Wish It Was Still Last Weekend (Continued ...)

Sunday - another beautiful day (in more ways than one) saw the Four Amigos doing the Andy Skinner Workshop, photos of what I did here.

I had a photo taken with Tracy ON HER OWN but SOMEONE SNEAKED IN!  What's the face for Andy?

So Sunday saw us in the other classroom with Andy Skinner.  Now the evening before he had told me what they were doing and guess what? A million to one chance that someone would have been to his class at CHA would be attending Dare to Create LIVE - but I was that one. Bless!  Andy gave me other things to decorate my book with and I came up with 

Now I wish I had used a rust effect on the cogs but as I have plenty left over (and I bought some a while ago) I can do rusty ones on something else.

We are at the far end of the first table

and here's Lorraine and me painting our books

and Tracy with Cassie (with my apron on inside out)

After yet another hearty lunch (and a dib in the dried figs outside the classroom) it was time to do the collaboration - never done before but by golly it worked.  Tracy and Andy swapped about doing bits of the next workshop and we had a brilliant time.  

Not sure what Tracy was doing here

The only trouble was that with being so many of us the stencil I wanted was in use and so I had to wait for it for ages and now I want to do something else to my picture and give it more texture. Not had chance as yet but am working on making a slot in my timetable.  

That is me stood at the back by the screen - and Lorraine is in a red apron with a stripey top to the right of me.

Wonder what I was asking?

Nice photo of Lorraine - but me!!

When I got home I did add the 'eye' to it - I love Andy's eye with the little hand crawling out.  It now says "I (eye) Love (heart) ART" get it? Or is it better without it?  Not stuck yet so I'll see what others think first.

Now for some samples that were on display in the shop.  Not a clue who had done them but they were lovely to look at.

A firm favourite was this by Sue

(sorry about the hand and camera)

Here we all are with our works of art stood outside in the sunshine

I'm third from the left behind the lady in pink and next to Marc

So that was it - the weekend was over, sadly.  Time to pack up and go and make sure there were no last minute purchases you wanted in the shop.  Luckily Lorraine and I were staying over one more night but our choice of eatery was not good and we wish afterwards we had walked out.  Think if I hadn't paid £25 on entering for the two of us I would have thought about it. Here is Lorraine with her pudding though

and me trying to make her laugh

Next morning really was sad as we said goodbye or 'au revoir' to Tracy and Andy in readiness for Tracy to make her way to the airport. Well, Tracy looks sad but Andy looks delighted (only joking).

I'll leave you with a picture of the Dream Team - Sue and her helpers and then a picture of Sue with Bianca.

Whacked out - thank you all of you - you worked so darned hard to help the weekend go so smoothly - what a team.

the lady responsible for it all with Bianca

BIG THANK YOU's to Sue - She is Amazing!

Wish It was Still Last Weekend - Loads of Pictures

Last weekend, as I mentioned on Wednesday last, I went on one of Sue Tucker's "Retreats".  Well, to be honest it was her first but Sue is no stranger to arranging fantastic weekends as she has been doing workshops in the north of England prior to this, but this was her first Retreat.  Not that you would have known.  It was first class.

Arrived at The Holiday Inn, Coventry on Friday late afternoon having been driven down by my buddy, Lorraine.  Sorted ourselves out, registered in our rooms, saw the rabbits from my window ...

How many can you spot - I counted six one time

Here they are in close up (taken as the weekend progressed)

Then went up and joined everyone else.  I went and got us a couple of drinks from the bar and then in came Tracy (Scott, who does those fantastic whimsical faces - featured in Craft Stamper) so she joined us for a while.  Whilst sat down I thought I recognised one of the ladies in a large circle so we exchanged "I know you's" and found out that we had met last year at an AftH workshop with Dyan. Cassie and I became good friends over the weekend so along with Tracy and Lorraine - we were a bit like the Four Amigos!  (Yes, I uploaded this before but it sort of sets the scene).  Left to Right we have:
Tracy, Cassie, Lorraine and Me.

One of the Rooms we worked in

Saturday morning, after a hearty breakfast, we went and met Tracy Weinzapfel for our first workshop. You can see what we ended up with here.  It was a technique showing how to layer up paint to get the effect that everyone loved.  We used some paper on it at one time which has given it a lovely texture, used some stencils (Tornado I think I used and I WANT IT) and, on the little squares, some of Tracy's stamps (had to get the two sets I loved most of all).  Here is a close up of the texture from the paper

Halfway through we broke for lunch and it was unbelievable what Sue had arranged for us.  Feeling rather full in the tummy department, and wondering if 'eyes had been bigger than belly' as far as the desserts were concerned, we returned to complete our painting.

At some point during the day we were all given a hat to wear. Apparently Tracy is always patting her painting and saying "is it dry yet" so Andy had enough hats made for all of her Saturday class to wear.  He also hid eight, yes 8, pink alarm clocks in her room to go off at some time ridiculously early Saturday morning.  

Cassie

Me (not a clue what I am laughing at)

Tracy

Me, Lorraine, Katy, Leonie and Marc

and below is Bernadette who I also met a while ago at AftH and reconnected with not long ago at Daisy's.

You can see just how many paints we had - between two people - and all DecoArt - so good stuff! Sue always makes sure you are never short on materials.  Plus the bottles of water kept coming and coming (Sparkling and Still).

Here are some of Tracy's samples (not sure if they all are hers but I think so).

Lorraine and I fell in love with this square one (above) with the sloping sides

and I loved this big one but I think it was maybe done by Debbie

All too soon the day was over and it was time to pack up but I am sure most people, if not all, had managed to walk away with a complete piece of artwork.  Thanks Tracy, we had a blast and learned a lot.

It was well worth the backache I started to experience, despite the tablets, but by early evening I had to forgo something to eat (had eaten my way through the day anyhow) and go to bed with a hot water bottle and a couple more tablets.  Lorraine had already arranged to have a meal with her sister and family so sadly I had to excuse myself from eating with Tracy and Cassie.

Think I will leave Sunday for another blog post ...

177 Smiles

That is the number of weeks Annie has been hosting her "Smiles" blog page but I think it must be about the number of smiles I had over the weekend.

Went away with my friend Lorraine to Sue Tucker's Retreat.  It was her first real Retreat although she organises the most fantastic weekends in the north on a fairly regular basis and they are always mega. Top names too.  Just wish I could afford to go on every single one of them.  Anyway, I digress.  This was a 'Retreat' and it was at the Holiday Inn, Coventry.

I have always wanted to do an Andy Skinner Workshop and here was my chance.  Have done two little two hour ones at CHA but that is not the same and so the prospect of spending a full day with him was really inviting.  I didn't though!  I opted to do the full day with Tracy Weinzapfel who had come over from America (who could miss an opportunity like that) and a half day with Andy followed by a half day collaboration with the two of them.  Her face, when she returned to our room and saw us all and heard us chanting "Tracy, Is It Dry Yet" was a picture.

Here I am with them both

What a blast we had!  Tracy is just one big ball of fun and the two of them work so well together and bounce off one another like nobody I have ever seen before. If you ever get the chance to do a workshop with the two of them do it - but make sure I am ahead of you in the queue.  Andy played such a lot of tricks on Tracy - like hiding 8 alarm clocks in her room all going off one morning and we all got hats saying "Tracy, Is it Dry Yet" which is something she apparently always says about her paintings, to wear whilst she was out of the room on a pretence query.

This was what we did in the collaboration workshop

Oops, my toes got on the photo.  These were their samples as I forgot to take a photo of mine - will do it later and upload.  (All my other photos of what we did are in my previous post)

When I got there on the Friday evening I thought I recognised one of the ladies who was sat in our little group in the bar ,and to be sure, we had met previously at a AftH workshop just a year ago.  I spent most of my weekend with her (Cassie) after that.  In fact we were joined by Tracy Scott who does the most amazing face workshops (and had a four week feature in Craft Stamper - and is coming to our little stamping group at the beginning of August) so the four of us hung around most of the weekend.

Tracy, Cassie, Lorraine and me

It was fabulous, and as Lorraine was providing the transport for the two of us we stayed an extra day so it really was a long weekend.  Food was fabulous Sue had arranged fantastic meals for us and he desserts were to die for.  Think I must have put half a stone on at least!

Ah well, must get this show on the road as I started it this morning, went to the dentist and forgot all about it until just now  (6 pm).  Something else to smile about - I have to have an extraction and it was touch and go as to whether I could have it at the dentists in two weeks time or had to go into hospital on account of my taking Warfarin or my heart complaint (not sure which) - hip hip hooray, I can have it at the dentists.  Well, as hip hip hooray as I can be about going to the dentist.  I'd rather go in hospital for an operation!

See you over at Annie's in a mo.  Why not share your smile with her and the others!

WOYWW 370

Phew!!  What a weekend.  Went on a Retreat run by the incredible Sue Tucker and her amazing band of helpers at The Holiday Inn in Coventry.  Who was the star attraction?  Well, there were two actually - Andy Skinner, who is probably the most well known here in the UK and Tracy Weinzpfel Stratton - both big names in Deco Art World and both uber talented in their own rights

Saturday saw me in Tracy's class where we learned to layer paint on top of paint and used Rice Paper which was incredible stuff and gave a lovely texture to our work.  Of course I ended up working in my favourite blues and greens as per usual - and here it is

Sunday morning saw me taking a class with Andy.  Now it was a million to one chance, but it happened - I had done the project with Andy at CHA so he gave me some extra bits and pieces (wow, wonderful - and a couple of skulls - you reading this Shaz?) and I followed his colouring and techniques but made mine different to the one everyone else did.  Here is my sketchbook cover:

Think I prefer the one Andy did with the class, similar to below (and which I already had) but I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was over the moon with my "extras".

Have really been suffering with my neck, Saturday night I couldn't eat anything for the pain so took myself off to bed and a hot water bottle.  Yesterday I took the bull by the horns and went to see the osteopath (mega bucks!!!) I went to a few years ago so it is fingers crossed now that it will help.

Well, you came on here to see my craft room - not really got one as such as it has been taken over by the kitchen which is empty and waiting to be gutted.  Start date next Monday!  Will give you my best shot now and then send you off to look at some others with Jan who is hosting whilst Julia recovers from major surgery.  Hard to believe that it is a year since our dear Eliza in Oz left us and is not now posting.  Hope you are up there organising them all and stamping (rubber of course) a storm.

Normal working area (still can work here at the moment)

Craft Room meets Kitchen

Still got stuff to move and the study is utter chaos - maybe a photo next week?