Impressive wonder of nature!

Yesterday we had a day out with my middle son and grandchildren, my son and I have said for ages that we would love to visit "Another place", an Anthony Gormley installation of cast iron figures on the beach at Crosby near Liverpool. Wikipedia reference here
The weather forecast was good and we agreed to meet up and spend some time there! 
Of course I had seen photos and film on TV but I still wasn't prepared for how I would be affected by this place and the statues staring out at the Mersey.

This morning I was so keen to get on with a journal page but as Wendy (our assigned HKA) was in my craft room ironing I decide to print out some photos onto some fabric canvas that I have had for ages.

This afternoon onto a background that I prepared when we got home last night I made this for Gill's last day as hostess on Art Journal Journey! Her theme of 'Nature's Wonders' inspired me so much and I was sorry not to have had more time to join in!

So, where is the Nature's Wonder? It is in the barnacles that have formed over theses statues over the years.

A slightly rushed page but I really had to do this!! 

The rectangles down the sides of the man are the barnacles close up except that the canvas alters the appearance slightly so  here they are to show you better.

You can see where they have not taken hold in parts on this man!

I will post more photos another day - hubby and I took loads!!

For now, we're going out for a family meal tonight so I must go and get ready!

Thanks for looking, Chris

'Children' at Try It On Tuesday

Hi everyone! It's time for our new challenge at Try It On Tuesday, which you will already have seen from my post title is 'Children'
The Design Team have made some wonderful inspiration to get you started, so please, do go and have a look!

I love making tags (my next favourite after my art journals)
I started by painting my tag with some PA fresco paint - then added some 3D transparent gloss gel through Tim's Doily stencil

Once this was dry I rubbed some Distress Crayons over the tag in rather a random manner before rubbing with a dampened finger.
I had some gelli printed paper leftover from a play session

I ripped a piece off and stamped some text on it as well as inking the edges.
This was then cut to fit the tag and I added some green gauze that also had the ink treatment
The photo is one I had picked out a while ago from the TH Lost relatives pack.

The little girl has her hair in a style that I had as a child - I love the way she has been distracted from the camera - probably by someone telling her to smile!
Does anyone else remember going to a studio in the 50's to have a series of photos taken that were presented in a sheet of square photos so that one could be chosen to enlarge?

  

The little girl is doing just as she is told - just smiling at someone she knows!
I used some Bora Bora Fresco paint over both a metal corner and a flower.  I rubbed it off while wet so that the paint stuck in the grooves.
The flower was added to an old Prima flower and has a gemstone centre.

 I used one of my sale bargain TH die words (I just dabbed it lightly with a touch of Hickory smoke DI to make it blend in more)and added some lace and a button to finish this off.

I hope you will join us this time with your interpretation of  'Children' - it can be any kind of project you wish as long as you keep to the theme! 

Thanks for looking, Chris

If you would like to see more of Chatsworth take a look at my 'T' post previous to this one! 

T Stands for….the rest of our visit..

If you were here last week for T stands for Tuesday at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog you will have seen some of my photos of Chatsworth House. A Wikipedia link is here

I promised you more photos of the inside of this Stately Home. 
Oh My! It really is 'Stately'
The house has been used as a film set for many films - Pride and Prejudice being probably the most well known.

I'll show you the meal we had first and then you can amble around the house, just as we did.
We decided that waiter service might take too long - we had paid enough to get in and that was with a twofer!(It would have been £40 for us both!)and we wanted to see as much as possible in the time we had.
The meal - cafeteria style - i.e. Queue up and get served, was delicious - we both chose slow roasted pork with lentils - lots of lovely mixed greens and new potatoes! Our drink - of course - water!!

Now you can take your time to look around - I'm sorry but these won't be in any sort of order but it will give you an idea of the opulence of the place!!
No words unless I think something could do with an explanation!

A lot of these photos are hubby's but he says it's OK to use them! 

The two tall pieces with tubes on them are Tulip Holders! 

 This fabulous wallpaper was printed with the leaves on and the birds and flowers were handpainted!!
Similar ones were in most of the bedrooms.

 This long hallway has mirrors on one side and DNA 'pictures' of members of the family!

The present Duke is very keen on showing off the art work and I will probably show some more of this another time!
It really was a Grand Day Out!

For now it is getting close to my bed time. 

We are going out with some of the family to Crosby Beach tomorrow to see Anthony Gormley's "Another Place"

Thanks for looking, Chris 

It's A Stitch Up at Simon Says Stamp Monday Blog Challenge

Thank you so much to the Design Team at Simon Says Monday Blog Challenge - this is sadly my last time in the Spotlight here and I have had brilliant support from the team, especially from Lols, it has been an honour and such fun!!

It's time to reveal the new challenge - 'It's a stitch up' this time and the details are on the SSS blog

My tag represents how I feel when hand sewing - a different matter when it came to what I thought would be a good idea! More of that later…

I started by coating my Ranger tag with Paper Artsy Fresco Finish paint to which I added some Black Knight Infusions powder and dragged it down the tag.

 Once that was dry - not long to wait as this paint dries in super quick time - I used the TH Harlequin layering stencil to add Prima Art Basics Transparent 3D Gloss Gel 

Now that does take a while to dry, so I got on with stamping my chosen images onto a linen scrap - I used the sewing elements from the TH Attic Treasures set - I masked off the images one by one to get an illusion of them being in a heap.

I also tried to recreate a happy accident I had some time ago when using the TH harlequin die from the Sizzix TH Thinlets Mixed Media set - as I hadn't taped the die to my plate on my Big Shot it jumped a little giving a lovely jagged edge!
Of course I should have known that I would move the die the wrong way but I know I will use the downward one sometime so that OK!

 I used a Ranger Cut-N-Dry Brush Tip Pen Nib to add some Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink

I also used my Big Shot to cut out 3 of Tim's Sizzix Framelits labels using Ranger Inkssentials Manilla Cardstock

I added TH Remnant rubs from the Botanical set

  

I used a little Antique Linen DI around the edges.

I managed to get all of this done while we were away at our caravan but when I got home it was straight to my sewing machine to sew the linen onto some old book paper.
Now this is where I had a 'moment' - I always admire folk who include sewing in their card making - it must be easy - right? Ha! Totally wrong colour thread, sewing a very small piece was also tricky, the finished piece looks dreadful- start again!!

Slightly better - well, OK...

I also wanted some beads - paper beads - made by cutting long thin triangles of a sewing page from Tim's Crowded Attic papers and then rolling up from the broad end

The beads were coated with Paper Artsy Fresco Finish Pearl Glaze
I could start assembling my tag now, some more sewing(a piece of vintage lace) and then hand sewed a button and the beads onto the corner

The top left corner had a piece of old T-shirt that I added an eyelet to using my trusty Crop-A-Dile.
Top right I used one of my favourite background stamps, also from the  TH Attic Treasures stamp set 
I added a TH Trinket pin to my lace, ribbon(coloured with Stormy Sky  Distress ink) and twine the top of my tag.
When I came back to take a photo I could see a space to add a TH Big Chat word 'CALM' which is how I feel now I have finished!

Don't forget that one lucky entrant into the challenge could win a $50 voucher to spend at Simon Says Stamp! 

Thank you once again DT for asking me to join you this month - looking forward to seeing what you get up to in 'STAMPtember'!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Just playing...

with my new stamps….I know…...I know…….surely I've got enough? It's just that yesterday we went down into Carnforth and I just happened to go in to Rowantree Crafts and there waiting for me on the racks were some new Paper Artsy Jofy Stamps. I had already bought another of the new minis online!!!

So today, having got something 'done and dusted' I have had time to play!

I love these flowers, but even more, I love the sentiment!
The page already had some mop up paint through a stencil on it, I spritzed the page and added some Infusions(A Bit Jaded, Limoncello and Are You Cerise)
I stencilled through some text and post mark stencils using DIs and then used one of the stamps to make little circles but then decided it was a little too bright so went over everything with gesso.

The flowers were stamped onto water colour paper and the petals coloured in with some old Twinkling h2Os - there is a shimmer but my camera didn't pick it up. The rest of the colouring on the flowers and the leaves were using some very old Tombow pens and I was surprised that they hadn't dried up!
Once I had cut them out I decided that the circle flower stems would make a good background and these too were coloured with the Tombows.
I added some more circles using Picked Raspberry DI ink and then spattered black and white paint over….after masking the flowers! 

While we were at our caravan this time we had absolutely no internet connection or phone line for two days! The only time I could connect was while we were out!
We love our walks in the area.
I posted some photos on Instagram but for those of you that didn't see them here are some I took and some of hubby's too.

 We entered the tow path at a different spot(having driven there) so we could explore more of the canal!

 I spotted a couple of buzzards overhead -making quite a noise!

Hubby got a better shot

His camera also picked up the Moorhen and chick better

Finally we went up onto the bridge to look down on these Mallard ducks

I would like to enter in the challenge at Moo Mania and More - Nature's Beauty - flowers often stop me in my tracks!
For the same reason I would also like to enter the Challenge at Country View Crafts - Hot Summer Days
I have missed you all and I am hoping to get a catch up now!

Thanks for looking, Chris