Time for a cuppa at Try It On Tuesday

Our new theme at Try It On Tuesday is 'Time for Tea'. You may know that I am not a tea drinker - the nearest I get is a recent trying out of Rooibos Arabica blend which has more of a coffee flavour than tea. I am allergic to proper tea! Not that it stopped me setting the table to invite you to take part!
The design team are definitely in the mood for a cuppa so I do hope you will pop over and look!

My card for a tea lover has a tea for one setting - and the tablecloth comes from the same Graphic 45 set (I have to admit unearthing this in my BIG TIDY!)
I stamped the clock(a freebie) and the 'Tea O'clock'(Crafty Individuals)all over the card before adding the fussy cut set. Instead of a table number my 'flag' has a freebie sentiment.

I do hope that even if like me you are a coffee drinker you will join us at Try It On Tuesday. Details are on the blog.

Thanks for looking, Chris

T stands for……the mystery...

….of how to eat this…. I am starting with the latest event first! I am joining Bluebeard and Elizabeth for T Stands For Tuesday with my drink related photo - which as you can see is water!

We returned from our caravan on Sunday and arranged to meet our son and granddaughter for lunch(grandson was out with friends - oh how quickly they grow up!)
We went to GD's choice of Coast to Coast that serves (what we in Britain think to be)traditional US food.
I had a lovely pulled pork sandwich(forgot to take any photos of our main courses) and then ordered a dessert for hubby and I to share - it came with custard…on this flat board - how would you have eaten it? I cut off my spoonsful of pie and dipped them in the custard - hubby ate the pie and then the custard!
If you want to take part in this sharing of drinks please do join Bleubeard and Elizabeth!

So….what about the rest of our trip? After waiting for Storm Doris to die down we arrived at our caravan on Thursday safely!
Friday morning was the most beautiful morning and the lambs were out in the field.

This one was taken on Saturday morning

We had a voucher for breakfast at a nearby garden centre - buy one get the other for £1 - did I take  a photo? Nope! Sorry, but it was delicious and huge!
The view from the car park was great though..

We then took a trip to Rowantree Crafts where I bought new stamps and a stencil - did I take a photo? Nope! Sorry but I was so excited that I forgot until much later and now can only photograph the ones I bought! The display was fantastic!

After that we headed to Kirby Lonsdale for a walk by the river - we stopped at Gressingham Bridge to look at the height of the river - did I take a photo - Nope!…but hubby did!

Strangely the field across the other side of the river and one beyond that were full of swans

The river was flowing very fast and quite high!

On to Kirby Lonsdale - the river here flows over rocks and again was flowing quickly - we saw snowdrops too!

We saw more swans on the banks of the river - what was the attraction of the grass?

 Then we climbed the Radical Steps…

…and hubby though it would be fun to photograph me as I neared the top!
We walked through the graveyard...

…we still weren't hungry so decided to drive back to Carnforth intending to grab a sandwich at Booths - when we arrived we spied a sign advertising Afternoon Tea at £12.50 for 2 for cardholders! Well it would have been rude not to, but still not hungry enough to eat much we wrapped some up and took it home - dessert and a snack that we had after doing some pruning! Did I take a photo? Nope!!!! 
I will have to try to remember to use my phone camera more! 

Happy T Day and Thanks for looking, Chris

Can't resist red!

I have a journal page to show you but it didn't turn out quite how I would have liked!

I started out by spritzing the page with some Infusions in a mister. I then masked off some parts, I quite liked the effect Gabrielle achieved on her page.

I stamped the rhyme from Lin Brown's ELB30 set all over the page and then removed the bits of post-it notes I had used,it was at this point that I should have put them back again and  added more colour but hey ho! 
I stamped a serial number from Sarah Nauman's Eclectica ESN04 in black and then the quote from JOFY25 set randomly in Red ink. I also used the edge of a credit card to add some random lines. I use the same red to stamp the ELB30 oats twice - had to mask off the bottom.

I would like this journal page to be entered in the Paper Artsy Challenge 2 - Masks

and 

Art Journal Journey for Linda's choice of theme - Fifty Shades Of Red

Thanks for looking, Chris

Playtime!!!

We had intended being away today but had to wait in for a plumber so decided to stay here and play!
Hubby is sorting his CD's and I have made a tag!
I was intrigued by the ways of masking that had been shown on Paper Artsy's 'Masks' Challenge post and then on seeing Gabrielle's method of using ripped paper I had an inkling of an idea - unfortunately it didn't work as well as I would have liked.
I am a lot happier with this tag though!

Started by ripping some low tack tape and sticking it onto a kraft tag - I dabbed Paper Artsy Little Black Dress fresco paint over the tag.

Once dry the tape was removed and I stamped some of the elements from Lin Brown's Eclectica set ELB29

I stamped one of current fave stamps PA Elanzinskiart ZA07 onto some book paper - hubby's old Tales of King Arthur and as the paper fell after I had cut out the part of the image I needed I spotted some words that I just had to use with this stamp!

 All I had to do was add some ink around the edge to make it show up! 
It was only as I photographed my tag that I realised that the Tuxedo black Memento ink I used to stamp the elements had shown up brown on the black paint - I like that!!

As well as entering in Paper Artsy's Topic 2 - Masks challenge…..

…..I would like to enter A Vintage Journey February Challenge - Words that are special - words that jump out from a page are definitely special to me…

…and Simon Says Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

Thanks for looking, Chris

T stands for…..tidy craft room…

….part one! It's come around to Tuesday again and as promised I will show you some of my newly tidied craft room.
I forgot to take an absolute 'before' pic so the ones you see were taken part way through.

 This is the are that has changed the most…next to my tall cupboard

As you can see there are drawers there now - these were under my table (photos next week) Yes I still have things on the floor but they are accessible now!
OK…I'll show you inside…!

 Most things are labelled now - those that aren't are obvious…to me!

As you can see I was distracted and coloured my drawers with alcohol inks. They still need labelling!
The trolley is one I bought last year - I can move it around if someone comes to stay over as this is where they have to sleep!
The end of the trolley has my tapes,glazes and sponges!

Last week we bought a new trolley, sadly no more of the lovely turquoise ones. My journals all fit on the top layer and my melt pot has been taken out of a box and is now accessible…maybe I will use it more now!
Finally for today - You may have caught a glimpse of a cushion that hubby bought me a few years ago.

Here are some goodies I bought on an afternoon out with hubby - we actually went looking for 12x12 storage boxes!!!

All at bargain prices including a magazine with free dies and coasters at £1. I even got tempted by a colouring book reduced from £9.99 to £2.99 - I and going to use some of the images in my planner.
As we are here for T Stands For Tuesday over at Bluebeard and Elizabeths place….I had better show you my drink!

Oh yes…and hubby acting the fool! We stopped halfway round our shopping at the supermarket for a coffee and in my case a cheese scone(hubby's is a coconut macaroon. We both had cappuccinos. It is only a small cafe so they serve in takeaway cups to avoid washing up! 


I may have to wait until this evening to visit as we are meeting son and grandchildren for lunch and then off to the cinema!

Thanks for looking, Chris

A Good Book…..

…is one you can't put down! Over the years our taste in books changes! As a child we were lucky enough to attend a school that was just over the road from a library - it wasn't a large one but you could order books from the Central Library!I read through just about all of the Cherry Ames Nurse books and I used to love books about boarding schools - Chalet School books especially! Alongside those we had a collection of Childrens classics  Heidi, Black Beauty, Alice in Wonderland etc.. Of course I haven't forgotten my love of Enid Blyton books - Famous Five and Secret Seven - in fact I remember waiting for my Grandma to arrive one Christmas because I knew I would be getting the latest one.
I was also  comic reader - Girl and Bunty being my two favourites. After that it was Dickens, Brontes, Little Women.
As I got older I enjoyed Thrillers and my aunt introduced me to Agatha Christie among others.
Then came college and I turned to cookery books as bedtime reading! I am still enjoying reading books about food (hubby bought me a new Nigel Slater for valentines Day)
Oh! Here I go rambling, sorry but I know my family will read this! When the boys were younger I used to read to them every day, sometimes several books one after the other. As they got older I got a chance to read some books I had missed - Stig of the Dump, The Silver Sword….Oh and Roald Dahl books, what fun!
I suppose I had better explain this wander through my reading habits! Tag Tuesday has opened up it's doors so to speak and the first challenge is 'Bookworm'
I would say that the title fits the person I have featured on my tag - Charlotte Bronte! 

I cut this from a leaflet some time ago. I used some corrugated card for the tag, gessoed and spattered with brown paint. Everything alas here came from the little box that sits on my desk.

Oh!…and what am I reading at the moment? Alan Bennet's Untold Stories - only thing is it's making me laugh when I should be settling down to sleep!
I hope reading this hasn't sent you to sleep but revived some memories for you! What are your favourite books?


Thanks for looking, Chris  

Every minute…..

I had an appointment this morning and we had to leave the house no later than eleven o'clock!
We had plans for the rest of the day and up to to now I haven't had chance to enter in the February challenge at Country View Challenges which is a Time challenge - 30 minutes or under!
I got myself all but ready and then sat down at my desk just after 10.10.
I had my journal opened at a page ready but nothing else, not to worry, everything is in labelled boxes and within reach!
First I made some ground for my plants to grow in - this was done with home made stamp and I first used a quick blending of Paper Artsy Guacamole and Limelight Fresco paint - it dries in super quick time and while it did this I picked out my stamps - a leaf from PA's Elenazinskiart and chose a quirky Lavinia pod set. It was going to take too long to make a sky in the same manner so I grabbed an acrylic block that I had been using yesterday and still had some dried Stormy Sky on it so I added some Blueprint Sketch and spritzed it and pressed it onto my page. 

While that dried I added some more colour - the stamp was turned over and I used Peacock Feathers DI to over stamp the ground!
I stamped the leaves and pods and coloured them with Distress makers and then blended with a water brush - Whoops! the red went over on one of the pods - time running out I decided that rather than try to paint it out I would make a pink shadow down all of them! Just enough time to grab another go to stamp from Lin Browns ELB22 set - only needed one line which I coloured with Black distress marker

I still had 5 minutes to go so used a micron pen to fill in some little gaps on the text and make some little dots around the bottom of the pods to match the leaves!!
So…finished with just over 3 minutes to go…and I had time to take a photograph before dashing off to my appointment. Unfortunately my desk was left in a bit of a mess…as I found when I got home late this afternoon!

I used to struggle with taking photographs in my craft room after dark but I have found that the torch on my phone acts almost as a daylight lamp!
I would like to enter in…

Country View Challenges - Time Challenge - 30minutes or under mine was 27 minutes

Craft Stamper Challenge - Take it make it - Anything Goes

Art Journal Journey - Linda's fabulous Fifty Shades of Red! 

Thanks for looking, Chris

Let's get messy at Try It On Tuesday

We are inviting you to make as much mess as you like  with our  latest TIOT challenge 'Lets get messy' You can use lots of colour with paints,pencils,inks, pastes etc. and as usual the Design team have some amazing examples to show you!

I have used one of my favourite sets of stamps a new Paper Artsy one by Elena Zinski

 I started by blending some paints on my page with a 'credit' card….and then used the edge of the card to add some black paint

I aded some clear texture paste through a stencil and stamped some of Elena's stamps from one of her monster sets and some of my own. carved stamps
I then sort of got caught in the moment and forget to take photos….so I took some when I had finished.

Elena's stamps are wonderful stamped and coloured but for this I painted them in black (PA Little Black Dress fresco gave an excellent cover!)
AS you can see I added some more stamping, stencilling and doodling and as by this time I had really enjoyed my play time I added 'HAPPY' stamped and cut out three times!! 

I do hope that you will enjoy this challenge and find time to join us at TIOT! You have two weeks to get messy!! 

I would like to enter my journal page in the Craft Stamper Take it- make it  Anything goes challenge 
and
Simon Says Monday Challenge - Use your favourite tool - mine is always…. stamps!
Thanks for looking, Chris

T stands for….Tea!!!!!

Well, it's time to join Bleubeard and Elizabeth for T stands for  Tuesday and there's a header title you never thought you would see!

First though can I say my mood is much brighter today, the sun has been shining and I have had(almost)a day in my craft room! 

I am actually allergic to tea (must be the tannin!) so I am a coffee drinker mainly! The tea I am talking about though is not from tea bush tea but the Rooibos plant!

This time…and maybe a few more to come, I am drinking Rooibos tea! 

So…now Elizabeth has had time to pick herself from the floor…I'll tell you why!
There is a new shop opened at the top of our road! One or two of our neighbours have been and enjoyed their visit
Last week after watching 'Manchester By The Sea' in town (well worth a watch btw!)we got off the bus and went inside!
I explained that I didn't drink tea and the lady there showed me the range of Rooibos teas and offered to make me a Arabica coffee blend! Hubby had an Irish breakfast tea!
I asked if I could take photos for 'T Stands for Tuesday'(she got very excited about the name)

Lots of lovely cups and pots.

 Herbal teas

Black teas

Here you can see both of our drinks. We bought some to take home as well as some Moringa oil which had been recommended to us by my friend Sarah and is supposed to be really good for easing arthritis…we shall see…
We have been for a few walks but I think I will leave those for another time!

We have seen signs of Spring though, so will be out again looking this week!

We had to move my Amaryliss from the window sill as we couldn't close the curtains!
Just to catch up with my planner here are the last two weeks

I am beginning to enjoy drawing more! The turquoise flowers are one stamped and the rest drawn and the black and white flower is a rub on extended with my doodles.
As you can see I am still tidying but today has seen most of it done so ..although I forgot to take many 'before' pics I will share some next week of how I got on!

Thanks for looking, Chrisx