THE DAY OF THE WORKSHOPS

The long awaited day arrived and there was a buzz of excitement in the air. After browsing in the shop and purchasing a few goodies we headed to the class room for the 1st workshop of the day. This was a workshop with Lin and Leandra.

here is the classroom with everyone waiting to get started. Lin, Leandra and all their helpers had worked tirelessly to put this workshop together, Karen who works for Lin at LB Crafts is officially the Queen of Kitting as she put so much in to making sure we had everything to be able to create...

 Fabulous hat made from Grungepaper - and Tim signed it for her WTG Francesca!

GABBY

Getting stuck in and hands dirty - HEAVEN!
Do you want to see what our morning workshop entailed? You do? well ta-dah....

this beautiful piece, which has pride of place on my mantlepiece. We used metal for the trees, grunge paper to make the hinges. The hinges were painted using a copper and gold viva paint and black archive ink to age it.
Paper Artsy have created a new line of papers and this was used for the backgrounds. We then painted the paper to change the colour of it using a new Paper Artsy range of Acrylic Chalk paint - the tree was washed with white acrylic chalk paint mixed with a bit of Adirondack colour wash. All the embellishments across the top were supplied with the class kit courtesy of our wonderful teachers.
We spent a happy couple of hours creating this and then headed for lunch.

Following lunch we headed to do the workshop with Tim. Gabby and I split up as there were not 2 spaces together on one table. I ended up meeting a lovely girl from Norway called Marianne - did I mention that Crafters came from all over England, Scotland and Wales and then Europe; the POWER of TIM!!!
We sat at our places where we found our kits. This was a travel pack of goodies from Ranger to use to decorate our CONFIGURATION Boxes... the excitement was palpable as we all opened our bags and checked out the boxes...

Tim had come up with a nifty way of prepping the papers that we were going to use to decorate the Configuration Boxes so we only had to do a bit of cutting on some scored papers.
After cutting and snipping and applying the papers to the boxes we used the new Tissue tape to hide the edges of the boxes and ended up with this...

All the time we were busy working away Tim was walking around giving help and guidance where needed, chatting away to us - what a FUNNY GUY he is.
After this part of the workshop we went to a Tea Break. When we came back, WOW!! what a surprise. We had a calico bag and when we opened it and tipped it on to the desk there were so many OOHs and AAHs and excited giggling, here's why...

A bag of Tim Holtz idealogy goodies... stuff that hasn't even hit the shops in the States yet - we were the 1st to get our hands on them - HAPPY DAYS!!!!
Can you believe the generosity of Tim and Ranger, we sure couldn't.
Our next task was to assemble the goodies into our Configuration Boxes. I will show you my end result now...

Look at it all, the bird cage, the glass bottles, the sewing spool, keys oh let me shut up and feast your eyes, down to the metal feet for the box - we were SPOILT!!!!
I didn't add all my goodies, the Charlotte doll that came with the kit I gave to my friend Lorraine who didn't attend because she loves them. Oh I must say also that the watch in the centre was a gift from the lady at the Guest house we stayed at, I had shown her Tim's book and she said "Well if you like to take things apart, you may have this" How nice was that!!!
Tim signed my book, and Lorraine's too as I brought it along - he signed it "Dawn, Be Curios, Tim Holtz 2011" FANTASTIC.
Oh yes and another thing we got given a sticker - not any old sticker, but you know the new Vagabond, well there are stickers to customise it (if you haven't seen it, it looks like a suitcase) but this sticker is unlike any that will be owned by girls in the US - this sticker is a British flag with Vagabond written across it... so cool, wonder how many people will put theirs on e bay!
So there you have it my fabulous time at the workshop organised by Artsy Crafts THANK YOU so much, couldn't leave without showing this...

Me with the Duke of Distress TIM HOLTZ

The Twitter Maestro, Mario

Tim, Alain (from Ranger) and Mario

THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE BEST TIME

Hope you enjoyed sharing my special day,

Till next time

Have fun, Dawn

ARTSY CRAFT DAY 1

So Tim Holtz is over in the UK. We all watched him on QVC demoing and eagerly waiting for him to travel to Newport Pagnell to teach us in a workshop.
My friend and neighbour Gabby and I planned to travel up on Wednesday, stop over night to be fresh as daisies for the class on Thursday.
I was all packed and raring to go... we were told to bring scissors and pokey tool... so not much to pack. We left later than planned as Gabby was checking her list to ensure we had everything so we set off about 12.10.
On to the motorway when I happened to say to Gabby that I hoped Tim would be able to sign our Cabinet of Curiosities book.....Oh dear, calamity! Gabby forgot her book and a few pieces for a Thank you message we made for Tim. About turn at the next Junction  - back home to get the book.
Then we hit the road again and did not encounter any traffic at all...There is a God.
We were staying in Olney (click to read more).

Our 1st stop was LB CRAFTS the shop of Linda Brown who along with Leandra Franich from
 PAPER ARTSY had organised our workshop with Tim.

This is the interior of LB CRAFTS - and Gabby browsing.

After the browsing around the shops we had a look around this quaint little town.

We stopped at this Delicatessen and had a Coffee - beautiful coffee I might add....but just check out the colours in the shop.

and then it was on to the Guest House that we were booked in to. The COLCHESTER HOUSE.

WOW! it was so pretty...don't believe me, come take a look...

this was my little private space down the garden path... and inside it was like this..

the perfect place to relax and reflect on the day ahead.
The bed was so comfortable and I was thinking I could quite happily live there.
Gabby was staying in the main house... come check it out.

 Guest lounge

 Gabby's en suite in the eaves.

 View down to my little home from Gabby's window.

 Gabby's bedrom.

Lounge in the main house.
I am sure you are looking at these pictures and wishing you were there, right?

the breakfast room...
anyway would HIGHLY recommend staying here.

Then we headed of to the hotel where the Workshops were being held and me up with some girls who I was meeting for the 1st time, but had interacted with on Facebook.

Kaz on the right had a baby 9 weeks ago, a little girl called Samantha. I brought along a gift for her and she loved it, phew that was a relief.
Anyway the crowd of girls increased in the bar and we sat chatting and laughing till it was time to head back to the Guest house so we could be up bright and early...
So as not to bore you I will blog about the workshop tomorrow

Hope you come back

Hugs Dawn

Painting of Butterfly Fairy

So here she is my latest creation, a Dreamer who likes to flirt with the butterflies. Her heart sings when the butterflies flutter by.

I painted her with a relatively big brush, well for me any way to try and make her looser... I think she has worked, I shall probably go back in and tweak her, I find it best to step away for  a bit so that I can be more objective.

I was notified that I had been a winner by two participants on ONE WORLD, ONE HEART.

The first prize I won came from WANDA a delightful collection of goodies called "SPRING SPLENDOR....THANK YOU WANDA.

And then I had an e mail from HALLE and she notified me that I had won a FABRIC BOWL that she created... so all in all I feel very lucky.

I may have said before but we are all Winners with OWOH as we get to visit so many very talented people.

I would just like to say once again THANKS for visiting and I have a feeling that BUTTERFLY FAIRY will be offered up as a Giveway in the not too distant future.

Bye till next time, Love Dawn

OWOH 2011 WINNERS......

I would like to say a BIG THANK YOU to EVERYONE who visited my blog as part of OWOH. Unfortunately, not everyone gets a prize but I hope you all enjoyed the journey.


NOW FOR THE WINNERS....
1st PRIZE of the ALTERED BOTTLE

LOVEY

you were the 1st to comment and the first Random number picked

CONGRATULATIONS...

2nd PRIZE

The HEART WALL HANGER....

goes to PEGGY ALBORN

CONGRATULATIONS.

3rd Prize

THE GRATITUDE BOOK

goes to CRAFTY CREATIONS

CONGRATULATIONS

Now all you need to do is contact me within 48 hours with your address so I can get your prizes in the post to you.

ONCE AGAIN

THANK YOU EVERYONE for your support...

Hugs, Dawn xxx

LET ME INTRODUCE.....

Miss Elegante, here she is.....

she came to live with us today, I saw her and she reminded me off my daughter China so much that I just knew she needed to come home.

can you see the similarity?

Miss Elegante came from Patricia, a blogger who lives in the County that I live in here in England. I found her blog Papillon Bleu whilst blog hopping as part of OWOH.... go check it out, it is a magical little corner of blogland.
I am hoping to go and visit the other ladies who live with Patricia some time soon.

Not long now till the draw for the winners on my blog, wherever you are stay happy

Love Dawn xx