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

Gas Street, Birmingham

Signs everywhere. The boats keep stopping, but the police officer hasn't turned up yet!

There are policemen and women everywhere, the roads are being blocked off and the police helicopter is roaring overhead. So it's nice and quiet here. We can't even park our cars in the pub car park until the conference is all over.






Sorry about the picture, I tried cropping it not realising it was still in the camera memory card so when I cancelled, it cropped off the bottom of the card. But I am rather pleased with it so I am showing it anyway.

I used photographs that David took at a Stourbridge Gathering a couple of years ago. I used pictures showing a car, a door handle, the "Austin" badge and a wheel (not shown). I matted them all onto silver mirror card and then onto green card. I also printed out the guy's name, age and a "happy birthday" and matted them in the same way before adding them to a blank white card.

Gas Street, Birmingham

Awaiting nb Rivendell in the Land of Mawdor.

A couple of months ago we had an email from friends who said they a were hoping to come to the Conservative Conference and if they brought their boat could we find room for it?

Of course, we said yes. There were a couple of spare places on the moorings, but being sod's law they had been taken up by the end of September. So we asked if BW could reserve the spot outside the James Brindley pub, which is not technically a mooring. We got the OK from BW and let Bowman and Jan know that there would be room for them. Sod's Law again - someone else was on the mooring on Friday when they were due!

Anyway we suggested we meet the boat at the bottom of Farmers' Locks to help lock them up. It was pouring with rain and we were a bit early, but we found a warm, dry cafe which perched over the canal and had a coffee while we waited.

We got them up the locks and found the mooring empty so they were all set up just as the rain stopped.

I have had several commissions lately - this one for a saxophone playing lady. The card began with a white card blank which I used landscape (with the fold at the top). I printed out some music paper and matted it onto yellow and black card and wrapped a yellow gross grain ribbon around it, tying it in a bow. This panel was stuck across the middle of the card. Then I printed out the picture twice and cut out the sax and the flames from one and stuck it onto the base with sticky fixers. This was then matted onto yellow and black card and I stuck than down with more sticky fixers. Finally I used some black peel-offs for the sentiment. I really should start stamping the sentiments, but I always manage to make a mess off it and ruin the finished card!

Gas Street, Birmingham

One of a series of photos entitled "Sod the Boaters!" - or - "BW don't give a damn (in my words s***)!" - or - "What health and safety?"

One of the locks in Blackburn where you have to climb over (or under if you are little and fat) the whatsit to get to the paddle gear. Not easy either way. The white handle is for opening the gate - also not easy. This time I had help from a very, very helpful BW Temporary Summer Lock keeper. Very helpful, as I said, but didn't have a clue. It was his first day!!

The moorers had a barbecue last night. Lots of guests, food and drink but it was sooo cold!

A gentleman who had said something wrong to his lady asked me to make him a card to say sorry. Hope this helped.

I covered the left hand half of the card blank with some lilac paper, cutting the right hand edge with a Martha Stewart punch. Then I added some floral lilac paper on top, also edging the right hand side with the same punch. I stuck two silver photo corner peel-offs on to the two left hand corners.

Then I added two prima flowers with floral brads for centres and some diecut leaves to go behind them onto the right hand side of the card. I added a dot of glitter glue to the centres of the two brads.

Finally, I typed up the sentiment and the lady's name on the computer and printed it out before matting it onto silver, lilac and more silver miri card.