Spring greens

Is anyone else looking forward to Spring and  walking in woods that are springing to life? We went for a walk yesterday at Styall - on our way to shop!!
It was great to see the tips of bulbs peeping through! A true promise of Spring!  Styall's gardens look lovely any time of year!

These wooden deer have been installed on one of the top fields!

This plant is competing with the Christmas decorations in the greenhouse!

The air plants seem to have transformed themselves into decorations too!

I have never taken the cottage from this angle before!

The Bollin river was in full flow

This is the ice house at the top of the weir!

I love seeing lichen - a sign of clean air!

This definitely isn't living any more!

We don't often pass this old spindle now that there is a new carpark but we decided to walk up the old path.

My page was started with paint, crackle paste and gold and white pens.
The stamp is a Crafty Individuals one(CL 487) which is stamped randomly and I then picked out two phrases I liked and stamped them onto some gelli printed paper.
I added some French text which has two of my favourite places mentioned - Lincoln, my home town and Paris which....well, you know, I love to visit as often as I can!!!
I stamped the leaves from the stamp onto the margins of the book paper. Finally I added pine needle DI to the page and the crackle leaves.

This is another entry for Art Journal Journey where Elizabeth has been an excellent host all month with her 'My favourite season or 'tis the season' theme!

I may just squeeze in another but if I don't - Thanks Elizabeth for choosing such a great theme, for which I had so many ideas but not enough time!!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Summer memories!

Hi everyone! I do hope everyone had what they wanted from Christmas! We were lucky to spend some family time, first with my middle son and our grandchildren then with the whole family(including ex-husband and family)
We were rather tired after the second event on Thursday - a party hosted by us!!! It was lots of fun though, with a few games thrown in - it seems to have become challenge time between the three brothers!!

We recovered yesterday though, in rather sober manner, by attending a friends funeral! 

Today we came back from shopping and after lunch I found time to complete a journal page I started before Christmas.

The background is paint, handmade 'washi', my favourite Crafty individuals background stamp and some CI paper. I added the wren image from a CI sheet, some Sizzix (Tim Holtz) wildflower die cuts, words(computer and die cut) and some gold paint spatters!
The wren reminds me of Summer as that is when we see the wren on our decking in the mornings! 

It is my entry for Elizabeth's 'My favourite season or 'tis the season' theme at Art Journal Journey.

I will also enter at 
Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Anything Goes

I still have another page, which I hope I can add tomorrow!

Thanks for looking, Chris

T stands for.... tea at Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone......a sentiment echoed in my Journal page! 

I sat watching Mary Poppins on Christmas Eve - the first time I have actually sat and watched the whole film- I have seen snippets here and there so some scenes weren't a complete surprise!
While I watched I was also attacking the magazine mountain which was where I spotted this image!

I can often find just the background start I need for a quick page but today after we returned from my son's house I had to make a quick background which was simply.... paint - applied with baby wipes and sponge, marks made with a pen lid and the wooden end of a paintbrush and some scribble writing!

I know I'm late for Bluebeard and Elizabeth's T Stands for Tuesday and I will have to make most of my visits tomorrow but I really wanted to wish my T friends a Merry Christmas!

I am also linking to Art Journal Journey for Elizabeth's My favourite season or'tis the season theme!

I hope you all had a wonderful day!
Thanks for looking, Chris

A few cards..

Hi everyone! I hope by now that some of you at least have received the card I sent.
Here are a few I made!
Some free stamps with a magazine prompted these... 

 ...the bottom two used up some gelli prints.

These were all made from the book at the bottom of the photo!There are still a few bits left over! The book came from the Works while we were away and I challenged myself to get as many cards as I could...there are still some bits left over too!

Next I spotted that part of my new AALL and Create stamp designed by Bipasha would look OK on a Christmas card.

I made a few master boards similar to this one to stamp onto.

The light bulbs were coloured to make Christmas lights.

I also used my favourite Christmas Stamp(CI 504) by Crafty Individuals to make quite a few cards!

This one was mounted onto a piece of under paper...

...and this one was trimmed and turned.
I would like to enter at ABC Christmas challenge with this  - Y for 'Your favourite thing' which is my stamp as well as using dots!

Finally a few last minute cards using My Lavinia Stamps Kings

I stamped them onto some spritzed distress inks and added a sentiment.

I have also made a few more cards (some using other stamps too) but forgot to take photos.

I am pleased to say that all presents have been wrapped - some delivered already so tomorrow is a baking and craft day I hope!!

If you don't visit again before Christmas may I wish you you a Christmas time you would wish for yourself, whether that be a busy one or a quiet peaceful one! 

                    "Happy Christmas!"

Thanks for looking, Chris 

Winter song.....

I have made another journal page - great to have had some time - most of our gifts have been bought now( couple of vouchers required still) and some have even been wrapped!
For the last few years I seem to have been rushing around last minute and wrapping up on the day we were due to swap gifts - having said to hubby last year that I didn't like the last minute rush he has made it his business to help me along this year and, although it has been hectic, I am looking forward to a quieter run up to Christmas itself!!
My page reflects my calmer feelings right now...and I have used some  Christmas cards received in the past - I can see potential in a few more too!

I tore parts of two cards (the trees with the swans and the glittery branches). The swans on the icy lake (which is some stamped under paper)) were from a lovely wild bird card and the icy edge was a cut flower from a birthday card. I added tissue paper music and the words computer generated. I had though of calling it Swan Song but these pairs of swans are not about to die but to remain together over the Winter and go on to raise some cygnets in the Spring! 

This page is of course for Elizabeth's 'My Favourite Season or'Tis the Season' theme at Art Journal Journey!
and also
More Mixed Media Challenge Anything Goes with optional white

I was going to make today's post about my Christmas cards but I'll give it a little longer for them to reach their destinations!

Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands for trips and other things!!!

Hi everyone, I am so pleased I scheduled my TSFT post before we went away last week and I do apologise if I only got around to visiting at the weekend!
I had a bit of a bang on the head last Monday afternoon while were out in the Lake District! I am fine although it was sore for a day or two and I didn't sleep so well! I was very tired especially since when we came back on Tuesday we had round of appointments, social events etc organised!!
We had started our day in Kendal 

We then went on to have lunch but forgot to take photos!
We then headed to Lake Windermere for a little walk in the park at Waterhead near Ambleside.
It had been a bit of a grey day but the sun decided to set and give some light to take photos by!!

As you can see the lake was very calm.It was just after this photo that I got the bump on the head - not going into details but hubby was involved in something was really both our faults!!!
We went on to Hayes Garden Centre - it was here where I was able to put an ice pack on my head after the bump!
It didn't stop me looking at the displays though!

 I think this was a take on how many polar bears fit in a mini...

...although this guy clearly wasn't going to make it!!!

We came home on Tuesday afternoon and after our appointment we went to shop and stopped for a coffee! 
Of course, it is here I will join Bleubeard and Elizabeth for T Stands For Tuesday.

 Look at hubby's gleeful rubbing of the hands as he compares our drinks - Hot Chocolate for him and Americano for me and can you see he also picked up a bargain extra cake!!

On Wednesday was my birthday and my lovely friend Elizabeth made a special journal page which I confess to missing until she told me about it! I had a catch up on her blog but hadn't gone back that far! Thank you to everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday!! 
We went to Kate Rusby's Christmas concert which was absolutely wonderful!!
Since then we have almost completed our Christmas shopping, posted lots of Christmas cards(more tomorrow on these!)and had to make a few extras, been forced into buying another Christmas tree (fortunately with cash off!)met up with numbers 1 and 2 boys (no 3 was in France) and been to see Aquaman at the cinema yesterday - I loved it as the costumes and the art work were amazing!

Today, apart from a Garden committee meeting there has been time to decorate our tree and to make a journal page for Art Journal Journey 
I have made a Spring page for Elizabeth's theme of Tis the Season(or my favourite season)
With such a grey wet day I turned my thoughts to Spring!

Some distress inks and drips, stencilling, napkins,Tissue paper, magazine pic and part of a page that went a bit wrong!!

Thanks for looking, Chrisx

Guess who's coming?

Our last challenge before Christmas at Try It On Tuesday is Guess Who's Coming?! We mean that Santa (or Father Christmas or St Nicholas) is the person we would like to see in your entries this time! 

The Design Team have found so many Santas it's hard to see which is the real one and in fact that is what my journal page is about!

My little lad thinks he knows which one is the real Santa - who do you think it is?

I used Distress inks to make a wash across the page and all of the stamps are by Crafty Individuals as are the Santa images!

Looking forward to seeing Santa on his way in your entries as Christmas draws near!! 

Thanks for looking, Chrisx

T Stands for the Things we saw and didn't see!!

Hi everyone! It's time for a final round up of our visit to Prague!
I may well come back with the odd pic or two in the New Year but for now here are just a few of the interesting sights we saw!
First some people...

 I have no idea what these folk were dressed up for!

 These guys were on a traveling pub and the next two photos are of some filming we saw taking place on our last morning!

Group of people in suits ran through the area while being filmed and once it was declared a wrap all the extras sitting on the chairs walked off down the road!!! We are hoping it is the new Spiderman film!

This is Kosmik Kate - a spray can artist creating the most amazing scenes with her stencils

Now some more artwork...starting with the rotating head!

We spent some time here! I hope you can see hubby's video!
We saw these installations at Wenceslas Square

Not forgetting of course one of the statues on Charles Bridge

There were some lovely things in shop windows too

 This craft shop wasn't far from our hotel!

Outside them too

This was in the square near the hotel where we had lunch, just down the road from the hotel! 

It is here I will join Bluebeard and Elizabeth for T Stands for Tuesday!

 Hubby was happy with his panini but mine was nothing like it read on the menu!!

I wished I could go back into town for one of these!

We had Trdelnik from this stand on our first day! Delicious!
One of the best things about Prague was the amazing architecture.

 So...what was I referring to in my blog title?

This - the Astrological clock - was being repaired...there's always next time....

I hope you have enjoyed seeing our visits to Budapest, Vienna and Prague! We're thinking about next year now! I wonder if you will guess where we might go?

I still have some photos that may pop up from time to time but for now....that's all folks!!!

Thanks for looking, Chris