Celebrating by looking back...

Many of you may know this was my last year of being in my 60's,although as my birthday was before Christmas I am ending it in my 70's.
It has been a great year and once again we got to the end of the year realising how quickly that year passed!
I am celebrating by looking back over the year and have made a journal page to celebrate!
I am joining Sheila of Orange Esmerelda at Art Journal Journey with her 'Let's Celebrate' theme for one last time! I wish I had had more journaling time this month but what with birthday celebrations, visiting family and taking on a tag challenge there hasn't been much time!

I used a napkin and a photo card I picked up at the cinema. The background is Distress Oxides and a little bit of random stamping

I have had a book of quotes printed on velum for ages which was unearthed while looking for something else - the quote seemed just right! The little illustration is from one of my chocolate wrappers from Paris. The star made it's way here from the Christmas things still around on my desk. To finish it off I added some stickles that I put on my mat and used the end of a paintbrush to add faded type dots.

I can't believe that it is nearly a year since I decorated this cover of this journal! It was half full then and today's page is the next to last to be completed!

  

We went off to Dunham Massey for a walk at the beginning of the month(there will be another photo of DM at the end of the year!)
I also made one of my favourite projects of the year for TIOT….

 …this little box is where I keep the keys for our caravan, they go in there overtime we return home as I was forever losing them - haven't mislaid them once this year!

This is the page I made in the middle of the night, something woke me up and after trying to get back to sleep decided to go to my craft room and go through a going to bed process again - it worked!

My friend Sarah and I visited the Creative Recycling Gallery - so much inspiration so I took my son there a few weeks later!

By February it was becoming lighter in the evenings (looking forward to that next year)
Tag Tuesday had a revamp and I have enjoyed joining in when I can! This was my first tag for the Bookworm theme and it is one that I keep on display in my craft room

Walking along by the Lune at Kirby Lonsdale is one of our favourite walks and I loved seeing the snowdrops!

I started a planner journal in 2017 - here you see one of my spreads and underneath is my 365 Calendar journal which record daily events

March came with a few plans too!

We had a walk at Sizergh Castle….and another at Styall Mill to see the Spring flowers.

I went to Harrogate with my friends Sarah and Helen for a workshop with lovely Tracy Scott..and finished my page off the next day

Hubby and I also had a few days away in York, I hadn't been there for years.

With all the outings I didn't have a great month craft wise but I did make a little pear hanging which I used for my blog header.

We also saw the Flying Scotsman steam train, after a visit to Allen Bank

April came and we were out and about…a lot!

A trip to our caravan of course…and another outing to Rydal Mount with our grandchildren and son, as well as a trip to Lowther castle where I was persuaded to cross some netting(not showing that again!)

I also started Rae Missigman's 30 Day Artmarks challenge which I continued while away in Paris for a long weekend and a visit to Paris Scrap.

These are three of my favourites!

Paris was, of course, wonderful and we visited some familiar places and some new ones.

Parc Montsouris - my favourite parc

Buttes Chaumont with its artificial rocks

We also walked around the Buttes Aux Cailles area and loved it so much we stayed there at the end of our trip around France in the Autumn.

May arrived and the bluebells were flowering on our walk around our area!I love to see bluebells…anywhere

In a suitably chilled mode I created two journal pages for Gill's Elegance and Grunge theme at AJJ..

...before going to Sizergh to see the gardens once again

Here is just one of the lovely sunsets we saw at our caravan

A little more crafting took place during May

Our caravan garden looked it's best this month!

By the time June came the weather was a lot warmer

 We went to Hawes for a day out

We had lunch with youngest son and partner followed by a trip across the road to this very unusual garden centre

I did have some crafting time, mainly for journal pages - this is one of my favourites of the year

I am going to stop here with my look back at this year, I will continue at T Stands For Tuesday!

Meanwhile I hope everyone enjoys their New Years Eve, whether you are going out celebrating or having a quiet(at least till the fireworks at midnight!)night in!

See you in 2018!

Thank you all for visiting, not just today, but throughout the year. My blog means nothing to me without the lovely friendships forged over the years via my blog!

Hugs to all, Chris