Here's some of my work!!!! at last...

I am so busy making samples for my Christmas Open Day on 10th September that there is very little work that I can actually show without giving away the surprise effect on the day but

Yeah! Woohoo! here's something I made that I can actually show! This suitcase and mini album was great fun to make and I thought the girls would love to do it.... a glimpse inside the mini book... And from last night's class here's Lauren, Megan and Daniella with their beautiful suitcases and mini albums... Zoe from Valencia - she goes to the same school as Paola and Andrea below - in a city the size of Valencia how much of a coincidence is that!!! This is Marta, Paola and her sister Andrea from Valencia...On Sunday afternoon Tanya wanted a last yoghurt before leaving for the airport so we popped into smooy.....Just look at all that luscious goodness - Tanya's is topped with marshmallow, pineapple and chocolate and mine with marshmallows and chocolate... all those calories!!! a kiss goodbye...

On Sunday - her last day - Tanya got her sex on the beach...at last! It only took 4 weeks but she managed it!

This series of my work was displayed in the window and I was asked by one of the Spanish ladies if they could buy the canvas so I made it into a class instead...uhoh! more of my work!!!!! and here they are with their canvases - all the same but all so very different...

Gotta go, shop to open, people to see, things to do and all that so

Bye for now

Sue

A treat for Tanya and musn't forget the girls...

As you can see Tanya and Colin get on famously - they pull each others legs and are totally mad to be around...This is the second fortnight Tanya has spent with us in six weeks and apart from our house, the shop and the local beach we haven't been anywhere and so with Inga (and Dayana) looking after the shop Colin, Tanya and I drove down to Calpe, a small town a few miles south of here for a look around and a fish lunch for which Calpe is famous.
As I am seriously allergic to fish and seafood Colin rarely has the option of sharing a sumptuous fish meal and Tanya loves fish - here she is sucking the lobster juice off her thumb...
They had previously eaten - hm!!! no!!! pulled apart, sucked and dribbled their way through!!! - a platter full of enormous langoustines...
I realised halfway through that I should have taken a photo of the rice, lobster and squid dish...
you should have seen the mess the pair of them got into - ... We then drove down the coast to Alfaz del Pi where we had coffees and where they had these cute pedaloes...On Wednesday evening the lovely Becky brought in her fashion journal to show me. She totally embraced journalling when we did it earlier in the year and so I decided to show off some of her beautiful pages - there were also spots and dots, black and white and stripey madness but I had to choose and so here they are...bring on the fashion! keeping an eye on the time goody two shoes On Wednesday evening the older girls made star books - Maria, Iciar, Lucia, Cristina, Alice and Becky, Berta, Beatrix and Mar...Dayana had made her star book at Monday's class and she comes on Wednesdays with her Mum Inga who helps me with the classes and so I let her loose with some cardstock and dies...what a lovely scrapbook page you've made Dayana...
On Monday night the youngsters also made star books and here's Sienna with hers... Anastasia and Lucia... Lauren, Daniella and little Zoe...and here's the rest of the gang from Monday - Remy, Maddie, Megan, Dayana, Sonny, Lucia..... Sadly, as the school summer holidays come to an end, most of the youngsters are returning home soon so its bye till next year to some of them

It's now 8 at night and still so hot that I think I will pop off for a dip in the pool to cool off so

Bye for now
Sue

A relaxing day in Javea

Tanya's second trip here is going much too fast. On Sunday we decided to have a complete day off as we have both been working hard in the shop each day. Tanya has been making lots of projects for upcoming events she is teaching at and I have been running the shop, teaching classes and trying to fit in making samples for the Christmas Open Day in September.

Two yoghurt places have opened on the beach and so we treated ourselves to a yoghurt - mine had melon, mixed nuts and caramel and Tanya's had kiwi, muesli and chocolate - llao llao is by far the better of the two for taste...and here's the lady herself enjoying it...

We lazed the day away under beach umbrellas - the sun is fiercely hot - Tanya with her cross stitch and me reading the Sunday papers...

and nicely relaxed - and also despite being under the umbrellas we had both caught the sun - we went for a drink afterwards before coming home for a dip in the pool in the cool - well cooler - of the evening

Very enjoyable and much needed

Bye for now

Sue

A round up of the week ...in pictures - well almost

Today, the shop was incredibly busy and I actually did some crafting! though not intentionally!

I couldn't find the project for tonight's class which is my Dina Wakley journal from an online class I took with her some time ago and which I was going to use to show the girls how to use gesso and spray inks..... and so when needs must..... I rolled up my sleeves and set to at ten minutes to two - we close at 2 - and sprayed, gessoed, sprayed some more - loads of layers, took it home and doodled on it, typed and printed out a quote and whew! taught it tonight...
very happy girls Alice, Berta, Megan, Becky and Alesha with their lovely pages.... and I caught Beatrix, Beatrix number 2 and Iciar just as they were leaving..... the terrible twosome - Alice and Megan - we'll miss you Megan but it will soon be Easter and you'll be back... the little sweeties from Monday class - they marbled card and bound it into notebooks and diecut a message for the front... good work all of you... and here's the card I made whilst the ladies were spraying and stamping on Friday morning...and Suzanne here on holiday and in need of a crafting fix... and Pat, Mu, Rena, Shirley and Carmen sharing a laugh...

Tanya's here for another two weeks r and r and I will update you on what we have been up to - sadly no mojitos or sex on the beach yet as we haven't had time but the weekend is approaching and we know how to enjoy ourselves...

and having just said that I am absolutely kn.....ed and I'm off to bed - I know, what a wuss you're thinking and you'd be right.....

Bye for now

Sue

Happy Birthday to art y facts

art y facts, my lovely craft shop had its fifth anniversary Monday of this week.
When I opened the shop I confided to a friend that if I could stay open until Christmas I would be happy, then it was Easter and then the first anniversary. Well, five years have flown and I am still here Woohoo! I have made so many lovely friends in that time and we have moved on to bigger and better things. The shop is now in premises four times the size and in a better location even though on the same road... and has a dedicated craft studio.

We are holding a Christmas themed open day on 10th September between 10am and 4pm and there will be demonstrations, make 'n' takes and loads of ideas to help kickstart the Christmas crafting season if it hasn't already started for you. This in part explains why there has been no blog posts as I haven't had anything to show. I have made loads but can't show it just yet. This is the advert in the local Female Focus complete with editorial. More details later in August...

And here are the loves of my life Abigail and Josh - they came to stay for a week bringing Dad ( son Lee) and I had so many cuddles and so much fun with them -and they both love - and are good at - crafting.

My latest favourite is a new Sizzix die that makes suitcases. No sorry it die-cuts suitcases - you have to put them together and I have made loads - did I say how addictive they are!!! All I can show you now are these two and the mini album I made to go inside the pink one. The others will be unveiled at the open day - did I mention we are having a Christmas open day 10th September from 10 till 4!!!

Here are some of the girls that came to class last night - I broke my own record of fourteen from last Wednesday - EIGHTEEN girls came! Whew!
back row - Alice, Megan,Alex, Victoire, Iciar,Cristina

front row - Olivia, Alexia, Anna, Dayana, Celine, Beatrix...
they are a mix of Spanish, English, French, German and Russian/Canadian nationalities

April, Nicole and Chloe...

Berta... I don't know how Alesha and Klara managed to escape my camera but I will get them another time - you'll see!

For classes I normally make the same project on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday during term time but with holidaymakers coming to class I am having to teach different projects each class and with not knowing how many will turn up its difficult to kit up but not to worry - we cope.
Monday night saw the girls making what I call Marsha's bag - Marsha made these as a make 'n' take at kkd last year or the one before...thanks Marsha -they are brilliant but despite the air con on at 17 degrees in the shop the gluesticks still melted and the bags had trouble staying stuck. Outside was high 20's even though it was 7 at night. Saturday 6th August eight girls made paper bag albums... Friday morning eight ladies made coin spinner cards...Megan (below in red) has been coming to classes for four weeks in summer and two at Easter since July 2007 and is now 12 and taller than me. I suppose at 5 foot 3 that's not so difficult!

She and Alice (seated in blue) are now old friends and they and Alesha had a fit of the giggles when I said smile please girls...not possible!!! control yourselves!!! no chance!

Gotcha!!!Abigail with Dayana the same night with their coin spinner cards... right, let's see if i can remember all their names....

Natasha, Kayleigh, Ola, Alesha at back, Daniella, Dayana, Zoe, Sofia
here they are all busy...
Blaithin, Lucia, Alesha..Sienna... Dayana... Natasha..Lauren...Chloe my little boxes with a tattered flower and a Wendy Vecchi rose... eleven - no not lords a leaping...did I mention I am having a Christmas themed open day on 10th September from 10 till 4 - I did! oh well never mind..... but eleven ladies (and girls) making boxes and two different types of flowers... Tanya and I do enjoy ourselves when we get together....she stayed for two weeks to recuperate from her awful cancer treatment... her lovely son Bart has booked her a surprise flight to come for another fortnight and on Monday night I will be driving to Alicante airport to collect her. I heard a shriek one morning and asked "what's wrong?" "I've found three eyelashes" she said so pleased. It will be lovely to see how much her hair has grown in two weeks.

I took Tanya to visit Feddie, a Spanish neighbour who has built a Gaudi inspired garden - I knew she would love his place...I will show more photos of his house and garden in future...Back to the shop... and a bit of face painting...well not literally..four visitors... and three regulars Becky, Dayana and Alice with their doll paintings.

I think that's a precis of the last four weeks Whew!- hope I haven't bored you.....and don't forget the Christmas open day on 10th September from 10 till 4 - see you there.

Bye for now

Sue