New Tutor on the Block!

I had a delightful day out at the Craft Den http://www.craftden.co.uk in Malin Bridge today. I met some new people and we had a great time making a tag book. My friend Ann was in teacher mode today and a great job she did too! The project was a "Tags of Texture" book and is the original brain child of Dyan Reaveley http://afth.co.uk/.

We were all quiet to begin with as we studiously followed Ann's instructions but by the time the chocolate biscuits came out (brought by Sandra - another Sandra, not me!) we were loosening up and getting to know each other...... I sat next to Holly who is expecting her fourth child, she revealed that she is a midwife and helps to deliver sex education in schools - I am in awe! how does she find the time to fit all that in and craft too? (staying up until 2am was the answer!)

Sarah, Sandra and Anita sat across from us and we all confessed to a little envy when Sandra told us that her husband had surprised her with vouchers to spend at the Craft Den before going to Hong Kong on a business trip!

We used Laura Ashley papers and stamps, adirondack dabber paints and inks and made lots of mess!
The chocolate biscuits soon disappeared, they were those gorgeous chunky chocolate ones from Marks and Spencers.

As you can see, the book is starting to take shape - it is unfinished as yet so I will give you a peek when its done. all I have to do is bind it, add ribbons and finish a few tags....I'll have to take a leaf out of Holly's book and stay up into the early hours!

Oldies still Play!

I went to my friend Ann's today and we made an ATC holder and started the ATC's to go inside, we put the world to rights by having a good old natter before we got down to the nitty gritty....

they aren't finished yet but here's what I've made so far...

Ann made a lovely lunch - including her own recipe for a rose marie sauce - delicious!


A lovely day was had by all and we shall continue the story next time... watch this space.

10 Extra Years and Counting!

Ten years ago today, my beloved husband had a liver transplant. It changed our life. Our children were 17, 14 and 12 at the time and their teenage years were extra tumultuous!!! We are all different people with a heightened appreciation for life.

Andy and I always go off alone for the day, it's a time of reflection - we always pray for the family who donated the organ that saved Andy's life. We usually go to Whitby and the North Yorkshire Moors as we have happy memories of family holidays when the kids were young - it kind of balances the emotions we feel at this time!

Today the weather forecast was misty for the coast so we went inland, to Pateley Bridge and Brimham Rocks

I loved Brimham Rocks! The sun was out and there were lots of people around (Helps one not to get too morbid!) but the sound of laughter and squeals of delight from the children climbing and playing on the rocks was fab. Just what the doctor ordered! We smiled as we remembered the first time we took our children there - Martin was about 9 and he loved it...I had a go at climbing the rocks myself as you can see - Andy just laid down and watched, quite unadventurous!

We enjoyed a scone and a coffee at the quaintest tea rooms in Pateley Bridge and strolled around the shops and art galleries, watched a chap blowing glass - loved that, sad that it's a dying art.

So here we are embarking on another bonus year and counting - I'm hoping for a golden wedding celebration - that's only another 23 years......

Gardening!!

Hello you all, hope you've had a lovely Easter rest. We've been tidying up the garden ready for the summer as we love to eat al fresco and we love to relax and read out there - weather permitting! So it's quite fitting that when I returned to my craft room I picked up the garden journal I am making for my friend Jane (she's as crazy about gardening as I am about crafting!)

I played around with a couple of pages and then decided to make the tiles for the front as I had bought a retro piece of scrapbook paper (by jelly bean) from Lynn's on monday http://www.craftbox.biz/ it caught my eye and I knew that I would use it in my garden project!

here's my latest work...

Catch up with you later, I'm on a roll and want to prepare some backgrounds.....

I have just returned from Art from the Heart in Harrogate (http://www.afth.co.uk) with a bag of goodies and a smile on my face....I've booked a couple of worshops for my friend Shelley and I. As I said before I love going to workshops at Dyans, you get to spend a whole day creating and best of all, to round off the day you can shop, shop, shop! Dyan has been one of my crafting mentors and I've learned some great techniques over the years. Now I'm off to play with my goodies before my beloved gets home from the football match......

Who Can Know

And here is the page...... its been a little hard to produce as it brought back some difficult memories, but that's part of our journey through life isn't it? after all, I am a pilgrim .....

I've been working on a special scrapbook page for my husbands 10th transplant anniversary... it's been a bit cloak and dagger as he often joins me in my craft room with his reading book, he kept asking what I was working on ('cos he's a gem and loves to see my creations!) well in the end I had to have two projects on the go at the same time.... recently I made a frame book at Art From the Heart (check it out here, you'll love it http://afth.co.uk/) I slightly adapted Dyan's original which I shall give to our youngest daughter (as she's the one with the name beginning with S!) It turned out really well and she will love it. Here it is.