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.

Gas Street Basin, Birmingham

A still morning in Gas Street.

 David managed to wrangle an invitation to the CRT AGM held in The Bond, actually by the canal near Dibeth and not in the wilds of Milton Keynes.  He managed to make himself known again by asking a couple of awkward questions.

Though there are the same faces in the same jobs, there does seem to be a glimmer of hope that boats, boating and navigation are heading up the  To Do List.

Not quite The Bond, but a similar wharf.  This is the Blackburn one on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.  I took the postcard and matted it onto silver card and then onto a white card blank.

Gas Street Basin, Birmingham

Well, the sun didn't come out today.  We awoke to a dull, cold morning.

We set of really early so David could get back to watch the football.


We had a fairly uneventful trip back until we got to Galton Tunnel where there was a police incident.  You don't what to know what it was.

We stopped off at Sherborne Wharf for a pumpout and try and get an appointment to get it fixed, but their pumpout was broken too.





Is it me, or does this girl ave a striking resemblance to Lady Mary of Downton Abbey?

She cake in a kit from Making Cards magazine.  I covered a white card blank with pink card, then white card and finally pink, patterned paper.  I wrapped some pink organdie ribbon around the panel before sticking it down onto the card blank.

Using a round Nestie I cut out a pink circle and a white scalloped nestie and stuck the topper onto them.  I added three pink flowers to the bottom right hand corner and a pink organdie bow on the top left side.

Tipton, BCN

We woke up after a very quiet night to sunshine!  Which was lucky as there was a tented showground and lots of people expected.

I took a walk into the centre of Tipton.  That was a mistake.  There is a fairly modern shopping centre there, unfortunately apart from about three shops, it was all boarded up!  I seem to remember lots of charity shops last time I visited, but even they have gone.

The show opened at 11am and there were lots and lots of visitors.

One downer was the toilet seems to be broken.  We have had to get the  porta pottie out from under the bed!

The sun shone all day and it was really lovely.  Hope the weather keeps up.

A white card blank with a white panel which I embossed using the Cuttlebug.  Then another plain white panel with an oval cut from the centre.  I fixed this with sticky fixers to make it stand out.

I cut a smaller oval from the waste from the hole and stuck it into the hole.  Six yellow paper roses were then tied with some yellow ribbon and the bunch was stuck down with several glue dots.

Tipton, BCN

 Another rotten, cold, wet day.  The plan was to travel to Tipton for the boat gathering, and David was beginning to rebel.  I finally put my foot down and we set off after lunch.  (I'm inside the boat and the fire is on!)

Wayne was on hand when we arrived by the new Neptune moorings and shepherded us into our mooring on the towpath.

Then it was straight into the Fountain Inn for a curry and chips for David and sausage and mash for me.  We enjoyed the meal so much that David did a restaurant review of it for Canal and River Boats.

Whilst up on the Leeds and Liverpool last year we stopped at the Cargo Cafe on the Eastern end of the Foulridge Tunnel and got some postcards.  I matted this one of the old warehouse as it was intended onto silver card and then onto a white card blank.

This card is using a photo that was taken while we were there last time.  I matted this one onto silver and red card.

I matted a large panel of light blue card onto silver card, wrapping some tartan ribbon around it first and then stuck then onto a red card blank.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

 Off to the boat gathering at Windmill End.  We took the bus on Sunday morning and walked down through the park to the canal.

There were a surprising number of boats there and three new floating traders for David to interview.

A 40th birthday card.  I made an inverted decoupaged photo of boats in the basin and matted it onto gold card.

Then I made an easel card with double sided gold and white card.  Using the Cuttlebug I die cut two large Nestability labels in white and gold and two smaller ones.

A glittered 40 was stuck onto smallest label and a gold sentiment peel-off on the front of the card.

The 40 labels was fixed with sticky fixers to make it stand up and hold the front of the card and to finish off I added several peel-off butterflies.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

 Birmingham Arts Fest this week. Lots of music and dance, and all for free.  Can't be bad.

We managed the opera and ballet last night after a launch party for the Rootless Forest on the other side of town.

Today it was Polish dancers, classical music and more opera + bits and pieces of bands and groups.

Even the weather has been beautiful.  Though we'll probably suffer for that from now on.

David took lots of photos of the "forest" and one of them is of Beth watering her trees and on the phone at the same time.

So I took the opportunity to make her a thank you card for inviting us to her party. 

I cut the corners of the photo and matted it onto silver card and then green card, cutting the corners each time.  I then fixed it to a green card blank.

I cut out lots of leaves and branches using the Cuttlebug in two shades of green and stuck them all around the photo along with some birds, insects and a butterfly.


I added more leaves and ladybirds on the inside.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

Just a normal day in Gas Street today.  No footballers, TV stars or special excitement.  The kids are getting ready to go back to school so it is really quiet at the moment.

The weather was lovely though with a pink sky reflecting on the Hyatt.  Should be a lovely day tomorrow.

Graham is asking for volunteers to help take the "Rootless Forest" down Farmer's Locks on Saturday.  Any offers?

Then it was out to Dinner with the In Crowd.

For this card I covered the front of a white card blank with some lilac patterned paper and then added a doily and a pink scalloped circle which was not quite centrally lined up.  I cut out some green flourishes with a die and added it to the right hand side with three lilac paper flowers tied with a piece of lilac organza ribbon.

The dancer was a bought topper and to finish off I stuck down three pink pearls in the scallops.

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

 A couple of atmospheric pictures down Farmer's Locks today.  We had just got back from shopping in Harbourne when Mike said the trees were on their way down the locks.  So I put the food in the fridge and we set off to give them a hand.

The trees had to be hauled down as the locks were too small for the tug boat as well and that job fell to Vick.

We met a total of 4 boats on their way up.  All except one were understanding.  Unfortunately one couple were not prepared to make allowances and grumbled and complained the whole time.

This type of boater seems to be proliferating.

We gave up at the bottom of Farmer's and left them to go down to the bottom of Aston and then come all the way back up again.

The poor trees are suffering a bit, the tops of the trees keep bashing on the bottom of the bridges and tunnels!

Got a request for a 50th birthday card for a bloke, with his wife and dog.

This is what I came up with.  I stamped the figures and coloured them with watercolour paints.  I made two slits in the topper, one by the girl's left leg and one by her right hand, I could then thread some leather "string" through and fix one end at the back and the other behind the dog so that it looked like a lead.

 The topper was cut out using a Nestie and then matted onto a silver once.

I made an easel card and covered the front with some black and silver star backing paper, matted onto silver card.  Then I added the topper to the centre and a 50 which I printed and cut out and then matted onto a silver star cut from a Nestie and a round sunburst mat, which I stuck on the top right hand corner.

Inside I made a panel for the handwritten message which was a white piece of card matted onto the black patterned paper and silver card.

The sentiment and name were made on the computer and matted onto silver and patterned paper and fixed down with sticky fixers to make them stand up and to hold the card open.

All I need now is for them to pay for the card!

Gas Street Moorings, Birmingham

 Sorry, sorry, sorry.  Sort of had a block.  It's not as if nothing has been happening here.  Gas Street Moorings has been as busy and eventful as usual.

I will try and fill you in in future posts.  But this is what happened yesterday:

The Everton football team paid their second visit to us yesterday.  They didn't seem to like having their pictures taken, but then when you our out in "uniform" with all your minders around and having to go two by two like school children, I suppose it is a bit embarrassing.

Anyway, David's niece will be over the moon, again, with her second set of photos of all her heroes.

S

 The other amazing thing is the Rootless Forest. www.therootlessforest.com.  An art installation - well, trees planted in a barge.

 It first arrived last week and I had such a surprise when I came over the bridge and saw these trees moving along the canal.

We also had a wedding on the moorings yesterday.  But not proper our proper paying moorers, they have tied up against the pub railings

I've just remember why I gave up on blogging.  The G3 connection has been rubbish recently.  I get half way through the blog, or email, or whatever and lose the connection.  So frustrating!

I may have had a block on blogging, but I have made a few cards over the last couple of months - though not that many now I come to think of it.

This one is using up some free stuff that I got with a magazine.  I matted some patterned paper onto green card and then onto a white card blank.

The topper was cut out and the dog decoupaged on to the inner circle.  Some pink ribbon was wrapped around the bottom and a sentiment stuck over the ribbon with a pink bow and two pink gems.

Two more pink gems were fixed in the top corners.