Hello all! I'm so sorry not to have been around. I've been swallowed whole by the Royal Shakespeare Company again... I'm over in the UK for three months of work with them, and as a result there's been almost no crafting and almost no social media time. I am, of course, travelling with some craft supplies (couple of snaps of my travelling craft stash at the end) but there really hasn't been much chance to use them!
One good thing about being here at this time of year is that it meant I could get my hands on the new Tim Holtz Idea-ology goodies much more quickly than I can when I'm tucked away in my little village in the Czech Republic. So last Sunday I seized the chance to do a bit of quick collaging over some Lost Shadow ink splotch tags made last month (yes, I got my hands on the new Distress colour too!), and here they are...
When I do get some crafting time, I'm mostly working on top secret stuff behind the scenes (watch this space) but it was lovely to just play for half an hour.
Here are the tag backgrounds before the layering. I played with all the Distress greys - so that was Hickory Smoke, Pumice Stone (both as inks) and the new Lost Shadow in ink and oxide formulations.
The Mosaic stencil looks like cobblestones to me, so that seemed perfect for the grey tones. And I used one of the text stamps from my own PaperArtsy Botanicals sets for some detail stamping.
I've always been a huge fan of the Photobooth snapshots in the Idea-ology line, so these new slightly larger Photomatic snapshots were a must-have.
And these Quote Chip Labels are really great as another way to add words to my pictures. The collection contains words in rectangles and ovals (some of those coming soon).
There are some lovely new ephemera pieces but I started out gently by just pulling out some of the leafy stems from the pack to keep these tags looking organic and natural.
And of course I couldn't resist adding some of my favourite tiny Snippets labels (an essential part of the travelling stash).
Here, as promised, are a couple of photos of my temporary crafting arrangements. We were rehearsing in London for six weeks, so this is my set-up from that period.
Not all of this was in my suitcase... I have a couple of boxes of supplies stored in Cestina's little bolthole where I was staying (just outside London).
And this is my wonderful riverside view at my digs in Stratford upon Avon where I am now (two weeks down, four weeks to go).
So all this did come in a suitcase, and my new purchases are going to have to be crammed in too for the journey back. I also brought some of the few tags I have managed to squeeze in time for. I'll try to share a few more of those here soon.
Much bigger windows, and I'll confess it's easy to get distracted by the beauty right in front of me. I feel very lucky, even though I hardly get to spend any time here - we're working long theatre hours, six days a week.
So that's a little catch-up from me. I hope you're all doing well. In all honesty, I'm not likely to manage much more blogging before I'm back in the Czech Republic (flying home on Easter Saturday).
However, there is some very exciting news to share in a couple of weeks' time, so I'll definitely be here for that! Happy crafting, all.
I read; I travel; I become.Derek Walcott
Everything I was I carry with me; everything I will be lies waiting on the road ahead.
Ma Jian
It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced the expression, 'As pretty as an airport'.
From The Long Dark Tea-time of the Soul by Douglas Adams
