In The Garden at Try It On Tuesday

Apologies - I forgot to schedule this post for yesterday.

 Hi everyone, the sun is shining and we're 'In The Garden' at Try It On Tuesday. We are all hoping that Summer has arrived at last here in the UK. Please take a look at the fabulous examples from the Design Team.

I have used some stamps by Bipasha, from Aall and Create on my journal page. The things I like to see in gardens are butterflies, birds and flowers. 

I also like to see flowers magnified

I hope you can join us this time at TIOT, please can we see more gardens.

Thanks for looking, Chris

I had a Notion!

Hi everyone! I don't know how but doing nothing is making me more tired than usual. The weather is certainly warmer and with hubby's help I have managed one or two cafe visits and to do some shopping. I have my Fracture boot on and use a stick as walking aid but I still feel safer holding on to hubby. It's good to sit with my feet up without my boot on, only thing is when I take it off I have to remember to gather everything around me before I do so!!!

I made this page for Halle's Art Journal Journey theme 'I've Got A Notion' last week but getting on to the computer is another matter! I did sit at my table to make this though. I did think I would get it posted before now!

I made a card some time ago that didn't get sent so I have used it as part of my page. The background is an old paper dress pattern - I stamped a larger image of the Tim Holtz dress dummy and added some extra word stamps. 

Thanks for looking, Chris

A Sewing machine....

 Hi everyone,  I'm hoping that all of my appointments are over for time being - nothing scheduled now until August when I hope I will be able to walk away without the boot!

It is still difficult to sit at the computer to write my blog and I haven't yet mastered that art of posting from my phone.

I have a few pages ready for Halle's 'I've Got A Notion' theme at Art Journal Journey though.

This one was made on a background made with a spritzed stencil.

The sewing machine is a Crafty Individuals stamp - I added some Stamperia images and a little wooden  'Moments' stamp I bought recently from Miso Papers.

I hope to be here for TSFT tomorrow - I'll see how I am after a trip with hubby tomorrow. 

Thanks for looking, Chris

Winging it !

 Hi everyone, yes the title is a clue to our new theme at Try It On Tuesday. We are looking forward to seeing your 'Things With Wings' entries this time. Please take a look at all of our Design Team examples - such wonderful variety!

I'm a little bit restricted in my mobility at the moment(and wishing I had left my table in a better state) so a lot of my time is spent with my mini journals on the sofa. This time however I cleared a space to make a card.

I love this HobbyArt bird set and decided to make a colourful Nuthatch. I had some old dictionary paper handy so rubbed some distress ink onto an acrylic block, spritzed and pressed the paper on to it. Once dry it was layered with the use of some conveniently handy designer paper.

The TIOT theme runs for the usual two weeks - hope to see you there!

Thanks for looking, Chris

July Calendar Journal

Hi everyone, I'm still hopping along - it seems I have to keep wearing the boot for six weeks! Thanks for all of the good wishes.

I have my Calendar Journal to show you - it would have been posted sooner but I have had a few appointments to keep - pity they can't be in the same place. One simple dressing change took three hours because my local health centre 'don't do that sort of thing'!

The new theme chosen by Art Journal Journey host Halle is 'I've Got A Notion'

I made a background with two shades of green Distress Ink and a Lavinia stencil. Some of the notions are stamped either onto the page or on a piece of Kraft Paper. The patchwork bird is from Stamperia paper and I also used a piece of Tracy Evans washi tape.

Here is June filled in with more of our holiday memories.

Thanks for looking, Chris 

July Art Journal Journey theme

 Hi everyone, I'm pleased to tell you that our new host at Art Journal Journey this month is Halle of Halle's Hobbies. Halle is a whizz at sewing so no surprise that 'I've Got A Notion' is her chosen theme. So that's a good excuse to use anything you might find in a sewing room in your entries.

I do a lot less sewing than I used to but there's still plenty tucked into boxes that I will be using this month. 

The lady on the chair comes from an old children's book I found in Austria a long time ago - she is from the Elves and Shoemaker story.

I thought that the stencil I used looks a little bit like Broderie Anglais lace. The stamps are by Tim Holtz and I used some Tracy Evans washi tape from Aall and Create, along with some 'eyes' and some thread.

It would be great if you joined us at AJJ this month but please read the dreaded rules, No Cards please!

I am going to do my best this month - I was away for the first half of June, came back and felt extremely tired! I was just beginning to feel more energetic when I went out with hubby, skidded, then fell and now I have a very grazed knee, a gash on my arm that has been patched up in the hope it will knit together and then there's this....

So I'm not just sitting around, I am having to sit with my foot up!

Apologies and Thanks to Matilde, who had a great theme in June and I see has been doing a great job of hosting, 

Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands for Tears and other things.

Hi everyone, I am feeling well and truly back home now having adjusted to the time change - I know it's only an hour difference but being away for a month meant it took little time!

I'm here to celebrate T Stands For Tuesday over at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog - The Altered Book Lover so I'll start with my drink.

We started our holiday as we have the last few times we have visited, by called at the Petit Jean boulangerie and cafe in Cherbourg. It's very handy, as from here we just have to go round the roundabout and we are on the main route south. 

We both had Café Crémes to drink

I couldn't resist an apple beignet(basically a doughnut but much less doughy than we have in the UK) I also chose a croissant that we shared with coffee at a bar later.

We drove down so far then took the coast road to Utah Beach.

Our first stop was to the D Day landing memorial - a very quiet place with only one or two people visiting. No birdsong but in the Distance I heard my first Cuckoo of the summer. 

We drove on to Utah Beach - I don't know what I was expecting but I came to realise just how little I knew about the D Day landings during the following few days.

There are lots of commemorative statues but also so much still remaining from the war.

The bar had a lot of items on display

It was hard to imagine this beach was the scene of so many deaths

We had lunch in St Mere Eglise - one of the first towns to be liberated then headed to Omaha Beach.

This was one of the busiest places - there was a museum nearby too

I was looking at this when a lady from America said that could have been her Dad as he had been on the beach himself but that he hardly ever spoke about it, while I was telling her that my own Dad had wished he had been in Normandy but in fact had been in Africa but hardly ever spoke about it - we both had tears in our eyes, as we were speaking  another lady, from the Netherlands, said to us how sad it was, we started a conversation, she said her parents had terrible time doing the occupation of the Netherlands - we all ended up hugging each other while our husbands watched from a distance and then went our way - a moment I won't ever forget! 

We finished our day with a visit to the Overlord Museum - I realised that I had such a poor knowledge of what happened in Normandy in the days around D Day

We headed to our hotel in Bayeux, one we have used before so it was good to be somewhere familiar.

Since became home I have continued to educate myself by reading and watching TV programmes.

I hope you have found this interesting - I will continue with our visit to the English beaches next week if you wish or move on with our visit.

Thanks for looking, Chris

Here comes Summer!

Hi everyone, we seem to be having some better weather now so our new theme at Try It On Tuesday is very appropriate - 'Here Comes Summer'

The Design Team are all ready for it too so please take a look here!

I decided to make a little scene in my planner.

I added a temporary frame for this photograph. 

I love taking picnics out in the Summer - although not sure how I would get up if I relaxed like this on a rug!!

The scene is made up from mainly stickers, washi tape and Rub-on transfer stickers.

Here is the scene as it is in my planner

My planner  is a simple one - Meal Plans, a To Do list and a page for appointments, outings etc.

I hope you will join us at TIOT this time - the theme runs for the usual two weeks and the rules are here if you need to check them.

Thanks for looking, Chris

A very late Calendar Journal

Hi everyone, I have had to keep track of what I have been doing in a notebook until I could photograph this!

I love using Stamperia papers so when I wanted a quick calendar page I knew where to turn!

It also fits nicely with Matilde's theme at Art Journal Journey 'What Makes You Happy'

The background was made using a Lavinia stencil and some distress inks and I also added some washitape flowers

Here is last month all filled in - I took my journal squares with me to France for May but forgot all about the change in month while we were there!

There are some spoilers for upcoming posts if you want to read !

Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands for the return(as well as TIOT and AJJ)

Hi everyone, I'm back! Yes, I am really good at stating the obvious!

I have been away for four weeks in France so stand by for my ranting on about how fantastic it was!

Just a few pics today randomly from my photos from the beginning of our holiday, I am still trying to get the rest in some sort of order!

We were lucky to visit some of the Normandy beaches in this, the 80th Anniversary of the D Day landings, as well as some museums, churches, historical buildings and lovely gardens!

Of course we had the odd drink or two, which is just as well as I am  joining the  T Stands For Tuesday' gang over at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog The Altered Book Lover! We also shared a little tub of lemon sorbet.

I missed the beginning of the month at Art Journal Journey, where Matilde of '100% Handmade' blog is hosting with her theme of 'What Makes You Happy' as well as the latest theme at Try It On Tuesday which is "Use Book Paper' - I have made a journal page with an inked and spritzed stencil, a book page stamped with a  bird and some flowers and used a leafy sticker.

As you can see I have added spatters to my page, which always makes me happy!

The French words translate to 'a walk to recharge your batteries, listen to, feel, breathe the here and now' - I've done a lot of walking this holiday!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Small Things

 Hello everyone, our new topic at Try It On Tuesday is 'Small Things' so it's scaling down on the cards...and other things too!

The Design Team have lots of inspiration for you here.

I have made a small card to send wishes to a friend I don't see very often.

I used a Distress Ink lid to make little frame - rubbed over the pad and then used a water brush to drag some of the colour into the middle.(a tip from my friend Sarah) I used Lavinia Stamps for the little scene and the words came from my box of quotes.

I coloured the leaves and dragonfly with metallic paint and then used a brush to spatter some sparkle too.

I hope that will join us at TIOT this time, I do love working small, as you can see here. Anything goes ...as long it's small!

Here are two of my small journals. The smallest fits inside the tin..and here are some of the Christmas Cracker playing cards that I am altering for the 100day project

Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands for the update!

 Hi everyone, long time, no see! I really don't know where the time has gone - it seems like only last week I turned the calendar over to March!

Speaking of calendars here is my calendar for the coming month.

It includes a Spike Milligan poem which my boys used to love and I am entering it for Erika and Valerie's 'Poetry' theme at Art Journal Journey

You may notice that some of my squares are missing - yes, we are off to France again! I will be taking the squares with me to fill in while we are away - as well as making a travel journal!

Here are last month's pages if you are interested. I have started new meds which at the moment are making very little difference - the dose doubles while we are away so hope there are no fireworks!!!We have both had quite a few things to deal with during April.

This morning on our way to shop we called in to Tatton Park for walk in the sunshine.

This amazing Wisteria wall is right by the garden entrance

It is so calm in this tropical house and I had it to my self after the lady who encouraged me to take a selfie, as she had just done, had left.

Outside was this display...and...

..... one of the many Shaun The Sheep figures that are all around the garden.

Hubby trying to keep out of the sun!

Another Shaun with a lovely scene on his side

A beautiful Viola display in front of the Mansion.

Another Shaun!

At this point I heard lots of bird song and decided to use a new App on my phone  - Merlin - that identifies and picks out different bird songs

The handkerchief tree is in full bloom - waving it's hankies in the gentle breeze

It's a real beauty

A quick long distance look at the Chinese garden

A last look at the Wisteria and it was time to shop.

Now, I am also here to share my drink, but as I forgot to take a photo of today's drink here is the Americano I had on Saturday at Petit Delice in Wilsmlow, which I am sharing with the folk who share their drinks too, over at Bleubeard and Elizabeth's The Altered Book Lover blog for T Stands For Tuesday

Hubby had an Americano too, with a Pistachio Croissant while had a plain croissant with butter and a little jam.

As you can see I managed a little bit of Coffeeshop journaling too!

I may not be able to post next week but will try to join you at least once from France.

Thanks for looking, Chris