More Tourist Stuff...

These are for my Dad (who is at home looking after Haggis whilst we are galivanting around London)

We went to the Tower of London today saw the Crown Jewels, Beefeaters, Soldiers and Henry VIIIs suit of armour. Lots of other stuff too but these will keep you going :) Back home tomorrow!

Being A Tourist ...

Hello, no cards today as I am on holiday in London for a few days. These are some of the places that we've been to since we got here on Sunday afternoon - hello Dad!!! We've walked miles and travelled even further on the Underground and are completely exhausted but we're having a great time.

Big Ben and Parliament

A river cruise down the Thames

Buckingham Palace tour

The gold carriage used for Coronations

Dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum

The Tower of London - we're going there for a tour tomorrow

St Pauls Cathedral

Tower Bridge - we're staying around the corner from here

Pussy Cat, Pussy Cat, Where Have You Been?

... I've been down to London to visit the Queen.

I used to love this nursery rhyme when I was little and London was where I was last weekend. My Mam and I had tickets to tour the state appartments at Buckingham Palace so we were up *very* early to get a train down to London and spent a lovely day first shopping (buying up a huge supply of my favourite acrylic jewels at Paperchase) then touring the Palace (we had tea and cakes on the terrace after we'd finished which was very nice) and then visiting Harrods for more afternoon tea - scones this time. We had dinner in Leicester Square and then had to cross back over London to get the train back up to Newcastle. Such a lovely day and we both decided we would do this more often.

A busy weekend...

I've been celebrating being on half term holidays by being super busy it seems. I've been crafting like crazy but most of it I can't share yet, but these things were just for me.

First up is my contribution for the Daring Cardmakers Blog challenge for the theme circle of friends. I used polka dots paper (circles) and a bumble bee with doodled dashes to show where he'd been flying - in circles! and it's a card for a friend who is 'the bees knees'.

(Paper - Lettering Delights, Bumble Bee - Jacque Larsen, Font - Typical Writer)

And then, because I liked the bumble bee so much I used the ladybird from the same set to make a birthday card, I've had a special request for cards so this is one of them.

(Paper - The Shabby Princess, Ladybird - Jacque Larsen, Paperfrill - Doodlebug, Font - CKTailor Sloppy, Ribbon - Pandura)

(Paper - The Shabby Princess and Pink Petticoat, Cupcake element - The Shabby Princess, Paperfrill - Doodlebug, Font - Typical writer)

(Paper - Lettering Delights and Pink Petticoat, Paperfrill - Doodlebug, Heart element - Meredith Fenwick, Font - Typical Writer)

The two smaller cards are for the same special request and they will be going in the post this week.

Saturday was spent doing a spot of hairdressing for my Mam in the morning and then shopping in Newcastle in the afternoon, the shops are starting to look quite festive so we had several detours to visit Christmas departments.

Today we went for a walk in the woods looking for signs of Autumn I took my big girls camera with me and Mam took my little one and we spent a happy hour wandering through the trees, we spotted one squirrel but we made so much noise stomping through the leaves that we scared him off and he was away jumping through the branches before I had a chance to snap his photograph.

Daytrippers...

We spent a lovely day in Harrogate yesterday, the weather was perfect and just how summer should be :)




There is a Betty's Teashop at the garden and as we left we spotted this little fellow - isn't he sweet!
Sadly though, he was just too tasty!!!!!!!!!
On the way to Harrogate we stopped off for a snack, drink and toilet stop and look what I bought in BHS of all places.
I have always wanted a picnic basket and this is just perfect - white wicker with pale pink polka dot lining and pink and white accessories.
SB and Percy just had to have an adventure in it too, they think it's their own personal carriage!
The squirrel has been back in our garden too. If anyone knows anything about squirrels could you comment on whether our little visitor is a red squirrel or a grey squirrel. He certainly not the same colour as the grey squirrels in the park who are quite dull and definitely grey, ours seems to have a ginger look to him, especially when the sun shines on him. He was rather naughty this time and he managed to knock the birds nut box off the bird table. I might have egged him on mind by sprinkling some nuts on the grass!

A Busy Weekend...

Yesterday we went to the Baltic, a centre for contemporary art at the Quayside to see the Beryl Cook exhibition. The other exhibits were just so off the scale that I would go as far as saying they were appalling and the 'artists' and I call them that loosely must surely need some sort of mental health intervention. Anyway, we enjoyed the Beryl Cook stuff and it meant that I actually left my workbench for a couple of hours!

Last night I had a break too and watched Dante's Peak for about the 40th time - I love love love disaster movies and anything with erupting volcanoes gets my vote any time.


Today I made another Bella card and then some stuff that I can't share because it's for a secret assignment that came out of the blue and made my Friday night! I've had good news in another direction too but that's staying secret for a little while too. Even more good news is the Design Team gallery is up at A Trip Down Memory Lane and I was asked to be guest designer again this month.



I spent the early afternoon at the local hospital walk in unit with my poorly Mommy who has damaged the muscles in her shoulder and came home with a sling, hopefully the pain should ease soon and she is being waited on superbly by yours truly and I even took over chef duties for tea tonight!!

I was on my way to bed but then I started blog hopping and then of course I decided to make another card so this one is for the challenge at DCM:

This week I want you to make a card for any occasion but it must include a photograph somewhere! The photo subject can be people, items, locations, flowers, absolutely anything so get snapping.

I had a quick look in my work in progress drawer and found some photographs from when I went to the RHS garden in Harrogate at half term, used pink petticoat patterned paper, a label holder cut with my sizzix and some ribbon. I had to take the photograph indorrs as it is now 12:20 and obviously very dark outside!!

A Grand Day Out...

Last night whilst I was looking for the RHS membership card I found a voucher to get into Beamish Museum for free (it's been on the notice board since about February so was buried under a whole stack of other less important things!). So we changed our plans as the weathermen had given us a sunny forecast and headed off to Beamish instead of Harrogate. It's only about 15 minutes drive from us but we've never been there so it was all new to us.

Today we have:

travelled on a tram and a bus

been back to school

been down the pit

shopped at the sweetie shop - delicious goodies to sustain us on our adventure

visited the dentist

methodist chapel

garage

printers

solicitor

farm

tea rooms - cherry scone yum yum!

co-operative stores

manor house

We had a lovely day and would highly recommend a visit if you are in the North East.