Enjoy the little things

Hi everyone, this will be my final visit to Art Journal Journey this year. Thanks to Jo for the inspiration and a lovely theme for this time of year!

Here is my page for 'Snowy Winter'

This page took so long to do - just not feeling up to much at all for a while so it just sat on my desk. 

The background was just smudgy water colour with a bit of added mica! 

The snowflakes are old peel offs that turned up in a box of Christmas bits and pieces.

The cute puppy and holly are Aall and Create stamps by Bipasha.

The quote is echoing just what I have been doing, and is a stamp I have had for a while.

Thanks for looking, Chris   

Bird watching!

 Hi everyone, I have another journal page for Jo's AJJ theme - 'Snowy Winter'

We haven't had much snow yet this year(not that I want it) but seeing all of the dreadful weather conditions in the USA have me thinking about those of you with power cuts and restrictions on travel, not to mention the freezing temps! I hope everyone is OK. I have read one or two posts and it seems pretty grim!

My page has a blackbird helping himself to some berries in the snow. We have some hedges around with berries on and we love to see the blackbirds hopping along the hedges.

My main image came from a calendar. I cut around it and added it to a black page which I had painted with mica paint. The border is made with some new washi tape.

I stamped some pine leaves along the bottom and wrote some words from a favourite carol using a white pen and aded some peel off stars.

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas, one of my sons and grandson came for Christmas Day.(My granddaughter is in Australia, with her other grandmother) 

Our family day has had to be postponed until next week as the hosts came down with a bug!

I've been quite pleased with our Christmas lights this year - supplemented by the lights outside in the communal garden. 

Hoping I can remedy the commenting now I have remembered to charge my Tablet.

Thanks for looking, Chris

That's the way it is....

Hi everyone, I have finally completed another journal page - it has been on my desk for a week now - my mojo upped and left and is still surely hiding behind a door somewhere! I have been out with hubby 'shopping' and having coffees - in other words I haven't been coming back with much of any use! I try to make lists before we go out but if it's not on the list or I don't see the items straight away I don't get them ..which leads to another trip somewhere else. Hopefully all will be well soon! 

Apologies to all those thinking I have given up on looking at your blogs - I am looking, but not having much success with commenting.

Here is my journal page - I am joining in at Art Journal Journey and Jo's 'Snowy Winter' theme.

I used up some paint on a page to which I added some music paper and a small piece of designer paper. I cut a 'snowflake out of music paper and stamped some berries. The face stamp is a Dina Wakley one and the quote is from a Lindsay Mason set. 

I have a couple more cheerful pages almost complete too so hopefully I'll get them posted soon.

Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands For the Lights of Paris.

Hi everyone, I've had an up and down week - the ups were two birthdays to celebrate, seeing a friend for coffee and a wander around a makers market,  and using an air fryer for the first time (must say that quite impressed me) - the down? My medication is still causing me problems with regular trips to the loo - some days I daren't go out until at least 11 o'clock, still, I know it could be worse and there is a plus side - I'm not putting on any weight!

One of the things I was looking forward to in Paris was seeing the displays that the big shops and the designer shops put on.

One of my favourites was Chanel who draped a building with a huge necklace.

Not to be outdone Dior had this..

...and this

..and around the corner, this.

This is the Burberry shop

Place Vendôme is always beautiful

The Ritz as always, putting on a show

One evening we went to see the displays in the large department stores.

Printemps displays were great fun! 

I have added a few videos - I hope they work!

I love the little walkways in front of the windows so that children can get close without adults spoiling their view.

We stopped for something to eat - I did not eat the mountain of fries but I did enjoy my tonic water as well as plain water.

I'm joining Bleubeard and Elizabeth at The Altered Book Lover for T Stands For Tuesday

We we into Galerie Lafayette.

  

The windows were animated but not quite so interesting!

The next time we meet for T Christmas will have been and gone, so I wish you all a very Happy Christmas.

I hope to be back with some journal pages and maybe a tag some time soon!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Christmas Rush

 Hi everyone, I finally have had time to finish this page - all I had to do was find the gel medium!!!

We have been out a lot this week celebrating birthdays and in between I have been trying to make Christmas cards. I really wish I had made them all before we went to Paris as it took me some time to get back to 'normal' and now it's all such a rush - I am going to have to rely on E-cards this year all together I fear! 

Things have got a little out of hand in my craft room - it's not a nice place to be at the moment!

This is the page.

The background was made with some green and blue mica powder.

I stamped the Tim Holtz tree and then - with the Gel medium added this corner of a napkin.I added some gold paint to join the two.

I stamped lots of gold snowflakes and added the Stamperia words.

I am joining in at Art Journal Journey and Jo's 'Snowy Winter' theme

Thanks for looking, Chris.

T Stands for Taking (another) Trip to Paris

Hi everyone, you may already know this but if you don't, the reason I missed T Day last week was because I was in Paris. Hubby treated me to a few days to see the lights and markets of Paris as an early birthday treat. My birthday was actually yesterday but he chose that weekend because it was free Museum Sunday!

It was very cold in Paris and has been here since we got back last Wednesday.

As I am here for T Stands for Tuesday over at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog The Altered Book Lover I can show you the rather decadent cake I had at Samaraitaine.  

It is a Pistachio Paris Brest - a choux pastry coated in pistachio nuts with some very pretty additions - we both had the same to eat and hubby had a Cappuccino while I had an Americano with cold milk on the side.

I was rather surprised when the waiter said he remembered me coming in with my granddaughter in the Summer. He even remembered that I had told him that hubby was a Manchester City supporter. I actually think it was my granddaughter he remembered!

The Christmas lights in Samaritaine were outstanding.

Reflection in the roof windows

Their own Advent calendar, we passed when we spotted the price!

The day before had walked through the Jardins de Luxembourg

...where as well as the lovely colours, there was a charity telethon taking place ( we had seen some special programmes on French TV including a wonderful special performance of Giselle the ballet)

We watched as these stilt walkers got ready while the dancing was taking place

After it got dark we walked through one of the lovely passages

 

It looks as though blogger has decide on the order of my photos..again!

Finally we walked through one of the many Christmas markets around the Paris area

This one is near St Germain church.

I'll show more next week - the lights are amazing.

Thanks for looking, Chris