Not a Christmas Market But ...

The Lowry Centre was somewhere we needed to go and what better time than when Media City had a little "Lights" display.

It was a wet Tuesday when we went but it didn't deter us from crossing the road from the shopping centre once I had my reed diffusers and refills which is what we had gone for and what a lovely tree greeted us as we exited the centre

I should have said treeS as there was one either side but I preferred this shot as the other had people walking up the steps in the middle.

To see these trees in reality is so much more pleasing to the eye and the wet walkway worked with its reflection of the colours.  It truly was magical.

Part way along you got these little characters, from Blackpool Illuminations apparently

As you walked into Media City you had the river and there on the embankment by the Metro Station were the daleks and the astronauts.

Looking at them from the other side you can see the telephone box in the centre

It's never successful when I take a photo of something behind glass but I just wanted to show you the size of this Christmas tree so Chas, bless him, went and stood in front for me.  Isn't it huge?

Then it was time to make our way back across to the car but we had to stop and see the origami boats that changed colour all the time.  I loved them.  Here they are, all lilac and just going blue

blue

and now multicoloured

I hope you enjoyed this little trip to Media City in Manchester.  It really is a lovely place in summer and you can sit on huge bean bags on the grass, or curved undulating structures whilst sipping a wine or drinking a beer - or even coffee and a bun!  Great place for star spotting too and then there is always the shopping centre across the road.  If you live within a reasonable distance give it a try - next summer!

More on Christmas Markets

All close to home this year.  On Friday I posted the Manchester Christmas Market which is high up on the lists of best Christmas markets around.  I have got that right haven't I?

Anyway, missing out on our German Markets we also visited York the other weekend.  

Never again. It was Ice Sculpture time and it was mad busy.  With the cobbled streets, crowds and my rollator it was a bit of an arduous task to get around.  Anyway we did do a little of it, mainly the ice sculpture trail:

Aladdin is playing at the Grand Opera House

This little boy was so excited - I think you are supposed to have two of you and stand behind the sculpture so that your head is in the visor.

Not sure what this is (above)

Some of them had prizes attached like this dog

Fluge - outside where we had a Roast Hog Muffin

The Man in the Moon

Olaf (Chas had no idea who or what this was)

A diamond ring

Can you see the ring encased in ice below?

A watering can, complete with flower

and lastly 'wings'

Oh to be lithe enough to crouch in front of them and look like an angel with the tree in the background.  Not many, even young ones, did.

Away from Ice Sculptures and looking in a shop window I saw these lovely Gingerbread Houses - could not resist taking a photo.

Well, that is all that we saw, it was lovely to escape into Marks & Spencer's to avoid the crowds but it did mean it was a costly escape. I bought a jacket and Chas bought a new dressing gown.  Then we had tastings of Prosecco and chocolate biscuits.  In fact I had a few tastings of the Prosecco so I could collect enough of those teeny plastic glasses to give my son the ability to taste my flavoured gins which I bought at the Bolton Christmas Market (no pictures, too cold that day) without being over the limit for driving home.  We went into Bolton the next day to buy the booze and biscuits as we were to laden with the clothing to bother in York.

Off to MacArthur Glenn to collect the car and have my favourite salad at Pizza Express.  Too tired to wander and look at what was on offer or at their Christmas market but the entrance was rather nice

Christmas would not be Christmas without the Nussknackers.

Annie's Smiles 199

At last I am back joining in with Annie and her Smiles which I see is nearing 200 weeks of smiles that she has hosted.

Well, yesterday we went to the Manchester Christmas Market with my friend Paul.  I don't see him as much as I used to when he was a member of Vicky Stampers but we always have our Annual Christmas meet up.

At the beginning I did not get my phone out to take photos but eventually I felt I had to commemorate another year of Gluhwein and Bratwurst.  

I'd love to fill my window sill with these beauties

I just love those Troll faces - evocative!

Only Chas had a bratwurst, well, actually an alternative, as this time it was a red sausage with a cheese centre - I had a taste but was not keen and Paul had a taste and burnt his fingers as it was too hot to hold.  It was funny seeing him dance about with the sausage between his teeth and then in his fingers and then in his teeth (you get the picture), wish I had thought of taking a photo then.

Paul & Chas with the Mulled Wine

A non-alcoholic and an alcoholic version

I was amazed at the size of these bulbs

(Compare with the guy's feet)

Later we all had a Hog Roast Muffin before retiring to a lovely Arts & Crafts Cafe that Paul took us to a couple of years ago.  I won't tell you what Paul had but Chas had a coffee and a Rocky Road and I had a hot Mulled Vimto.  again I missed out on a photo opportunity - must remember next time!

We have already planned to meet up when the weather is a bit kinder and Paul is going to show us all the artwork of the Northern Quarter - and I have requested the same little Arts & Crafts cafe despite the steps that I struggle with.  Hopefully Paul will come over for a crafting session early in the year and my only New Year Resolution will be to see more of my lovely friend, Paul.  He really makes me feel happy and I do miss him.

This was taken right before a big white van pulled up bang in front of ME!  Paul could not stop laughing.  Pity about the rubbish bags.

Jeudi Journal - Include a Moon

Again Wendy's choice - and one which I got stuck at yesterday.  Why do I leave everything until the last minute?  I do know that somewhere I have a rubber stamp of a crescent moon with someone sitting on it - sort of 1920's style or somewhere around there - but try as I might I could not locate it. It is probably in my bag of "I am giving these stamps away" and I don't know where that is.

Well, a further search and I found a Stampscapes scene which had a moon on it.  So it was "muck or nettles" as they say in the north and I stamped the image on a piece of card.  Now which prepainted page should I use?  Chose the blue one and how I wished I hadn't when I came to try to cover some of it in white paint.  Took lots of coats but eventually it was reasonable and I left it and began stamping some of Tracy Scott's circle stamps all over the white section with a Berry Blue ink pad.  Didn't like the starkness that I obtained so I used my new Zig Cldean Color Real Brush Pens that Mary had sent me over from America. Boy oh Boy, do I like them!!!

On You Tube someone had said they worked best on watercolour paper, well, if that is the case I cannot wait to use them on it as I loved the coverage I got on the acrylic paint.  I chose to use the two palest blues - 31 Cobalt Blue and 36 Light Blue in the main with touches of 37 Cornflower Blue and 32 Persian Blue as highlights, or should that be low lights?

Anyway, here is my page.  Not really me but the best I could do and it did give me a chance to use Tracy's fabulous PaperArtsy stamps and those gorgeous pens.  Here it is but I notice that the scan has missed the  border off the top - ah well, not to worry.

The circles are to represent planets just in case you were all wondering.  I was going to include some die cut stars but decided to leave it as it was - maybe I will see what they look like another day. Off now to see what Wendy has done.

WOYWW 393 and a Happy Christmas

First of all let me wish you all a Lovely Christmas - here is your Christmas Card from me

Why is it that try as I might I always get a central image cock-eyed? Now here is my desk in all its glory - the aftermath of the last minute scrabble to finish off Christmas Cards.  And I wonder why my back hurts!!!

to the left

to the right

Hopefully all of my Christmas Cards have now been sent, too many commercial ones this year - may prompt me to begin handmade cards sooner in 2017 (do I hear a mocking bird?).

Hope you all have the Christmas that you are hoping for and that none of you are lonely.  We must remember those that have lost a loved one or who have no-one to spend time with.  Spare them a thought and, if possible, send them a little Christmas cheer.

I might not have chance to post next week as I have my polyp removed on Tuesday so it will depend on how it goes which is why you have your Christmas Card early.  Have a wonderful Christmas folks - see you over at Julia's later.

Jeudi Journal - Include a Tag

Wendy's choice this week and I am expecting great things from her as she has some gorgeous work done over the years with tags.  I would go so far as to stick my neck out and say she loves making tags more than anything.  So as soon as my eyes are open (yes, I am scheduling this) I will be over to see what she has done.

Here is my tag page - not very inspired and I lost my zentangling book so I couldn't fill in my last section of the tag.  (Top left, the others are through stencils)  My memory and those patterns do not go together and each time I do that pattern I have to look it up.  Saying that it is one of the few patterns I can do, I just don't seem to have the patience and am not neat enough to do the others but I do love them. Found it late last night and abandoned it.  Anyhow, here is my tag, hastily finished this morning.

Again using Dyan's stamps and stencils.  Gosh I do like those Dylusion images, especially for journalling. 

WOYWW 392

Christmas cards - tick.

Well, all that is going to be done this year.  Luckily I had done the red ones early on, like a good few months ago - die cut them I mean. It just needed a stick it on session and they were finished. Count up revealed 16.  Ooer!  Not many there, especially when you consider I used to do about a hundred.  So into operation last Friday night as I had to do one for the card club (Vicky Stampers) and there are some dedicated 'stampers' there so die cutting might not do.  I so enjoyed myself colouring in that I decided to stamp some more images and then colour them up whilst sitting in bed with my feet up.

As you can see I have gone down the road with Snowmen.  Ten of them to be exact and how I enjoyed my colouring session - now I wish I had done more.  In fact I enjoyed them so much that I might just have to start on next year's now.

This is my desk last night as I began to write inside the cards, you can see a red die-cut one on the right and that is my journal peeking in bottom left as I have to do a page for tomorrow's challenge with Wendy.  Did you see my weird "eyes" one last week?  It was mega weird but I did think it was clever of me to think of using eyes like that.

Will leave it there for now, a bit shorter than most times.  Chas put the tree up at weekend so I might just take a photo of that for next week.  Doubt there will be any crafting on my desk but you never know.

See you over at Julia's place in a bit - just have an errand to do as I am feeling much better and providing I take the tablets the ActiPatch is working.  TTYL!