Now....Where would I like to be...?

 Hi everyone, yes it's Paris! 

I couldn't let Erika's 'Favourite Things' theme at Art Journey Journey pass without a Paris page! Thanks Erika for such a fabulous theme, as usual time ran out before the ideas!!

I used French style washi tapes at the bottom of my page and then added some Darkroom Door stamps from the Paris Collection and the Post Mark set.

Finally some blossom that I was looking forward to seeing this year.

We have a hotel booked but are still not sure whether we will go in April as planned!

Although I have put some words in I am quite pleased that I have left some white space this time!

I'm keeping this short as I'll be back at 6.00am tomorrow morning - I wonder where I'll be then and who will be setting the theme for Art Journal Journey....clue....well, it's not me!?

Thanks for looking, Chris

Another shared art session

 Hi everyone! Hubby and I have had some more shared art time with week 4's Wanderlust class. We skipped some of the processes (to be honest I just couldn't cope with hubby and texture paste this week!)but some die cuts and punches saved the day!

The class was by Shay Michelle and we both quite like the finished result...although as you will see they are very much 'us'!

Mine is blue - no surprise here. Shay used lots of glittery bits but neither of us wanted that although I did decide to add a 'diamond' to mine as a reminder of a trip to France! 

Hubby loves green...and wild animals so they feature here and he had a look through my scraps for some collage material.

The words are what is important to reflect on after the year we have all had.

Under the paper on the right are our wishes for 2021, we are keeping those private but they were very similar even though we wrote them separately.

I am a bit under the weather (literally I think) so please forgive the lack of words here

I am entering both of our pages at Art Journal Journey and Erika's 'Favourite Things' theme. These shared art sessions are definitely one of my favourite things and of course you know I love blue!!

Stay safe and Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands for The Evacuation...and Wanderlust!

Hi everyone, this time last week I would have thought the last thing to occur to a couple living in a first floor apartment would be to be evacuated because of danger of flood!

Last Wednesday evening we watched the local news and heard that the nearby river levels were getting very high. About 30 minutes later one of our managers came to our door and asked us to prepare an overnight bag - just in case! 

At this time it had been raining heavily for two days but had stopped. We didn't ask any further questions and when she had gone had a little laugh about it not being very likely that any water would even reach our complex let alone the 1st floor!

About 30 minutes later we looked out to see snow, real big flake snow that was settling - exciting and beautiful and later in the evening we went from window to window taking photos!

The last photo taken was at 10.42pm and then we settled to watch one of our favourite programmes.

Just after 11.00pm our intercom system crackled into life and it was the voice of the manager (never usually around in the evenings) with the announcement that she regrets to tell us that the police had advised that we leave and to await further instructions - we have a small carpark and it would have jammed very quickly. We hadn't been told where we might go so when another Duty Manager came to our door we asked...there were two alternatives - a community centre where they were evacuating most of the village or to go to relatives....

A quick assessment by us both - one son starts work very early, another lives out of area and the other although officially in area was farther away! We gave our middle son a ring - fortunately still up and he told us to come along!

Our car, not used for ages, thankfully started first time and we set off out of the gate onto slippery snow. When we got to the main road gritters had been out. We had seen lots of police cars and police on foot going from door to door in the village. 

As we got on the motorway we saw a sign informing us that the motorway was closed from the junction before we wanted to get off. 

I got my phone out to find a detour route and then we had to stop, of course, lots of other vehicles were queuing to get off! We soon found our way to some familiar roads and finally reached our son's house!

He had set a bed up for himself in the living room and changed his bedlinen so that we could use his bed! By this time it was around 1.00am.

He had to leave to get to the school where he is working with key workers children by 8.20a.m so we didn't see much of him. Classroom assistants are in school while the teachers teach from home - he also has to use the computer to help the children at home.

This was our bedroom view

I was surprised to see how tall the stems on his Yucca plant had grown, but since then have noticed that some in a nearby garden have also grown.

We realised that we hadn't actually visited his home since we left our caravan!

We both had appointments for blood tests at midday and I rang to try and change them only to find that there was nothing else until 15th March so decided to drive back for them and hope that we were safe to return to our apartment!

One happy event to come out of our visit was the chance to chat with my Granddaughter...from a distance...before we left! Missed seeing my Grandson though, he doesn't get up very early apparently!!!

We reflected afterwards that we deliberately avoided visiting family all year but then ended up...with a more dangerous strain of Covid19 around...having a sleepover!!!

Since then we have caught up on sleep and we definitely appreciate the safety of our apartment!

We have completed another Wanderlust class together - which included making self portraits. Another few afternoons of laughter and enjoyment!

I used my word for this year. I used part of a map of France and a sugar wrapper from a cafe in Paris on my background 

Hubby chose one he felt appropriate  - I teased him that he wanted to give himself more hair! He used some Lion's eyes from a napkin in his background

As I am here to join Bleubeard and Elizabeth for T Stands For Tuesday I have a new drink we tried - Kefir fruit drink.

It was bit gloopy for me and I added some milk, but very tasty - we have bought more!

We also had more snow...

...but I still have some sunshine for you!

This was from when we went to Carcassonne in 2017 - we went for a day trip to Narbonne (I showed the cafe here the other week) This was by the Canal du Midi.

Thanks for looking, Chris  


 

  

Journal time at last!

Hi everyone, you will know that this week has not been without drama if you have seen my Instagram posts! 

For those that haven't, I will tell the full tale of our evacuation from our flat for my Tea Stands For Tuesday post! All is well and there were no lasting effects(unless you count the fact that since then I haven't slept too well!)

This morning hubby and I did our Wanderlust class together - much laughing involved - no photos yet so I guess that I will show those on Tuesday too!

I have been in my craft room since then - making Crafty Individuals samples - but today was for art journalling - my favourite thing to do!

A page with no stamping! I had some paint mop up on the page so used an Aall and Create stencil 'Superbly Square' with some Paper Artsy Fresco paints (Limelight and Inky Pool)

I wanted to use more from my Dina Wakley collage media books but in the end only used this image along with some of my scraps. I also used the stencil to add some sparkly ink squares, and a Posca white pen to add more squares and some spatters. I added more marks with the sparkly pen and drew lines with a pitt pen around the image. Finally I added two quotes using Dina's tissue words.

I am entering at:-

Art Journal Journey and Erika's 'Favourite Things' theme

Country View Challenge January 21 - Squares

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday - Make Your Own Backgrounds

Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands For.........the art session

 Hi everyone!I hope you are all okay. There's not a lot going on around here, or I suppose anywhere else for that matter. January is like that and this January even more so! 

I started the Wanderlust classes a couple of weeks ago and as I was watching last weeks class, Garden of Wishes by Laly Mille, hubby came along and looked interested so I suggested that we do a lesson together!

We did it over two afternoons mainly.

We laughed a lot, made a bit of a mess with finger painting and both ended up with something we were quite happy with.

My finished pages... 

...and the original collage. I won't go into details as that wouldn't be fair but I did change a few things to suit myself.

Hubby did his pages this way..

He wasn't too happy to cover up his collage but I still think it looks pretty good. Does any one else see a Picasso like face bottom right?

We're looking forward to sharing more of these classes.

I'd like to enter them at Art Journal Journey and Erika's 'Favourite Things' theme - I think you all know that gardens are our favourite things!

Now to my poor Poinsettia, having dropped lots of leaves since we bought it at the beginning of December it is now producing more leaves!!!

My Christmas Cactus that I first showed you here at the beginning of December ...

...is now looking absolutely beautiful and still has more buds on it - it's younger companion is looking good too!

I also have this basket which has new growth in it too..

...I think I drowned the Kalanchoe last year but over the year it sprouted new leaves, has become bigger and filled in the gap again.

For my ticket to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's T Stands For Tuesday at The Altered Book Lover I have a treat hubby prepared just this morning while I was in my craft room.

As I wandered through to the kitchen with my phone in my hand I was able to grab a quick photo.

Buttered crumpet (sometimes known as pikelet) and hot chocolate for a mid morning treat - perfect for a rainy day!

We finished the puzzle we started before Christmas...

Two photos as the shine is in different places!

We've started another now - it's difficult with its of brown furred animals!!!

Finally  couple of photos of one of my favourite garden walks in Paris - the Promenade Plantée! A sunny day in June 2015

I am waiting to find if I will get my Covid jab soon - they have moved on to the over 70's!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Winter Blues

Hi everyone, not much blue around here but lots of grey! 

However, Try It On Tuesday's new theme is Winter Blues and there are lots of ways it can be interpreted!                                  Please do take a look at the Design Team's inspiration here!

I decided on a card for a Winter birthday coming up soon.

This coneflower stamp by Crafty Individuals beautiful whatever colour it is. I stamped the CI background using Speckled Egg Distress Oxide ink and added some text stamping on top.

The cone flower, one of Sharon Bates's designs was stamped with Versafineclair ink and clear embossed before colouring with Inktense pencils and a water brush.

I had to search for a backing paper I was happy with and all I added then was a sentiment circle that I have had for ages inked around the edge.

As usual our theme runs for two weeks and we look forward to seeing your own Winter Blues - any kind of crafting is acceptable as long as it fits our theme.

Thanks for looking, Chris  

In the future

Hi everyone, I've spent a couple of afternoons this week crafting...with my hubby! I'll show you what we've been doing soon!

I've also had some crafting time to myself, our internet is playing up and hubby has been trying to sort it out...it just cuts out intermittently - really annoying when you are in the middle of ordering something online!

I made another journal page for Erika's 'Favourite Things' theme at Art Journal Journey,

I had a background that had been made with Aall and Create stencils and wanted to make a page about one of our favourite things to do - travel..especially to Paris!

I looked though my scraps and found most of what I wanted to use and then into one of my Dina Wakley media collage books for some more.I added some ink to the postcard and around some of the other scraps and used a neo-colourII to make some marks and a black and a white pen to make other marks.

The stamp is an old favourite.

I know that one day it will be safe to travel and we can all escape. I'm keeping that in my mind in these grey days!

I would also like to join in at:-

The Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge - 'Put a Good Word In'

Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands for ....taking a trip back

Hi everyone, We have had a series of grey days which means I don't get much done...sun today..at least for the morning...lovely!!

I have kept back some lights from Christmas and put them in our hallway window - they will be removed when we have both had our COVID jabs!

They aren't very big lights but will cheer me up to see them while we are in Lockdown!

With the news that someone was fined for driving in their car to go for a peaceful walk we are either destined to get up and go out early for a walk before the sun gets up or just to walk around the apartment gardens. We looked by the river the other day and there were so many groups walking across the path we didn't bother.

While looking through for something else on a hard drive I found some of hubby's photos from July 2017 when we went to Carcassonne, Albi and Bordeaux.

The sun shone most of the time!

 

We took a canal boat tour which was very relaxing....and went on  day trip to Narbonne where I remember a very warm but strong wind!

Albi Cathedral is huge and very plain on the outside...

..but inside was one of the most beautifully decorated I have seen and one of my all time favourites.

I am also showing a favourite place to go in Carcassonne for T Stands For Tuesday - where we are invited by Bleubeard and Elizabeth to share a drink related photo!

This was at Meery Cake by the old bridge to the city and really we had to share  this piece of cake...

..with a display like this it would have been rude not to!

I couldn't find my 2017 photos so the are from my blog post at the time!

Meanwhile, there has been a very poorly plant...

I fear there is nothing further I can do for it!!!

My friend Sheila who passed away last year had kept the one I gave her for Christmas and it was still in very good health in July last year!

I don't often do ...'and finally'...but thought you might like these

Tempted to go out???

Who know this feeling?

Have a good week, thanks for looking, Chrisx