A Flower for Wanderlust

Hi everyone, I sorry to be so far behind with catching up with your blogs..no excuses...just life happening at a pace!

We completed our latest Wanderlust class during the week but not managed to post it anywhere until now! 

We were shown how to add a pocket and tags to our journal page amongst other things - we latched onto the pocket but changed a few things along the way to completing our pages!

Having decided to make a double page spread again it doesn't look much like the single page by Kiala Givehand. It did give me a chance to use the photograph of one of the remaining snowdrops at Dunham Massey the other day and I opted for Spring colours for my page.

 

My pocket was made from some paper you may have seen on my desk the other day! I stamped part of a Crafty Individuals row of trees on my pocket.

 

I had intended writing 'Spring' but this one literally fell out of my scrap bag while looking for something else!

I am entering at Art Journal Journey and Sheila's 'A Single Flower' theme.

Hubby stayed with his natural world kind of page...

...and used, wait for it, some stencils he  bought for his own use!! The paper for his pocket is part of a page from some designer paper of mine - he spotted the owl and nabbed it! 

He did write his own word!

With a whole range of paints out we chose similar colours - must have been going foe our lovely walk that did it!

Here are some of hubby's photos

Another face???

Hubby's zoom comes in handy! 

I'll show you the ones I took on my phone on Tuesday!

Thanks for looking, Chris

WOYWW 615

Our host Julia of the Stamping Ground has an excellent tip for making sure Glossy Accents work every time - just in time for me as I plan on using lots over the next few days!

 I don't manage to get here very often and there's not a great deal to see on my desk at the moment.

I do still have the regulation 12 x 12 space to work in...

..as you can see by the papers I am cutting into at the moment. I am determined to use some of my papers up by the end of this year!

If you want to have a little look around you will see that the shrink plastic is out too...ooer missus! 

I'm still slightly swamped with glue pots too!

Hoping to have more time to visit this week!

Thanks for looking, Chris

T Stands for ...The Great Escape...

Hi everyone, I'm pleased to tell you that the antibiotics seem to be doing their job and I've been feeling a little bit better over the last couple of days.

I'm still pottering along with some easy pages. Here's someone you may have met before..

  Yes it's Lynne Perella's Tea Cup Lady from one of my Paper Artsy sets. 

I stuck a flower in her cup - I used some stamps and stencils(Ooh! stencils - see my previous post here) to make a background and cut into an Aall and Create die cut to partially frame her!

The flower is from a set I bought in France a few years ago.

This page is of course for Sheila's 'A Single Flower' theme at Art Journal Journey.

Now, onto the escape mentioned in my title.

As you know we went out last week and finished up at Fletcher Moss...but I didn't tell you that we had also met up with Joe, son number 3 at Wythenshaw Park a few days before.

It was rather a strange outing as only two people were allowed to meet up at that stage so hubby took all of the photos while my son and I walked and talked (no sitting to drink coffee allowed)

 Hubby was quite a distance away and if I had known he was taking this photo I would have given you a smile!

It was quite nippy and holding onto our cups kept our hands warm. I have to confess to wearing this coat that is now a couple of sizes too big(I must at least alter the buttons before I go out in it again!)

We spent a lot of our time talking about food - he is an excellent cook and it's great to swap ideas.

We walked past the newly restored Hall

  

The trees are getting small buds

Is it just me or is there face in this stump?

Hubby and I will be back soon to see these in full bloom.

I am joining Bleubeard and Elizabeth for T Stands for Tuesday. I had another photo ready but as you see I didn't need it!

Here are a few more of the photos I took at Fletcher Moss.

The volunteer gardeners have been clearing the pond that had to be left last year

The benches have been moved away from the cafe area - I hope they bring them back!

We think we might like to get a takeaway sometime!

We noticed these on the wall by the car just as we were leaving!

Have a safe week, we are getting closer to the end of restrictions and Spring to look forward to!

Thanks for looking, Chris

Using a stencil....

Hi everyone, we are inviting you to 'Use A Stencil Or Two' at Try It On Tuesday. There are some beautiful examples from the Design Team so I hope you will go and take a look.

I love stencils and probably have far too many, however my choices were easy this time.

I used two Aall and Create stencils - one by Autour de Mwa with shades of green and another by Janet Klein with texture paste.

The flower is a stamped and fussy cut one by Brigit Koopsen for Carabelle Studio and the quote is by Alison Bomber (of Words and Pictures blog) for Paper Artsy

This page is also for Sheila's 'A Single Flower' at Art Journal Journey

I am watching for flowers blooming here in our communal gardens and hoping for a little walk in another of my favourite gardens soon.

As usual the TIOT challenge runs for two weeks - I hope you can join us in this challenge - the stamping/image is up to you as long as you use your stencils.

Thanks for looking, Chrisx

A Single Rose

Hi everyone, I can't say I feel a great deal better yet but at least now I am on a course of antibiotics that MAY help. 

I'm glad I had a few pages in reserve for Sheila's 'A Single Flower' theme at Art Journal Journey. Everything I have done lately either needs 'fixing' or throwing in the bin!

I used my journal with different colour pages - pink seemed to suit this one so I added a gelli print made a while ago along with some gessoed book paper. The rose, an old Elusive Image stamp was fussy cut and mounted on a piece of white corrugated card. The rose was stamped up with pink and green distress ink. I added some lace and cheesecloth.

The paper doll pair look as though they are attending a wedding - they don't often dress so smartly so they have to stand and pose for their proud parents.

I am also entering at -

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge - Use Something Green

Simon Says Stamp Blog - Wednesday Challenge - A Bit O'Green

Thanks for looking, Chris

 

T Stands for - The Big Loss...

By now most of you will have read of the sad news about our dear friend Eileen.

I do have some of Eileen's art but as it is out of my reach I may not be able to show it! Of course, many of us received one of her lovely ATCs with the poem that Elizabeth shows today!

Eileen was always supportive and we occasionally e-mailed each other as well as swapping bits and pieces.

She had started the Wanderlust classes but sadly not able to keep up when she was feeling so poorly but was confident that she would catch up. Sadly that won't happen, but every page I make from now on will remind me of her.

Eileen used to enjoy seeing photos of the gardens we used to visit so here are a few from our first walk of the year at Fletcher Moss this morning.

We had a couple of errands to do so carried on to the park for a very quick walk as I wasn't up to walking far!

I think Eileen would have enjoyed seeing the Spring flowers.

My T Stands for Tuesday drink this week is the coffee that accompanied the naughty but nice Almond Croissant last week.

As you can see we shared one here and the other one in the pack another day!

I am of course linking this post to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog - The Altered Book Lover.

Thanks for looking, Chris

Being Lazy

 Hi everyone! Thank you for your good wishes, I'm still not so good but I am awaiting Lab results. Pain comes and goes but I am beginning to deal with it!

I have a lazy page for Sheila's 'A Single Flower' theme at Art Journal Journey.

 I made inky/splodgy background to which I added some Aall and Create stencils and stamps.

The tag has appeared in it's own right previously on this blog, and it actually fell from it's hook onto my desk with a few others - well of course - it wanted to be shown again!

The tag also used Aall and Create stamps and stencils - the flower and mushrooms are by Tracy Evans.

I added some white pen marks to make it stand out more and then added some ripped wordy washi tape.

I would like to join

Simon Says Stamp Monday - Art Journal

Thanks for looking, Chris