WOYWW - Summer Days Linger On !

Well we have continued to have the hot weather here - but we are into our stride now !

Curtains remain closed all day to keep out the sun whilst we are out.

Get home, shuck off our work clothes & into the shower & cool baggy gear - fling open every window & then get watering the garden ... pick veggies & armfuls of sweet peas - who would have thought it in soggy old Wales !

We didn't even have the storms they had in the East of the country last night !

I was at a business meeting in London yesterday - just round the corner from the streets packed with TV film crews waiting for the Royal Baby to be born ! It was melting hot mayhem !

Our train left for home just about the minute the little Prince was born - so I was kind of there !!

They had spectacular storms in London last night I understand - I am sure if he'd been born in Medieval times the wise women & soothsayers would have had something to say about that as an omen & portent !!

On my desk this week is a clutch of projects.

Or is the the collective noun when crafting a clutter of projects !!

On Saturday Rich went to meet an old work colleague for lunch, so I had the run of the nearby garden centre with it's own branch of Hobbycraft inside ! I saw a pad of Tilda papers called This Seaside Life - not my normal style, but this appealed - me being a Seaside Girl born & bred ! So I made this collage journal page - to celebrate being a Seaside kind of Girl ! 

And this card also made from the papers is for my Sister's birthday next week - my first attempt at an easel card ! Just have to work out how its going to fit into an envelope now!

On Sunday after early morning gardening - 7am is only cool part of the day ! - and swimming, I got to do some crafting in the garden - sheltering nicely under our hitherto unused (3 years in its box !) parasol ! I tried the new Kromacrackle I had bought at Newbury the other weekend - but although the lady from Indigoblu made it look easy mine has hardly crackled ! I wonder if I mixed in too much paint with it - or it was so hot Sunday it dried too quick ? I am rather disappointed - so any tips you may have are very welcome !!

This is the box I was trying to make for my Sister with a driftwood style initial I found at the garden centre - hum - may need a big rethink with the crackle failure ! I have tried sanding it back on the right hand side as you may be able to see - but not much happening - so may be a repaint job !!

At club our embossing exploration was great fun - we all said we enjoyed just playing - but it wasn't not too successful !! The project we were following suggested in the magazine said we would be able to create one embossed layer, then stamp it & emboss that too - but nothing would stick to the shiny embossed tags ! Anyway I decided to play with a new stencil & created the steampunk winged mannequin tag instead ! Then I was just playing with a wheat stencil - sage & sepia was the final colour combo on the Summer of Colour challenge. Oh and with a some new stamps too - just a happy messy playtime !

My final playing tonight was in the garden - harvesting my first broad beans - all fluffy pods & shiny beans - was a bit taken aback that some were pink ! But they tasted lovely - I made a very simple tasty Spanish dish I had been served in the Rioja region years ago - shredded spring onions sauteed in butter, the beans deskinned & warmed through with Jamon Serrano - a delish summer dish ! 

Have a great crafty week & see you all on the blog hop ! Ali x