Saturday at Vicky Stampers

Well, it certainly was a packed house at Victoria Stampers on Saturday.  I did wonder how we would cope with the room not being very big but we managed quite well and I think we were all surprised that nobody had to work on the roof.

I got some super photos of the work of the talented bunch of members we have, plus Donna who came as a guest, and thought I would share one or two with you today.  I was so surprised to find that the majority actually finished - and some of them were too but they had all prepared well and been collecting ephemera over the past month.

This is a shot down one side of one of the long tables we had put up. Notice, we do brew up as we go along and Helen who was sat near me made me quite a few of my herbal teas (and sneaked me a choccie biscuit).

The other side of the room had a long table too and you can just see the spotty cloth of the one that went across the top.

This is my friend Lorraine

This was done by our oldest member, Joyce who is 82 years young.

Lynne's lovely lacey edged house

Mandy's - I love the banner

Pam's was so different being green

Jayne is giving hers as a gift to her MIL but she is then making another one for herself.

Will leave it there for now, you might spot one or two more as you cruise the blogs but I'll upload some more another day.  Was dem'ing at Leigh for Oyster Stamps (got loads of hugs when I went in from the "Oyster Family"- ooh lovely) so have to unpack from that (and see what goodies I got - not many, truly) and unpack from Saturday so I guess that will take care of my day.  Might have a snooze in the afternoon as I am tired after a day of teaching and a day of dem'ing - but where has the sunshine gone?

My Pink Card

This is the card which I did for the Pink Swap.  I used to do pictures (many many moons ago) all in shades of one colour so I was trying to recreate that type of thing but could not remember what media I used.  Here I used my Caran D'Ache watercolour crayons but could not get as many shades of pink as I first envisaged.

I love this stamp and thought it would be fun to make a card in it as it had four women in it and they are enjoying themselves - must be a big big bath!  I put a little charm on at the top right but it seems to have gone upside down for the scan.  I used my Grand Calibur and Grand Nesties to make the shaped card and the layers - the blue is the background I used to show that the card was, indeed, a shaped one.

Hope Pat liked it!

My Little House

It is silly o'clock and I am just about packed up and ready to go to Vicky Stampers where I have a HUGE workshop.  Twenty Six people were signed up but two have cancelled due to ill health - but even that is a big one and in the size of the room.  Eek!

This is what they are making - some from scratch - and some who collected their little houses last month have been busy prepping them.  Anyhow mine is a sewing theme and I think the majority are going along with that but I do know some of the peeps have got other themes in mind.

Anyway, here are pictures of mine:

This is the little house all completed but the last little compartment needs something else in - it was fine in the beginning and then when I got around to sticking in I obviously got overly zealous with some of the compartments - this was left quite bare.

Lace or no lace?  That was the question, I stuck it on with red liner tape so that I can peel it off if I decide I don't want it - thought of it as "shelf liner" which you see in some houses.  I remember my mum doing that on the shelves when I was a child. Inside there is a notice which says "Granny's Attic", a lavender bag (thanks Jo), some collar studs from Chas' dad, some film reel and a clip holding it together, a tiny rose and a belt and buckle made from Grungepaper and a needle and cotton.

I made a little chest from a piece of card, used my Distress inks on it and added some bits of fabric and lace.  The press studs behind were a real find at Paddy's just before she closed the shop.

This is a dress form that Paul (love you) bought me from The Sue Ryder shop - it has been tucked away for months and now I know why.  Stood next to it is an old Air Force button that belonged to Chas' dad.  The table is made from a cotton reel with one of those battery night light things on forming the top.  I then put some acetate around the "flame" to resemble a table lamp.  Probably needs working on.  At the back is a piece of embossed metal and on it sits another piece with a mirror tile to resemble a - mirror!

These are two of the three compartments at the bottom,  A needle threader aged with some paint a tiny reel covered in cotton with some teeny weeny press studs on top and a coat hanger (Timmy of course).  Two tiny reels, two tiny safety pins and a button resembling a sewing machine finish it all off.  Oh and a scaled down photo of a press stud card.

Next door there is a miniature packet of Bondaweb, a pin cushion with an embossed metal tape around it and a collection of press studs and hooks and eyes.

Thought better of it and decided to show you the quite empty end compartment - had to use one of those dolls!

Hope you have enjoyed seeing my Little House - now off to get 24 people making theirs.  Fingers crossed I have enough packs of stuff for them and hopefully some photos - time permitting!

The idea for this was taken from a workshop at Paddy's Stamping Place by Kay Halliwell-Sutton.  I did not attend but fell in love with the pieces when they were on display.  Credit where Credit is Due!

Anything Goes on Just for Fun but ...

... not a card.  "Oh heck", thought I, I was running out of ideas as I was busy packing for my weekend away and have a workshop coming up and then another weekend away for which I have to make 40 polymer clay inchies - oh heck indeed!  Not much time to think.

However, as I was getting things ready for my FP weekend I needed something to put my jewellery tools in and this tin, which had previously held my Klimt watch, was just the ticket.  So, out with the alcohol inks, a few dabs here and there and the tin was covered.

But ... I could still see the name of the manufacturer through the tin as it was embossed and there was no way it would hide with a bit of alcohol ink - straight in with the copper and gold, a Spellbinders die and my Grand Calibur and voila - it covered the words up.

So here it is

My slim jim tin just holds all the tools I need for a weekend of jewellery making.  The lid is a good tight fit too.

 

Here's a close up of the butterfly

Well, I am late posting this, didn't have time for a scheduled post which I normally do and this morning had to go for a check up at the docs, then had a visit from my favourite little girl so now it is almost lunchtime and Zoe and Von will wonder what I am up to.  I am now off for a visit to Just For Fun to see what is being said about this latest challenge.  Hope to see some of you entering this week so I can pop in and say hello.

Heading to "No WiFi" Land

Sadly we are left our B&B Tuesday morning as we headed for our next port of call, Llandudno where I will be without WiFi.  Some readers will know it is a favourite place of mine with its connections with Alice in Wonderland.

So I am scheduling this post for my WOYWW when I have no desk but some lovely September in Wales photos for you to marvel at (for the weather not for piccies of me) and the hopes that some of you w;ill look at previous posts where I have shown more of my trip and some gorgeous Friendly Plastic samples by the talented Liz Welch.

Yesterday we visited Anglesey where we have spent many a happy time in the past when we had a static caravan at Treaddur Bay.  After a brief call there we went to Church Bay, followed by Caemes Bay and then back to Valley and The Anchorage which used to be our favourite eating spot when we had the caravan.  After Chas had filled himself up on his favourite steak and kidney pie (never had one to touch it) we headed back to Caernarfon.  Here are a couple of photographs:

Just above one of the coves 

Off Ravenspoint Road

The rocks behind me, at Church Bay, are Ironstone.

Late afternoon at Caemes Bay.

It had been a beautiful day, glorious sunshine and quite warm for the time of year.  The last photograph was taken about 5 in the evening and still reasonably warm, especially in the sun.

Just a couple more of Liz's beautiful things for you arty people:

These last two are bags.  The orange one has a FP handle and adornments and the bottom one has small tiles linked together on the front.  Exquisite!

Was It Wills?

Oh my goodness - we had an experience today which left us wondering "was it Wills?"  We were all happily working in the Kings Tower when this horrendously loud noise started.  I thought it was a very loud and powerful lawn mower, then realised we were quite high up and therefore would not be hearing a lawn mower.  Doh Blonde moment!

Someone dashed outside and before long we were all out there looking up into the sky at a big yellow bird.

Now whilst it may seem to some of you rather macabre we all stood there with cameras poised - someone had fallen (we found this out much later) and was going to have to be air-lifted from a walkway above us.

Was one of these Prince William?

Annie had gone to the loo at the time of all this was happening and apparently lots of people on the ground were wondering - "was it Wills".  Was he one of the crew - who knows?

Here's a guy being winched down

The ramparts just above us

Someone being winched up

Apparently this was the mother of the lady who had fallen and broken her foot but I went inside at this point as it was so windy with the helicopter and quite cold.  Perhaps someone else you visit will have the next picture of the injured lady (who had a backslab on and was seated like her mother was).

Once they had the lady safely away in the helicopter it meant we could get on with our technique demonstrations by Liz.  She covered so many different things that people had asked for that she really must be quite exhausted - and now has a long journey home.

Here's Madeline working away at her project, which turned out beautifully.

At the end of the day when everyone had exhausted themselves with the various techniques (and spent up as in my case) we had a "show" of everyone's work - here are a couple of photographs of people admiring the work.

Elizabeth & Wanda

Wendy getting her camera read

And now some of Liz's masks (love them all)

Don't they look good with the Castle Walls?

Big thanks to Liz for her expert tuition and friendship, to Adrienne who worked so hard throughout the weekend for our every comfort and to Annie and Wendy for looking after me so well (and the laughs and friendship)

Well, I am almost falling asleep now so I really must sign off, maybe a picture or two from Anglesey next time.

A Peek Inside Caernarfon Castle

Sorry to say my camera does not like the bright halogen lights and so most of the photos taken yesterday have not turned out as I would have wanted.  However, I will show you the room we are working in and hopefully, later, I will show you some of the pieces we have done.

Here are my buddies, Annie and Wendy

 Liz doing some one to one instructing

Look at those magnificent walls

Adrienne

Adrienne has a grand title (Lifelong Learning Manager) so she is the one who gets us all of the magnificent locations for these weekends.  She worked tirelessly for us all, going shopping for "supplies" (we had a buffet both days) before 7 am on the first morning.  Also she has been running up and down the steps (precarious) with bottles of water for us to keep the pans and the kettle topped up plus a million other jobs - a real star!

Am hoping Liz won't mind me putting one or two photos on my blog - here goes:

These really are - all made with Friendly Plastic

You would never know

The sample on the left shows the use of the ooze technique and on the right are my "windows" ready to be attached to some fabric when I get back home.  I have taken so many photographs of windows and they do tend to come quite often in three's that I thought I would make a little sampler to remind me of my lovely weekend in Caernarfon.

Hopefully more later - now I am off to breakfast and then up to the Castle to see if I can get in to "play" early.