Diary Day ..... week 35 and a right mess

Diary day.... week 35

This page  started off in a right mess, I'd used gesso and ink pads to try and cover the pre-printed background. I had no idea  how it would turn out. 

I used a few scraps of printed tissue  and some die cuts and as usual a stencil to take it over to  the opposite page.

Not all my ideas go to plan, but I count it as a blessing that I can now  get into my craftroom and get the paints out and enjoy  some messy down time.

So for one last time this month I will join

 Bleaubeard and Elizabeths theme over at 

Art Journal Journey

where for August they  asked us to

'Count your Blessings'.

I have so enjoyed this theme  and thank you for getting me to count my blessings this past month .

Landies and life.

First of all today I am Counting my Blessings

with Bleubeard and Elizabeth

over at Art Journal Journey

Then I will be joining them for T day

 where we are always made very welcome with a drinks related post.
I created this digital page  on my laptop that gets packed  when we go away.
What did we ever do without these devices is beyond thinking about.

This past weekend  we have been at a land Rover rally which, for a while was warm and sunny, Next came rain like it never wanted to stop, high winds followed and finally its calm[Monday evening].
Tuesday will bring what it brings and we will be on our way home.

I did get a couple of photos while the sun was shining. This landie is one of the latest additions to the family, belonging to our eldest who towed the caravan for us.

The Rainbow was a sight to see over the field, look close it is a double one.  This was Thursday evening, before other like minded folk arrived.

A little crafting 'me time', when the rain was flowing down and to the joy of the men and women to trial the landrovers  there was a fair bit of mud in places.
You can see I took the easier option and stayed in.


These events are supported by folk from all walks of life, young, old and families,  the friendliness is beyond compare.

I count it a blessing that my family  can meet with like minded  friends  and enjoy being together, It may be months between gatherings,
 but when the folk come together its as if they have never been apart.
There is noise, laughter,  excitement, competition , even pain if a beloved landie crashes out. but most of all everyone has enjoyed life, on the day and stored memories of what they can achieve.

I  will be later in calling in to see you today, but whatever you do today, I hope it is a good one.

Let your spirit fly ...Diary Day.... week 34

Diary Day week 34
Lots of stencils and blue inks went into the creating of this weeks diary.
The additions are torn Jane Davenport collage tissue.
This is a scheduled post,  if all goes well we will be  at one of the regular Land Rover gatherings
 the family enjoy going to.
There will be no sea, plenty of sky, lovely views , with  freedom and space  for the grown up members of the families who enjoy these  events to left their spirits fly.
Now I mean carefully as often the Land rovers do fly over bumps
 and can be prone to colliding with trees etc.

Should they touch the sea, or see a mermaid they will be miles off route and properly lost.

I add a blessing here today that they stay safe, enjoy the freedom their hobby brings them. For me it is the thankfulness for the loving community of friends we have made over the years.

Thank you for stopping by you are very welcome here and I hope you have a good weekend.

Colours.

The base of this spread is  made with a Jane Davenport tissue  layer.

  I looked around for a few  bits and pieces for  the left side,

 mainly to cover a hole in the tissue

  Another rummage came up with the washi tape face parts.

So did I pick up a paintbrush .... no..... the stamped image got that wrong.

I used a piece of foam  to add the  the stencil colour  on the tag.

 I love colour and count it a blessing that I can have fun using colour in my  journals.

So today's blessing is  a thankfulness that I can see these bright colours 

and a sadness for those who have vision problems  and cannot see clearly

 the things sighted folk take for granted.

I will be joining Bleubeard and Elizabeth

over at

 Art Journal Journey

where they are hosting this months theme

Count you blessings. 

Thank you for calling in today, you are always welcome here.

Take a Ride......... at TioT's

A new challenge theme has been announced this morning  at

 Try it on Tuesdays 

Take a Ride

how would you like to travel/plane/boat/train/car/fantasy machine etc.

Please pop over and see   the fantastic samples the D.T. have created.

We hope you will join us there.

My choice would be this flying contraption, I think it would be  a fun experience.

I  need to have a few cards made suitable for male friends so decided to make this layered card.

The stamp is   a Sheena Douglas one,  shaded  it with water colour paints.

Thank you for calling in today, you are always very welcome here.

Returning Home

A page to share with

 Bluebeard and Elizabeth who as well as inviting us to join them for

 T day each Tuesday,

 they are also hosing this months over at

 Art Journal Journey.

Count your Blessings is the theme

 and I count my blessings each time I return to my home after being away

 or even out and about for a few hours.
 It is my happy place, full of love, comfort and happy family memories.

The page is a mish mash of mop up colours and stamped images.

 Some found relatives going home after an evening out.

The stamped words are....No one realises  how beautiful it is to travel,

 until he comes home and rests his head on his old familiar pillow.

For my drinks related part of the post you will guess... it is my usual brew of tea,

 handy beside the computer as I gathered together a few  more photos of our visit to Sizergh.

I showed you the house and gardens last week.[here]

Inside was awesome, especially if you like wood as I do.

A fabulous oak table. Made in the room as it would have been to large to get through the doors.

One of the bedrooms, the wood walling was spectacular.

The carving must have taken the craftsmen months to complete. There was much more to see but  as it was so hot outside, folk were lingering longer indoors and it was difficult to get  people free photos.

 This tapestry was beautiful,  no flash photography allowed so this was our best one, and I would have loved to sit in that comfy chair.

A chair to sit in in the corner of a bedroom, perhaps a medicinal glass of sherry,

but..... hemlock? 

Thank you for calling in and however you spend the day

 I hope it will be a good one for you.

Take time to Dream.......Diary day week 33

Friday is Diary Day week 33......

For this page I only added some stencils at the beginning,  as I quite liked the colours of the

 pre- printed page.
A fussy cut  lady [Jane Davenport]  and pieces torn from a napkin came next.
I think we all should take time to sit , relax and maybe  dream a bit. It is so easy to rush around, going from one place or situation to another.
 then,  maybe later in the day thinking we have  missed something that would have been far more important to us at the time. We cannot turn back the clock, but hopefully we can   find time  to recall those precious moments.

I will join friends over at Art Journal Journey
 where Bleubeard and Elizabeth are hosting this months theme
Count your Blessings
Time is a blessing we should not take for granted, use it wisely.

Thank you for calling in today, you are always very welcome here.

Blessings and welcome rain

Happy Tuesday to everyone who calls in to see me today.

Its T day over at Bleubeard and Elizabeths 

  where we are always make to feel very welcome with a drinks related post.

You can see my cuppa is sitting by the computer as I was creating this digital page.

I didn't just have tea day in mind .

 I was also thinking of the 

Art Journal Journey  theme,

Count your blessings. that

 Bleubeard and Elizabeth  

 set for this months challenge.

I had this quote noted in my book and I have  seen it a few times lately in Blogland.

We may not know it was a   blessings at first, but I'm sure that if we take time to sit, relax and look back on the day , we will find that we have been blessed in some way.  Even if we didn't realise it at the time.



On my one armed holiday a few weeks back, to the Lake District we visited Sizergh Castle,
 OH was the photographer for me, it was so hot to be outside, but we did manage to take  a few.
It seems appropriate that  on a rainy day today[hooray!!!!!!]
I can share some sunny views with you.

It wasn't blossoms that were falling around us today it was RAIN

Who would have thought that  I would be thinking  of rain as  a blessing ,

 we usually have too much of it in the U.K.

But our fields and  gardens really need it so do our  farmers.

 It makes me feel for the folk who struggle to get supplies of clean water. 

Something most of us can  take for granted, so yes we are blessed to have water to drink.

What ever your day has in store for you today, I hope you have a good one.

Storing Memories......Diary Day week 32

It's  Friday... its Diary Day week 32
 and a diary is all about storing memories

I did remember to take a photo  of the early stages of getting a background  to cover a pre- printed page, underneath these painted layers it was the grey background with the mushrooms.


I used some really old stamps [TH]  on the background as well as the stencils .
The birds and flowers are Sheena's and I have lost the name of the sentiment stamp in the passing of time, or maybe during a  tidy up session my craft room might have  received sometime in the distant past.

I thought about the sentiment as I took the photo and it made me think
of all the occasions  in the family, that over the years have meant a lot to me.
Love and laughter, sadness and tears, health and happiness, highs and lows.
losing family loved ones and welcoming new members to the family as the years have passed by.
Yes, memories,   a blessing that I wouldn't change for anything in this world.

I will share this page with friends at
  Art Journal Journey
and Bleubeard and Elizabeths theme for the month
Count your Blessings.

Thank you for calling in today, You are always  very welcome here.

Love Nature

Even the smallest of our insects, if you take time to look  can be beautiful.

Visiting blog friends over the past weeks I have been amazed

 at what they have been creating in a small time.... 5 minutes.

So this is my attempt, NOT in 5 minutes  - it took about 30 and I had sorted out all the things from my bits and pieces that I wanted to use.

I swiped ink blocks over the page , added a couple of paper scraps,

 sprayed it with my own mixed spray. A few random flower stamps 

Next the dragon fly scrap, already to go,  on a piece of pre printed tissue

A die cut feather from Chris, added a pop of colour.
I used a heat gun to help with the drying. and

the computer helped me to add the quote.

I will be  joining the folk at Art Journal Journey

for Bleubeard and Elizabeth's lovely theme for the month....

Count your blessings.

My blessing today are.... appreciating nature 

.........being thankful that I can use both my hands again

and for the the inspiration I find out there in Blogland.

Thank you for calling in today, your visit is always very much appreciated.

The Lady in Red for TioT's

Over at Try it on Tuesdays our new theme is.......

Inspired by a song

What kind of song would  give you inspiration, popular songs  classical music, a song for the children a Christmas Carol etc. etc.

Please pop over for all the details and see how the team interpreted the theme.

The song that inspired me for this card is

The Lady in Red

by Chris de Burgh.
I had a few stencil wall bases  that I had made a while ago, when I was making a couple of cards for friends in a very similar style. The stamps are all Darkroom door, well,  thats what it said on the storage tin, but I cannot be 100% sure.
I had help fussy cutting the ladies. but I am being patient and taking my time .
Every thing crafty is taking me twice or thrice as long , but I am making progress.
All the shading is distress inks and  water colour paint.

Thank you for calling in today, you are always very welcome here.

Happy T day

Happy T Day.

Tiny cakes, coffee and of course a cup of tea.

perhaps listen to some background music.  sit  with the computer and   have

 a visit to  friends.

So, I am off to say hello to folk over at ..

Bluebeard and Elizabeth

where each Tuesday we are always welcome with a drinks related post.

 My drink of choice when creating this journal page was a mug of cold water. I am not used to the continuous heat we  have had  for  weeks now in the UK. Even when its been dull, its been hot.

I used my 8 x8 inch journal, distress inks for colour. A layer of music  paper, pieces of torn napkins, a stencil, white gesso to create a lighter base before sticking  down the cakes.  Oh and a bit of random stamping

I am not a sewer, so the sewing round the coffee cup is a digital addition.

I will also be joining Bleubeard and Elizabeth  who are  hosting this months theme over at

 Art Journal Journey,

which is...... Count your Blessing.

'Friends are the family we choose for ourselves'.

I feel blessed to have good friends,
 here at home,

 as well as out there in Blogland.

Thank you for calling in to see me today, I hope you have a super day.

.Diary day week 31

Diary day week 31.....

A bit late today to share Friday's diary.
I used a bit of extra shading ,stencils
  on a spread that was the already precoloured  on one side.

Next some torn flowers from a napkin,  I had a practice a few times stamping the words on newspaper before I took the courage to stamp them in my diary, I am still rather clumsy. I did add more colour etc  and splashes as the page evolved.   It also took me quite a while to get the page completed. so I will be learning to have patience with myself over the next few weeks. I hope  to add a butterfly  to the page  when that particular stamp I have in mind
 decides to show me where its hiding

'You may see me struggle
but you won't see me fall
Regardless if I am weak or not.
I'm going to stand tall.'

This  stamp and quote spoke to me when I saw it ,    as I am not one to give in, or give up.
As kids gran used to say many times......' you can do it' .....
 and if things went wrong as they often did.......
'bless you you tried hard'.

I will join friends over at
 Art Journal Journey.
and Bleubeard and Elizabeths theme.....
Count your Blessings.
Today's blessing for me was to remember family who always encouraged us to do our best.



Thank you for calling in to see me, I hope you all have a good weekend.

Find beauty in every day.

Find beauty in everyday

...........one of life's blessings.

To wake in the morning and enjoy the day what ever it may bring..

Bleubeard and Elizabeth

have set the  new theme for August over at

Art Journal Journey

'Count your Blessings

I  used a piece of ready printed tissue as my background., adding two shades of ink to add colour.   I stamped the quote on a tag, adding a piece of material, I had tried to stamp on the background, this hid a bit of a mess. So not great 

control over stamps yet.

 So how am I counting my blessings today.......freedom  from the heavy weight on  my left arm.   I am now sporting a pull on elastic support bandage.

I am not expecting a miracle to happen fast  as I have less movement than I did,

 the arthritis in that wrist had a field day due to lack of regular exercise. 

However,  I   am I assured it will get back to my sort of normal in time. Things are going to take longer for me to do , but that is  fine with me , I have both my hands back in use again.

Thank you for calling in today, your comments are always appreciated.