Beaumaris Castle and ??? ...

Hi Everybody,

To continue our adventure around Wales I  have some more photos to share with you of some of the places that we have visited.

On our second day we  spent most of it on the pretty Island of Anglesey and one of the places we visited was Beaumaris Castle.

This castle is protected now but for many years it was allowed to simply stand.

 It is one of the many Castles built along the Welsh coastline by the English King Edward and is steeped in history.

I  like to take my time and read as I go along .... in fact I am like a talking brochure to Griff  as he films and I witter on about the places we are in.

We passed through a town that I dare you to try and pronounce ....

The local people call it LlanfairPG and that will do me as I can't get my tongue around it at all.

But here is the phonetic pronunciation of the long name .....

 .... and here is what it translates to.

Try it and see if you can say it .... Griff can,  but then he is Welsh through and through like a stick of rock.

Another fascinating place to visit was at the far end of Anglesey called South Stack.

There are thousands of breeding birds and the noise is so loud.

It was very busy and we walked down to the observatory where you can view the cliffs through telescopes.

They give you  a close up look of the different types of birds.

So after a busy day we head back to our cottage,  to sit on the patio  and sip a drink or two overlooking the Menai Straits and watch the sun go down.

More tomorrow ....

Hugs xx

Wonderful News ... Wonderful Wales...

Hi Everybody,

I am having a wonderful holiday in Wales and the weather has been so kind.

The sun has shone endlessly for us and we have taken advantage to the full.

The first thing I want to share with you is the fact that I have been accepted onto the  Spectrum Noir  Design Team and I am so excited about this.

The honor and the opportunities that have opened up are amazing ... and I cannot tell you how happy I am.

I have so many ideas that I would like to share with you and I hope you will join me on  yet another wonderful journey.

 In Wales we have been to visit some wonderful places and everyday we have visited somewhere different.

The first day we went to the Slate Museum and watched a slate cutting demonstration.

 The man was so quick and the end result was a neat little heart shape.

The quarry was in Llanberis and this beautiful lake is what remains of the old quarry.

It is very deep but there is now a Diving School that teaches this skill  in the depths of the cold clear waters.

It was so still and  peaceful and a very hot day.

We walked up the hill. towards the Quarry Hospital that was built to treat the injured workers.

This photo is of  one of the Operating Theaters and it looks so basic.

And yet the work and the dedication of the surgeons that saved the  hurt and injured men was to be commended.

Altogether a fascinating place and steeped in history.

We stopped at this charming little cottage called "The Ugly House"  

Nobody knows how long ago it was built or even who built it... but it is far from ugly ... and is in fact a delightful tea room. 

 The story is that it was erected at a time when all someone had to do was to have smoke coming from a self built chimney stack in a 24 hour period .

And then they could throw an axe in each of four direction and the area that it covered could then be claimed as their land.

Quaint story eh ??

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

White with a Red Splash ...

Hi Everybody,

This is another of my favorite dies from Spellbinders and this is the 5 x 7  Elegant Labels 4

It matches in very well with the smaller plain  Labels four and that is what the sentiment is stamped onto.

I have used a JustRite Stamp and you can mix and match the words to create your own sentiment with other stamps in the same script.

I have embossed one of the panels and the card is created as a Filigree Hinged Card   for a lovely lacy effect.

The ribbon has been wrapped around the top layers and it has a lovely metallic thread running through it.

 It is from  Reasonable Ribbons   and is  part of  the June selection  of their monthly ribbon club.

Very simple and yet very pretty lace card for any occasion.

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx

Tone on Tone

Hi Everybody,

The beautiful Quatrefoil Pattern die is featured on this card ... have you got yours yet    ?? Click the link to buy it from Sunrise Crafts.

There are many many Spellbinders that I really love and this has to rank amongst my favorites and one I can use time and time again.

The card itself is nothing more than the A2 matting basics made into a Hinged Card

I have just  layered this with the  Quatrefoil Pattern in the same cream card.

A little tag has been added to the top with gold embossed sentiment and you won't get a much more simple card than  that for a card in a hurry.

The stain edged Organza bow  with the pearl centre is the finishing touch  ....

More tomorrow 

Hugs xx

Grand Labels ...

Hi Everybody,

Another pretty card featuring the Grand Labels.

I love the basic shape as it makes  the card  just a little different from the plain square.

I have hand cut the green layer and then another of the Labels to add a small border around the edge.

The beautiful Ornate Gate has been cut twice and used together as the lacy background for the centre panel.

The smaller of the Labels has been used again to layer up the centre piece of the card and all the layers are added with foam tape.

A beautiful mixture of flowers from Wild Orchid Crafts  are along the side and they have been sparkled with Glamour Dust.

The silk edged Organza Ribbon is from my "Stash"

More tomorrow...

Hugs xx