WOYWW Scrapathon !

We have had a lovely summer's day here today - but last weekend was wet & windy !

The bad weather had been forecasted, so we decided to make the best of a bad job & spend the day hunkered down in our "nest" - we even got our weekly shopping out of the way on Friday night instead of our usual Saturday morning - so I could get a clear run at the day !

So at half seven on Saturday morning I embarked on a 10 hour Scrapathon !!

My aim was to get my holiday in Malta scrapped - and I am happy to say that the layouts are now done & safely in my album !

My title page - with the iconic view across the harbour to the city of Valletta - I took loads of pictures of this view but this is my favourite ! Coins as embellishments - and the Malta title is recycled from the packaging on a Tshirt Rich bought !

This double page was all about our hotel .. oh how lovely the pool looks - pity the water was so breathtakingly cold !!

 The food was excellent - all we seemed to do was eat & drink - very naughty but delicious !!







Valletta was a charming historic city ... great to stroll around

A few random memories ...

The Teppanyaki meal we had at the Japanese restaurant in the hotel .. the chef was great fun !

Our brilliant walk along the coast to St Julians - 4 hours round trip but great views & warm sunshine made it a real pleasure ...

And the highlight of the holiday for me ... the amazing & atmospheric historic city of Mdina - we loved just ambling along the honey coloured streets !






As you can imagine by Saturday night I was all scrapped out, so it was great to go over to my friend Lynda's for supper and a DVD - and a quick rummage in her craft room to see what she had been up to - good thing our men folk can talk sport for hours !!

And just one more to show you - promise !!

Before we set off to Malta we had met up with my Mum & Dad at the RHS Garden at Wisley - we love this place - always so much to see !
We snaffled a passer by to take a picture of the 4 of us - and I was so pleased with how it came out - so that was Sunday's scrapping task !

Things are looking brilliant in the garden - my best year since we moved here in 2007 !
(As long as I put my blinkers on & ignore the weeds !!)

I just wanted to share a couple of pictures with you ...

I am so excited about this bud (okay so I need to get out more !!) this peony has been in for 4 years with no flowers - and this year I have buds - and I do so love peonies - so am checking it every day !!
Okay - so I REALLY DO need to get out more !!

My clematis is stunning at the moment !












And the Astrantia Lynda gave me last year is gorgeous too !


Sorry for such a long post - but always so great to share the week's projects with you !
Take care
Ali xx

Summer of Colour - Lime Green & Purple

Hi
I just love this colour combination !

Lime green is one of my favourite "go to" colours - but I have always teamed it up with black before this !
So trying it with purple has been a fun adventure into new territory !

I have created a page in my Journal using a couple of new Sizzix embossing folders which I hadn't had a chance to play with until now.
I used Inkagold to highlight the embossed areas - lime onto the purple card - onto a background lightly inked with Pear Tart Momento Ink and some lime & lilac Glimmer Mists.

The journalling is in circles - I saw this design on a blog which entered for last week's colours - and I liked the idea - so I had a go at my own version.
The words are about my feelings as we swing by the summer solstice !

And last month we went to the Royal Horticultural Society's famous gardens at Wisley - and here they have taken the lime & purple combination to a whole new level in their spring planting plan - thought you would enjoy seeing how spectacular it looked !  

Looking forward to seeing your lime & purple entries this week !
Click on the button on the sidebar if you want to know more & join in !
Ali x

Summer of Colour- Hot Pink & Orange

Hi
The challenge colours for Week Two of the Summer of Colour Challenge are Hot Pink & Orange - a super zingy combination !!

So my first entry for this week is a page in my Journal - I have had this stamp set quite a while - can't recall which designer it is from - but I have nicknamed him the Quirky Bird and he always makes my smile !

I think sometimes I am a pretty Quirky Bird myself - so today's Journal page is celebrating that with a little poem I wrote & my "makes me happy" Quirky Bird on a background of Dylusions pink & orange inks.
I have been rather down of late so making a happy page has been good for my spirits !

I was drifting round the garden last night, checking my plants (and having an encouraging word with them !!) - when I realised I had those very colours out there.

So early this morning - before the forecasted deluge arrived here in West Wales - I had a quick dash round the garden with my camera - and here's this weeks very colours in full bloom (or leaf in the case of the Heucheras !!)

Looking forward to seeing everyones interpretation of this weeks colours !

Click on the button on the side bar of my blog if you want to join in !
Ali x

WOYWW - In a Spin

Hi
So because I blogged my weekend creations on Sunday to meet a challenge deadline - there's not so much to show you on my desk this week !

Just a Journal page & some new stamps ..

 I think that there are times in life when you think that all is stable, unlikely to change and you will just potter onwards in the same old way - and then times when you think life is a hitting a maelstrom, everything churning and out of kilter - with nothing certain as you look into the future.

I am sure that the seemingly stable times in life are just an illusion - the opportunity for change & turmoil is always just a heartbeat away - but it is always hard to face when you hit a bumpy patch !

There are a few things happening in my life at the moment - and I feel very churned up & uncertain - many of the things I thought were certain, the plans I had for the future seems to be unraveling.
I needed to express this somehow & turned to my Journal - it looks very rough, swirling & clashing but it seems to fit the bill on how I am feeling !

Also on my desk are some Dylusions Alphabet stamps - the crazy thing is I was able to buy them over the internet from the USA and have them posted to me - for £5 cheaper than I could have bought them from the shop here in the UK of Dyan who designed them  !!

I'm looking forward to playing with them !

Well you can never have too many alphabet stamps can you !

When I was in Paris last week, I saw this sign in a restaurant - I loved both the colour wheel style and the flowers & leaves design - thought I would share it with you !

I would like to use it as inspiration for a project sometime soon !

Hope you have a great crafty week !

Challenges !

I have completed a couple of projects and combined 2 challenges in making them !

The Colour of Summer challenge was to create a project using Citron Green & Turquoise
The Crafty Individuals challenge was a Beach/ Sea theme & you had to use one of their stamps.

So here are my projects today !

A box called The Voice of the Sea - it is a recycled box that came with chipboard letters in it - shells glued inside & Crafty Individuals stamps over a Glitzcraft stencil.

And whilst I had the paint, inks, sparkle medium & stamps out I made 3 ATC's too !

All in the Summer of Colour challenge colours !

Have a great week ! Ali x

WOYWW - Flower Doodles & Crafting For My Dad !

We had a gorgeously hot & sunny weekend here in West Wales.

Based on last year, we knew that this one weekend might end up being all we see of summer and so we pretty much spent the weekend in the garden to make the most of it !!











So just a few things on my desk today !

Determined to get something crafty done after weeks of life getting in the way, I carted some craft gear out to the garden table -  next Sunday is Father's Day and the 24th is Dad's birthday- so I was happily making him cards for both his special days.

The Father's Day card above is made using bits & bobs from the Home To Nest range - Dad loves his garden to I am hoping he will like this !

 
And this one is a decoupage from the Wellington range (I do love this bear !!)

Last week I had to go to Paris to conduct some processing machinery trials - it was 3 long days but late on the Thursday night our host gave us a quick tour of the sites - all beautifully illuminated !

It was still 27oC at half eleven at night - and the city was buzzing with activity - hot summer night in the city !

I picked up these post cards at the airport on the way home - I thought they were really pretty & summed up all the chic little Parisian details I had seen the night before ! 

I'm sure I will find a scrappy or journalling use for them !!

When I got back there was a lovely surprise waiting for me - my friend Bella had sent me a super WOYWW 4th anniversary ATC - all in it's own cute mini airmail envelope & some ribbon goodies too - isn't it great !

On Sunday it was so hot I had to take to a shady spot in the garden & had a go at this month's Sketchbook Challenge - the theme for June is Garden Doodles. 

I have been admiring Jo Firth Young quirky floral doodle style (find her range of stamps at Paperartsy)- and I thought I would have a go drawing in her style. 

Jo used to assist at the Artsycrafty weekends & was always so lovely - it's great to see her own range on sale now !

So here's my attempt for the challenge & homage to Jo in my journal !

Well hope everyone has a great week & looking forward to seeing all your desks this week !

Ali xx

WOYWW - Finally Some Sunshine !!

Yeh Hey - Yippee - Turn a Cartwheel & Hang Out the Bunting ... the sun is finally shining !!
3 whole days in a row it must be a record !

So what with the lure of the garden & a weekend away - not much crafting done yet again !

1st picture to show you is the great ATC I had from Lucy in last weeks's swap - so much brilliant neat stitching & then made bespoke from her to me for the swap !

She did all the WOYWW  letters from scratch to her design - really one to treasure !

Hope to see more of your swaps too as I blog hope this week !

On my desk this week you can see some stamps that came free with a magazine - all beach & sea-side themed - should be good for summer scrapping !

Also a peacock stamp I bought at Ally Pally which I have been colouring in
Then a customer feedback flyer from quick purchase in Hobbycraft in Staines on Friday night !

Oh and a leaflet for Artstamps Show at Newbury - and letter to say they have cancelled the South Wales show for the 2nd year running.

I am well fed up about that as we NEVER get anything crafty going on down here in Wales - my friends from Scrapclub & I had our trip to the show all planned for early September - and now it's canceled again ! Grr !

At the weekend we headed up to stay at a hotel in Staines - it was very strange as we used to live there in the late 1990's until 2001 - it was very odd seeing all the things that had changed - and to be honest even stranger to see what hadn't changed at all !!

The purpose of the trip was to go to see Mark Knopfler in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall - we have been going to his concerts for over 20 years - since the Dire Straits days - his music is very different now but we still love it !

He writes some eclectic & amazing songs - very folksie but he did play a few of the old songs which had everyone up on their feet  !

I always think that it must be very frustrating for these artists who want to evolve in new ways - new songs & new sounds - yet the audience would have been happy just to have had him play the old Dire Straits stuff all night ! It was the same when we went to see Paul McCartney a few years ago - the audience weren't bothered about the new songs - just wanted the Beatles tunes !!

We headed back to Wales early on Sunday so I could get a few hours in the garden & I was able to plant my summer pots up at last.

I also had been inspired by the alpine troughs I saw in Malvern & Wisley - Rich bought me a little trough & we had a go at creating one of our own !

We used an old pot that had cracked in the frost & tried to mimic the look - maybe not quite as professional looking as the ones I saw at the show & gardens but on the same lines !!

These were the ones that inspired me .....

And here is my attempt !!

Hope you have a great week !
Ali xx