Gas Street, BCN

I love the bull in the Bullring.  He is now Rudolf with a red nose and antlers.

We have been frozen in for a couple of days, but it is has rained again and is a bit milder.  Fingers crossed.










A Christmas card using a photo of a young chef making chocolate cake!

I matted the card onto silver card and then onto a die-cut label at an angle.  Two "ribbons" of Christmas papers were stuck down vertically and horizontally on blue card blanks and iridescent stars were added to the bottom right hand corners of the photos.

12 cards were needed, and each one had a different colour combination and star configuration.

Gas Street, BCN

 The Observationists, a group of photographers, have an exhibition is Brindleyplace.  Rob Galvin and Cameron Ives also live on boats in Gas Street.

Here is David standing by his two photographs.

The first one is of two of the "party" boats in the misty evening night.

And this one has Vic pulling the "Rootless Forest" down Farmers Locks.

Quite exciting seeing your work all blown up and on display.

Our Doctor has just retired and this is the card I made for his Practice Manager to give him.

 

 She only gave me a few hours notice so this is what I came up with.  I cut out the clock faces and stuck them onto a white card blank with sticky fixers so that they stuck out.

I cut out a ribbon of clock face backing paper and stuck it along the bottom of the card on the front and on the inside.  I cut off the corners and then added the sentiment on the inside.












And this is the card that we gave him.  The ever faithful "Dunworkin" Buckbies.  I cut out an extra front one and stuck it to the photo with sticky fixers and mounted it onto silver and blue card.  The card blank is also blue.

Gas Street, BCN

Lots of visitors to the basin today, come to see the German Christmas Market and have a night on the town.

I bought this topper as a card many years ago while we were living in Budapest.  I loved the baby in the walnut shell.  I didn't make my cards in those days, and as they were so cheap I bought masses of cards for a "just in case".  Eventually, I cut out the baby and the flowers and stuck it down with sticky fixers onto a gold die-cut panel and then onto a blue card blank.

Gas Street, BCN

 Walking back from the doctor's today I noticed these king-cups flowering in the little arm off the Malt House pub.  What is going on?  These are Spring flowers, no Winter ones.

It is my Auntie Meg's birthday on 11 November.  You would think I couldn't forget that date, wouldn't you?  Yes, nearly every year I manage to remember and then forget until it is too late.

This year I managed just in time with this quick card.  I had already decoupaged the two chickens so I just stuck them onto the die-cut circle and added the sentiment with some silver peel-offs onto pink card matted onto gold card.

Gas Street, BCN

 The rain continues.  There is normally a 6" brick barrier at the front of this bridge to keep the canal out of the little arm.  It has rained so much that the water level has gone over the top.  The towpath just a bit further to the right had about 1" to go before flooding.

 And I thought canals were safe from flooding - especially up here in Birmingham

One thing about living on the canals is that there is always material for making cards.   These two cards were some of the first that I made, using duck feathers picked up along the towpaths.

This one has two feathers mounted onto some torn manuscript paper and then mounted onto green card and handmade, red paper before mounting onto a white card blank.

For this one, I mounted the feather, again, onto manuscript paper and then green card and some gold and green handmade paper.

Once again I used a white card blank.

Galton Valley, BCN

The Working party with new van.

Another young helmsman learning the ropes, this one is reversing the boat under the bridge and over the aqueduct

The Mayor of Sandwell opening the meeting. A cheek really because the council are no longer sponsoring our bonfire.

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The bonfire by the side of the lock and a firework.

Mike Rolf, who won the President's Trophy for all his hard work for the BCNS.  Thoroughly deserved.













I used a blue card blank for the base of this card which is a decoupaged group of bottles of wine.  I mounted the decoupage onto gold mirri card and decorated the edges with deckle scissors.  I then mounted this onto white card which I had put through the Cuttlebug using the bubbles folder.  This was then mounted onto more gold mirri card and stuck to the front of the card.

Before I Cuttlebugged the white card I printed the sentiment using the computer and red ink.

Galton Valley, BCN Old Line

Walked into the Hindu Kush this morning - well Smethick anyway.  I don't know which shop came first, the dentist or the sweet shop but one must be keeping the other in business.

To get to the shops you have to walk along the Old Main Line canal and then cross over the New Main Line. then the railway and finally, a road.


Another lively, sunny day, but cold.  The BCNS AGM tonight.  David said it had the worst Real Ale he's ever tasted.

I made this card using some free papers from one of the card magazines.  The oval panel was cut from a Spellbinders die and a bunch of flowers was added to the top with a red and white check bow.

Galton Valley, BCN Old Line

Off to the BCNS Bonfire Meet at Galton Valley, just about an hour's run and three locks.  The sun was shining and there were lots of boats there already when we arrived.

Lots of activity on site, erecting marquees etc, but the bonfire building doesn't begin until Saturday morning - just in case someone should get any ideas!

The photograph is taken of the side of a narrowboat called Loves Dream.  Couldn't resist it.

I matted the photo onto white and silver card using deckle edged scissors.

Then I decided it was too plain and added the black and white polka-dot ribbon, tied around the spine in a knot.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

 I can't believe I have left it so long.  Again, it's not as if nothing has been happening.  We have taken the boat to another meeting and visited two others.  I will fill in some of the other gaps and post them retrospectively (well I think that's what I mean!)

Today the clocks went back one hour and I am sitting in the dark typing out this post.  Ugh!

The picture is of our local heron.  It is not very old, but stalks around the basin most days.  Wild life in the centre of Birmingham!













Here are some boxes I made recently for a craft sale in Birmingham.

The base is an "explosion" type box, the sides are not glued together so that it "pops" open when you remove the lid.  I like these, less messing about with glue and stuff.

I shredded some red paper and then added a chocolate eyeball.


As usual, I had to make each lid different so I added googly eyes to each one and a black spider to another one.

Stourbridge

Took the bus to Stourbridge for the Bond open day and anniversary.  Lewis is learning the ropes to become a boatman.

It was yet another beautiful, sunny day and there were lots of boats there.










This is a box card.  Yet another item for my craft stall.

I used papers and toppers from Making Cards magazine, adding paper roses, a feather and leaves.

Inside there is a box for adding a small gift.  I used a packet of instant drinking chocolate for example.












Here is another view showing the ribbon which goes right around the box and is fixed under the toppers.

Gas Street, BCN

 Now, this is a "proper" working boat.  Blue nylon rope, a screwdriver for a tiller pin and everything you could possibly need inside.

This is Colin's tug.  I don't know the name.  Colin likes to keep in the background, but has had his photograph published in so many magazines, newspapers and on TV while transporting the Rootless Forest that he is no longer able to hide from the limelight.

My second attempt at a craft fair.  This time I made some Chapstick holders.  The proved very popular and are a good way of using up odd bits of card, ribbon and toppers.

The fronts of the boxes.

The backs

And the inside.

Gas Street, BCN

Blue skies and torrential rain.  English weather at its finest!

I bit the bullet and reserved a table at Gert and Bert's Vintage Market in the Great Western Arcade for 5 Saturdays up until Christmas.  It might be a mistake as I didn't cover the rental today.

Here are some of the boxes I made to sell.

The first to are "Exploding Boxes".  When you take the lid off the sides open out to reveal a Christmas tree ornament.

I used up lots of bits of seasonal papers to cover the sides of the leaves

These boxes are called "Explosion Boxes".  This time the boxes open out as in the exploding boxes, but the corners are still fixed (the picture doesn't show it too well here).

Gas Street, BCN

My first stall at Bert and Gert's Vintage Market in the Great Western Arcade, Birmingham.  Not very successful.  I didn't cover the costs of my table.

White, square, card blank, black panel matted onto orange and yellow card and a 3D topper of ghosts in a pumpkin cauldron.

Gas Street Moorings, BCN

 One of the electric trip boats that ply the tunnels under Dudley.

We took the very interesting, but very cold, trip through the tunnels to Dudley and then back by bus.

David managed a shot of one of the air vents as we went underneath.

We left for home while it was still dark, in fact it was still dark when we came out of Netherton Tunnel.  Don't ask why we had to leave so early!!

No bodies at Galton Tunnel and a fairly normal trip back and then a pump out at Sherborne Wharf on the way back. We were home before 10am.

One for the boys.  A decoupaged picture, a piece of handmade paper and a white card blank.  Nice and simple.

Park Head, Dudley Canal

The horse is called Polly, can't remember the girl's name.  Polly was pulling a boat during the Parkhead Boat Gathering. 

Another lovely day.  We have been so lucky these last weekends with warm, sunny days during the weekend.

We took a boat trip into the Dudley Tunnel (photos tomorrow).  It was an extended trip with the museum bit added - two hours and it was freezing and then a bus trip back over the hill to Park Head.

Mike has had some new back doors fitted on his boat and he was so proud of them he asked for a card for his girlfriend.  David took the photos and I die cut them and the gold matts.  I took some patterned green paper and used an edge punch to decorate the top and bottom edges then stuck it across a white card blank.  A red dotty ribbon was stuck across the centre.

I added the photos and finished off with four red jelly dots.

Park Head. Dudley Canal

 President arrives at Park Head.  We were due to set off for Park Head this afternoon, but there was an emergency meeting at the Doctor's surgery (he is retiring and we have to find a new one), so we compromised, I went to the meeting and David set off on his own.  I had to catch a couple of buses to get to the site - not an easy matter, as it turned out.

Still, I made it.  We were moored up almost at the end of the line of boats heading towards Netherton, and I found it quite by accident.  I wasn't where I thought I was when I found the junction.  Anyway, a lovely, warm sunny day.  What more could you ask for?

Love the "Big Wishes!" girls.  I just cut her out and stuck her onto a white card blank.

Then I decided it was a bit too plain so I die cut some green card and stuck this onto a mottled green and white base card and then added her again.