An extravagant weekend

I'm just having my coffee break so it seemed a good time to post a few pictures from the Craft Barn Extravaganza weekend. My day is going to be a rather sporadic one anyway as I have to go to the dentist again later this morning and I've some grocery shopping to do before I come home...when you walk everywhere you don't waste a trip into the village! This evening I have friends from Church coming round for a film night. We are beginning a study course based on "Les Miserables" (the version with Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe) which should be really interesting, so we have to start by watching the film - I have already seen it and next week there will be another group coming round to watch it, so I'll have seen it three times then! As I cried buckets the first time I am getting the tissues ready for everyone tonight!

In between times I am getting on well with new stamp designs...always good to see those blank sheets of paper starting to get covered with images! I usually don't have much idea what I am going to draw when I pick up my pencil, I just let it hover over the paper until something starts to form. Pretty much the way I work when I am creating projects too!

So, last Thursday morning I set off for Surrey which involved trains to Preston, then Euston, underground to Victoria and then another train to Redhill. Thankfully everything went to plan and all the trains were pretty much on time....the only blip being at Preston where, with less than four minutes to departure time, the platform for the London train was changed. It wasn't even announced but just came up on the screen - good thing I noticed a few people dashing past me! So, I had to run with my case up the stairs, across the bridge and down the other side. As I was still not fully recovered from the flu like symptoms of the post root canal infection (!) and as my case was heavy enough to feel like my shoulder was being wrenched from its socket, this was not what I needed! Less than a minute later an announcement was made that the London train was now going from the original platform where we had all just been! *!!#** (insert whatever you feel is appropriate!). I looked at the stairs and thought "okay, you can do this"....and then a knight in shining armour came to my rescue and asked if he could carry my case. Now, Janet Street Porter et al would tell me that I should have given him a withering look and lugged the case myself....no thank you....I am more than happy to be helped by a strong man! Not only did he carry my case but he hoisted it over his head which really made me giggle inside as he was obviously enjoying being the hero of the hour for me! (Another reason why I would never decline an offer of help). 

Apart from the usual rudeness of people travelling on the underground everything else went fine and I was at the Craft Barn after about four hours. I was able to have a wander around the shop, the Priory Farm nursery and the farm shop and then it was off to nearby Godstone where I was staying. This is a tiny village with a lovely duck pond and just a few little shops including one selling antiques and curios  that I had a wander round for a while. I then spotted a sign for the parish Church and this led me up a long public footpath at the side of a nature reserve where I saw Grebes, Tree Creepers and all sorts of butterflies and other birds. I also came across this fallen "tree" that was really more like a mass of tangled roots...

...I'd love to have this in my garden!

After a good stroll in the sunshine it was time for dinner and then some relaxing in front of the TV before a good night's sleep. Next day was my Bijou House Masterclass and I got everything set up in the marquee adjacent to the Craft Barn. There was a lot to get through but the ladies applied themselves and everyone managed to finish - well, we decided it would be better to stamp out the flowers for the outside of the house so they could be coloured and cut out at home rather than rushing them. So, lots of alcohol inking, shrinking, distressing and embellishing produced some great results. Michelle and Helen concentrating on painting their roofs......

....Chris using a glue stick to add embossing powder to the seams of the walls and Anne preparing to stick the roof to her house.....

 ....by the end of the day we had some great houses.....

...and we only overran by half an hour!

Another quiet evening in Godstone and it was soon Saturday morning and the start of the demonstration weekend. We were all hoping that the forecasted thunderstorms would keep away! The marquee was all set up with tables and chairs and everyone busied themselves making eyecatching displays. This is when I envy those who travel by car and can bring shelf units and dressers with them! Here are some of the tables....

This was Di Oliver's display....see what I mean about the shelves?! Amazing creations. And here is part of Jane Gill's table...Jane's usual eye for detail in her beautiful creations.

 Here's Julie Hickey's calm, pastel display...it looked so fresh in the heat of the marquee.

 You may well recognise the work of the mediums master himself....Andy Skinner of course!

Here's Pauline Wheeler's lovely array of scrapbook pages and more - as you can see, Pauline was enjoying the Extravaganza experience!

 Lots of fantastic pieces to look at on Neil Walker's table.....

 And here's my, "it all came in a suitcase" display! Needless to say that it didn't stay this tidy for long!

It was an amazing weekend and a big hello to all the lovely people that came to see us. Your comments were so uplifting and it makes all the hard work worthwhile. I didn't get a chance to take a picture in the midst of the bustle of the two days but I did snap a view inside the marquee near the end of Sunday when people were starting to drift away and I could finally take a breather!

This was just one half of the marquee!

Here's one of the cards I made on Sunday using Dylusions sprays and a Crafter's Workshop stencil for the background. I used my Zendoodle Hearts stamp set and another CW stencil for the word love - simply using a white gel pen to draw through and my fine black pen to add a shadow. I think the heat was making me go for really vivid and bright colours!

I loved these bags that two of the ladies had made. Needless to say, the one on the left was the one I would have snaffled being in my favourite colour combination!

Another card that I made at the show, this time using my Dreams have Wings stamps which proved to be a popular set. I drew the ricketty fence with my black pen and added the grassy tufts at the base by swiping a Memento dew drop ink pad up from the bottom of the card.

I do love the richness of colours that can be achieved with the Dylusions sprays. I tend to keep my cards very simple really - just letting the images do all the work.

Every table had one of these on it by the way....

...a very thoughtful gift from the Craft Barn team - all hand made of course and filled with sweeties!

Well, I really should get back to the drawing board now and then it will be time to walk round to the dentist and see what he's planning to inflict on me today! My face is still numb so I'm still finding it tricky to put my lipstick on straight!

Oh yes, I have picked the first starwberries from my plants in the conservatory...all two of them! They were lovely but I'm guessing you need a heck of a lot of plants to make it worth bothering! There are two courgettes that are almost ready for cutting off and I've been picking the sugar snap peas and eating those straight from the plant. The tomatoes are tiny as yet, but there are more appearing daily so I'm looking forward to some scrumptious veggie meals soon.

Right, I will away and hope you haven't fallen asleep whilst reading this looong post!