A happy accident!

Hi everyone! the only reason I am dashing in here now is because a happy accident set me of on a journal page for Erika's Polkadots, stripes plaids and patterns theme at Art Journal Journey! I have so loved this theme! Thanks Erika for the inspiration!

As I was making some tape pulls from my paint palette it peeled off in huge pieces! I already had some mop up paint from my texture plate and brayer on my page, so stuck it on randomly and added some of Leonie's new stamps(Clarity Stamps) While I had been working on the page I was wondering what else to put on - what better than some Elana Pinsky plants(Paper Artsy)I went around the page and the plants with some watered down gold paint!


So here it is!! A great play time and now we're off to IKEA!
I'll be back later!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Back to my Journal

We've  been quite busy but I've had some time to play in my journal. I wanted to clean off a stencil so I decided to use a babywipe over my page.(I think there were a few more colours there too!) 
I hadn't thought it would be quite so pink as I had been using a very deep red but it gave me an idea for using it for flowers and some gelli prints I had in my little journal bag. 
I used one of my favourite flower stamps -the AALLandcreate poppy and another stamp from the set. I coloured it with pink pearl paint. There are a few rose images frome some designer paper.I also added some bookpaper dots and a small piece of napkin with some text on it. I used the only words I could find in my stamp box at the caravan, but since most of my dreams involve flowers it seems apt!!!
I am joining Erika's theme at Art Journal Journey - Polka Dots, Stripes, Plaids and Patterns

The dots are there for sure and the pattern on the print on the left was made with the end of a sqeezesd loo roll!

Thanks for looking, Chrisx 

T stands for........Tag...and the heat!

Hi everyone, I will return to my travels as promised but first - a tag...after playing with that lovely pear stamp yesterday I have used it again.
The Funky Junkie Boutique challenge wants to see tags...Terrific Tags indeed!!

I'm not sure whether this is terrific but I did enjoy making it - a painty background over which I added some clear gloss paste. The pears were stamped on tissue then added with gel medium so they have a little bit of texture! I added the cute pair of girls on a 'ground' of cheesecloth and stamped some leaves using Distress Oxides. The words were printed from my computer.

Now, where was I? Travelling from Toulouse on the hottest day so far. We were lucky to be on the shady side of the train for most of the journey.

 I think these were Kites, there were a lot of them!

 I didn't take any photos when we changed trains at Bordeaux, hubby stayed below ground with the cases while I ventured up into the heat to find out which platform we should go to! I remembered Bordeaux station as being hot but on this day it was stifling! A quick comfort break and I was back down those stairs where we only had to go up the next but one stairs to our train!

 We knew we were getting near to the ned of our train journey when we saw this water tower

 When my Brother and Sister in Law picked us up it was 40.5 degreesC
We drove past part of Futurescope...

and spotted some harvesting going on...

 ..and then arrived at SIL's house and the beautiful cool patio area

My drink shot for T Stands For Tuesday is at a cafe in Toulouse on our last day...and of course it's time to join Bleubeard and Elizabeth..

 Hubby looking suitably nonchalant as I took his photo!

I wonder how long it took to put all these bottles up?

Thanks for looking, Chris

It's a pair!

I'm just dashing in with this before it's too late ...how bad would it be not to enter tag for the Apples and Pears theme at Tag Tuesday with a name like mine!

I had this in mind for a while but I have been busy with things I can't show you just yet!!

I started this before attending our friend's funeral today and just finished it after getting back and having a a coffee...of course it's dark so this is taken with my daylight lamp! 

I'll be back soon with my T Post!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Slow down Saturday...

I hope everyone has enjoyed the fine weather here in the UK - it's looking as though it's all change tomorrow!
We have taken advantage of the weather to get out and about yesterday and today, although this morning was only part of a shopping trip - we set out early to get a walk in at Styal Mill before going to a hardware store and a supermarket.
We weren't the only ones taking advantage of the sun either despite the early start!

As you can see the light is definitely Autumnal and some leaves are now changing colour! 

I have had a little time to make another journal page and also a card for a challenge.
I made this card for Country View Challenges September...Under The Sea

..and also for an instagram challenge - Garden Party challenges.

My journal page is for  Art Journal Journey and Erika's Polka Dots,Stripes, Plaids or Patterns

I stamped out my Aall and Create poppy onto some mop up paper towel and attached it with matte medium over a page onto which I had stamped some circles and polka dots. I added some of my paint pick up tape and some Crafty Individuals butterflies. Finally I doodled in a few tiny circles and coloured the flower with Distress Oxide ink picked up with a water brush.

Thanks for looking, Chris

New phone - new journal page!

Hi everyone,  yesterday I bought a new phone which came with a tablet so...it's test time!
I was having to wait in this morning  so didn't want to start something that I couldn't finish so I thought I would use some bits and pieces from my scrap mountain!

The lady is from a piece of Graphic45 paper. There are various bits of mop up papers and I stamped the polka dots in opposite corners. I have a feeling that this lady is staying in a luxury hotel - she certainly has brought her best nightdress!

I am, of course, entering at Art Journal Journey and Erika's PSPP theme!

Okay! Let's see if this works!

Thanks for looking, Chrisx 

It's Hot, Hot, Hot at TIOT!

Well, that's the title of our new theme at Try It On Tuesday - 'Hot', Hot', Hot!'. 

I do hope you will take look at the Design Team's examples - even after the warmer temperatures at the weekend I think they will boost the heat levels and maybe delay the heating going on for a little while longer!! The weather forecast this week is looking good in the UK. 

I had something else in mind at first until I found this aerial pic in a magazine of umbrellas on a beach  and then I knew it had to be a journal page!

If you look closely you can see sunbeds peeping out!

 I used Oxide Inks and Infusion powders for the base of the page then added the photo, which I tore around the edges. Next I added some stencilling - the shells, a beach umbrella as well as adding some more green to the sea at the bottom of the pic! 

I stamped the palm tree, some flip flops and filled in one of the umbrellas. I had some stickers that I bought when I first started crafting(found in a big sort out!!!) so added the chair and the sun, to which I added some gold pen.

Finally added the word stamp. I think I could quite enjoy being under one of those umbrellas on a sunny beach when it does turn cold here again!

The TIOT challenge is, as usual, open for two weeks so do come along and warm us up!!

It wasn't deliberate but my TSFT post, before this one, is about the hot last day we had in Toulouse!

I am also entering this page at Art Journal Journey for Erika's Polka Dots, Stripes,Plaids or Patterns theme.

Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands for .....Toulouse - the hottest day...

Well, I didn't do this deliberately but do take a look at my next post on Tuesday!

I must first apologise...but I don't know to how many of you...I spent quite a long time the other day catching up with blogs and T Day posts on the laptop at our caravan....I don't quite know at which point I realised that one of the comments didn't seem to publish as expected - it's more difficult to tell on blogs that moderate comments - but when I went back to check hardly any of the comments I made had published. I did try to add them again but by then I was very tired so I still haven't caught up!!!

I'm taking you back to Toulouse briefly..we didn't do much as the temperature went up even more on Wednesday!
We went to the market, it was lovely and cool and so much lovely food to see

 If we hadn't been travelling by train I would have bought one of the jars of cassoulet!
More cheese....yum!

 Oh! and quite a few patisseries! 

The main reason was that our concierge had recommended the restaurant above the market for our lunch!

It's time to link to Bleubeard and Elizabeth for T Stands For Tuesday! It is intended to be a drink related post but many of us share our food too!

 This is outside of the market building..
When we got in there was a waiting list and quite a few people before us in the queue!

 I was able to take some shots of the decor and hubby got a photo of me.....hmmm...from behind just before we were taken to our table.

I got some better shots of the decor when we sat down!

These are our starters, chilled soup for hubby and goats cheese parcels and salad for me - our drink was of course, water!
When the main course arrived I totally forgot to take a photo but it was a really delicious duck dish!

Oops! I only just remembered to take a shot of my dessert before I hand it over to hubby to finish off! Not that I couldn't have eaten it but I had to be careful with my sugar levels!

We needed to walk off our lunch then so we headed across the city, staying on the shady side of the streets and occasionally popping into shops with air con(Shhh!)
We headed for the Cathedral of St Etienne - as we opened the door we felt a blast of cool air...wonderful!

 Imagine one of these panels as a background in a journal...in fact, wait to see it!!!

We left the cathedral and saw the temperature on the pharmacy sign - It had gone down by 2 degrees while we were in there!

We walked back to the apartment taking one last look at the beautiful architecture of Toulouse.

We loved Toulouse and without the drama at the start and the heat at the end I think we would have seen far more...next time ...maybe...!

The next day - on the hottest day so far, we were on our way to Poitiers!

Thanks for looking, Chris