Ring in the new!

Happy New Year everyone - borrowing words of the Christmas song -'Lets hope it's a good one!" 
I have also borrowed some words from Tennyson for yesterday's and todays posts! It is one of the lines in his poem 'Ring Out Wild Bells'
My page is a bright one to welcome the New Year, (yesterday's page had only glimmers of light!) 

Finger painted then added Paper Artsy stamps and doodled! Joined Lin Brown's bell flower with and Elenazinskiart zini(both PA)and made her ring!!! My colouring and writing both need practice!

Last year was a mixture of wonderful opportunities both craft wise and travel wise and balanced with a series of health problems (the hernia op in February and the recovery time being  the most frustrating one)I won't dwell on them!
The highlights were many though - the year started with a chance to join in an international journal tip in swap - very well kept together by Elizabeth and we all received some lovely pages!

I have chosen one that I made for my own journal - the theme was 'In my garden'

I was invited to host Art Journal Journey in March - thanks to Valerie and Susi! I thoroughly enjoyed making pages for my chosen theme of 'If you go down to the woods' 

This was an image transfer and paint

We went to Paris in April, met up with my SIL and BIL, got to visit VersionScrap (before being hauled out to a sick hubby!)We had a great time visiting the sights and also got to meet my lovely blog friend Patty along with hubby Jim. 

Unfortunately came home with the most awful tummy bug which took ages to shake off!
May started well, I was GD at Anything But Cute with this little book to 'Celebrate My style'……

….followed by an outing to Happy Stampers with friends Sarah and Helen(we also met up with lots of others crafty friends)! 
This was followed the next week by a workshop for the three of us at Art From The heart with Kassa Hayselden where I made this - only just realised I hadn't blogged it!!

June was a month of family time, eating out(quite a bit) and a visit with hubby to Woolfest where we enjoyed looking at sheep and listening to the ukulele band

It was also the month when I won some goodies from Paper Artsy

July was quite hot - we had a trip to Nottingham and Lincoln visiting relatives and enjoyed a little nostalgia trip too

Stokes tea and coffee shop - My Mum used to work here in her teens.

Throughout August I was spotlight designer for Simon Says Stamp Monday - a real honour - I pinched myself a few times…this was my favourite week - Contain Yourself

It holds two balls of string.
September was the month we set off to Essex to try and find my roots (or rather see if I could find where my Mum was born)
We visited Mountnessing where she and her siblings lived in the 30's but found that the house had been demolished to make way for a dual carriageway.
Not to worry - we went into London to meet up with Julie Ann and she and I had a good chat and a wander around Tate Modern and then I saw her(and  a lot of other blog friends) at Ally Pally the next day.

 The building is amazing!
It was back to Happy Stampers in October...

…and more meeting up with friends(by the Paper Artsy stand) - Sarah, Helen and Shaz with Neet in the background chatting! 
Hubby and I went off to Ely and Cambridge - we wanted to visit the Fitzwilliam Museum to see the Meadiaeval manuscripts…

….and had an unexpected treat of attending sung evensong at Kings College Chapel with the famous choir - here they are afterwards.

I caught a dreadful cold at the beginning of November an spent four days feeling sorry for myself but got myself better for our bread workshop with Kate at Peter Sidwell's new cookery school up near Keswick. 

I developed a cough while up there in the snow.

At the end of the month we went down to Stockbridge so that we could go to the WOYWW crop…here I am in  between Fiona(Staring at the sea) and Peter(Bishopsmate Christine's husband) 

and we also had a day in Winchester and discovered the delights of Croome Park on the way home!
By December was a month of lots of birthdays including my own and I was sure I had made enough Christmas cards but no, so I still had a bit of a mad dash to get cards ready for the post!
The month had a great finish at our annual family Christmas party where we played the most ridiculous game - Elizabeth, here is hubby with his mouth opener in!

I hope I haven't sent you to sleep with this little round up - of course as well as all this we have been able to spend quite a bit of time at our caravan!

My view when I craft on the dining table

I hope that the New Year brings us all more of what we really need - whether that be peace, company, craft time, leisure time, better health….whatever…I hope it will be a happy one!

I would just like to thank everyone for your continued encouragement, your comments mean lot to me, which is why after writing this I am going to continue to try and catch up with visits to your blogs!

Thanks for looking, Chris