Gas Street

We had a day out yesterday!! Took the tram to West Bromwich to visit The Public. The town's new £36,000,000 cafe. It is a super space, supposed to have exhibitions and things, a theatre, recording studio and public spaces. But they have run out of money - so all you get is the cafe. So we had a coffee and then caught the bus back. It is all excitement in the Scowcroft family.







The front is just a big black box with wavy pink windows.


But around the back there is this fantastic silver carbuncle thingy. Absolutely fabulous.

The ground floor, which was all we could visit had a pink light display and some of the brightest yellow toilets that I have ever visited.




Walking around to the doctor's surgery yesterday I passed the ICC and there were lots of graduates outside having their photos taken before their graduation ceremony.

Made me think of this card and I made from a decoupage sheet, matting it onto yellow and black card and adding yellow and black ribbon. I faux stitched the yellow panel behind the card and added 3 black buttons.

Gas Street

Is this the most filmed on bridge in the UK?

This time it is BBC West Midlands Today. They must have spent about 4 hours filming and will probably be on screen for less than 4 minutes.

Otherwise is has continued to be quiet around here (apart from the Tap and Spile that is). Not many boat movements and not many gongoozlers.

There is a snowdrop in one of the flower boxes on the lock island. The Canada geese must have missed it!







I have made another of the "step" Valentine Card - this one I have made especially for George and was ordered from his admirer.

It has been made in the same way and the previous one but I used different coloured heart combinations.











I printed out the message for the back and added another heart with a red feather.











This is a view from the front.

Gas Street

They have been filming by the lock again. This time it is ITV Central. It was freezing cold and we offered them hot coffee, which they accepted while they filmed from the front of Tom's boat.





And now 4 Valentine Cards to show off....

And they can all be bought here

This one has a chocolate heart fixed inside the flower.







And so does this one. The black panel behind was made using my new Cuttlebug, which we bought yesterday.











This one is simpler with just cardboard hearts.
I have also joined in the Crafty Muse Challenge for their Something Sweet Challenge with these cards.












But this is the piece de resistance (if that is the right spelling). A "step" card with three tiers. The large hearts were made using the Craft Robo and I have added feathers and ribbon.

Gas Street

David has been playing around with Photoshop and has come up with this picture of our Woodie.

Took the train to Small Heath today - great got the train with 5 mins to wait. Bought my goodies and went back to the station - train in 20 mins. 2 mins before it was due there was announcement stating the train had been cancelled!!! Next one 1/2 and hour later. So we went to look for a bus. Hadn't realized how lucky we are in the city centre. Finally found a bus stop with a bus going in the right direction and waited 40 mins for a bus (10 mins late), then another bus into town and yet another bus out to Broad Street. Good job David loves me.




Here is the last card for Caroline's wedding. I made a shaker box by printing the swirls onto card and cutting them out on the CraftRobo. I layered up the heart with acetate and then 3 layers of cardboard card to build it up. I stamped the heart onto pink paper with pink ink for the backing and then filled the "box" with confetti. The glue was being uncooperative and when I picked the boxes up all the confetti fell over the floor. More bad language. I had to seal the edges with PVA in the end. I stuck the heart onto the card at an angle and added 3 pink gems in the top left hand corner and a printed sentiment matted onto silver in the bottom left hand corner.

Then I printed out the rsvp replies, 4 to an A4 page and put the return address on the other side so that they could be sent as they were of put into an envelope.

I adhered a strip of the printed paper down the left side and stamped the heart in pink over it.

I also stuck a strip of the printed paper down the left side of the envelopes to tie it all in.

Gas Street

The washer/dryer machine is now fitted and working. Hooray!!! It is so quiet after the last one but has more flashing lights. Let's hope it lasts as long as the old one.

We travelled back from Lyons Boatyard with 10 extra bags of coal (special offer) meeting the dredgers on the way back. We had to wait awhile while they manoeuvred their boats and skips around and then they kindly moved to the side to let us through. Unfortunately the overhanging tree scratched our new(ish) paintwork as we slipped through.

We were back on the moorings by 3pm and don't think we will be going out anywhere soon. More ice is forecast.







Two more of Caroline's wedding invitation cards. I really love this one. The lace was wrapped around the silver panel before fixing it to the card. I stamped the heart onto shrink plastic and stuck it down with PVA (the sticky dot's wouldn't stick to the plastic!!!), along with the pink feather.

With this one I printed the pattern onto vellum (eventually - the printer and the ink bleeding almost defeated me). I tore the vellum and used vellum tape to stick the bottom to the card. I made a hole in each corner and added a brad (I found some lovely pink pearly ones in the HobbyCraft shop last week). I stamped and embossed the heart onto pink card and cut it out and slipped it into the pocket.

By this time David had complained about the bad language re the stamping and embossing of the sentiment so I printed these and pasted them onto silver card.

Near Shirley, Stratford on Avon Canal

The Great Escape has begun (but I fear it may only be a false start). We left the moorings around 11am travelling down the Worcester and Birmingham Canal encountering two boats and two contractor boats who were actually DREDGING!!!!!

At Kings Norton Junction we turned left into the Stratford on Avon Canal, through the guillotine lock (pictured last Summer) and on through the Draw Bridge before winding and mooring up by the winding hole. It was cold and showery and I was glad it was David who was out on the back.

As much as we love living in Gas Street Basin, it is great to be out in the countryside again. Though it's back to G2 for the Internet and not being able to spend all night on the big computer.

I finally finished Caroline's wedding invitations on Friday night. I am very pleased with the results, and fortunately, so is Caroline!

She chose 5 cards from my ideas book and then left me to it. I was allowed to make 5 different card styles and I tied them all in by using the same patterned paper and heart stamp.

I also made postcard sized reply cards which were also decorated with the paper and heart stamp.

This one has patterned backing paper from Pink Petticoat with a banner of vellum. The heart was stamped onto pink card with black ink and black sparkle embossing powder and I finished it off with three heart shaped, pink gems in the bottom right hand corner.














And with this one I wrapped the organdie ribbon around the patterned and silver matted panel before fixing it to the card and then added the bow, fixed with a sticky dot. The pink hart was stamped onto shrink plastic with Staz-on and coloured with markers. Finally I stamped the wording and embossed it in silver and edged the card with silver.

Gas Street

A slightly old picture (well 1 week anyway). They say you can tell your age by whether you can be bothered to pick up a 2p piece. We left this one firmly encased in the ice.

Yesterday we took the train to Stone for a day out. We got to the moorings by the Star pub and the sun came out. It was lovely. There were three boats on the moorings, plus the trip boat and one of those went up through the lock while we were there. I must be the only idiot who, when she sees a canal or a boat, wishes she was out there on a boat - and all the time I am living on a boat!






My second Valentine card this year. This one has a "concertina" panel which is tied up with red ribbon.

Gas Street (Mr David)

The washing machine has finally gone the way of all old white goods. It had been playing up a bit lately and since we had the new water pump fitted it mysteriously started filling up with water when it was not switched on. When I opened the door and a drum full of water gushed over my feet David decided to treat me and we ordered a new one via the Internet.

We had great fun getting the old one out - three men in a boat and a washing machine! We knew we could get it out of the boat because we got it in in the first place (though the builder's had made the hole, the machine was not fitted until after the galley was constructed). We ended up having to lift it over the bench and taking it out through the front door. The hatch appears to have shrunk in 10 years!

Two nice young men brought the new one at lunchtime and kindly put it into the hole. Of course, although it is roughly the same model as the last one it is 10 years newer and all the fittings have changed, so it is a trip to Lyons to get it plumbed in next week.

Gas Street (Card)

My first Valentine card this year. It is called a "wiper" card because as you pull the side apart a little tab pops up like a windscreen wiper.

The pop up tab has a shiny black and gold matted panel with the words "Be My Valentine" on it and a gold and gem flower in the top left hand corner.

This shape also means that the card will stand up easily.

The front has a panel with shiny black and gold card. There is a strip of metal ribbon with gems in the centre, a red ribbon on the right hand side and a heart covered in red handmade paper and gold glitter with a red ribbon rose in the top right hand corner. There are also strips of gold "peel-offs" around the edge.

Gas Street

The ice has almost gone. Unfortunately what is left is being blown by the wind up against the boats and has been "clunking" all day.

David took this photo from outside Bobby Browns. You can see a stack of chairs that used to be chained up outside the cafe. Because there has been no traffic the water is incredibly clear - these seats are on the bottom of the canal and there are about 2" of ice on the surface.

We took the boat around to Sherborne Wharf for a pumpout, decided not to turn in the boatyard as it was windy, so David set off past Oozells Loop to the transhipment wharf to wind. Bad mistake. As we got to the bridge past the last entrance to the loop the ice was still quite firm across the canal. There was nothing for it, but to break the ice all the way up, wind in the still heavily frozen wharf and then come back through the ice again.

Managed to get the latest Canals and Rivers magazine while we were at the boatyard. David has written an article about the IWA Festivals and whether they need a re-think. It has probably put the cat amongst the pigeons and he will get lots of flak, but maybe that is what is needed.

It is never nice to have to send one of these cards, which we did recently, but I do think that some canal scenes lend themselves to reflection (pun not really intended). Some photos can be really moody and sombre.

I got this lovely stamp of the geese flying from Lavinia Stamps. The rest of the card was made in the usual way by matting the photo, then adding ribbon and a peel-off sentiment.

Gas Street

Yesterday we had lots of snow, sleet and rain so the ice is gradually melting away. Today we have the main canal free of ice, but there is still a good 2" in places in the basin.

I still can't get over how quiet it is. We don't normally hear traffic sounds and only hear the trains when it is quiet and the wind is in the right direction, but also there are hardly any people about.

Apart from trips to the boatyard for pumpouts we have not been off the mooring for months - and it feels like it. David keeps threatening a trip out somewhere soon, and as he will be the one out on the back, I agree wholeheartedly. Maybe when the ice finally goes....

This card I have made for a friend who is currently detained at Her Majesty's pleasure for a few months. Not that I could possibly know anyone who would break the law!

I started with a grey card blank and drew in the bricks with a black pen. The window with bars came from a decoupage sheet. I stuck it onto the card and then cut out through the bars and the front of the card before sticking a photo of him behind the bars (I have disguised him here to save his blushes). I then added a rub-on "Thinking of you" sentiment.

Inside we wrote "Don't stay indoors too long!". Hope he appreciates it.

Gas Street

Another day when we've been iced in - thought it was quite warm while the sun shone.

Sam (who has just bought his boat and has moored it outside the James Brindley since Christmas got a notice from BW for overstaying. It didn't seem to bother them that the same boat (with the old owner) was moored around the corner for at least 3 months and never got moved on. Sam is wondering how he is supposed to move his boat in the ice.

Some of the "boys" tried filling their water tanks today to find out that all the hosepipes had frozen! After a quick warm by the stove, one was defrosted and they could all fill up. So everyone can have a shower tonight. Whew!

Hate to say this, but it will soon be Valentines Day. Though this card is not specifically for Valentines Day is is a romantic one. It is made from handmade paper, mulberry paper, printed and plain vellum, organdie ribbon, 2 ribbon roses and silver heart in a very subtle colour scheme of turquoise, white and silver.

And soon to be for sale in my Misi Me shop.

Gas Street

Gosh it is quiet around here. The ice has managed to keep most of the boats at their moorings, but it hasn't stopped one or two from trying to get away!

Unfortunately, the ice seems to have attracted some youths who have thrown everything they can lay their hands on onto the ice to see how thick it is. So there are plant pots, beer cans, blocks of wood, bottles and whatever scattered all over the basin.

Looks like we might have a new moorer soon, a young French man was looking around this afternoon, says he's about to rent out Calstock!


I have put this card on the blog because I want to try out this button



If it works you can go straight to my shop and buy it (should you want to). Or just go and see what is on offer there.

It is a white, 4x6" card with two pink roses tied with a pink ribbon bow fixed to a background of deckle edged sheet music and pink card. Because the card is too thick for an envelope it comes with a small "box" for postage.