Whitby Bargains...

Hi Everybody,

Wandering around the town on our weekend away to Whtiby we popped into the "Pound Shop" as I knew they had some  bargains on double sided foam pads.

I also found some packs of Organza Sheets in many colours. These are the same ones I used in the tutorial for Organza Flowers 

That page was added to the website a few years ago...  but the shop where I used to buy them from stopped selling them ..... Oh No !!!

But now that I have found them again and where to get them from I have amended the web page and added it here for you.  There is no web address for them but many towns have a "Pound Shop"  full of goodies.

And don't do the stupid thing I did and ask the assistant how much they are .... "Let me see... " she said as she stroked her chin .... "Could they be a pound maybe... " and we both bursted out laughing.

I bet she thought I was an idiot ..... no comments please !

Here is a card made all that time ago too with the flowers attached and it looked as pretty then as it would now.

I always like to add flowers to my cards and these are just that little bit different ...  for a change.

The layers to the flower can be joined with a brad, another flower, glue or simply stitched and you can add as many layers as you like.

But please take care with the heat gun as it WILL burn if you
aren't.

The flower on the red card has been added with a large bead cap in the centre that has the brad pushed through it.

And all these are available from Wild Orchid Crafts

More tomorrow ..

Hugs xx

Whitby in Oils...

Click to Enlarge

Hi Everybody,

Many years ago ... way back in 1994 I used to go to an art class and this is one of the pictures I did of a yacht entering a harbor in stormy seas to get to safety.

It was long before I had ever been to Whitby.

It was done in oils and was one of the first things I ever did. It took hours of layering on the oils in different shades of blue and green and letting each layer dry.

Now it hangs on my wall and is one I am rather proud of.  Griff loves this painting and shows it to all our visitors.

The photo does not do it justice as the sea looks as if it is translucent.

This is a photograph I took over the weekend on a boat trip out into the harbor at Whitby....

Can you see the resemblance?

 I took the photo deliberately from that angle as we entered back between the piers and although the Abbey in the picture is slightly different the similarities are there.

It is poetic license  ... but I like it just the same.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Whitby Weekend Break...

Hi Everybody,

Here I am home again from my lovely weekend away.

Of course a visit to Whitby would not be complete without the climb up 199 stone steps to the ruined Abbey and St Mary's Church at the top.

It is a long and steep climb and every so often along the route there are benches to rest on.  These where called coffin stops as they where used to rest the coffin on as it was carried to the top for burials.

The weather was so kind to us and the sun shone all the time we where there... you can see the blue sky in the photo.

Now I know to some people it's just a ruin but it is so steeped in History and it is very beautiful even as a ruin.

So for my international visitors here is a little about the Abbey.

This is an artists impression of what it would have been like when built.  It was a place of sanctuary for many.

Henry the 8th reigned at the time and he was a huge influence over his subjects.

But he was also a very selfish and cruel king and life had little value at that time.

He decided that he wanted to get rid of the wife he had because she had only produced a girl ... and he wanted an heir... and the Roman Catholic church wouldn't  grant him a divorce.

So he changed the country from Catholic and made himself the head of the Church of England so that he could make his own rules and then divorce her.

 He also decided that everything to do with Catholicism had to go and so he dissolved the monasteries and claimed all their wealth as his own to refill his dwindling bank balance.

The monks  where executed if they didn't conform and the Abbey became unused. 

The stone work was used to create this house that sits near the ruin.  

I am sure there is a lot more to this story then I relate  but that is just a little overview of the history of Whitby Abbey.

It is well worth a visit and if you can't face the stone steps then you can drive close to the ruin and walk the rest of the way from the car park.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

Pretty Peach ...

Hi Everybody,

At this moment in time I seem to be on a Peach kick as I just love this pastel shade ... and I have made several cards using it lately.

The papers on the background to this are from the PolkaDoodles CD  "Pretty Sweet"  and it is lovely patchwork pattern ... sorry that you can't see much of it.

The satin ribbon is from Mei Flower and I bought it at the craft show a few weeks ago.

The centre has been finished with a brad that I added a charm to and glued in place.

The sentiment is a Clarity Stamp  and I have heat embossed it in silver.

The mixture of flowers are Tulips, Roses, Carnations and Lilies from Wild Orchid Crafts   and the petals have been sparkled with Glamour Dust.

Another card that would suit a number of occasion especially for the ladies that you know and like to give cards to.

I will be back home later today so it will be a live post  tomorrow ...

Hugs xx 

Beautiful Blue

 Hi Everybody,

This card is much prettier in real life and the colours are soft and delicate.

The papers are from the Floriography CD from My Craft Studio and there are lots and lots of really beautiful ones on that disc.... I use it a lot for gentle girly cards.

There are a lot of layers to this card with a mix of the dies listed below,  and I have used foam pads to separate them for extra height.

It is another Hinged Card as I really like the style

The inside has been lined with the same papers and the ribbon is from my "Stash"

The Pearls are as always from  Want2Scrap  and the solitary flower is a really old one from Wild Orchid Crafts  and I don't even think they do them any more.

I like this card ... it is easy on the eye and the colour is very pretty for any occasion.

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx