Tuesday 23 July 2013

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



































29 comments:

  1. It was amazing watching the media scrum outside the hospital... but kind of lovely tonight when they came out with the baby... so cute! I missed all the storms (just south of London) - we could have done with some to clear the air, it's horribly muggy here still! You have been so busy this week - lots to see . Have a good week. Helen 7

    ReplyDelete
  2. We're hoping it stays warm in Wales for when we come in a couple of weeks! I love broad beans but they are so much work for so little gain once you have taken off the skins etc. I was enamoured by the Tilda papers too!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love the papers you bought and - well everything else you have shown us! Happy WOYWW Anne x #9

    ReplyDelete
  4. You have some great crafting goodies on your desk. Love the pics of the beans. Happy crafting #12

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm really jealous of all your lovely veggies - our chickens got into my patch and ate up everything or else dug them out :o( I like your seaside projects - I miss living near the sea these hot days!
    Bernice #23

    ReplyDelete
  6. No storms here yet in North wales, either. Your desk is amazing - so much going on. Well done. Can't help with the crackle glaze stuff - never tried it - sorry.
    Have a great week.
    Margaret #33

    ReplyDelete
  7. I never di 'get' nouns when I was at school, and always wondered what they were on about! so I would think it's a Clutter of projects. Still hot here! Have a great craft week! Thank you for my snoop,
    Happy WOYWW!?
    ((Lyn)) #36

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Ali
    I am really surprised to hear that you didn't have much luck with the Kroma Crackle. I find this to be a fantastic product and use it on all sorts of things.
    It may be that you did add too much paint making it too thin when applied. Whatever you use to colour it only has to be a small amount as it takes on the colour really well. I have used distress paints, acrylic paints and pan pastels to colour mine then left if over night to do it's thing.
    You must remember to seal it once it has cracked enough or it will just keep going and all fall off your project.
    Try a little less of the colour medium and let us know how you get on
    Sending hugs for WOYWW and hope you enjoy the rest of your week
    Ria #45

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ooh you were there when history was made! I keep having to remind the Americans that I work with that they made their feelings about the Crown well a truly known in 1776 and to stop being such hypocrites! They're going mad! nice to see you enjoying the weather, great crafting (can't comment about the crackle stuff sorry). Lovely fresh veg from the garden, nothing beats that!

    Hugs
    Brenda 28

    ReplyDelete
  10. That baby has no idea what its getting itself into lol.
    Wow those pink seeds would certainly have taken me aback but I bet they were yummy
    Bridget #24

    ReplyDelete
  11. Your seaside card is gorgeous and I love that initial box so far. How lucky are you that you were in London when the price was born, that's something to remember. I'm an ex-pom
    and love the Royal family.
    Have a great week.
    Von #53

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the Tilda papers and your creations from them.
    Have a great week
    Krisha #22

    ReplyDelete
  13. YAY! Ali you have an awesomely busy desk! Love the tags and the Tilda papers and all you have done with them. I love using papers to make collages. I found that I didn't get much crackling with the crackle paint and was told I was putting it on too thin so I went back and painted a heavier coat on and guess what...it crackles. Love the beans and ham! Congrats in being in London when the babe was born. Thanks for sharing. Vickie #71

    ReplyDelete
  14. You are a busy ALi! Like what you came up with the tags, they are a lovely result, even if not what was intended! I also like the 'plaster' letter - what a great idea to use one. Can't help with the crackle, but it surely was pretty warm at Newbury too - are you being a bit English with your amounts?!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh, those Tilda papers are gorgeous and I love what you did with them! Really fabulous. I like your tags too. Sometimes, in fact often with me (!) things don't turn out exactly as we intend but they can be nice in a totally different way. I think that's the joy of crafting for me. I really enjoyed your lovely, colourful post. Sorry that Crackle didn't work: I think I might have heard someone else online complaining about this one?? Julie Ann #17

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a wonderful harvest from your garden and it looks like you have been busy in the craft room as well. I especially love your seaside themed journal page and card! Happy WOYWW! Danie #74

    ReplyDelete
  17. That bean dish you made looks scrumptious. Your projects this week are beautiful. The color palettes are very pretty and also very calming. I have never worked with crakle before, so I can't offer up any advice for ya. I'd love your bean recipe. Just saying… Happy Crafting!!! (((HUGS)))
    Kim
    WOYWW #44

    ReplyDelete
  18. Wow, what a great inspirational desk! LOVE it!

    Have a wonderful WW!

    die amelie #87 xx

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow, I dont know what to be jealous of first, your collage stash or those yummy beans, wish I was at your house for tea last night.
    When watching the news I often wonder how those reporters manage in London, in their suit and ties, they must be so hot - hope they all had plenty of water waiting at the maternity gaff.

    Lynda #1

    ReplyDelete
  20. I love Tilda papers, in fact i love the whole Tilda Range! I sell them in my shop (Musha-Makes.com)and they sell out so quickly! xx

    ReplyDelete
  21. You made me laugh saying about this lovely weather in soggy old Wales!!!!!
    However I was in the east where we had the awful thunderstorms..... A farmer friend had a lightning strike and hit a bail of straw 24 hours later the Fire Brigade still dealing with it a neighbour had lightening strike her house and there is now a six feet hole in her wall where it went down the side of the house!!!!! A fireman of 28 years said worst storms he had ever come across in the East !!
    Jackie 72

    ReplyDelete
  22. Lots of lovely crafty projects for us to admire. We like the seaside themes especially.

    Waving hi from the bears who are melting in the heat @#90

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hi Ali - thanks for popping over - am having PC issues at the moment so just a quick visit - Happy WOYWW - Mxx #4

    ReplyDelete
  24. So many wonderful crafty projects you're sharing today and those yummy veg look wonderful too.
    Hugs,
    A x # 8

    ReplyDelete
  25. Oh love the seaside images and your creations with them and also the fairy tag, how delightful BJ#73

    ReplyDelete
  26. So many pretty summer projects, and yum--doesn't it feel fine to harvest food from your own garden??

    Happy WOYWW to you!

    :)trisha
    #63 this week

    ReplyDelete
  27. Lovely projects going on. Not sure about the crackle stuff maybe spread too thin. For the embossing I stamp with StazOn by itself or layered with VersaMagic then emboss again. Have a crafty time! :) Happy WOYWW! Nan G #49

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Ali, lucky you to have the storms bypass you and life in Wales sounds idyllic. The seaside themed paper is lovely, as are the projects made with it. And your beans! That dish looks delicious - I love broad beans :) Have a great weekend. Elizabeth x #37

    ReplyDelete
  29. Wow you have lots of projects going on and they all look gorgeous.

    Sorry for the late visit.

    Laura x

    ReplyDelete