I'm Back from Holidaying in Wales

Evening All,

The holiday is over and we had a lovely time. The weather was mixed though - very out of Camelot, rain during the night and early morning clearing to give us warm and sunny afternoons and evenings. For those of you who have never seen/been to Wales, it is a beautiful country. We were based in North Wales, on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park - an area of outstanding natural beauty - near the seaside town of Barmouth, so the camera saw plenty of action over the week. Here's just a few, well rather a lot really, of the photographs taken - I hope you enjoy them.

Sunset on our first evening - the view from our caravan

Sand dunes on Barmouth Beach

The Dragon Theatre, Barmouth

Live shrimps being crated up for sale

Sailors' Institute still in use today

Kite flying is very popular all along the coast of Barmouth Bay



And finally that fantastic view from our caravan again - this time a late afternoon shot.



Not wishing to bore you all completely I'll stop here and do some catching up on what you have all been up to while I've been taking it easy ;)

Happy crafting,

New goodies + some free digital papers

Good Evening Everyone,

I'm off to Wales on holiday tomorrow and look what the postman delivered today. Now much as I am looking forward to my holiday this is going to be something really nice to come home to. I just can't wait to play with these Inkylicious stamps - particularly the script and music stamps. Script stamps are oh so useful and I can see the music one being equally useful. And the ink dusters - I'm hoping they will make it easier for me to colour backgrounds than using sponges has been. Over the many eons I've worked using typewriters, telex, accounting machines - anything with a keyboard actually, and eventually developed RSI and tennis elbow (yes, I played racquet games too) which causes painful spasms when I grip things tightly. Now, I like sponging inks onto paper so I'm looking for ways to do this that are not so hard on my fingers - maybe the ink dusters will do the trick :)

I've been making more papers and thought I'd share them with you - they are all floral designs using flowers from my own garden. Feel free to download these to use. I only ask that the usual policy prevails - that is, you are free to use my sheets for personal use but that you do not share, alter, claim them as your own or sell them. You can, however, link back to my blog so that others can download them. Just click on the images (JPG format) and and save to your computer.
 

Azalea - vellum

Azalea

Bellis - small motif

Bellis - large motif

Bellis - vellum

Columbine - vellum

Columbine

London Pride

London Pride - vellum

If you do decide to use these paper I would be delighted to see what you make and how you use them.

Well that's me for 10 days or so - I'm going to be MIA for that period unless I can find a cybercafe. I'm taking my Promarkers and some stamped images to colour in but that, I fear, will be as much crafting as I will be doing. No Christmas card this week - I've just run out of time - and there won't be one next week either so I'll have a lot of catching up to do when I return.

So see you all when I get back, and in the meantime happy crafting to you all.

WOYWW - Week 104 - Celebration Time!

AVery Good Morning to One and All,

Nothing to show you on my desk this very special What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday - I've just cleared up after a mammoth PIF-making session! Congratulations go to Julia at Stamping Ground for her 2 years of  hosting What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday. That's 104 weeks of snooping! I haven't been around for all that time - that's because I didn't even know what blogging was 2 years ago - I know, which planet was I on!!!! If I hadn't somehow strayed into the world of cardmaking I still wouldn't know and look at the fun I would have missed. I joined back in October last year - week 71 - after a few weeks of hovering and debating with myself as to where to join in the fun. Now I'm so glad I did pluck up the courage to give it a try. I really enjoy the weekly snoop around folks workspaces and admired the variety of beautiful work produced in sometimes the most unlikely of spaces - e,g, Helen crafts on the floor! I've also met and made friends with so many inspirational crafters in WOYWWland - and that wouldn't have been possible without Julia. So, Julia, many thanks for reigning over the workdesks of the world and long may you continue to do so : )

To compensate in some little way for having nothing to show I thought I'd show you something I've been making on the computer instead - my own paper.

I used My Craft Studio Professional's tiling feature to create this paper from a photograph of London Pride (Latin name Saxifraga x urbium). I've just discovered that it is also known as St. Patrick's Cabbage, Whimsey, Prattling Parnell, and Look Up And Kiss Me in other parts of the country. It's a really old-fashioned plant that I remember seeing in every garden in our neighbourhood when I was a child. The froth of dainty and delicate flowers is so pretty I thought they might look lovely as a background paper. After creating the backing paper I tried my hand at producing a mock vellum paper too. I think there is not enough white space in the finished paper so that's another lesson learned - that it would look better with some white space incorporated. And here's the London Pride which grows in a pot in my front garden.

Isn't it lovely?

This morning I'm being greatly entertained by what's going on at the bird feeder. There are several starling chicks sitting around just begging to be fed - and they are all as big as their parents! The parent birds are just run of their feathers trying to keep up with the demands of their 'teenage' off-spring :) Fortunately, the EM keeps them well provided with seed, and just as fortunately The Boss, who is well fed too, pretty much leaves them to it.

Ah well, time to have a cup of tea, after which I'll pop back to Julia's place to see who I'm going to be sending my PIF to.

Have a great WOYWW day everyone and Happy Crafting,