Beside the Seaside

Well its our first summer living in sunny Wales and we're still loving it all!  Finding new places all the time.  We've had tea on the beach after work, been out on the boat, finding great places with rock pools, just having a lovely time.  We even had a free concert last week from Sir Tom Jones and Jessie J, actually it wasn't free but because we live so close to the venue it was LOUD so we just sat on the balcony and enjoyed for nothing :)

This is our Molly on Rhos-On-Sea beach, it always has a bit of sand showing even at high tide.  Beach is a lot of mussel shells so you'll need your crocs on here!

We also found Bodafon Farm which we'e driven past a million times!  What a little gem this is overlooking Llandudno North Shore.  Its free entry and theres tractor ride ons then an adventure playground, goats, llamas, deer, birds of prey and a kookoburra!  You cant take picnics though but the food is outstanding, my fussy OH was well pleased.  Its a pound or two dearer than pub grub but so much better and proper home cooked.

We've also been exploring over in Anglesey and favour Penmon Point overlooking Puffin Island next to the lighthouse.  If you love rock pools you'll love this place.  Theres a little cafe there you can use the loo if you buy something!
There are literally hundreds of rock pools and get more interesting the further the tide goes out, we caught loads of creatures and I can spend all day here.

I don't get much time to craft especially if the sun's out then I'm usually out and about.  This one took me about a fortnight to complete, I just had a red/pink theme in mind and went from there.  

I've coloured with promarkers, flex and tria, drawn the background myself and coloured the die cut border with matching promarkers.

Flowers are wild orchid and papers are my fav First Edition, I have a few of their stacks.

I'd like to enter Tilda into;

Stamp & Create with Magnolia - Anything goes

As you like it challenge - Fav papers - Why because I love all the first edition stacks as they have a mix of fancy and patterned and go together beautifully plus they are a lovely quality

Divas by design - Anything goes

The Paper Shelter -Anything goes

Simon says Stamp - Anything goes

The sisterhood of crafters - Die cuts/punches

Deep Ocean Challenge - Summer colours

Craft your passion - flower power

The crazy challenge - Die cuts/punches

Pink elephant - anything goes

Totally Tilda - Anything goes

Daisy and Dee Dee

Evening all!  I'm trying to figure out how to use the new fangled blogger, I dont do change very well and I've been M.I.A for a while so I'm somewhat lost!  I'm also very rusty on the laptop, I use a PC and smart phone so this is bugging me lol!

I also need a tidy up as I'm on no design teams anymore, just dont have time as I have to do that other activity called work!  I'll get round to it as you do...

Well this week I've had my Nan up here for holidays, she booked herself into a hotel in Llandudno, she stayed at my house over xmas and we've plenty of room but I think she finds it stressful being nearly 94 and our house has 2 noisy kids and 2 noisy smelly dogs so this time she booked into a hotel so I've been popping over to see her.  We've been up to Bodnant Gardens and she walked 95% of it, very impressed given her age!  We tootled over to Tir Prince today as she was bemoaning that Llandudno doesnt have a market so where bigger than Tir Prince?  She bought a bag of toffees and a ham sandwich!
I've also been learning those loom band things this week that all the little girls are into, Mollys got an armful of them now.

I have 2 to share tonight!  I haven't used my pens since before I moved last October so wasn't sure if I could still do it as well so had a play with Dee Dee by Hannah Lynn using promarkers and flexmarkers and a dab of colorsoft pencil.  I had a raging headache all day when I finally put the card together during a respite of a couple of hours so the colours are a little funky ha!
I also had a mooch round some challenges and saw Passion for Promarkers wanted die cuts.  I really couldnt remember how to use my cuttlebug so had to have a couple of goes before it all came flooding back! Its their 5th anniversary too!  Happy Anniversary girls :)

She's on a base of Kraft with a Kraft die cut swirl and some very bright stripy DP which is a die cut doily which Ive no idea what possessed me to buy as the paper stays in the holes on the die and I have to pole them out!

I'd like to enter Dee Dee into the following challenges

Passion for Promarkers - Use a die cut

I love Promarkers - Anything goes

Digi Galore - Kraft

Bearly Mine - Flowers

Deep Ocean Challenge - Wings (Shes a fairy!)

Crafting for all seasons - Things with wings

Divas by design - Anything goes

Die Cuttin' Divas - Birthdays

This little lady below is Daisy who I coloured ages ago and she survived the move so she finally made it onto a card a couple of weeks ago!  Flowers are WOC which have been sat in the delivery box for a year, how bad is that!!!  Anyway I'm pretty much unpacked now, well my regular crafty bits are, I have waaaay too many stamps!

Hellooooooo! *Waves Madly*

Gosh what a long time to be away!  I hadn't expected such an epic break but life kinda changed direction somewhat and I just rolled with it as you do :)

So whats new?  Well first I went back into social work about 18 months ago doing safeguarding in nursing homes for a local authority so life if pretty busy.

We also sadly lost our MIL last June very unexpectedly so Boo had to go out to Bali with his boet.  Made us think a lot about life so we decided to up sticks and move over the border near the sea so now live in sunny Colwyn Bay.

We've been here since last Oct and love it, every weekend feels like a holiday and we try not to waste days sat at home as we previously did.  There's also lots of autism type groups locally as Ethan has also been diagnosed with ASD so Im getting out to some of them.

We also have a little cuddy cabin boat, like a cross between a speed boat and fishing boat, we've been having fun in that too.

Unfortunately as I still work 60 miles away it means early nights and not much craft time!  However we've just had a new shop open in the bay, Knitting Bee & Craft which local crafters can rent a space and sell there wares along with buying some crafty bits.  What we do need is a local craft group like Padgate Crafters where we rock up once a month for the day and have that protected craft time which the owner Rebecca is looking into :)

So not been doing too much craft, most of it is still packed up but Boo did buy me a pyrography set for xmas Ive been having fun with, some pics below.

Hopefully I'll get some crafting done as Im missing it!  I go to the local messy church and had made some wooden crosses decorated with tim holtz dabbers and a spray of ink.  Some of the older girls were interested so I gave them a box of dewdrop ink pads to play with and they loved it so I really need to get back on the craft wagon!

Well Im off out soon so will leave you with this, not new but unpublished.  Stamp is called Just a little love by crafts and me coloured with promarkers which is 

<a href="http://www.craftsandme.co.uk/just-little-love-unmounted-rubber-stamp-p-1662.html">HERE</a>

Id like to enter into..

<a href="http://emeraldfaeries.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/challenge-55-flowers-ribbon-lace.html"> Emerald Faeries - Flowers, Ribbon or lace </a>

Use a digi at Crafts & Me

Evening all!  Yay we have some sunshine!!  Yes really we do!  Got my naughty Nan down tomorrow for a few days so it will be nice being able to get out for an amble, looking at tatton park and the japanese gardens as she likes that kinda thing.  Had thought about taking her to my 2nd home Gullivers but don't think she's be able to go on much lol!

Anyway its a new challenge over at Crafts and Me and this week we want to see your digi stamps! You dont have to use a crafts and me image but we do love to see them!  There is a fab prize courtesy of Letraset up for grabs so have a go!

I'm still in Halloween mode so this time have gone for VIXIE by Hannah Lynn coloured with promarkers of course!  The hair is done with orchid, purple, aubergine and black.  I also got a bit brave and added some swipes of green and purple on the skin tones (which hannah does but I like things just so lol!)

Papers are from bearly mine with a doily I distressed with versamagic ink (Hint of pesto)  Finshed with some folded black organza, orange paper rose and large pearls

I'd like to enter into....

Fab n Funky - Pearls

Papertake Weekly - Anything goes

Tuesday Alchemy - Bingo

Craft your passion - anything goes

The ribbon girls - BINGO

A Halloween Card

Evening all!  I'm finally getting a break from the kids lol!  Been ringing round like a loon looking for my 92 year old Nan today as her carer had been and got no answer.  Nan isn't one for just flitting off as she pleases so caused a bit of worry trying to track her down and making sure she wasnt inside fallen or something, turns out she'd gone the hairdresser and didnt know how to get in touch with her carer to say she was going out.  So after a ticking off from me she told me she's got lovely new hair lol!  Still its thrown a few things to light such as none of us have a key as she got a new door fitted a couple of weeks ago so that needs to be rectified and more communication between the carers, nan and family ie if she doesnt know how to get in touch with someone to ring us as THEY will ring us looking for her!

So alls well phew!


How you all coping with the kids off?  I'm one week in and getting edgy, been out 5 times out of 7 so doing alright and got stuff on over the weekend then into next week so only a bit longer then its off on holidays yay!

Yes I know its in the middle of summer but today I want to show you one of the gorgeous new images by Hannah Lynn which is called Kara and she's a Mermaid Witch, or maybe a mermaid going out in fancy dress as a witch, who knows thats up to your imagination!  People are already starting to slog on with their christmas cards so this one is a Halloween card which will be upon us in the blink of an eye so get stocked up and ready in good time.

Thought I'd also show you today a bit of the colouring process.  Everyone does things their own little way and this is mine.  When I get a new image I like to start with my lightest colours first so that the image is more to life and I can start identifying highlights and shadows.  If you start wth the lightest and make a mistake its a lot easier to fix and go over than if you start with your shadows as many do.

On this first pic I've just picked out my lightest colours I'll be using and left a bit of the white which will be the highlights so you can see straight away which bits a shadow will fall on

The next stage I do is adding some of my darker shadows in and the mid colour.  I often use just 3 colours such as a light-mid-dark so pretty much like the letraset blending sets.  In this pic I've added some cinnamon around the face and hairline and some aubergine on the purple bits and you can see the skin tones taking shape across the belly with the shadow and highlights.

You can see now how it all comes together in the end, the bold dark lines are blended in giving a subtle frame rather than a thick streak of dark.  Give it a go and just practice one or two night a week concentrating on skin one night and hair another and just play around with the colours (make a note of the ones you like!)

Papers are digi by Bearly Mine (From the designer extreme 3 cd) which are all distressed with scissors and I've added a deep green button onto the black organza bow with some orange punched leaves distressed with brown ink and distressed round the edge of Kara with olive green.

I'd lke to enter into....

Pan Pastel UK - Buttons & Bows
Simply CReate Too - Anything goes
Papercrafting JOurney - Anything goes
Craftroom Challenge - Buttons & Bows