Sunny travels

Is it really so long since my last post? Half way through June and back home after our first week long trip in the camper.  Started with the journey down to Sarah's in Bristol for Tom's 10th birthday party, 18 ten year old boys and three 3year olds is not a recipe for a peaceful afternoon in the garden.  They all had fun on the bouncy castle and trampoline though and the camper comes in handy as an extra bedroom for the night.

I think I must have done something wrong with the iPhone camera as all the photos look green....oops!

Next stop, Putts Corner CC site just outside Honiton.  We know this super market town very well as we spent around 10 years holidaying on the Blackdown Hills but it has changed quite a bit since our last visit some 12 years ago, not as many antique shops, the Lace Shop has gone, as has the second hand toy shop, what a shame.  Lots of trips out to the coast made up for the disappointment.

Not a bad spot for a picnic, overlooking Beer.  

Slightly inland at Otterton (delicious lunch at the mill) local schoolchildren have been yarn bombing.

Started on our way home Thursday with a long trek up the M5 and M6 but broke the journey at Tewkesbury where the campsite is across the lane from the Abbey. I went in while Andy stayed in the grounds with Sorrel only to be told by two people that it was fine to take dogs in.  A great treat for her and so welcoming.

Next stop Grassington, Yorkshire for the Tour de France in two weeks.

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Missed last week's desk tour because I haven't done much crafting for a few days. Visiting family over Easter, then away last weekend and away again in the camper on Sunday for a week.  It's all go when the Bank Holidays fall so close together.

Not much to show this week and I took the photo on Tuesday evening because once Mr B gets home we will be cracking open the bubbly (Prosecco, his favourite) as it was our 20th wedding anniversary on Tuesday and I may have a sore head on Wednesday morning.  Have already started on the olives...mmmmm...

OK, back to the desk and six gessoed beer mats which I'm doing ready for a swap organised by Louise of Zuzu's Petals.  Send five and get five back - haven't signed up yet because I wanted to make sure I could complete before I put my name down but at least I've made a start. Pretty papers at the top right and a personalised notebook I got in a swap on Katie's Corner Yahoo Group a few years ago.  Star item this week is that brilliant colouring book that came Tuesday.  I know everyone loves colouring and this one's for grown ups and I've already started.  Bit disappointed that the quality of the paper means I can't use my promarkers of watercolouring pencils but on the plus side it means I need to buy a few more pencil crayons.

Here's a closer look at one of the pages.

Boy, am I going to have fun with those bugs.

Finally a shot of my garden and a ton of Forget-me-nots.  Bought a packet of seed about the same time as we got married and they keep coming back year after year, how romantic is that?

Hope that's not too long a post Julia, and I do have an excuse...did I mention my anniversary????

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What a brilliant week. no rain and a bucketful of sunshine with lots of walks for me and Sorrel.  Seems a shame to be inside when the weather is so kind but I did manage to do a bit in my journal so that's on my desk.

Lots of inks - you should see my fingers - my new, and favourite, fern mask and new Sheena Douglas silhouette stamps of the Rosebay Willow herb.  The quote on the page came from the little book at the bottom right, lots of good, and some 'not so good' quotes and sayings and it didn't cost me a penny.  Carmel was giving it away at our last stamp club meeting and I happened to be in the right place at the right time.
That's it for this week, short and sweet as Sorrel is waiting for her walk and there is a lawn to cut when I get home.  Will still make time for a snoop around most of the desks via Julia's Stamping Ground so see you there.
Here's a closer look at the journal page if you're interested.

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I have a special offer on this week, not one, but two desks to share.  The first is my usual craft place, my dining room table. Taken from a slightly different angle this week and twice as messy - must be a Twofer week.

Inkpads galore, even more stamps, clear embossing powder and a new stamp, the flowers on the right which I haven't used yet - give me time.  Right in the middle and towards the right is a bunch of cards made at our monthly craft club meeting on Saturday and finished off at home.  The technique we did was faux batik when you emboss an image in clear on white card, ink over the top, then iron off the EP to give a negative image.  Then you over stamp with coloured inks and finally with black to add a bit of drama.  At the workshop I realised my black Versafine pad had finally hit the dust, well it must be at least 8 years old, so of I trotted on Saturday to a local craft fair and bought a replacement....and six new Archival inkpads, a couple of stamps, some of that sticky EP (I cant get on with Flitter Glue at all), couple of masks, couple of stencil brushes and....well that's enough isn't it?  If you want a closer look at the cards then I blogged them a couple of days ago so scroll down a bit and there they are.

My second desk is the little table in my conservatory which I took over for a bit of sewing.

Making a Kindle case for my niece, called Susan would you believe :).  Out came the Cuttlebug for the flowers and I had to make a trip to our local fabric shop for a bit of batting but that was all I bought yesterday :(

Enough of my spending habits, I'm off to look at what everyone else is buying/making courtesy of Julia's Desk hop, might just bump into you on the journey.

Faux Batik fun weekend

It was our monthly craft club meeting on Saturday and our guest tutor was Cath of Inky Fingers.  Cath knows more about inks and techniques than anyone else I know so it was a pleasure to re-visit faux batik and see her fabulous samples.

Of course I had taken all the wrong stuff, as usual and was pining for my Distress inks that were sitting on my desk at home but I managed a few cards.

This one was with home made spray inks (I had not forgotten my Distress re-inkers and mini spray bottles).  Unfortunately I overdid the white pen around the word stamp so that needs fixing.  Will ink a small panel and stamp again to cover that.  I love the stamp, borrowed from Cath's stash and have ordered one of my own.

Did this one at home yesterday using DIs and my brand new juicy Versafine ink pad.  The one I was trying to stamp with on Saturday was more like a mid grey so it's in the bin now.

Here's the final one, my favourite, finished this afternoon using Adirondack inks and a stencil brush.  The sunburst stencil is a new one, bought at a craft show yesterday.  Should have been away in the camper for the weekend but the weather forecast put paid to that so I was able to go to the Sincerely Yours show in Leigh.  Only went for a look around and the Versafine pad but came home with a few (?) more bits and pieces, now how did that happen?

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Lots of goodies on my desk today that I picked up at the Happy Stampers show at Port Sunlight on Saturday.

Some stamps, of course, Zendoodles by Lindsay Mason for PI, Crafty Individuals (have already had a play with the sunflower one), Lavinia Stamps, Woodwear, and a new (to me) stamp set by Clearly Besotted.  These are a sheet of feathers that come with a matching set of dies so I had to have both of course.  Was quite restrained with my other purchases, couple of masks including a fab peacock feather one and a yellow Adirondack ink pad.  I should replace all my Adirondacks as I have had them for over 10 years and you cant get re-inkers for them now but I keep eeking them out a little longer. Last of the purchases is the pretty paper pad at the top right, springlike pinks and greens so Easter cards are calling to me.

So that's it for this week. Going on a desk hop now courtesy of Julia our charming hostess but I will leave you with this photo of the magnolia in next door's garden yesterday, stunningly beautiful in the sunshine.

Lavinia Fleur

Spent up on Saturday on my visit to Port Sunlight for the Happy Stamper's Festival.  Haven't been able to go for a couple of times but was determined to make it this time.  Amongst the many things that popped into my basket were a couple more Lavinia Stamps.  

I can remember seeing this maker on their first visit to Port Sunlight many years ago and have built up a little stash over the years.  The fairies are my favourites and I couldn't resist this one, Fleur, so I sat down this afternoon and made a simple card.  I used two colours of Adirondack ink used for colouring the stamp and the spotty background and stamped the nodding bell flower a few more times and cut out to add to the top.

I drew the stems for the additional bells and added the willow stamp fronds at the bottom then coloured the edges of the two mounts in matching colours. 

Haven't done a challenge for a while but am entering this for the 'Spring colours' challenge on the Lavinia Stamp site.