Gas Street Basin , BCN

 I have made an early New Year's Resolution.  I am going to blog at least once a week even though I don't have much to say boating wise.

I'll just have to fill in with stories and pictures I haven't already blogged about.

The view from the front of the boat.  Jurys Inn getting a facelift.

We got back from the Bonfire Meet without any alarms or excursions.  We went the long way around, down Spon Lane locks.  Never done them before.

Apart from that we have been moored up here in Gas Street except for pump outs at Sherborne Wharf.  John and Jenny Jackson came and delivered our coal for the winter and David has got several wooden pallets from the Hyatt for chopping up, so we should keep nice and warm.

I have branched out from cardmaking and made this lumiere.  I made a sort of box type card, cutting a hole in the front and backing it with some vellum.  

Two holes were punched at each spine and ribbon threaded through and tied in a knot.

Various silver, sparkly, peel-off were added along with some sparkly Christmas trees

A battery operated candle is placed in the centre of the vellum panel to shine through the window.









Then, of course, I had to make a box to put it in.

I used the same colour card that I made the lumiere from, cut a hole in the centre, added the silver peel-offs, and that was it.

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).