Paddling and Paper Cuts

Hello folks, hope everyone had a good weekend whatever you were doing. I had a lovely weekend which began on Friday when I travelled up to Whitley Bay in Tyneside for my demonstration the following day. It was a glorious day, vivid blue, cloudless skies, sunshine and a little breeze to keep things fresh. After I'd checked into my hotel I went for a long trawl around the town to do some window shopping - no luck with finding any "nicky nacky noos" for future Configuration boxes! After a few hours my feet were a bit sore as I had my boots on and it was really very warm. So, I set off in the opposite direction toward the prom. I had been really keen for a paddle and I just hoped that the tide would be out! As you can see, it was pretty much in and I stood for quite a while just watching the waves crashing in to the sea wall. I did try to capture the moment when the water exploded into white surf and, after I don't know how many snaps, this was the best I could do! Doesn't do justice to the height and power of some of the wave crashes that were quite spectacular. To the left of me was a ramp down to the beach and the sea was going out, so I made my way down to the sand. There were a few people walking along with their dogs which were enjoying the sea of course. I took off my boots and socks, rolled up my trousers and headed towards the water....crikey, it bwas freezing! The first wave nearly knocked me over, but, once I had managed to breathe again (!) the water was so refreshing and you can't beat the feeling of sand underfoot. I had a really long walk in and out of the water and then clambered onto some rocks at the edge of the beach where I sat, poured water over my tootsies to wash off the sand and put my socks and boots back on. My feet were tingling but all feeling of weariness had left them! I then had a wander around the beach side of town and decided to have a bit of fun in the arcade - well you have to don't you?! I set myself a limit and got a pile of 2p pieces....I only like the coin pushing machines! I managed to win two keyrings and a weird little angel before I ran out of coins!

Next day I was at Papercuts - A Slice of Imagination for their grand opening day. It was a busy old day and I must say hello to all the ladies (and some husbands) who came along - it was lovely to meet you all. Here are Joanne and her mum Shirley behind the counter, looking very happy mid way through their first day.And this is the shop front - it was such lovely weather that the door was open all day, and you can just see my demonstration table inside. The shop is in Roxburgh House, just beside the shopping arcade on Park Avenue.Here are just a couple of the cards that I made - I was focussing on Martha Stewart punches and Distress inks. This one has the very useful Infinity Loop on the left, the PATP is the Flowers CET (I call it the Pansy set!) and the large butterfly punch. Really simple card that I made on the day. Oh, please ignore the squished Liquid Pearl centres on the flowers - someone put another card on top of this one before they had set - oops! The stamped flowers were from the Wildflowers set from Darkroom Door, stamped in black onto gloss card and smudged with Mustard Seed Distress ink.This card has the same punches (except for the Loop) but I've used TH Vintage Shabby paper for the PATP mat. I'm really trying to use some different colours than my usual favourites as you can see! Very simple cards, but sometimes simple is best! Well, I must get on with work now. I am sorting everything out for my workshops at Topaz this coming Sunday. In the morning we'll be making Steampunk style cards in a two hour class. We'll be using new stamps from Tim Holtz and Andy Skinner who is a new designer for Personal Impressions. All the new PI stamps will be available very soon, but everyone on this Sunday's classes will be using pre production sets that I have in advance. The Steampunk cards are great for men or teens - two of the trickiest groups to make cards for! They will feature Top Hatted Victorians, watches, wings and....oh, all sorts of eclectic images! In the afternoon we will be making cards using my new designs. We'll be stamping onto book pages and using paints, pens, inks etc to create a range of cards in this three hour class. I just checked and there are some places still available if you would like to come along to join in the fun. Please contact Topaz direct on 01254 356501 if you'd like more information.

Meanwhile, I'm off to Hobbycraft in Chester on Saturday to join in their fifth anniversary celebrations. I'll be demonstrating Ranger products, MS punches and stamping, so do pop in if you're in the area. Right, I'd better press on! Have a good week everyone. Lindsay