A Messy Old Time !

I just got back last night from a two-day trip to Coventry where I was one of those lucky enough to be on one of Tim Holtz's "Journeys of the Past" workshop.  Lindsay was already down there as part of the Personal Impressions team, joining in on the retail workshop, so we met up in the Windmill Village Hotel where the event was being held and shared a room for the night.

It was a highly enjoyable workshop - Tim is an excellent teacher with a clear way of explaining things and an easy-to-listen-to voice.  We got really messy with inks and stencils, making backgrounds for tags, adding stamping and other embellishments, with the aim of creating a gorgeous tag book - to my relief, I did manage to keep up to speed with everything we did but have to complete it with more bits and pieces and fasten it together (as soon as I've a bit of spare time)!  Here are some pics from the event:-

 Lindsay took this photo of Tim and I

Tim giving us all instructions in his clear and humorous way - I was sat at the table just in front of the screen in the upper pic

Lindsay helping out in the "shop", taking her role very seriously!

Here's Chris (a fellow crafter and lovely lady) and I, obviously enjoying ourselves

Ali (a very talented artist-crafter) and her Aunt Mima - I know them both from an internet ATC group, but it was the first time we'd ever met, so that was lovely

Getting messy!

The workshop in progress with everyone very busy, heads down!

We came away with lots of goodies - the remains of our class kits which we'd been using (ink, paint, stencil, tissue tape, embellishments, etc, etc) plus we each received a big messenger-type bag, a Tim Holtz apron and a signed copy of Tim's book, "A Compendium of Curiosities Volume II" - very thrilled with all that. A "shop" had also been set up, with an amazing selection of products to tempt us all, so of course I had to have a spend (didn't feel too guilty as I had some birthday money to use courtesy of my son and husband!). Thank goodness for the messenger bag though - it held all the extra stuff I'd acquired for the trip back home on the train, don't know how I'd've managed otherwise)!

Here are all the bits and bobs, plus the part-completed tags, from the class kit

Messenger Bag, Apron and Book

..... and my "birthday" purchases

I can't finish without showing you a couple of photos of gifts I received from Lindsay for my birthday too ....

A beautiful necklace (which I wore for the Tim Holtz trip) and this lovely wall hanging, love the bright colours and dangly charms - its now hanging on my living room wall.  Of course, both made by Lindsay herself.  So I've been a very lucky girl this week!

Although I only had a couple of days' break it was really good to have a complete change of scene, recharge my batteries and come home again refreshed and inspired to start "being inky and painty" again.  

My First Sunflower!

The nasturtiums and pansies in the tub of plants and bulbs that Lindsay gave us some while back have been flourishing gloriously for weeks now and have added a real splash of colour in our back yard.

The sunflower plants have been growing steadfastly upwards and I've been waiting patiently for the flowers themselves to arrive - finally I've been rewarded with the first happy sunflower - not your common or garden yellow, mind you (LOL) but this rich chocolatey-orange beauty ..... there are more flower heads starting to appear now and the other smaller "teddy bear" (I think they are) varieties are slowly starting to peek out too.  I do love sunflowers - they are such happy-looking plants with their faces ever-turned toward the sun.

This week Graham has to go into hospital for a couple of days for a biopsy test and procedure, it doesn't sound particularly pleasant, but has to be done in order to find out exactly what we're dealing with and what treatments if any can be given.  He's been suffering a lot more in the recent hot weather, so hopefully he'll feel a little better, breathe more easily, after this has been done.  Fingers crossed anyway!