud spatters!!

Thanks for looking, Chris

WOYWW 311…The crop part 2

Well, I say part 2, but part 1 here only had photos of the area where the crop is held(it is beautiful if you want take a peek)
First though, the desk - taken this morning at about 8.00.

This is after all why we are here and Julia welcomes anyone with desk to show - you don't even have to pitch up each week(although you probably will - it's addictive once you start snooping err…showing!!!)Just link to her blog at the Stamping Ground.Mine shows the aftermath of (a) returning from the crop and dumping stuff (b)making a quick card - really quick - 10 minutes before we were due to go and pick up GD yesterday so we could hand deliver it on the way!!

Okay…I know why you are really here today - photos of the crop coming up - in no particular order!!

Just after the 'Official' photo - can't possibly reveal what Julia said!!!

LLJ having a moment!!! I think Julia has named all these lovely folk on her crop blogpost!

As you may know it was Zo's 40th birthday last week - we all signed her card!

Red, white and blue - Shaz(silverwolf), me, Zo(craftygashead)

Lunch is served - a wonderful choice of delicious food, Debbie(Tatteredrocks) and 
Maggie(Silvercrafter) have just got theirs from Julia and Jan

We all had a great time - lots of chat, some crafting, coffee, cake (couldn't resist Fiona's Lemon cake)- then came the packing up!

Hettie, Zo and Lisa

Dolores(Cardarian and Mary-Anne(Scrappystickyinkymess) didn't want to go

…and now the shots I know you will love….Helen(Stamping by H) packing up her stuff!!

It did all go back in too - although I've never seen a suitcase with quite so much in it!!!
I was lucky enough, as you will see in pics on LLJ's, Helen's and Julia's blogs, to work between Cindy and Helen!

So, that's it….I will be hoping to swap ATCs next week but will be starting pack for our long holiday! I'll try to show you the ATCs I got at the crop too!!

Thanks for looking, Chris

T is for …..I'd like to be….

…well if I'm honest, certainly not under the sea and not in a grey northern suburb of Manchester either! I would like to go back to Wiltshire though - the WOYWW crop was fabulous and in a beautiful setting (the crop part 1 is here)
I am going to show you what I started at the crop though!
I love taking part in challenges and there are a few that I always like to enter!
Art Journal Journey has a fab topic this month - 'The Sea'
and Country View Challenges is 'Simply Scenic'…...
so I set to with a gessoed page and made an under water scene using the four shades of PA Fresco paints I took with me - Snowflake, Baltic Blue, Glass Blue and Toad Hall.

I used a book page to draw some random leaves, the fish were Crafty Individuals and Inkadinkadoo.
I used various pens to draw lines, bubbles and a circle stencil for the larger bubble shapes.
When we got home last night I added some texture by using Grunge paste through the edge of a Dylusions stencil and some shimmer with Mica paints - dripped on and allowed to run.

The little fishy bubbles were made with my uni-ball pen

I am entering in the above mentioned challenges.

I am also joining my lovely blog friend Elizabeth and Bleubeard for T stands for Tuesday
The night we arrived we went for a lovely meal at a pub recommended by the owner of the B and B
The Cricketers Arms at Tangley

The food was excellent (so good we went back on the Saturday night too!)

Can you tell that hubby is getting used to my taking photos?
Mine was a small(!) portion of Fish and Chips, hubby had Duck Cassoulet.
Then…..and this is why we went back

THE most delicious cheesecake I have ever had (and believe me I've had a few!!)
My choice of drink - a diet coke, lemon, no ice!
The owner and staff were very friendly and there was a lovely atmosphere on both occasions!

Linking to T stands for Tuesday. I will be around to see what you are drinking later!

Thanks for looking, Chris

The Crop - part 1

I was going to wait until Wednesday to show you some WOYWW crop pictures but thought you might like to see some of the photos hubby and I took on our little break! We went down on Thursday so that we could have a day out on Friday.

Stockbridge - a lovely little town which has connections with Lillie Langtry, Edward VII's mistress
We also saw this beautiful wisteria covered wall

and these

but best of all …..we got some bread when we went for coffee - to feed the ducks and saw these…

We spent the afternoon in Winchester - a beautiful city!

First - the Great Hall-this was used for court scenes in 'Wolf Hall' - a BBC series

After a light lunch we visited the Old Mill - they still make flour there!

The garden at the back was so peaceful!

We saw the Buttercross in the town centre and a modern touch up a side street too

A trip to the cathedral was on our list too, sadly some of it was covered in scaffolding but we did manage a few shots

The next day was Saturday - crop day!!!

Burbage where the crop is held is full of beautiful old buildings.

These were taken by hubby last year - the weather was a great improvement this year!

We saw beautiful views on the way back to our B and B

The Crop? Aah! You will have to take a look on Wednesday - but if you can't wait you can see some photos on Julia's, Helen's and Lunch Lady Jan's blogs!!

Thanks for looking, Chris