Design Recollections

Well I am home just a few short hours from my adventures with Roz this weekend and what a great time we had.

Friday we headed south in thee most horrid of rain, leaving behind the first sunshine we had seen at home in age haha..How typical!

Ms Sat Nav (Oh how I got used to her antics this weekend!) took us on a detour as she claimed there was an incident on the M6 near the junction we needed to get off. So, as we were close by, we dropped in for a wee cuppa tea and chat with the lovely Kirsty, having already purchased the smallest of boxes of Jaffa’s I have ever seen teehee! Wish I had taken a picture now *rolls eyes*. What a lovely family and so kind letting us drop in like that at such short notice despite plans and much work in progress at home. We met the scrummy Ellie (hope you had a lovely birthday sweetie) and Mark, who was busy painting the new craft room and studio for Kirsty (How cool that is going to be).  Such a warm welcome and a much needed cuppa, thank you Kirsty¹

So onward to Janet’s (pictured right) we went arriving in fine spirits despite the long tough journey we had had and another lovely welcome and wonderful hospitality awaited us. I was quite chilled despite having to work an an extra last minute DT project for Ms Lippy Chick! My planned work went straight oot da windy hahaha! We worked on on books until the wee small hours and until my nether regions decided to be poorly Not wishing to share the gory details except to say that I spent several hours in a most uncomfortable state and was glad when I finally got some sleep.

Saturday morning I felt just a tad worse for ware but was adament I was not going to let my day be ruined by it so marched on. Meeting so many lovely people helped enormously and the classes were truly great. Sarah is just lovely as are Jan Julie & Sam. (L to R in the next photograph are Sarah, Julie and Sam) Sam saved the day for me by running to the local chemist shop at lunchtime when I was really flagging as my head started to bounce and my energy sapped. Bless you, I was very grateful.

We worked on 3 separate class projects throughout the day. A canvas board book (Julie), an exploding box (Kirsty) and a star book (Jan). None of which I had done before so it was all great. I will get them up here when I get the finishing touches on. I was so poorly during Kirsty’s class I gave up at the decorating stage as I was messing up the measurements and it was such a beautiful box I wanted to do it justice so I will do that this week. I pay so little attention to details sometimes its hilarious as last week I bought a kit from A Trip Down Memory Lane for a box just like this that Anso was running a cyber crop class on this weekend hahah! So now I have two to do and that is great as these make such lovely unusual gifts. I shall download that class to do later.

It was also great to meet Rebecca, Carol (Hysteri Cal) and Leanne of ‘Little Silver Hat’ fame. I could not even try to name everyone and to be honest I did not get to speak to everyone anyway. Most did not have name badges and the way everyone was sitting it was not really easy to chat to anyone outside of your ‘neighbourhood’. To all I met, thanks, it was fun and I hope we meet again when I am not quite so subdued.

By 3PM I was feeling much brighter thanks to Sam and the star book class with Jan went much better than I thought it would. Another super project which I will definitely use as a gift this Christmas. I was sitting quite close to Jan’s Mum who was lovely too and very apt at heckling her own daughter haha!

All in all it was a fab day and I did enjoy it. I also managed to spend a small fortune in Sarah’s shop (not really a shock eh?) as she was selling off at great prices her Ellison dies. I picked up both upper & lower case ‘Go Slim’ thick cuts at a bargain price. I also bought some scrummy papers and HS stamps (not so successful these, they are rolling stamps and don’t ‘roll’ so well. Not just mine that are troublesome either as both Jan (featured in the next photograph with Roz) and Roz both had similar problems with theirs.) A few sets of papers, some large Auntie Sarah’s Bloomers, fab book rings and a few other bits and the budget was shot to bits all over again. No more for me for now, I have to use all this stuff over the rest of the winter and save for the retreats I am doing next year!

My next HUGE thank you goes to the gorgeous Jane. Roz & I had a fab time staying there on Saturday night. We were treated to a great Chinese meal and warm hospitality and a big licking by Harvey and Nics hahaha! (The dogs

What a lovely couple with which I had many things in common with. It was a real pleasure to meet them both and to craft with Jane and Roz into the wee small hours, yet again, in a wonderful studio. (While watching [sort of] IMACGMOOH and X Factor). Fab Fab Fab! I so wish we could have stayed longer and that I had not had to crash at 2AM but I was really done in by then given all the YUK’ness the night before and lack of ZZZZ’s, Ihad no choice. We left Jane and Stewart’s this morning with some wonderful booty in the back of the car (So generous are you Jane) and headed home. My thoughts, prayers and very best wishes to you both. I will keep in touch for sure²)) x 2 or maybe 3 *wink wink*

So, with that ramble in the bag I shall make my last but not least, thank you to Roz. You are a star! Your company, kindness and understanding are immeasurable and I very much enjoyed your company. We have talked about such a winde range of subjects over this weekend its hard to believe there is much left to cover but I am sure there is and I am sure we will do this again. Thank you to you and to Gerry (Well, it was his car and he did make the DVD LOL) for everything. I hope all our plans and dreams become a reality and we can share more of the journey that awaits us both, whatever shape that takes.

Bless you….

Your ‘friend’ Heather xx

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2. ((huggies [↩]