Sweet boxes full of chocolatey goodness

I have taken little gifts out to our friends in Holland.  For all the men I have made mini dundee cakes, the children have Cadbury's Creme Eggs and for the ladies I have made these mini chocolate boxes.  I first made a larger version of them at the Cardinal Colours retreat last September on a make and take done by Jane Gill.  I made a smaller version as the original ones were just slightly too big to get out of one sheet of A4.  They were decorated using these Chocaholic stamps from Woodware.

Construction in progress -

The finished boxes -

Close ups -

I am really pleased with how they have turned out though they were quite time consuming as each box is decorated with four stamped chocolates - each one had to be stamped, watercoloured, decorated and then cut out. 

Dutch Friends

Well we are now staying in Nijmegan and catching up with our Dutch Friends.  We last saw Annemie and her family in 2008 when they were on holiday in the south east of England and they came over to visit us.

The layout that I did after their visit -

I used Brenda Pinnick papers, a chipboard monogram and AC thickers.

I was last in Holland 33 years ago, when I went with my sister Wanda to stay for two weeks with Annemie's family - I feel terrible that we have left it so long to return to this lovely country. 

Marillion - King

One of my lyrics' layouts -

I used Fancy Pants Roadshow paper, the guitars were cut from DCWV Rockstar paper and the title was done with black AC Thickers covered with silver stickles.  The lyrics were printed onto Safmat and adhered to a piece of Basic Grey Scarlet's Letter.

More layouts for the Marillion Album

A few more layouts to go in my Marillion album - you never know this weekend I might be able to get some autographs on Safmat to add to the layouts.

I used DCWV Rockstar stack and AC Chipboard Thickers painted and stickled.

Pete Trewavas

  

Mark Kelly

Steve Rothery

Ian Mosley

I had already done a layout of Steve Hogarth a while ago which you can find here.

Vintage Vogue Class - So Sweet

Claire Wheatley did a lovely class using Webster's Pages ' Hollywood Vogue'.  This was the class that really got me out of my comfort zone as it involved misting.  Those that know me well, know that I am not fond of messy crafts and anything that is likely to get my fingers inky LOL!!  BUT I am finally getting to like this misting lark and when I got home I decided that the white cardstock (which we hadn't misted in class) just looked too bright and stark compared with the rest of the layout so I carefully covered the middle panel with scrap paper and misted the cardstock.

The class involved a lot of intricate handcutting of the beautiful papers.  I took apart the large white flower as it was very bulky and remade it so that it was flatter.

A close up of the middle panel -

The alphabet stickers had started out life as white as had the netting behind the flower but they had been misted with the pewter mica spray.  I used photographs that had been taken of me playing out in the little backyard of the first house that I lived in.

Thankyou Claire for a lovely class and for challenging me to get messy!!

Convention weekend is finally here

The weekend that I have been waiting for an eternity to arrive is finally here.  I now want time to go very slowly so I can savour every little moment of it.

Quite a few people have asked me about what happens during the daytime when there are no gigs to go to - well there is quite a lot as you can use all the facilities that Port Zelande (it is a Centre Parc) has to offer.  There is the Marillion Museum and merchandise shop to visit and activities like the Marillion Quiz, Ask the Band and the big charity raffle.

This is a little taster of the non-music stuff from 2009

Love Pete's comment about Sharpie pens at 2:07!!!

And another big favourite of mine - These Chains

Strung Together Class - Navigating the Mon & Brec

Vanessa did a lovely class using Cosmo Cricket's 'Togetherness' papers and stickers.

The class involved punching holes through the photographs to thread string through and was 8.5 x 11 format but you could easily adapt it to 12 x 12 if you wanted to.

I used some photographs of our last canal holiday in 2009 on the Monmouth & Brecon canal.

A close up of the string threaded through the photos -

Thankyou Vanessa for an interesting class - I would never have thought of doing this at all.

1 more sleep to go - Happiness is the Road

Now whether we get any sleep tonight on the ferry to Holland is another matter - who knows we may just stay up all night!!!  Fortunately it is only an hour's drive from Hook of Holland to Port Zelande.

As we begin our little adventure with the road trip to Port Zelande the most appropriate video for today must be Happiness is the Road (especially when the CD player is loaded with Marillion!)

2 more sleeps to go

The packing is almost done, trouble is I am so excited I just cannot sleep now - can't remember when I was last this excited about anything!!!!

Fingers crossed my tooth will be fine for the time we are away.  The dentist was very pleased that I had got an appointment straight away as he reckoned I would have developed an abcess by the weekend so that would really have reined in my enjoyment.  I am now minus the nerve for that tooth and have a temporary repair job which will be made permanent on our return.

Another big favourite of mine -

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Week 143

The theme this week at PBSC is Spring is Sprung.  There are two things I always think of when it comes to Spring - firstly daffodils and secondly Easter.  I don't have any daffodil stamps so have made an Easter card instead.

Not sure what this stamp is called as I borrowed it from Dee to stamp a few images whilst we were on our Twilight weekend.

Paper - K&Co
Cardstock - Creative Memories
Ribbon - from stash
Sentiment - Stamps Away
Butterfly punch - EK Success
Sentiment punches - Stampin' Up
Pearls - Hobby House

A close up of the stamped image which was watercoloured with Derwent watercolour pencils and glittered with Stickes -

3 more sleeps

and I can hardly contain myself - I think I am going to explode if Friday doesn't hurry up and get here!!!

Well my hair is now done and the packing has been started.  I was supposed to be getting my back tweaked today in the hope that I will be comfortable all weekend, but that has now been cancelled as I broke a tooth yesterday so it is now an emergency dental appointment instead.

And I will be keeping everything crossed that this gets played at the weekend, my most favourite Marillion song -

4 sleeps to go .........

The excitement is definitely mounting in our house - barely started packing yet and keeping everything crossed that my new camera battery arrives in time.

What a Hoot Class - Baby you can drive my car

Natalie Grant's class used My Mind's Eye, Fine & Dandy papers and involved making a sweet owl embellishment from felt and stitching swirls over the top of the photographs.

I just loved using these papers and enjoyed making the owl embellishment.  I used a couple of photographs from Harrison's first birthday party.

A close up of the owl -

And a close up of the stitching on the photograph -

The thickers for the title were included with the kit and I added in some alphabet stickers from My Little Shoebox.

Thankyou Natalie for such a fun class!!

5 more sleeps left ....

...... and then I will be in Holland and this will be the first track we hear on Friday night.  I'm so excited that I am positively bouncing off the walls here willing Friday to come quick!!!!!

Travel in Style

The February class for Shimelle's 6x4 love included a sketch for two 6x4 photos on the layout.  The sketch actually used two portrait photos and I have suddenly realised that I rarely ever take portrait photos, they are virtually always landscape, so I had to adapt the sketch slightly to accommodate this.

I found a couple of photos from Milly's prom back in 2006 that I hadn't yet scrapped.

Supplies used

Papers - Prima Blooming Retro
Bazill cardstock
Doodlebug alphabet stickers
MS Monarch butterfly punch
Self adhesive pearls from Sarah's Cards

Penny Black Saturday Challenge - Week 142

The challenge this week at PBSC was GREEN in celebration of St Patricks Day on 17th March.

I made a little Easter card using this sweet stamp -

The patterned paper is DCWV and the stamped sentiment is Stamps Away.  I used Stampin' Up punches for the sentiment, a Woodware scalloped oval punch for the mat and an EK Success butterfly punch.  Ribbon and pearls are from my stash.

A close up of the stamped image -

Divine Distressing Class - Sisterly Love

Rachael Elliott's class was using Fancy Pants 'Lilac House' and it was a lovely vintage inspired layout.  I chose this photograph from 1966 of me and my sister.

I really enjoyed this class as I do quite enjoy a bit of paper crumpling and distressing papers now.  The photograph doesn't really do any justice to how pretty this layout is - I love it!!

A close up of the flowers -

Thankyou Rachael for a lovely class.

Hidden Depths Class - Beach Belles (and Boy)

The first of my layouts from the retreat classes.

This was a lovely class taught by Louise Stevenson using October Afternoon 'Seaside' papers.

Lou's page was designed as an 8.5 x 11 inches page but it was very easy to adapt the page to 12 x 12.  Lou's page also included a small mini book on the front of the page and a large acetate window cut in the centre of the page - it was lovely but as I am not a fan of interactive stuff on pages or see-through pages I did a plain layout.  As always with a class by Lou it did involve some painting - the chipboard elements were painted and the circles on the base paper were made by dipping pen and bottle tops into the paint and splodging on the page.  I used some photos from a family holiday we had by the seaside back in 1976.

The title was done using the large alphabet stickers that came in the kit and some natural Sunshine Thickers which I coloured in with a Promarker to match the layout (thankyou Tara for the loan of!!).

Thankyou Lou for a great class!!

A little spell of good luck

I think I must have been wearing lucky pants at the retreat, on the Friday I won some lovely American Crafts embellishments on the raffle.

Then on the Saturday evening we played a few games of bingo, the first game I got a line and won a pack of Fancy Pants chipboard and then on a later game I got a house and won an AMM urban album.

At the last retreat we got a gorgeous goody bag and this retreat was no exception - we got an American Crafts 12x12 D ring album in a pink bag, also in the bag were sticker sheets, die cuts and rub-ons

And my good luck seems to have continued on my return home - my layout 9 go mad in the cotswolds was chosen as the winner of the February sketch challenge on Sarah's Cards blog.

Hopefully tomorrow there will be some good light and I can photograph some of the layouts that I did at the retreat.

Sarah's Cards Retreat 2011

It was a fabulous weekend in Warrington with six fantastic classes from the design team.  There was also lots of fun and games with challenges, a quiz, bingo and a chance to catch up with two of my fellow Dizzy Dots Jules and Tara.

Here are a few photos from the weekend -

The Shop

The crop room

Tara, Jules and Jane

Me and my fellow Dizzy Dots, Tara and Jules

Tara and I were very very late leaving the crop room in the wee hours of Sunday morning - Tara obviously overslept on Sunday morning as she didn't get time to shave before coming to the crop room on Sunday -

Photos of my layouts will appear later in the week - I need to get on and photograph them!!

Sarah's Cards Retreat 2010 Part 3

The final class that I took on the Sunday morning was Cathy's mini book.  It was fab but took a wee bit of working out to get all the pages in the right order with the acetate pages so I only got the book made in the class and then decorated it and filled with photographs once I got home.

Warning this blog entry is photograph heavy!!!!

The front cover

I filled the album with the christening photographs of my nine nieces and nephews and a lovely group photograph of them all grown up.

Joe

Amanda

The Gang

 

Antony

Chloe

Luke

Daniel

Melissa

Connor

Harrison

And if you have got to the end of this long post then well done and thank you very much for taking the time to look.