Marmite page!

Oh Yes! Literally! I don't suppose this will mean much to some of you but Marmite is a love it or hate it product to spread onto toast! Personally I love it which is why last year we bought a special jar with a tag around the neck of the jar.

The tag disappeared into a scraps bag and yesterday surfaced again - along with the other scraps you see here along with some wash tape!

I had some random text stamped onto the page and I made this while watching a Christmas movie with my GD yesterday while she coloured some Christmassy pics!

It doesn't have any leaves, faces or wings which is why I am joining in with Susi's collage theme for the last time this month at Art Journal Journey!

Thanks for looking! Chris

Whats On Your Workdesk Wednesday 391 (and crop pics too!)

Well, what whizz of a week! It's time to show my desk but mainly it's time to share crop secrets over at Julia's Stamping Ground for WOYWW!
First my desk - in the murk of this morning - I have been waiting until it's daylight - well 9.30 is as long as I'm giving it and I have used my flash!!

A bit busy and I have had to cover the card I am making. I have been trying out some stamps (gifted by Elizabeth) for a special birthday card for my friend Mona who will be 96 tomorrow! As you can see my cereal box ….is still a cereal box!! At the back of my desk is the stamp I bought from 'Shopkeeper gal' - I forgot to bring some things  with me so went off to Amesbury and then found this fabulous stamp in the bargain box. I have already made some cards (here) and still using this fabulous stamp for more! 

Right! Now for the crop! Thanks to Julia and Jan(who once again provided the most fabulous lunch) and lots of folk who made cake we didn't run out of fuel for chatting and crafting! It really is fabulous to be able to meet up with fellow deskers too! 

 Dolores and Mary -Ann

 Plenty of time to chat...

 …and craft!

Time for lunch - Livvy helping herself to salad and Dolores, Dianne(Morti), Peter, and Margaret queueing!

 Peter, Christine and Kathy and Tony's hand!

Julia, Dolores, MaryAnn, Kyla, and Fiona

Julia has money and choccies!!

Hamish loves baked potato!

The men get on with clearing away after lunch!

I am sure you will have seen a similar photo on other blogs...

….here is the view we get!

Even when everything was packed away there was still time for Margaret and Shaz to chat.
Just to show you what posers there were there…

Christine - Oh My! That hair does suit you - perfect for Paris!!
I lifted this from Lunch Lady Jan's blog 

My lovely friend Helen(Stamping by H) in her over the knee boots and me, as ever,  peering over the top of my specs!

It really was the most fabulous day and hope there will be many more to come! 

Thanks for looking, Chris

T stands for - Time away!

Yes, I know, again…… This will be the last long journey before next year! We are still hoping to take the reasonably short journey to our caravan before Christmas and maybe with our grandchildren and son in the Christmas holidays.

As some of you may know we went join up with WOYWW folk for the crop(photos tomorrow) but hubby and I wanted to have a look around the area - we love Wiltshire and have holidayed there before with our family! 

We stayed at a lovely country inn called the Grosvenor in Stockbridge

We were lucky enough to have had a discount voucher and leapt at the chance to stay here (only downside was that we were in the annexe which seems to be in need of a bit of a facelift) but it was very clean and quiet and we both slept really well in the comfortable bed.
On Friday we went to Winchester - we had been once before but when we arrived it was quite late in the day and we didn't go into the Cathedral.

There was a Christmas market set up in the Cathedral grounds with some very interesting stalls (got some Christmas presents sorted!) 

When we went into the Cathedral we found that it was a rehearsal day for the Special Needs Schools of the area so a bit of a nostalgia thing for us both! 
The building is very ornate!

 There are still some of the old tiles and some wall paintings from Norman times. Eleanor of Aquitaine may have once walked on this floor when the Royal court was in Winchester(once the capital of England)

 Famous author Jane Austen died and was was buried in Winchester.

As we are here for T Stands for Tuesday with Bluebeard and Elizabeth I will show you one of our delicious meals that we had at the hotel.

Hubby decided he had had enough of trying to get his fish pie out of a little dish and tipped it onto his plate - I carried on with my mac'n cheese! 

As you can see we both had a Coke zero as we were slightly awash with hot drinks!

On the way home on Sunday we called to Old Sarum Castle where my heroine Eleanor Of Aquitaine was imprisoned by Henry II for the  most part of 16 years - she was moved around from time to time but always came back here. 

It was very cold and windy - as Eleanor herself found, and is in ruins now. 

Looking out towards Salisbury which became more important that Old Sarum as it had a better water source 

Hubby took quite a few more photos while I explored! 

 This is looking out onto the site of the old cathedral

 There were plenty of information boards around - I found this one of the most interesting 

Finally, a tricky bit down some steps and round a corner and we were on our way!

But not straight home - more of that another time though!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Christmas cards!

I had a great day at the crop and I did remember to take some photos - which I will post on Wednesday but I thought you might like a little teaser.

As you can see this was at the end of the day - everything packed away! (Shaz-Silverwolf, Margaret-Glitter and Glue and Doug, Shaz's hubby)

There was of course a lot of chatting but I did manage to make a few cards - some of which are to be completed now we are home!

I had taken some Infusion sprinkled card with me and I had something else in mind but a visit to a craft shop and a dip into a bargain bin had me using this fabulous stamp……

…….. with a more traditional looking image


I would like to enter in Country View Challenges - 'Stars'

Thanks for looking, Chris

End of Autumn!

The Autumn colours are fading fast now and the berries seem to be providing most of the colour as the leaves fall from the trees! 
I stamped the oats from Lin Brown's LB29 by second generation stamping while doing something else.
The TH wild flowers stencil used a combination of gold and bronze paint which were on my mat. I think on this A6 size page they are in  the right proportion to represent trees

 I added some dots with a red pen.

I would like to enter in The Artistic Stamper Creative Challenge - Autumnal

This will be scheduled post so hoping I can link! You know where I am!! 

Thanks for looking Chris

A stripy collage

I do love playing in my journals and this time I am joining Moo Mania and more with my Stripes collage which of course will also be heading to Art Journal Journey for Susi's 'No faces, no wings, no leaves - but collage' challenge

The photo of the stripy houses we saw in Troyes on our visit to France last year is mounted onto stripy corrugated card. The background already had some Seth Apter stencilling/stamping on it. 
I added some "very old' (as in - don't know where from!) barcode and stripy circle stamps. I added lots of stripy scraps too!

We are off to the WOYWW crop on Thursday morning so I would like to wish all my friends celebrating Thanksgiving the best of days!

Looking forward to seeing folk at the crop - I will take photos of course….but I bet Helen takes more!!!

  Thanks for looking , Chris

Layers at Try It On Tuesday

This time for Try In On Tuesday's new challenge'Layer It Up' we want see your layers whether they be ink, paint, paper or any other medium you choose!

I have been making Christmas cards that I will be delivering by hand(I already have a few flat cards for posting)

I started by adding just a little dry brushed Fresco Snowflake around the edge of the Kraft card and then added my distress edged card.

I added lace and some very loose weave fabric

Next came a spattering of gold paint, the doily, star embossed gold card and some die cut ivy

I layered a small and two large flowers and joined them together with a gem brad.

Some more ivy was tucked in…. 

….and I added some snow (gesso sprinkled with Deco-art glamour dust)and two more of the die cut ivy leaves.

I wasn't very happy with the fabric so added more gold paint and some more glamour dust!

I am quite enjoying making this style of card so will continue making some more - first though, Birthday cards - there are six birthdays coming up and I can't complain about the inconvenience as I was a December baby too.

We look forward to seeing how you make your layers! The challenge runs for two weeks

I would also like to enter in 

the challenge at Simon Says Stamp Monday - Trio-tastic I have used 3 layers to make my card and my flower

and

Anything but Cute - Challenge19 Rustic Glam

Thank you all for your Get Well wishes - had to finally give in and go to the Doc's yesterday - medication seems to be helping!

Thanks for looking, Chris