Missy and some other 5 minute efforts

 Hi everyone, Time really is passing quickly and fabulous new Crafty Individuals stamps are being released soon! I'll say no more than the fact that they are right up my path!
I have shown you some of my 5 minute art for the Southern Gals challenge.           

Today I will show you more,  my first one is a journal page that I started in 5 minutes

I started by gathering together a selection of possible materials and then set the timer for the five minutes .....this is as far as I got.

As you can see afterwards  I added some colour around the edge of the Dina Wakley face tag with a chinagraph pencil and a piece of knotted twine. I punched out a circle too and added the paint name from one of the paint  chips I got from way back when we started our decorating, and some TH words. 

I am joining in with Alison's 'Pockets and Tags' at Journal Journey

Here are some of my other 5 minutes of art

I challenged myself to doodle as many faces as I could in he five minutes.

I have also been turning my journals upside down to draw faces - I even had time to colour this one.

Here are a few more collages using up my scraps.

I have used my tablet and new blogger for this post and it was slightly easier than using my old computer.

Thanks for looking,Chris

I Love Flowers!

Hi everyone, it's no secret that I love gardens, any gardens, and all that is in them except frogs!!!
My page today started because of one of the most unusual flowers being depicted in a stamp set by Tracy Evans.

It's a Strelitza and is often seen in expensive flower arrangements, but the plants can grow in greenhouses or outside in warmer climates. We saw one at Kew last Year

It is also known as the bird of paradise flower.

I made a background using Aall and Create stencils and Distress Oxide inks.
I added stamps from an A4 set and the numbers from another set before stamping the flower in  Tea Dye Oxides on the background and then stamped it onto Card and coloured it with Inktense pencils. 
The tag is one I made a while ago but there was nothing about it that made me want to keep it so I stamps the butterfly from another of Tracy's sets and a butterfly by Crafty Individuals sits to top of it. I added Tea Dye ink around the edges.
I stamped my new garden quotes set by Alison of Words and Pictures blog onto another tag.I added lots of snippets of washi tape too to add to the garden theme.

I am entering at 

Art Journal Journey and Alison's Pockets and Tags theme

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Beautiful Botanicals

Penny Black and More Challenge Say It With Flowers


Thanks for looking, Chris

Iris!!

Hi everyone, Storm Francis came along in the night, wind and rain, and we thought we might have to cancel a walk! Well, we got ready as the wind eased and the rain turned to a drizzle and by the time we arrived the dark clouds were rolling away and there were patches of blue sky and white fluffy clouds! By the end of our walk and we were headed back to our coffee in the car it started to rain, intermittently at first but by the time we had got home and eaten lunch SF had turned around and come back to bite us on the bum!!
Pouring rain and the wind whistling through gaps - we considered ourselves very lucky to have had such lovely walk!

We saw lots of flowers on our walk but sadly no irises, you may remember we also missed this year's display at Styall so when I saw Tracy Evan's Iris stamp it was a 'must buy'!

I used Aall and Create stencils for my background and then added some more of Tracy's stamps. The iris was stamped onto a tag with a light application of ink and second generation stamping, and coloured with Derwent Inktense watercolour pencils. I stamped the word Iris onto some gelli printed paper and used another piece to stamp one of Alison Bomber's garden quotes by Paper Artsy.

I am entering at 
Art Journal Journey and Alison's 'Pockets and Tags' theme.

Simon Says Monday Challenge - Beautiful Botanicals 

Penny Black and More August Challenge - Say It With Flowers

A Vintage Journey - Tag You're It


Thanks for looking, Chrisx

T Stands for......the woods and more....

Hi everyone, my plan to return with more of the woodland area at Fletcher Moss didn't work out! 

Here are some of the photos we took on the 13th August after our walk in the formal gardens.
Warning - I am fascinated by decay and fungi so feel free to skip the middle part!

 We could have taken this path...

 A little bit of brightness here

 We could also have taken this path

 I really love the dappled light here....

 ...and on the path

 As you can see it had rained heavily overnight

 Loved seeing the creases in this tree as it must have been pushed out of the way in it's youth

 We didn't see any more of this trail but I think the cafe may sell the route map!

 Potential crumble pudding here but it might be classed as stealing  so we didn't stop

 This is where we might venture next time

 We could also have tried this path...so much more to explore!

 We headed to the exit gate...

..and down the road to where we had parked our car.

I hope you can see why this has become my favourite place to visit at the moment!

It was our 20th Wedding Anniversary at the weekend - we didn't have plans to go out to celebrate so we ordered some of our complex chef's Fish and Chips on Friday.

Of course I am joining Bleubeard and Elizabeth of The Altered Booklover blog for T Stands for Tuesday.

Here's hubby sporting his new beard that I persuaded him to grow, he keeps threatening to shave it off so I'm not sure how long it will last.
We had our fish and chips with mushy peas and I added salt and vinegar to mine. They were definitely up to the usual standard!
We had our usual water to drink.

Our eldest son and his wife are in France at the moment working on their Manoir in the Dordogne.
They are on both Instagram and Facebook and I have found I can access both even though I am not on Facebook. It does ask if I want to join but I just click on the X
If you want to take a look at the manoir and it's surrounding area and the work they are doing (they are working so hard)it is called Manor Arc-en-Ciel or can be found through Google.
I am so looking forward to visiting next year (it was supposed to be this September!)

I have been in my craft room today and been quite productive but I will leave posting until tomorrow.

Thanks for looking, Chris

 

T Stands For...The New Favourite...

Hi everyone! It didn't last...the heatwave that is! Last Wednesday it was so hot I hardly got anything done but as the week wore on the temps dropped again and now it is pleasantly warm but with with a few stormy looking clouds around!

  This is what we looked at the morning after our walk but it's not there where I going today.

You may remember that the other week we took some things to the charity shop and then went to Fletcher Moss Gardens? 
Well, last Thursday we did the same again - we still have more bags of 'stuff' to take but are aware that so do a lot of other folk and it's not fair to overload the shops at the moment!

I was really looking forward to going back, not just for the coffee that is going to give me my ticket back into T Stands For Tuesday over at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog The Altered Book Lover but for the gardens that I have fallen in love with!

There were still lots of empty benches when we got there and as it was a hot day we ordered an ice-cream to share too.

Just in case you were wondering - Cappuccinos  and the icecream is Raspberry Ripple flavour..and was delicious!

Sorry, the mug shot is me this week...hubby said it's only fair!!!

We sat and watched the World go by for a while under the shade of the trees and I ate my third and passed two thirds to hubby. My blood is down and so is my weight and I intend it staying that way!

So, back to the garden, it really is such a lovely spot!

 Because it is in a hollow it is warm enough for tropical plants such as these palm trees

We saw this red in the tree opposite so went to get a closer look!

 We took some different steps up and down and sometimes retraced our steps so saw some different areas.

Does anyone know what these are?

 Do you remember this from my previous visit - it looks different again from this angle.

 After the delights of the formal Rose Garden, where we sat in the sun for a while, we headed to the woods...by another different path..

I took over 80 photos in here so I will just show you what made me smile and I'll try to get back here before the end of the week!

Aren't they beautiful?

Sorry if you have been here far too long.

Thanks for staying and looking, Chris