Pearshaped

Pearshaped

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Friday 29 November 2019

Just Fruit...

Hi everyone, I have one final page for Art Journal Journey and Rike's 'Fruit and Veggies' theme. I have enjoyed this theme but once again I ran out of time to create more pages!
Thanks to Rike for coming up with a great idea!
I made a splodgy background using Distress Oxides then added some stencilling using the same colours and Aall and Create stencils.
I stated the TH pear and added some random stamping using an Aall and Create stamp and added some of Leonie's words - which just happen to be one's that my Dad used to use.

My Mum and Dad are in my mind especially at this time of year - they both died on 1st December - in different years. It is to them that I owe my love of gardens and crafting.
As a child I was always involved in working in the garden and my Mum introduced me to a whole range of crafting that I didn't really appreciate until someone asked me how long I had been crafting!
We would start to prepare for Christmas in the Summer when we often made cards (recycling the previous years that we had received)and started making gifts. Over the years we tie dyed, wove, sewed, knitted, grew plants to be presented in home made willow pot holders - something different every year!
All that as well as lots of other activities. 

This page is also my entry today for AEDM.

Thanks for looking and putting up with more ramblings, Chris


Thursday 28 November 2019

Thank You!

First of all I would like to wish anyone who celebrates it, a Happy Thanksgiving Day - not that many of you will see this until tomorrow!

Although the days have been pretty full just lately - there are some Crafty Individuals samples to show soon(the shows are next Tuesday at 12.00 and 4.00pm on Hochanda), the bookshelves have been moved around to make room for some of the books we took to our caravan then never read, and we have had one or two appointments to keep but I have still had time to take part in AEDM, something I have wanted to do for a while having seen my lovely friend Elizabeth of the Altered Book Lover taking part!
Today I made  a Thank You card.
I used two stamps I bought at Version Scrap in Paris earlier in the year.They are by a small French company called Chou & Fleur. I stamped the potted plant onto a piece of gelli printed paper. They were coloured using something  you will see on the Hochanda shows. I stamped the Thank You - which was from a freebie set onto the C&F label 

The card was edged with Washi tape which means I will be entering the Simon Says Monday Challenge- Tape it up!

I am also entering at Country View Crafts challenge Hand Stamped.

I've just realised that Simon Says Wednesday challenge is Anything Goes so I will pop in there too! 

Thanks for looking,  Chris 

Tuesday 26 November 2019

T Stands For......the long walk...

Yes, I am going back to Paris! 

Last week we were waiting for a heating Engineer to come and fix new radiators, except that he forgot about us and rearranged to come on Thursday! The apartment is lovely and warm now! 

We'll get to the long walk in a little while....
...this is about the continuation of our walk on the Friday. We walked towards Notre Dame, the last time we were in Paris the devastating fire here happened as we reached London on our way home.
We stopped for a drink at a little cafe  - freshly made lemonade - we shared the table with some chatty American students- we could see the repair work taking place!
We have never seen this little park before.

Shakespeare and Company, a famous bookshop selling books written in English - it has an interesting history! 
We set off in the direction of City Pharma for my cut price French toiletries - choosing to take a route we had never taken... 
...some interesting street art...
..old buildings...
...and...a cinema!!(It shows, amongst other things, old American classics)
A shady square was welcome near the metro!

The next morning, after a short walk to the art shop around the block from our hotel we set off to visit the Bois du Boulogne - we  followed instructions to reach the park at the lake end. We walked from the Metro following the map, expecting to find somewhere to eat..by the time we reached this path(about a mile), all we had seen was a small grocery shop - so we doubled back and bought a very dry sandwich,nuts and water and then found a shady seat along this path.
Eventually we reached a lake, not THE lake, but we knew we couldn't be far away...surely??
Half a mile or so later we found this path ...
...and we found the lake!
We thought we might find a cafe in the park....but didn't expect it to be in the middle of the lake!

We walked down and bought a ticket...
A florist loaded on some flowers....

..when we arrived it seemed that not only could we not have a bite to eat but the only drink they would serve was tap water..lunch was over and a few stragglers were drinking wine but...
...as we sat there with our water they began to clear away the tables around us!!
Time to get back onto the ferry boat and head back..

...to where? We had no idea where the nearest Metro or bus was and there was just a huge car park when we got off!
Luckily a family was able to give us rough directions of where to head!
As we were on our way we heard some fantastic music!
 Very entertaining, they were marching band practicing for a festival the next day!
We eventually crossed the Peripherique and back to civilisation!
 .and the Metro..
 ..where a mix up getting off the metro too early led us to having a tonic water and lemonade at a hotel close to the Grande Arche..


 ...where there are super modern buildings....
We had to walk past this lovely misty area to get back on the Metro.
I hope you enjoyed our walk and sharing some drinks with us on our adventure - I am late posting so will get to visit soon! 

For AEDM I shared some photos of beautiful Paris!

Thanks for looking, Chris


We're inspired at TIOT!

We are in a sing-a-long mood this time at Try It On Tuesday with our 'Inspired by a Song/Christmas Carol'!
Such a variety from the Design Team, please do drop by the blog and see!

My card ( bit of a cheat really, as the stamp has everything on it bar the colouring!)shows one of my favourite Christmas Carols.

As a child on my mile long walk home from Primary School I used to sing, and near to Christmas it was Little Town of Bethlehem, O Come All Ye Faithful, Once In Royal David's City and While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night - in any order and sung repeatedly on the ever darkening evenings along a quiet road with no proper footpath or lighting until I got home.
Oops, sorry, rambling again!!!



Once again, the colours appear to change on a different background.

I used Distress Ink for the background - I tried with Distress Oxides but it didn't look right.
I coloured in the buildings with Faber Castell Polychromos.

I hope you can find some time to join us, as usual the TIOT challenge runs for two weeks! 

Thanks for looking, Chris




Sunday 24 November 2019

More Kew...

This will be mainly pics of the inside of the Temperate house! When we went to Kew last year it was a really hot day and we decided to give it a miss!
This time of course there was no way we were going to miss those Chihuly glass sculptures!
The photos with a T underneath are hubby's.
I loved this first one but decided against climbing the stairs to the gallery!
 T



T


 Exotic plants and such beautiful colours!




T
 There were lots of pear shaped sculptures!




 I love the name of this plant 



T

 A treat to see these cousins of something that grows in our garden and one that my Dad loved!

We are dashing off now for another sort out at our caravan - and maybe to fit in a walk...or two!

Thanks for looking, Chris