Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

Still iced in. Managed to get the water tank filled today, so David got a shower. I've been using the ones in the Hyatt after my swim every day - so that saved some water.

We had our Moorers' Christmas Party on Frederick on Tuesday night. Jenny made the boat very warm and comfortable and I think everyone enjoyed themselves. It certainly didn't finish until the early hours. But without us. Getting past partying late now.

At the moment the sun is shining and the icicles are beginning to melt. Supposed to be rain on Wednesday, let's hope this cold weather will be over for good this winter.

Hope you all have a lovely Christmas and thank you for taking the time to read this blog.



And just to make you feel even colder. A Christmas card made from a photo of the boats in Gas Street Basin in the snow.

Just matted it several times, shaping the corners on the last two mats and adding a silk, gold ivy leaf in one corner and a banner in the other.

Gas Sttreet Moorings, Birmingham

We were sitting in the boat today and David suddenly caught a glimpse of a grey head going past the window.

The heron had walked down the whole length of the mooring and had obviously seen something it fancied in the water as it stood at the end for ages.

There is also a young white swan around at the moment and today it was chasing all the geese, with luck it will frighten them all away; 'cause what with the goose s***, pigeon s*** and seagull s*** around at the moment we could do with some respite.






I just adore poinsettias - even though I read today they harbour lots of bad bugs - so here are a few Christmas cars I have made.

For this one I used some woven and corrugated brown card behind a large red flower.












For this one I began with a large white card blank and covered the front in some red backing paper which I embossed with the Cuttlebug and matted onto green card. I added a a green band across the front and decorated it with gold peel-off borders and one corner. The leaves were punched from green paper and I made the name with gold peel-offs and matted it onto gold card.






With this green card I wrapped some silver edged red organza ribbon around the card and then wrapped silver string around that. Then I added the flower.















Again, I used a green card blank and added a strip of patterned paper, edging it with gold peel-offs.

The flower was stuck with a glue-Dot and I added three small gold dots to the bottom right hand corner.









For this card I used a tall white card blank and die-cut a label out of some thick patterned gold card before adding the poinsettia.

Then I added a strip of green sequin ribbon and sparkly red ric-rac across the bottom before adding the sentiment which was matted onto more of the gold card.













Using a square white card I made a strip of patterned paper to which I added a strip of gold peel-off as well.

Then the white poinsettia was added.











I matted a piece of gold card onto some stripy paper, wrapping some gold organza ribbon around it before sticking it onto a long white card. Then I added some more ribbon, and the flowers. I made the sentiment with gold peel-offs onto gold card and matted them onto stripy paper.

I edged this black and white patterned paper with black ink and stuck it onto a white card blank. I then wrapped some gold edged, red organza ribbon around the bottom. I cut a Nestability Label from gold and white card and added that over the ribbon. The leaves were punched from green paper and the poinsettia flower added with a gold brad. Finally, the sparkly red star was added.







This last card is an easel shaped card. I made a strip cut from red patterned paper, matted onto silver holographic paper and a green scalloped border on the top.

The large poinsettia was added and three red gem stars on the bottom right hand corner.








This is the inside. I made a large panel from the red patterned paper, matting it as before and then edging it with green scallop edged card.

I added a piece of white card for any salutation and a peel-off sentiment and finally a brad to the centre above the sentiment to make the card stand up.




This is a picture of the card with box that I made to go with it.

I made a green box and added a silver peel-off strip around the edge. I covered the top with silver miri card and then more green card before adding a couple of silver peel-off poinsettias in two of the corners.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

Sorry about the silence. I didn't even get off the boat for 5 days except for my daily swim in the Hyatt.

Not too much snow, but we have been iced in for a few days. It rained yesterday and most of the snow melted, so we took the opportunity to sail around the Sherborne Wharf for a £9 pumpout. It is going to be cold again tonight and we will probably be frozen in again.

We got a visit from the "Head of Boating", Sally Ash regarding our mooring on Thursday. The reason for our having to move has changed from the original "The other company have a Planning Permission for our mooring" to "It is in the public good" (whatever that is - there are signs on the pontoons saying "Private". It now looks like we are going to have a pontoon built for us on the opposite side of the Worcester Bar. But when is another matter. So we have cancelled the complaints procedure (for now anyway). At least we can sleep at night again, not having to wonder what will happen to us.



I made this card for Mike, not on his boat though. I started off with a green card blank and used the Cuttlebug to emboss some white card with a snowflake folder. I cut out the aperture using a Nestabilities die and stuck the photograph behind it. I added some green ribbon towards the bottom, tucking it behind the embossed card and two green snowflakes in the top right hand corner of the photograph.

Finally, I printed out the Season's Greetings sentiment and matted it onto silver and green card before stick it to the bottom of the card.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

Yesterday afternoon David heard that familiar "pop, pop, pop" and looked out to see this working boat heading towards the lock.













It was one of the BW working boat volunteer boats collecting money for BBC's Children in Need










They moored up by the Gormet Burger Bar.

The weather has been really lovely during the day, blue skies and sunshine; but frosty in the morning. Tom has sprinkled the first lot of sand and grit on the moorings to stop us all slipping.






As Christmas is coming you get two Christmas cards. (I have got that many in the folder I'll never get to show them all.)

This one is a large white square one. I wrapped some red ribbon around the bottom of the card and then added a large music cleft with shiny green holly leaves and red berries. I think it started off as a cracker ornament or for a Christmas Tree. I printed out the sentiment and name using a music font and matted them both before adding them to the card with sticky fixers.













This one is made using a light green card blank. I wrapped some sparkly tartan ribbon around the top half and then added a table decoration using glue dots. I had to make a box for this one.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

Lots of yellow leaves in the cut. Shame about the rubbish. Just a few days ago Graham discovered a body floating around here.

Went swimming in the Hyatt yesterday (as I do every day) and shared the pool with Dwight Yorke and an actor from the REP and I saw the Manchester United team arriving for their match against Villa. Exciting or what?

Today Caroline came to sort out our tax returns. It only took her 3 hours (she charges £350 per hour when she is at work proper). Still, it's gone and hopefully won't come back again like the Companies House one.







A couple of New Year cards.

For this one I used my Nestability circles, squares and scallops. I printed out the date and sentiment on the computer using a font with stars inside and covered the letters and numbers with glossy accents.

They were then stuck onto the step card with silver stars wrapped with silver cord and blue star gems.




This one was made up in the same way but I made an easel card and added some yellow ribbon and some big stars.

Last Friday I attended the Hobbycrafts Exhibition at the NEC and bought some new Nestabilities. Must find some time to use them.

Gas Street, Birmingham

This picture was actually taken some time ago. It is another boat which was used during the filming. No Photographs Allowed. So I took it for devilment.

The clocks have gone back. It seems to be permanently dark and gloomy now. It just about sums up our moods at the moment.

Though last night we went to see Nigel Kennedy and the New Age Orchestra in the Symphony Call. He, and they, were terrific.



I have finally finished this year's set of cards for Amber Moon. The brief (as usual) was use the picture of the Buckby from the roof. This year I cut the pictures out with a round Nestability and edged it with a gold pen. I then cut out a scalloped circle in gold card to mat behind the photo. I made a hole in the top and threaded some gold ribbon through, tying it with a length of gold thread.

I cut out a green panel and wrapped some more gold ribbon around the bottom. The white panel is Cuttlebug embossed and the whole panel was then stuck down onto a white card blank.

Gas Street, Birmingham

There has been a lot of fuss around here recently, a Bollywood film is being filmed down by the Mailbox and the NIA. The towpath has been closed and people are jumping off the bridge into the canal and jumping over garden walls. What the ski jets are used for I dread to think. They didn't like any photographs being taken, but David managed to sneak this one.

I made this card for Baldish who is the Office Manager at our Doctor's surgery. The last time we visited she was looking very harassed so I thought a worry doll might help her.

I bought the doll when I was in Melbourne, Australia, though she comes from South America. She is supposed to take away all your worries.

To make the card I took a white, square card. I Cuttlebugged some white card and stuck it to the centre of the card. Then I put two strips of double sided tape along the vertical edges and sprinkled over glitter to make the strip.

I used my oval Nestabilities to make a white oval, which I embossed), a pink oval and a green scalloped oval which I matted up. I used the string which was attached to the doll to stick on the back of the ovals and stuck it down onto the card. The doll can then be removed and hung up.

Hope it helps.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

Anyone know who lives here?










Here is a clue.

Yes, it is BW Headquarters. They are going to have to move now though, we have found out where they live.

We went to London for the day and stopped off in Watford as David wanted to visit the BW offices for an article he is going to write.

It must be the only place with a Customer Relations Department where the customers cannot access it without much difficulty. Almost as good as our Customer Relations office in Birmingham which is only open between 1200 - 1400 hours during the week!

Sorry about the awful photographs of this card. I finished it very late at night as we were catching an early train the following morning and had to photograph it without a flash (the flash just bounced the light back).

David's younger sister Lil, and Joe her husband were renewing their wedding vows on their 40th wedding anniversary.

The colour of the card was actually a rich ruby red (matching the rose). I cut a diagonal piece of the top of the front of the card and then emphasised the diagonal by adding a strip of silver peel-off, then some black ribbon with black ribbon flowers and black beads in the centres. Finally and strip of white organdie ribbon with little hearts embroidered on it. I tied a heart pendant onto a bow made with the white organdie ribbon and stuck it down with a glue dot.

The bottom decoration was cut out with a Martha Stewart punch using the black music paper and to finish it off a "40" topper.

I covered most of the back of the inside of the card with black and silver music paper. A rich ruby red rose, covered in glitter is stuck down on the top right hand corner with another glue dot and the sentiment is a peel-off stuck onto more ruby card and matted onto silver mirror card with 4 ruby gems in each corner..

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

There was ice on the moorings this morning!!!!! Even in the bright sunshine it was cold today. Must get the winter coats from under the bed.

David took this photo of boats at Sherborne Wharf this morning.






Had some sad news a few days ago. My eldest cousin died at the very young age of 66. Blimey, that's my generation dropping off already.

This card was for his mother, my auntie and I made it using a couple of rub-on seedheads on a white, square card. I coloured the sentiment (which was silver) with a black Sharpie and added it to the card.

Nice and simple.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

Another picture detail of Swallow. Almost beautiful in its shabbiness.

We have been missing something at the moorings and it has taken a while to realise what it is. Woody our North American Wood Duck has disappeared.

He used to molt in the summer and looked just like a normal duck before growing his colourful feathers for the winter, so we didn't really notice that he wasn't around. But he hasn't been seen for a couple of months now.

And, something else we've not seen for days and days now. A policeman!

These are some of the Christmas cards I made for Michael of his boat St Christopher. They began with a white card blank. I cut out the large aperture using a Nestability and the Cuttlebug and then embossed it with snowflakes using the Cuttlebug again. I cut a smaller aperture in coloured paper and stuck it behind the white one leaving a small edge all around it. I then fixed the photograph behind this using sticky fixers so that the frame stood out. To finish off I stamped out three silver snowflakes, tow. in the top left hand corner and one in the bottom right. The centres of the snowflakes are made with clear glass gems.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

We have had a lovely sunny day today and David was out taking photographs. This is the chimney of Swallow. The rest of the boat is in the same condition. The owner died earlier on this year and no one seems to know what is going to happen to it.









Yet another commission and yet another challenge. The customer wanted to use the photograph of his boat but with the colour scheme of the recipients school.

I made another easel card. They can be so versatile and look really impressive. I wrapped some lavender ribbon around the front of the card and tied it in a bow.

David changed the colour of the boat in the photograph using Photoshop and I matted it onto white, lavender and black (the school colours) and finally silver card and fixed it over the ribbon with sticky fixers.

I finished off the card with a row of 6 lilac gems (they were straight when it was eventually finished!) and three lavender roses in the opposite corner.

I made a plain lavender and silver panel to go on the inside of the base for a personal message and another one for the front with a black sentiment peel-off and three more lavender roses.

The box I made with lavender pearlescent card and added some silver peel-offs for decoration.

Now I have to use the same photograph to make some Christmas Cards.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

An early morning start for Jan and Bowman - a 9 o'clock start! We helped them down the Farmers Locks, this time without any rain and a bit of sunshine towards the end.

By the time we got back all the policemen had disappeared and it was as if no conference had ever taken place.



I received an email a few days ago for a card for a 50 year old. I was shown a sample card, but I had to go one better!

This is what I came up with.

I made an large, blue easel card and added a patterned silver card with a scalloped edge onto some silver card. Then I added the black dress, fixing it with glue dots at the back. The dress was originally a Christmas tree decoration.

I made some slippers with blue, and silver card and topped them with black and silver handmade paper, finishing off with a blue rose. These were stuck under the dress.

Finally in the top right hand corner I die-cut a silver circle and a blue scalloped matt and stuck a silver 50 in the centre and added a blue rose to the top.



For the inside of the card, on the top of the base I layered up silver and blue card with scallops and decorated with silver peel-off strips. The sentiment was a silver rub-on.

Then on the bottom of the card that shows when the card is standing I matted some blue card onto silver card. The handbag was another Christmas tree decoration which was stuck down with glue dots and on the right hand side I die-cut a square in silver and two scalloped mats. The lady's name I added with silver peel-offs and added a pink rose to the bottom right hand corner (I had just run out of blue flowers).









Then I had to make a box to fit the card into!!! I made a blue box and matted a blue panel onto silver card and stuck it on the top of the box. A border of silver peel-offs was added and then I matted a small piece of blue card onto silver card and added the name with silver peel-offs.














Here is another view of the card. But I'm just showing off now.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

Bowman arranged for the Waterways Minister, Richard Benyon MP to come down to the moorings for an hour this morning. We arranged for a few moorers to meet him. He was blown away by the location, said he had no idea such a place existed. He was very interesting and listened to our suggestions and it may go some way to help him understand our plight.











Before he left, I handed him one of my cards which we had all signed. This is him looking at the card.










And this is the card. I matted the first photograph onto gold card and then made a pyramidge with more photographs sticking them down with sticky fixers.

I thought there was enough detail to just leave the rest of the card blank. Think it works.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

The Dorset Police checking for mines - or submarines - or on holiday for a few days.

The conference continues, there are smartly dressed gentlemen and ladies all over the place.








So a doggie card to get away from it all. An orange card blank with a pink panel which I Cuttlebugged. The photograph of the dog on a boat room was matted onto silver card and then onto orange card which has been scalloped before fixing to the centre of the pink panel.

And to finish off, three pink flowers in the bottom right hand corner.

Gas Street, Birmingham

I said there were a lot of Police about. Poor sods! It has rained almost all day.









This is the card I made for our son-in-law. He and Caroline had been to the Nurnburgring in Germany on their holiday this year so I found a picture of a BMW (their car) and decoupaged it a couple of times after matting the base onto silver, green and red patterned paper. I found the finish line and flags as a clip somewhere and printed and cut that out and stuck it on with sticky fixers.

The white base card was 3/4 covered with green patterned paper before adding the picture. The final touch were the three black dots. Why do they always look wonky in the photo, but not on the actual card?

For the inside I printed out a map of the racetrack and a happy birthday