Still trying...

...to keep things quite flat.

This was made from a mish-mash of old bits of stash so I've no idea of brands.

Still with postage costs in mind, the only raised part of this card is the topper...

...and because it is all paper & CS, it doesn't stick out too much...

...the wreath effect is created by punching loads of MS Fronds in two different greens and just tucking them slightly under the robin topper.

Another card for the pile and a bit more stash used...........................................................

I know I bought...

...one of these.

I know I did but do you think I can find it - I've searched everywhere.

Knowing my luck it will turn up on Boxing Day LOL

Now could I have put it away with the.........................................................................

Coming soon...

...the 6th Annual Simply Christmas.

The lovely Kerryanne English will be holding another Simply Christmas event over on her blog.


A super Christmas planner and other printables will be appearing to help you through the Christmas season - so make a note on the calendar and hop over to Kerryanne's blog to share in the fun.............................................................................................

We sadly said "Goodbye" to...

...another craft shop here in South Essex.

In2crafting at Wickford, closed their doors at 3pm on Monday 26 October 2015.


John, Rene & Michelle will be missed and I hope the future holds something good for them.

In2crafting had been running for just over 11 years - originally starting at the Alpha Garden Centre and then 5 1/2 years ago relocating to the shop at Ladygate in Wickford town centre.

Demo days were always busy - this one was for Woodware stamps...

...being shown fun ways with paper piecing and the use of card candi.

Unfortunately, like many high streets these days, Wickford does not have a very wide range of shops (many premises are empty) and this has resulted in an ever decreasing level of 'footfall'.

I wish John, Rene & Michelle all the very best for wherever their journey takes them...........................

There are times...

...when I wish I was in the passenger seat.

Autumn is one of those times because I would love to be able to snap away at all the wonderful colours that I see whilst out driving.

I have been keeping my fingers crossed for a week that we wouldn't have any windy days so that I might get a chance to snap the wonderful colours that I have been seeing.

This is the view towards Noak Bridge from Barleylands...

 ...the bushes in the office car park are heavy with berries...

 ...wonderful colours but a bit worrying as Country-folk will tell you this is a sign of a bad Winter on its way. The office is certainly surrounded by plenty of colour...

 ...it all looks fabulous as you drive by.

There is a corner by the Noak Bridge exit from the roundabout by the A127 that is an amazing array of colour but there is nowhere that I can park safely to get out and take some photos. I will just have to enjoy the colours as I go past.

Closer to home, the road that links Horndon with Lower Dunton looks like an avenue of flame.

I couldn't stop at the best vantage point but I still managed to snap some of the beautiful colours...

...these photos were taken late Sunday afternoon and the sunshine was still catching all the wonderful shades of yellow & red.

It is fabulous seeing all these colours as Mother Nature changes her outfit before getting ready for Winter.

Wouldn't it be great if you could have cameras in your glasses so that you could snap whatever you see....................................................................

Did you remember...

...to turn the clocks back?

It was actually quite nice to see the early morning sunshine (bit hazy) but know that I still had a little while before needing to get up.

Saturday the weather was not the best...that fine rain in the air all the time but not quite raining...so I was glad that I was tucked away in the classroom over Pinnacle crafts making a wobbly snowman.

I haven't made any Pinflair creations for quite a few years and my fingers & thumbs are reminding me today why that is LOL

However, sore digits aside, it was a fun day even if we didn't quite get "Frosty" finished.

Starting with three polystyrene balls and a pile of pins, sequins & seed beads we all got stuck in...

...you would not believe the giggles as sequins stuck to everything - this problem was solved by wiping hands with tumble-dryer sheets. However, the laughter continued as the teeny, tiny seed beads kept bouncing over the table as we tried to thread them onto the pins.

Hilary had come prepared with some small plastic boxes to put the 'makings' into. All I went prepared with was a flat bone-folder to help push in the dressed pins.

So here are my covered balls...

...not very snowman looking at this moment in time but I will show you when everything is finished.

Lots of fun & giggles which was the perfect way to spend a dull, grey, damp day. Thank you Joanne...........................................................

Winter Wonderland...

...at the garden centre.

Tucked away in a corner of the garden centre is a miniature winter layout consisting of mountains, trees, trains, cable cars and buildings of every type and description. Lots of areas on the layout have moving parts such as skaters on frozen ponds or trains chugging around the mountains.

I just wandered around trying to get shots from all angles to show off all the fun of the layout...

...what I wasn't able to get a picture of was the observation dome because it was in use. To one side of the layout is a Perspex dome that you can look up through so that you get the impression that you are part of the miniature world. There was a little boy and his dad looking out at the display and the little boy's face was full of amazement at what obviously seems like a magic wonderland.

You can buy all the bits and pieces to make these layouts but I dread to think what something this detailed & of this size would cost...........................................................

Christmas posting...

...with costs in mind.

With the high cost of postage these days, most card makers are concerned about their makes.

Whilst there are some cards that you want to throw everything but the kitchen sink at, there are those that need to go in the post so you tend to be a bit more restrained.

Here are a couple of cards that I have tried to keep fairly flat just for the purpose of posting.

You probably remember the Christmas fairies that I coloured a while back. Keeping to just some matt & layering and a bit of Cosmic Shimmer Twinkles...

 ...this card will fit into a standard size envelope so will be basic postage rates. The block pattern down the left-hand side is some Christmas CS that I found in a sale basket at one of the local craft stores (I think it was 10p) and it matches well with this coloured version of the fairy.

This second card uses a single sheet of 6x6 PP from the new Sara Davis "Festive" range of her recently launched signature collection. With just the addition of some satin ribbon...

...and a sentiment tag mounted on a little 3D foam, this card is also relatively flat for posting (the ribbon bow may just take it up a bit on thickness).

It seems terrible that we now have to pay so much attention to details like this otherwise you can spend more on postage than it cost you to make the card in the first place.

Something to consider is the price of a small package is still quite reasonable, so if you are sending someone a gift, package the gift & card in the same wrapping - it could well cost you less than a large letter.

I am trying to be good and use up stash and I have managed to use a mix of old & new on these cards..............................................................................

Treat or...

...loads of treats.

I promised I would show you some photos of the Halloween table at work once I was able to load photos to my PC again - here they are...

...having mini black Christmas trees is very handy as they double up nicely for Halloween...

 ...the glittery wirework witches hat is adorned with skull shaped lollies and there are lots of spooky sweets & treats all over the table...

...Anne (Redanne) mentioned that she nearly bought a life-size skeleton the other day. Mine is much smaller and hangs from the ceiling above the treat table. One of my staff thought "Boney" looked a bit lonely so bought him a chocolate bat and some spiders to keep him company LOL.

This year has been difficult for my folk due to the redundancies back in May so I thought it was time for a bit of fun.

Visitors to the building have loved it and it seems to have lifted everyone's mood.

I need to get my thinking cap on to see if there is something we can replace it with after the 31st as the Christmas decs don't go up until the 1st December.............................................................

I recently mentioned...

...that I had obtained some Groovi Plates.

I saw this plate used in a magazine feature about the Groovi plates and loved what had been done...

 ...so this (and the other snowflake plate) came home with me on a recent visit to Pinnacle Crafts.

Let me say here and now, I do not think I will ever be a skilled parchment crafter. I think I am too impatient and too heavy handed but I do enjoy playing with these plates.

Using a piece of Ice blue parchment paper this is what I managed to create...

 ...I used a larger ball-tool to shade the white on the words, snowflakes and circles...

...and coloured areas with a Distress Marker (I used Blueprint sketch). The parchment was trimmed and mounted onto a matt of ice blue pearl paper. So that the glue would not be visible, I added some white Glitterations stickers (circles and snowflakes) so that the dots of glue could go behind them. A piece of the pearl paper was placed down the spine of the card and a few stickers added to help match in with the main panel on the card.

The work was not perfect in any way but I was very pleased with my first attempt.

I now have the Plate Mate and a few more design plates, so will be having a bit more of a play.

I have completed (and shaded) one of the Christmas trees - I just have to decide how I am going to use it on a card.....................................................................................

If you love Christmas...

...you will love Summerhill Garden Centre.

Every year, the staff create a magical wonderland with all the Christmas decorations. The part of the building usually used to house garden furniture is totally 'blacked-out' and everything is grouped by colour/style and mainly lit with 1000's of fairy lights - it is wonderful.

As an adult I can wander around in awe for hours so you can imagine the excitement on children's faces as their parents take them around this magical world.

This display is predominantly reds & cream...

 ...the decorated trees sit in the centre of huge round tables and are surrounded by baskets of all the 'makings' of the display so that you can purchase items to make your own version at home.

The entrance to this fairyland has a huge display featuring mainly white/cream & crystal with splashes of pink...

...this metal gazebo was a work in progress and looked beautiful and as you can see...

 ...there were trees decorated, ready to finish off the scene.
One of the main features of this area was a fabulous chandelier Christmas tree...

 ...basically an upside down tree hanging from the ceiling - it looks amazing...

...but would cost a fortune to actually re-create.

The garden centre are very good at providing labels detailing which trees have been used and how many lights are involved on each display item. They will also give you an idea of price to create what you see - they also offer a decorating service to produce these for your very own home...oh to have the spare cash to have someone in to create a wonderland like this in your very own home.

Not surprisingly, the week after Christmas when they start their sales and all the Christmas goodies are reduced to half-price, you will see folk with trolley-loads of stuff so that they can 'give it a go' the following year. The queues can be pretty horrendous and you will see families taking it in turns whilst some pop off to the café for a sit down and a cuppa LOL

Perhaps when I win the lottery (rollseyes) I'll be able to get someone in to decorate the house from top to bottom - umm, wonder what colour would look good in the bathroom........................................

With the current weather...

...I can't believe these photos were taken just a week ago.

After completing my shopping, I grabbed a sandwich and a couple magazines and headed up to One Tree Hill. Despite being late afternoon it was still lovely and warm so I parked and wandered off to find a bench in the sunshine.

There is a bench set back in amongst the trees which provides shelter from the breeze but is the right location to catch the sun throughout the day.

From the bench you can see the new Thames Gateway Port...

...the sky was a bit hazy down by the river but you can still make out the huge cranes...

 ...and from this shadow you can see it was quite late in the afternoon.
Autumn has come on in leaps & bounds...

 ...and there are splashes of colour to be seen everywhere...

 ...the sunlight was really catching the colours of these leaves at their best...

 ...don't you just love all the wonderful colours of Nature.
One Tree Hill is a very popular place for dog walkers...

...and there was an ever changing stream of folk of all ages out for the last long stroll of the day with their pets.

I had several dogs come up to 'say hello' whilst I was sat there - it was great to see the enjoyment they were having running free. It did make me miss my dog Sandy as this was one of her favourite places to have a run but as much as I miss having a dog, my working hours do not make it a practical consideration so I will make do with seeing other folk out with their pets.........................................

Using up some stash...

...making Christmas cards.

This easel card was made using a design that came on a project ideas sheet.

The base was created from one complete and one half of some Christmas green card blanks...

 ...and I chopped up a Christmas red card blank for the first matt. The embossed panels were just leftover bits of CS embossed using my "Moonlit Berries" folder from the 2013 'Wrapped in Joy Collection' by Couture Creations (I love this embossing folder)...

...a bit of die cut decoupage and some lovely tartan ribbon and it's all done.

Now that we are into October, many crafters are finally thinking about their Christmas cards but sometimes the old Mojo can do a disappearing act (trying to cling on to the last remains of Summer). So if you find yourself in this position, flick through a few craft magazines - you don't have to have all the materials that have been used on the original idea...just look at the design and the layout. If you like the basic design, have a go a making a few with whatever scraps you have to hand - before long you will be polishing off those Christmas cards at a rate of knots..........................................

Monday 12 October...

...was a lovely sunny day.

I was also lucky enough to be off for the day so I was able to take advantage of what seems to have been one of the last lovely days for a while.

At the end of the road where I live is St Margaret's Church - the previous week I had noticed a splash of red down the side of the church so on the Monday I went to have a closer look.

This was the view through the trees...

...from the memorial at the top of Church Hill on The Green.
As I got closer it was clear that the red was a cascade of poppies...

 ...for those of you who saw the poppies at the Tower of London, this is our local community's interpretation of the cascades that could be seen on the Tower walls.
Chicken wire has been attached and draped...

 ...from the roof of the church, down the side of the bell tower...

 ...the chicken wire is covered with poppies that have been made by members of the parish...

 ...they come in all sorts of styles and materials...

 ...paper, ribbons, yarn (there are a lot of knitted & crochet ones). As you can see, it is a work in progress and the chicken wire is gradually being filled as more poppies are produced. This will be an amazing focal point on Remembrance Sunday as it is clearly visible from the memorial where the service is usually held.
It was a lovely morning and I took advantage of taking a few more snaps of the church grounds...

 ...some of the graves are very old and there are names of some of the landed families that gave their names to many of the properties/farms/roads in the area.
Walking away from the church, this is the pathway taken by newly weds...

 ...as they head towards the church gates where they will be covered in confetti by friends & family.
There has been a place of worship on this site for well over 1000 years...

 ...the tower was originally very plain but decorative stonework at the top was added by the Victorians.
This is the church gate...

 ...opening out onto what was the 'village' green (Stanford-le-Hope is actually a small country town) and on the other side of the road is the "Inn on the Green" public house...

...which sits on the corner of the start of my road.

Monday was such a lovely day...things have certainly gone down hill since..........................................