Clarity Challenge.. Monochrome

Ooops I nearly missed the closing date so this is a quick blog before I link up to the Clarity Challenge site. A week ago I saw Barbara's tutorial using the gelli plate to make what looked like a torn piece, I was inspired to have a go and this was one of three cards I made that afternoon , which is quite productive for me.

I used Barbara's three layer technique... the hardest part was waiting in between layers for it to dry .. I am such an impatient crafter.. I had used the seaweed frame so when I saw the result I remembered I had a similar Clarity stamp so I stamped it over the gelli pint using Cobalt blue Archival , I also stamped through the tear I had made. Then I made my two seahorses with fantasy film & fibres ... they are my new favourite stamps. I also love the new Word chain stamps for this card I chose the word magical because seahorses are the most magical and mysterious of animals.

Well that's it for today xxx Annie

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Today being Easter Monday and a lovely hazy sunny day we decided to keep away from the bustling holiday traffic and take the short 5 minute car drive down to Menai Bridge.

It was a lovely walk though Coed Cyrnol, Menai Bridge, simple pleasure of walking through Pine Woods carpeted with bluebells, then over the causeway to Church Island ... a really spiritual place that I have often visited when I wanted time alone to think....

this is the church of St Tysilio many of my ancestors are buried in it's churchyard which spreads over the island

 The church is lit by little diamond shaped stained glass windows and this more ornate stained glass window above the tiny altar

 It is a very small church consisting of one room it is entered through this tiny door, the wood is old and gnarled, you have to touch it and wonder how old it is....

This plaque refers to the original church built on the site by St Tysilio in 630 AD.

This is the view of the Britannia Bridge taken from the topmost point near the cenotaph, the original tubular brige was built by George Stephenson it was destroyed by a fire in the 70s this was started in the tubes which carried the rail line when boys went in looking for bats.

Then it was back along the Belgian Prom , so called because it was built with donations from the Belgian Refugees who had lived in the area,
This leads to Carreg yr Halen, a tiny cove in the shadow of Thomas Telford's wonderful  Menai Suspension Bridge this is the place that stirs the most vivid childhood memories of picnics (well Hovis butties and homemade lemonade) eaten here with our Dear Mam.

The beach was sandy, back then dredgers used to bring the sand in. Scarey Cormorants used to stand guard on the wooden posts that used to jut out of the water and the buildng on the left was just a wood & stone boathouse which has  been renovated now.

Well that is it for today all that walking in the sea air I should sleep well tonight xxxx Annie

Silhouette Cameo playtime

I had my Silhouette Cameo for Christmas from my husband, I went down with a bug straight after Christmas and so the new toy was left in it's box. After a while I had a play around with it but instructions are not my forte .... and then Lynda Chapman came on Create & craft last Saturday ...she uses this machine in the course of her crafty work ... well I learnt more in that hour and I was inspired to play.

This is a little pop up box card that folds flat .... design came from Silhouette shop..... I loved playing and was mesmerised watching it cutout...it was so accurately cut out and scored it was a doddle. There are so many designs to choose from.......that's it for tonight xxx Annie

Happy Easter card

This is the card I made for my family inspired by Barbara Gray using her Garden Birds stamps, coloured in with water colour pencils, background created with Adirondak inks. Blue tits are my favourite garden birds , I could watch them for hours doing their acrobatics on the feeders. I love all of the stamps but I especially love the little one on the branch ....the stamp really captures the way they cock their little heads.

Hope you have a really lovely Easter whatever you choose to do ...with Easter falling later than usual we might have expected good weather but sadly that is not what is forcast :(  xxx Annie

Fussy and Fancy Challenge #111 All About The Travel

Cannot believe this is Fussy Fancy Friday Challenge #111. The theme is 'All about Travel' it is being sponsored by Freshly Brewed Designs. I love this Paris Collage stamp by Clarity Stamps, I decided to stamp it onto a tag, I then stamped it twice more so that I could decoupage it. The other stamp I wanted to use was a Stampendous stamp 'I would gladly live out of a suitcase if it meant I could see the world'. I matted & layered a map background paper onto some dark brown card and then onto a craft card blank. 

I played about with positioning the 2 tags and decided it needed something extra ... that's when I decided to use Freshly Brewed Designs new 'Luggage Tower' digi.

Here is a closeup of the claritystamp Paris montage tag decoupaged up

So that is my take on the 'All about Travel' Challenge why don't you give it a go.. the winner is chosen at random so every crafter has an equal chance of winning you never know the winner could be you, our Sponsor this month is Freshly Brewed Designs. Uploading to the website is so easy just go to :
http://fussyandfancychallenge.blogspot.co.uk/  and follow the instructions. The Fussy & Fancy girls love looking at your entries and leaving you comments and then the host for this months challenge .... that's our lovely Jo this month will have the difficult task of selecting her Top 5 entries.
Well that's all for tonight xxxAnnie