Portmeirion ....

Hi Everybody,

Today for this trip we got up early and drove to visit Portmeirion.

This beautiful village  clings to the hillside and was the vision of one man in the 1920's.

Clough William-Ellis  wanted to bring some Italian architecture to the Welsh countryside and this was his dream.

It cascades down the hill side and has many parts to it with different themes ... each as beautiful as the other.

The village itself became very famous in the 1960's as it was used as the setting for the  fictional adventure series  "The Prisoner"  ... starring  Patrick McGoohan

It was a mysterious series and one that could never be worked out ... but it became one of those cult programmes  that attracts followers for many many years.

Clough William-Ellis  was the master of recycling long before  it ever became popular.

He  had bricks  and buildings ...  from other dis-used places ... that he bid for and then had brought to Portmeirion to be be re assembled.

Many of the houses are just facades with nothing behind ... just like film sets.

But there are apartments and a hotel   if you wanted to holiday there.

It was a wonderful day and if you ever get the chance to visit I promise you it is well worth it.

You may never get to find out what The Prisoner was about ... but the village is something not to miss.

On the way back we stopped off at several other places including a Black Rock where we drove the car directly onto the beach.

We had a lovely meal before returning to the cottage to watch yet another beautiful sunset over the Menai Straits

More tomorrow ...

Hugs xx

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