September 2015 – Page 3

September 10, 2015January 5, 2016

Paris!

Bonjour! I woke up in Paris this morning! 😀 We took the Eurostar from St. Pancras yesterday morning, a very nice smooth quick ride over to Paris. It took two hours and 15 minutes exactly. When we arrived we went straight to the hotel and dropped off our bags and then found the Metro and made our way over to the Eiffel Tower. Before heading up we stopped and had lunch at a café. It was nice to sit on the sidewalk and watch all of the bustle of the city.

The Eiffel Tower was great! You can go all the way to the top and that’s just what we did, 280 meters to be exact! You get a fantastic view of the entire city. I took a bunch of pictures to share with you!

Walking over to the Eiffel Tower.

A view from underneath!

From the second floor, the Seine.

More of the city from the second floor.

Still more of the city.

The view from the top floor!

Walking back down. You were able to walk down from the second floor so of course we did!

I’ll have some more pictures for you tomorrow along! I hope that you are having fun on my vacation! Thank you so much for checking in and have a merveilleuse journey! 🙂

September 9, 2015January 5, 2016

London Bridge

Hi all! Just a quick post today as Brian and I are off to catch the Eurostar to Paris this morning! We have to be at the station by 6:00 for our train at 7:00. I’m looking forward to the ride as the train goes 185MPH! I’ll be sure and take a lot of pictures in Paris as I have never been before. For today I have some pictures from one of our treks in which we ended up by Tower Bridge.

Yes, it’s cloudy but it hasn’t rained since we have been here!

Well, I had to have a bridge selfie now didn’t I?! LOL!

It really is a lovely bridge!

And traffic crosses it all day long!

Love the sign too!

I hope that you enjoyed today’s pictures, there are plenty more of London and hopefully a lot from Paris too! I hope that you have a wonderful day and I’ll speak to you tomorrow from Paris!! Have a super day! 🙂

September 8, 2015January 5, 2016

SIP Challenge 13 – Theme!

Hi there! I hope that your week is off to a good start! We spent some more time wandering around London yesterday. Brian had the idea that we should go to the Science Museum and that was a lot of fun. I haven’t been to a museum in forever. We had a late lunch at a pizza shop that had wood fired sourdough crust pizza and it was delicious! More like Italian pizza than American. On the way home we stopped by my Uncle Bruce’s and I set up his new laptop for him. The other day we went to Hyde Park and Paddington Station. Here are a few pictures from that!

The entrance that I always use to get into Hyde Park is Lancaster Gate and when you walk in this is what you see.

As you walk in a little further you get to the Peter Pan Statue.

The entrance from Prade Street to Paddington Station.

The platform at Paddington.

There is a store inside the station when you can go and get Paddington Bear merchandise and this is the little guy that greets you!

So, it’s Tuesday, time for another Stamp, Ink, Paper Challenge and since it’s my birthday this weekend we have a birthday theme for you…

I used some of my favorite colors to make one of my favorite kinds of cards! The card base is Neenah Solar White 110lb Card Stock. I used the Simon Says Stamp Balloons Craft Dies to cut out the negative from a piece of Solar White 80lb Card Stock and also a piece of Fun Foam. To make sure that I got the stamped balloons inside the window I traced the balloon onto the card base. All of the images are from the Simon Says Stamp Birthday Balloons Photopolymer Stamp Set. I stamped the balloons in Simon Says Stamp Teal and Mint Ink, the stars are stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black. Some Window Sheet is adhered to the back of the negative die cut and then the Fun Foam is adhered to the back of that. Before adhering the window to the card I cut out the Simon Says Stamp Happy Birthday Craft Die from a piece of Black Card Stock with some Stick-It on the back. The Stick-It makes the intricate die cut much easier to adhere to the Window Sheet. A generous dose of Martha Stewart Iridescent Hearts and Stars Glitter is added before adhering the window piece. A fun shaker birthday card if I do say so myself! I hope that you enjoyed my Design Team card for this week’s Stamp, Ink, Paper Birthday Theme Challenge! Head on over to the Stamp, Ink, Paper Challenge Blog and check out the rest of the Design Team’s cards and enter your one in the gallery! Thanks for stopping by today, I hope that you are still enjoying the London pics and I wish you all a lovely Tuesday! 🙂

Products used:

Stamp Set: Birthday Balloons Photopolymer (Simon Says Stamp)

Ink: Teal and Mint (Simon Says Stamp) and Memento Tuxedo Black

Card Stock: Solar White 110lb and 80lb (Neenah)

Dies: Happy Birthday and Balloons (Simon Says Stamp)

Embellishments: Hearts and Stars Iridescent Glitter (Martha Stewart)

Adhesives: SNAIL, Stick-It (Ken Oliver)

Tools: Big Shot and Fun Foam

September 7, 2015January 5, 2016

Mojo Monday 414 & More London!

Hi there and a very happy Monday to you! Happy Monday you say, well of course, I’m on vacation! LOL! Yesterday was a quiet day, we hung out at the house. My cousin Tracey’s mum Dawn and her partner Alan were her and Tracey made a roast dinner that was delicious! The rest of the evening was spent watching some TV. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday! Today Brian and I are off to London again! Here are a few more pictures from Friday’s little adventure.

A view of the Thames with London Bridge and the HMS Belfast.

The Shard, one of the tallest buildings in Europe.

The HMS Belfast which is now a museum.

Now off we go to today’s post! It’s for this week’s Mojo Monday sketch challenge…

Lots of nice layers! My card starts off with a base of Neenah Solar White 110lb Card Stock. I adhered a piece of Timeless Elegance Designer Series Paper to cover the entire front. Across the middle is a strip of Smoky Slate. The large and small panels are also pieces of paper from the Timeless Elegance Designer Series Paper Pack, the larger one is backed with Basic Black and the small with Very Vanilla. I stamped the greeting from the “Vintage” Painted Petals Photopolymer Stamp Set in Memento Tuxedo Black on Smoky Slate and flagged the bottom. The two panels are adhered to the card and the greeting flag with Fun Foam and SNAIL. To finish off the card I adhered a few Hazel & Ruby The Makery Sparkle and Shine and Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear Sequins to the small panel. I love that Timeless Elegance DSP, so nice and subtle! I hope that you enjoyed my Design Team card for this week’s Mojo Monday sketch challenge! Stop by the blog and check out the rest of the Design Team’s cards and enter your one in the gallery! Thank you very much for stopping by today, I hope that you are enjoying all of the pictures of my trip too! Have a fantastic Monday! 🙂

Products used:

Stamp Set: Painted Petals (Vintage, Stampin’ Up!)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black

Card Stock: Solar White 110lb (Neenah), Smoky Slate, Basic Black and Very Vanilla (Stampin’ Up!)

Designer Series Paper: Timeless Elegance (Stampin’ Up!)

Punch: Project Life Corner Rounder (Stampin’ Up!)

Embellishments: Sparkle and Shine Sequins (Hazel & Ruby The Makery) and Sparkling Clear Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)

Adhesives: SNAIL and Multi-Matte Medium (Ranger)

Tools: Fun Foam

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

September 6, 2015January 5, 2016

Covent Garden & The Thames

A very good Sunday to you! Yesterday was my cousin Kate’s wedding at a little old church in Sutton. The ceremony was good and the Vicar was quite funny. The reception was at a local hotel and it was so great to see most of my family at once. A good time was had by all! I’ll have some pictures from the wedding later in the week!

On Friday Brian and I went to Covent Garden, I have actually never been there before and it was really neat. They had performers and loads of shops, there is even an Apple Store there. Here are some pictures…

The entrance to Covent Garden.

The unassuming Apple Store sign.

Part of the inside of the store has a glass roof!

I’m also really fascinated with the Underground. Here is one of the new London Overground trains. It’s connected all the way through.

And the Jubilee Line has glass and doors all along the platform.

You can see Brian and I in the reflection! I’ll have some more pictures from the rest of our adventure from Friday and loads more to come of the next adventures that we take! Thank you fro coming along on my vacation with me! I hope that you enjoyed the pictures and that you have a super Sunday! 🙂

September 5, 2015January 5, 2016

Big Ben and Westminster Abbey

A very good Saturday to you! Today is my cousin Kate’s wedding so my whole family will be there! It’s about a two hour drive and we are going to head out around 10:00. I spoke to Michael yesterday and he is headed to a strawberry and flower festival today, sounds like fun! Yesterday Brian and I wandered around London again. We took the train in from my cousins, about an hour to get in. Stopped at my Uncle’s and then set off. I have taken loads of pictures and these ones are from Thursday. After we got off of the London Eye we walked past Big Ben…

Love the fact that I got the bus and the guy with the Union Jack sweatshirt in the picture! LOL!

Next up we went past Westminster Abbey…

It really is amazing when you think how long all of these landmarks have been there! Next up is Trafalgar Square, a much smaller version of Times Square!

We have been fortunate with the weather so far. It has rained just a little bit at night and been overcast with little peeks of sun from time to time during the day. I’ll have more pictures for you tomorrow, now I’d better go and get ready for the wedding! Have a super Saturday my friends! 🙂

September 4, 2015January 5, 2016

Fab Friday 72 & the London Eye

Hello and a happy Friday to you! Brian and I did a lot of wandering around London yesterday. Our first stop was the London Eye, that huge ferris wheel that lets you see all of London on a nice day and it was a very nice day indeed! We actually got lucky and when we went to get on line the guy there moved us over to the quick one and we were on in five minutes. You really can see so much from up there and it takes about 30 minutes to go all the round. The first thing that you notice is Big Ben…

Next up is Charing Cross Station…

When we left we walked across Westminster Bridge and got this nice photo of the Eye…

I’ll have some more pictures for you tomorrow!

Today is a Fab Friday and we have a sketch for you this time…

I stayed very true to the sketch, I haven’t used a doily in really long time! LOL! The card base is Neenah Solar White 110lb Card Stock with the front covered in a piece of Blushing Bride. A Tea Lace Paper Doily is adhered to the card with SNAIL and across that is a piece of EK Success Wood Sheet and a strip of Adhesive Cork. I cut a piece of the Crate Paper Kiss Kiss 6×6 Paper Pad with the Simon Says Stamp Stitched Circles and adhered that to the doily with Foam Tape. For the heart I inked a piece of Solar White 80lb with some Simon Says Stamp Teeny Bikini Ink using a Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool. It’s cut out with the Memory Box Stitched Hearts Layers Dies and adhered to the card with some more Foam Tape. I stamped the greeting from the Simon Says Stamp Locking Hearts Photopolymer Stamp Set in Simon Says Stamp Khaki Ink on the bottom right of the card and added a few Pretty Pink Posh Ballerina Pink Iridescent and Sparkling Clear Sequins to finish the card. I really like the softness of the pink with the woodgrain, it makes for a nice contrast! I hope that you enjoyed my Design Team card for the Fab Friday Sketch challenge! Head on over to the blog and check out the rest of the Design Team’s projects and enter your take on the sketch in the gallery! Thank you so much for visiting today and I wish you all a very good Friday! 🙂

Products used:

Stamp Set: Locking Hearts Photopolymer (Simon Says Stamp)

Ink: Teeny Bikini and Khaki (Simon Says Stamp)

Card Stock: Solar White 110lb and 80lb (Neenah) and Blushing Bride (Stampin’ Up!)

Patterned Paper: Kiss Kiss 6×6 (Crate Paper)

Other: Wood Sheets (EK Success) and Adhesive Cork Sheet

Dies: Stitched Circles (Simon Says Stamp) and Stitched Hearts Layers (Memory Box)

Embellishments: Tea Lace Paper Doilies (Stampin’ Up!) and Ballerina Pink and Sparkling Clear Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)

Adhesives: SNAIL, 3M Foam Tape and Multi-Matte Medium (Ranger)

Tools: Big Shot

September 3, 2015January 5, 2016

Twinkle Little Star

Ahh… much better after a good night’s sleep! We went out last night for some Chinese food, it’s very different over here, I think that it tastes better. It rained a little last night but is supposed to be nice weather today. It’s in the low 60’s here. Brian and I are going to wander around London for a bit today. My parents are arriving this morning so I’ll stop by my uncle’s to see them later on. Hopefully I will have some nice pictures for you tomorrow!

Today I have a fun simple card. The card base is Neenah Solar White 110lb Card Stock. I spattered the front with Heidi Swapp Tinsel Color Shine. The greeting is a journaling card from We R Memory Keepers. I used some SNAIL and Sweet Dreams Designer Washi Tape to adhere it to the card. My stars are cut out from Lost Lagoon and Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper using the Essentials by Ellen Home and Hearth Designer Dies, they are adhered to the card with Foam Tape. Another piece of Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper is cut out with the Simon Says Stamp Sketch Star Die and adhered to the card Multi-Purpose Glue. Finally, a few Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear Sequins are adhered to the card for some extra sparkle! I love when you can use a journaling card to make a quick greeting card! I hope that you enjoy the card, thanks for visiting today and have an amazing Thursday! 🙂

Products used:

Card Stock: Solar White 110lb (Neenah) and Lost Lagoon

Specialty Paper: Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer (Stampin’ Up!)

Journaling Card: We R Memory Keepers

Dies: Home and Hearth (Ellen Hutson) and Sketch Star (Simon Says Stamp)

Embellishments: Sweet Dreams Designer Washi Tape (Stampin’ Up!), Tinsel Color Shine (Heisi Swapp) and Sparkling Clear Sequins (Pretty Punk Posh)

Adhesives: SNAIL, 3M Foam Tape and Multi-Purpose Glue

Tools: Big Shot

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

September 2, 2015January 5, 2016

Popping in to Say Hello!

Hello from Merry Olde England! We had a very nice flight over and even got bumped up to the 6:30 from the 7:30. The food on the plane was quite good. It took about 90 minutes to get through immigration even though we landed at 6:30am! The British Airways terminal at Heathrow is huge and lots of flights come in early apparently! My cousin Tracey and Jules picked us up and we dropped our bags off at their house before heading into London to visit my Uncle Bruce. My aunts Shirley and Carole stopped by with little Amber so we got to see lots of people on our first day here. For lunch we had Fish and Chips, Brian wanted it! While we were at the fish shop I looked out the back window and there were the London Overground tracks.

Now, when you stand in front of the store you would never know that there was a train anywhere nearby except for the station entrance…

I am always fascinated by the layout of the city. If you go to Google and look you can see the hidden train tacks behind things all over the city. When you are in the city of London the streets are very narrow and as you go out further into the suburbs it feels a bit more like Long Island.

Come back tomorrow and I’ll have a card for you. We are going to head back into London and wander around a bit tomorrow so I’ll have some more pictures for you on Friday! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your Wednesday! 🙂

September 1, 2015January 5, 2016

SIP Challenge 12 – Colors!

Today’s the day, I’m off to the airport this afternoon to make my way to London! I still have to pack, I know, I should have done that already. Yesterday was kind of a relax and catch up day. I made a bunch of cards and watched some TV. Sandy stopped by for a little bit, we are going to have a dinner date when I get back. I’m going to try and have lunch with Heather today and then Andrew will be by around 3:00 to pick me up. Tomorrow’s post will be later in the day as I will be five hours ahead for the next two weeks. I hope that you will come along to London and Paris with me! I’ll have lots of pictures and cards for you!

Today is Tuesday so it’s time for this week’s Stamp, Ink, Paper challenge! This time around we have a fun color combo for you…

Yes! A black and white and then your choice of any other color! My card today begins with a base of Neenah Solar White 110lb Card Stock. I used the Simon Says Stamp Diagonal Stripes Background Stamp and Black Ink to create my background. My main panel is Solar White 110lb. The stamps are from the Simon Says Stamp Birthday Bits Photopolymer Stamp Set. I used some Simon Says Stamp Mint Ink to stamp the solid balloons with the outlines, strings, bows and greeting stamped in Simon Says Stamp Slate Ink. The panel is adhered to the card with Fun Foam and SNAIL. To finish the card I adhered a few Hazel & Ruby The Makery Green with Envy and Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear Sequins with Ranger Multi-Medium Matte to the panel. I love the bold black stripes with the deconstructed look of the balloons! I hope that you like my Design Team card for this week’s Stamp, Ink, Paper Color Challenge! Stop by the BLOG and take a look at what the rest of the Design Team has come up with and enter your creation in the gallery! Thank you so much for visiting with me today! Have a terrific Tuesday and I’ll see you tomorrow from merry old England! 🙂

Products used:

Stamp Sets: Birthday Bits Photopolymer and Diagonal Stripes Background (Simon Says Stamp)

Ink: Black, Mint Candy and Smoke (Simon Says Stamp)

Card Stock: Solar White 110lb and 80lb (Neenah)

Embellishments: Green with Envy Sequins (Hazel & Ruby The Makery) and Sparkling Clear (Pretty Pink Posh)

Adhesives: SNAIL and Multi-Matte Medium (Ranger)

Tools: Fun Foam