Just a play in my journal!

Back from our little trip to Edinburgh and still recovering - I had a bit of health problem while away(don't think I had fully recovered really when we went away)It didn't stop me getting around but it did slow us down a bit- lots of stops to rest for the first two days! When we got back home late on Saturday night our boiler had broken down, fortunately we were out most of yesterday with our granddaughter - a bit of girly shopping for she and I while hubby went off to book and music shops. Mind you we spent most of that time in Claire's Accessories - phew! what a place - lots of girls with their spending money tucked into their cute handbags!!!
Anyway, feeling tons better and boiler now fixed!
As for Mr Mojo - upped and left, so all I have done is have a play in my journal, and although I enjoyed myself you will see that he is still in hiding!!!
There are some parts of this I quite like but still think it may disappear under some gesso at a future date!!

The only thing I can say about this is that it reminds me of the sunset round about the Wigan area when we were on the way home (although the Wigan skyline is nothing like this!!) I also have no idea what possessed me to add the cornflowers like alien spaceships landing!!! 

It will be heading to the Art Journal Journey for Corinne's challenge 'Through my Window' though! My window was the train window and we certainly went through some beautiful scenery - even caught a glimpse in the distance of our caravan as we sped past - we can see the trains going along a small stretch from our decking and hear them - the beautiful view we have isn't perfect, but our grandson used to love it - the other line is a little closer but we get occasional steam trains on that so that's fine by us!!

At Moo-Mania the theme is Landscape so the page will head there too!! 

I have lots of photos to show you, although I let hubby do the honours mainly, but he says I can use them.

                                     The Greyfriars Bobby outside the cemetery

  The castle was impressive - for the views and the fact that it has so many interesting things to see

 We caught a bus to Holyrood palace ( the Queen stays there when she is in Edinburgh) although we didn't go in

 We wanted to walk up to Arthurs Seat but even though by then I was feeling better ( a trip to a craft shop helped lol!!)we decided to take a different route.

  The views were still lovely!

Some people did walk to the top of Arthurs seat!!

We saw the sun set by Scott's Monument

On our last day we went to beautiful St Gile's Cathedral

Of course there were pipers everywhere!

I will have more photos to show when I get mine off my phone.

Thanks for looking, Chris

Not Groundhog Day!!!

If you get an image when my latest post appears in your sidebar you will think I'm having a forgetful moment but it is because I have made a journal page using the tag(always my intention!)
While I was making the tag I was enjoying thinking about my three 'boys' and how well they get on!

As you can see they enjoyed being together and even though they don't see each other every week they have outings together and it is always good to be with them and listen to the banter when we have family get togethers!

I am going to be in so much trouble now!!!!

The tag reminded me of the view from my kitchen window when they were younger, and although they didn't end up doing what they thought they would, I think they are enjoying what they do now!

A geli-plate background

a little bit of stencilling and stamping

They are not quite the sartorial gentlemen on the stamp but who know where they will be in another 30 years!!

I would like to enter in the Numbers Challenge at Country View Challenges  
and also to link to Art Journal Journey with Corinne's choice this month of 'Through My Window'

I am doing my best to catch up with everyone but we are off for a couple of days in Edinburgh tomorrow so -apologies - I may still be a while!

Thanks for looking, Chris

T stands for…latte, a Dragons Dream and a trip to the seaside

I'm at it again..trying to cram too much into one post but I realised that the deadline for Dragons Dream is in..yipes!... 3 hours!!! I made this tag yesterday but this morning felt quite poorly so having done my duty(see the previous post)I went back to bed! I don't know what was wrong but I'm fine now and have just got back from picking up GD and a bit of shopping!
I'm also here for T stands for Tuesday with Bleubeard and Elizabeth and to show you photos from Vintage by the Sea.
The theme at Dragons Dream TIO is the number 3.
I had no doubt which stamp I was going to use - it is one of Julia's that I bought at the WOYWW crop last May. It reminded me of my 3 boys when they were younger.

I layered the two Artistic Stamper grass stamps in a combination of DIs -Pine Needles, Mown Grass and Black Archival onto a tag that I had sprinkled with Brushos and spritzed with water.

 The image was stamped with Coffee Archival and then washed over with watered down Vintage photo which was also used around the edges.It was then mounted on to some rescued bread wrapper(edged with Vintage Photo.
I used part of a copper plant label to add some stamping using Stazon and an Artemio foam number. All I need then was my clock to show the passing of time and something suitable for the top and bottom.

My drink this week is a Latte, made with our lovely little machine at the caravan.

I had just cleared away after making some Christmas cards.

Now, you may remember we went to Morecambe the other weekend to Vintage by the Sea. Wayne Hemmingway started this about three years ago and it has grown each year!The sun shone and there was a flypast by a wartime Hurricane plane, lots to see and do!!

Looking over to Grange-over sands

I am linking to Elizabeths blog The Altered Booklover

and also entering the Challenge at Dragons Dream TIO

Thanks for looking Chris

Adding Metal at Try It On Tuesday

The new theme at Try It On Tuesday is 'Add Some Metal' so I've gone a bit shiny today!
My first project went definitely 'pearshaped'! You will get to see it sometime, but as we were going away last week it had to be done before Wednesday and that just wasn't going to happen! So I did what I often do for something a little quicker- a tag!

 So - distress ink (Dried Marigold and Aged Mahogany) onto a tag then a damp sponge through stencil and a dab with a paper towel.

I used a music stamp to add flitter glue then metal flakes then spattered some gold and brown paints over the tag

I stamped the Crafty Individuals stamp and added distress ink, and also stamped the whole stamp onto a painted square of DecoArt media fluid gold paint

They were then put together on another piece of card and the tag was stamped with the whole image before adding the cut out!

Then to the embellishments, 

fairly easy - some flourishes stamped on, a couple of die cut shapes, some curled wire and some metallic fabric from a scarf I bought 2 years ago in France for 2 euros!
The bottom of the tag uses hessian(burlap)sprayed with Tarnished Brass distress spray stain, a combination of flowers,(given the inca gold treatment) and a die cut flourish

There are some 'brilliant' 'shining' examples on the Try It On Tuesday Challenge blog from the design team. I do hope you will be able to join us this month with your own 'bright' ideas!! 

I would also like to link this to 

Crafty Individuals challenge - Anything Goes.

Stamps and Stencils - Up,up and away with a twist challenge

Thanks for looking, Chris

A Christmas card…and some bikes!

Well, I've made a start on Christmas, prompted by Samantha at Penrith Crafts, who introduced me to a very interesting challenge …ABC Christmas!
This time the letter is 'R'
I had fun making this….

My 'R's are,Robin(from a new Woodware set, purchased when we went to Penrith Crafts last week), Round, Red(just a few touches) Ribbon, Raffia and Recycle(the ribbon, book paper and corrugated card)I'm not sure that this counts but the text on the book paper is from The Brothers Karamazov!

Of course we didn't go just to visit the craft shop, although it is definitely with a visit!

The Tour of Britain (which years ago used to be known as the Milk Race)was going right through Penrith. The town had really made an effort to celebrate this.

 Did we see the race?

 It all whizzed by very quickly….

 …until all that was left were the cars carrying spare bikes!

On our way down the motor way back to the caravan, several of these cars passed us….

….heading for the start of stage 6 in Stoke.

I am entering the Challenge at ABC Christmas Challenge - letter 'R'

I have also made a few more Christmas cards!!

Thanks for looking, Chris