Fun in the sun ......

Hello there ........ 

Happy Sunday to you.  I hope you're all having a lovely weekend. 

It's another beautiful day here on the island (I could get used to this) ........ the sun is shining and it's getting hot out there!  

 

We've got a BBQ this afternoon, a nice easy one this time ....... we're having homemade pizzas!  Quick and easy to cook on the BBQ, although quite a bit of prep to do first.  Guess where I'm going next! 

    

Apparently the heatwave is about to break,  which I'm sort of glad about.  I don't mind the heat today but we're off in the van again next week so, if temperatures are about to cool off a little that's fine by me. I've been a little warm in the van this week, whilst I've been getting things ready!

Anyway, before it gets all crazy, again, I thought I'd do a little catch up.  

There's not been that much going on in the craft room, its just been too hot but, I have been in there.  Well, I had to pack a few bits to take with me in the van!

I did make this though ...... for a guys birthday

I saw something similar on Pinterest so the design isn't all mine ....... when it comes to mens cards Pinterest is always my go too!

I used a Funky Fossil stencil for the speech bubbles and Distress Oxide Inks ........ they are so easy to use with stencils 

I used a different coloured oxide for each of the bubbles, and then searched through my birthday stash for sentiments that fit inside each one.

I added a few matching coloured enamel dots here and there to finish off 

It's been a busy couple of weeks with one thing and another .... all good though.

We've had birthday celebrations, which were fun.   We finally put an end to something that's been going on for the last eight years ...... I won't go into details, I'll just say that everything went in our favour at last, so it was worth all the time and effort!

And my big brother and sister-in-law came over to visit for a couple of days which was lovely as we don't see each other very often these days.  They brought their granddaughter, Amelia with them too .... she's such a sweetheart, and growong up fast!

We caught the steam train and spent a day down in Port Erin. 

Amelia loved the train.

It was another glorious day .......

We had fun on the beach, and a bite to eat .....

We spotted one of the dolphins (couldn't really miss it!!) that are hiding all over the island this year for The Big Splash Art Trail

Then it was time to head back to the train .......

Some of us were a little sleepy on the way home ........ awwww!

And to end the day .......... a BBQ, and a rainbow.  Perfect!

It was lovely to see them, they didn't stay long enough!

I've also managed to make a start on some Christmas cards!!! A crafty day with the girls, and I was very productive for once but,  I'll save those for another post.  

Time to enjoy the sunshine I think ...... now where did I put the sun cream! 😎

Thanks for popping by ...... enjoy the rest of your weekend.  

Cheerio until next time ....

Supplies

Stamps: Various sets of birthday sentiments from my stash

Stencils: Say What stencil (Funky Fossil)

Inks: Distress Oxide Inks - Tumbled Glass, Speckled Egg, Spiced Marmalade, Scattered Straw, Abandoned Coral; Versafine Clair - Nocturne (for the sentiments)

Other: Self adhesive enamel dots

A quick catch up before we're off again .........

Good morning!   Happy Monday.

May is flying by ...... it's a busy month for us, and ...... the TT is back!!!!  Can't wait.  There's a lot going on before that though!

Well, we're back home ........ for the next few days at least.  

We're off on our travels again on Friday this week.  Not in the van this time though.  

We're off to the Norfolk Broads, hiring a boat this time and spending a week on the water.  The long range weather forecast is looking good at the moment, fingers crossed it stays that way.

Last time I blogged we were on Lucksall Campsite, in a place called Mordiford in Herefordshire.  A lovely campsite, by the River Wye.  

We stayed 4 nights, it was so peaceful.  Hubby managed to work during the day and then we spent the evenings by the river ......... living the dream!!

It was a lovely spot, we walked by the river, and into the local village ........

As you can see, the weather was lovely, we'll definitely be back here at some point.

Our next stop was Tewkesbury ........ a busy little campsite right in the middle of the town, in the shadow of Tewkesbury Abbey

We had four nights here, so plenty of time to explore.

We went to see the Abbey .....

This was huge! ........ a stunning Copper Beech tree in the grounds

There was also this going on behind the Abbey ......

 

Every year in July, they re-enact the Battle of Tewkesbury (the War of the Roses) at the Tewkesbry Medieval Festival.  There's knights in armour, cannons, and soldiers.  Townsfolk in medieval dress, sleeping in traditional tents, cooking and eating typical food, and showing how life was back then.

What we saw was a prequel to all that ....... showing the amour and weapons used.  It was all very interesting.  Unfortunately we won't be back this year for the actual battle but, it's now on our to do list.

As always, we had to find a watering hole or two.

This place was a must ........  Stephen's mum and dad spent their honeymoon here, in 1963.  Looks like it hasn't changed much

And this place was a little gem ......

Good food, nice wine ......

Whilst hubby was working in the van, I took the opportunity to have a play in an art journal that I had with me.  Nothing too fancy, I had minimal supplies with me ......... coloured pencils and a few wax crayons, a couple of ink pads and the odd stencil.   Word stickers, a few pieces from my bits box (backgrounds, mop up cards, that sort of thing) and some pages that I pre-stamped before we left.

A bit of ink blending and colouring ......

A little bit of collage ...... love these Kate Crane images

Practicing with my coloured pencils ........

and a little bit of doodling on an old stenciled card.

I also doodled on a messy painted page from a workshop that I never got around to finishing

It's still not finished, but it's getting there.

I think this is going to become my version of a junk journal ........ my van journal.  

It's a ring binder so I can add or take stuff out as I go along.  I've already put a few more different pages in there, some that have been started, and some blank.   Lets see where it takes me!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.

It's time to start packing for the next trip now.

Cheerio until next time ........

A quick catch up .......

Hello there, happy Sunday!

I hope you're having a lovely weekend.

It's been a busy couple of weeks here ...... sorry I haven't been around on the blog much! 

I haven't been spending much time in my craft room, well I have but, it's not been very creative.  Although, I suppose you could say it has, in a way ..... I've been clearing out and tidying up.  Re-arranging and packing stuff away because, you guessed it ..... the move is on!!   We get the keys in less than two weeks ....... eeek!  

We're not actually moving in fully until the 27th/28th of this month so it's not too bad.  We have a bit of time to get organised and move some of the smaller stuff before the removal guys come in.  

I'm getting good at this ..... we've done it all before, once or twice!

We're here on the island, so that means we cancelled our trip in the van (sigh!).  It was the sensible thing to do, there were too many 'what ifs' that could have happened when we returned that could have potentially been a problem for the move.

We'll have loads of time to go travelling in the van.  We're all fully vaccinated now, so that means we have no restrictions on our borders, we just need to get the move done.

As you can imagine things are a little crazy around here ....... there's boxes appearing everywhere which is driving me insane!  I am clearing through my craft room though, which is good, and I came across these ..... something crafty to blog after all! 

They're my cards, done a while ago, under the expert tuition from the fabulous Eileen Godwin on one of her online workshops.

It was all about creating layers using stencils and stamps along with paints and inks ....... right up my street!

I know I've said this before but, if you haven't done a workshop with Eileen you should try one.  They are so much fun, and you learn loads!

We used paints and inks, and different sorts of cardstock ......

Building up layers and textures using stencils and stamps .......

I do like black and white.  

And my favourite piece from the class ........

I love the background on this one!

I think workshops will have to wait for a while now, whilst I get everything packed away.  

I have kept a few bits and pieces in a bag though, just in case I get five minutes to play!

And I have just done a taster week for an online journaling course starting on August 1st, which was fun.  I'll share more about that with you later ........ I need to finish some of the projects first!

Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your weekend.

It's a long one here on the Isle of Man,  we have a Bank Holiday tomorrow.  

It's Tynwald Day, the island's national day. Always celebrated on July 5th, unless that falls on a weekend, then it's the following Monday.  Fingers crossed the weather's good as there will be lots going on. 

Cheerio until next time .......

Grab a cuppa ..... it's time for a catch up

Happy Wednesday ......

We're almost half way through February, can you believe it!
And it's Valentine's Day on Friday ...... not that it will be any different from the rest of the week here.  Hubby and I gave up on Valentine cards a long time ago ...... he knows I love him (don't you hun!) 
We are out in the evening though ..... our usual table is booked at our favourite place, and hopefully a bottle of the bubby stuff will be waiting.

There's still no date for picking up the motorhome (sigh!)  The last we heard, we were looking at the end of February.

When we ordered it back in October last year, we were given a provisional date of the end of March which we were more than happy with at the time.  Then we got a phone call to say it would be ready in January.  Whoo Hoo!! we thought but ....... unfortunately, it wasn't to be.

Mind you I really didn't fancy getting on the boat across to the UK in January.  And to be honest, I'm sort of glad it's not ready yet.  Let's face it, it's not exactly the weather for 'camping' now is it!
It's still blowing a hoolie as we speak.
The last few days we've had sunshine, very strong winds/gales, rain and high tides.  There's been snow, strong wind and hail.  Oh! and did I mention the strong wind!!!

(photos of Douglas Prom (courtesy of 3FM Isle of Man's Facebook page)

There's been disruption to flights, and hardly any boats sailing since last week because of Storm Ciara.  I think there's been something like two crossings since last Friday, and I'm surprised they went (glad I wasn't on them!)  Although I think it has gone this morning, so maybe things are calming down just a little.  She's been giving our little island a real battering ....... we're going nowhere! 

Well I'm not, but hubby is off to the US this weekend with work, so lets hope things have calmed down by then.

The bad weather has given me a good excuse to spend some time in the craft room though.  I'm more or less up to date with all my Design Team stuff so, I've actually had time to play.  My journals have been out, I've signed up to some online journaling courses and I've made a start ....... loved the January lesson for the Mixed Up Creative Academy - Journal Playground  

What's this? ....... two journals on the go ..... at the same time!?  Oh yes .....  I've acually got three, if you count Kasia's Advent Journal I started before Christmas ...... which I WILL finish, eventually.  I'm up to Day 20 of 24 so not far to go!!  Plus I haven't even looked at Wanderlust 2020 yet!!  It'll give me something to do when we're off in the 'camper van'

I've also made a list (a monthly prompt from the Art Journaling Challenge 2020 .... again from the Mixed Up Creative Academy)  

Have you read it?  What do you think? ...... the holidays will be easy, spending time with the family is guaranteed, the have fun part is an absolute definite.  The bit about using my stash and only buying essentials ..... now that could be a problem!!  Let's see how I get on.

Speaking of holidays ..... we're down to 14 weeks and counting before our Disney trip.  I'm going to need a holiday to get over that holiday by the sound of it .....  the little man wants to see, and do EVERYTHING ...... including building his own droid in Star Wars Galaxy's Edge!!! (May need an extra suitcase to bring everything home with us!!)   
Luckily my darling hubby has booked us a little trip, for our wedding anniversary in July, so I won't have long to wait.
We're going back to Italy ..... Tuscany to be exact for a lovely long weekend, to see the amazing Andrea Bocelli live, in concert, in his home town ...... I cannot wait!! We've got three days in Florence too which is somewhere new for us, so we'll have to explore.  I've already bought my dress for the concert evening!

Well, that's everything I think. 
Thanks for popping by ..... enjoy the rest of your day.
I'll be back at the end of the week with reminders for this months Blog challenges.  And then next week, I'll have some sneak peeks of a new release coming soon from the fabulous Uniko.

Speaking of Uniko ...... don't forget it's their 8th birthday this month.  To celebrate, for the whole of February there's 10% off all orders placed on their website.  Just remember to use the code ...... CELEBRATE8 when you check out.

Cheerio until next time .......

The Christmas cards are nearly done ......

Happy Wednesday .......

This time next week it'll be Christmas Day!! Are you getting excited yet?  I wonder what Santa will bring ...... fingers crossed I'm on the nice list!

I'm finally coming to the end of my Christmas cards ..... they're all made, they just need writing and popping in the post.  Then I think the craft room door is closing until after Christmas.

I hand delivered a few cards last weekend whilst we were away.  It's always nice to catch up with friends and family, but at this time of year it's extra special.

The family Christmas card for this year was my take on a beautiful design I spotted during Simon Says Stamp's STAMPtember event ....... done by Debby Hughes for the Reverse Confetti collaboration

For my version I used an Altenew stamp set (Leaf Canopy) along with the SSS Merry Christmas sentiment ......

I stamped the leaves onto watercolour card, and heat embossed in gold.

I used watercolour paint to colour the leaves ......

and once it was dry I added some sparkly clear embossing paste through a stencil to give a snowy finish

A few splatters of gold ink onto the background, my sentiment in the middle,

and I finished off with some gold thread

and a little bit of Distress Ink around the edges ...... another batch done!

I also did a few smaller versions too .....

We did have a lovely weekend away ..... even though the weather wasn't very good.
The sun did shine though, just as I was placing a wreath on my mum's grave.  The rain stopped as we parked the car outside the cemetery and just as I got to mum's grave the sun came out.  It was just like she was smiling down on me.

We had an early Christmas dinner with my in-laws ..... my first roast turkey and sprouts of the season ...... and no-one had to cook because we went out!
We celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday with another fab meal ..... no turkey on that one, we had fish and pretty spectacular it was too ....... there had to be photos!
First they brought the cold layer ...... miso salmon, king prawns, octopus, and king scallops, with homemade breads and sauces

and then the hot top layer ...... Lobster, king prawn and cherry tomato risotto, with deep fried squid and a lobster to top it all off ...... YUM!!!!

It was amazing ....... accompanied by a rather nice bottle of Chablis  ..... Happy Birthday Liz!
I also caught up with my best friend for a curry at our favourite indian restaurant.  Sorry no photos of that one ..... too busy chatting and eating! 

Oh well, I'd better get on with writing those Christmas cards, then it's off into town. 
There's not much more to do now, just the food shopping but that's not until the weekend. 
I've a few last minute stocking fillers to pick up, and one of my favourite jobs to do ...... wrapping all the presents ..... I do love this time of year!

Thanks for popping by ...... enjoy the rest of your day.

Cheerio until next time ......

Products used:
Stamps: Leaf Canopy (Altenew); Merry Christmas (SSS);
Inks: Versamark ink; Delicata Golden Glitz (splatters); 
Others: Cascade Green  Watercolour paint (Danial Smith); Gold embossing powder (WOW!); Moonstone Glimmer Paste (Nuvo); Falling Snow stencil (SugarPea Designs)