Tuesday 31 March 2015

Last Day in Switzerland

The weather today in Switzerland has been very grey but if you look closely in the photo you can see the sun shining on the mountains
It stayed like this all morning.
We went up to visit Jacqueline's horse and on the way there we saw this building which looked very Germany castle ish

When I got to the airport this afternoon it started raining and then it turned to sleet.  
Apparently Switzerland is getting snow this weekend.
Now I knew it had been very windy at home and it became quite windy in Zurich so I was a little apprehensive about the flight.
We were able to see the planes approaching the airport from the house and it looked like they were getting a very rough ride.
On my Easyjet flights I don't normally find those special bags in the seat pocket but when I looked this time there were several, which is never a good sign.
Bad weather had made the plane late and was also making the flight longer than usual but it wasn't uncomfortably bumpy, which apparently it had been earlier in the day - phew!
Back to the shop tomorrow.

Day 4 in Switzerland

Monday I had 2 x 3 hour classes on the Technique Pages.
We seemed to have developed a rhythm and everything ran pretty smoothly,
we even finished a little early which is very unusual.

Now I need to decide what the next 3 Technique pages will be.
I am thinking Alcohol Inks and maybe Distress Stains.
What would you like to see on a Technique page?


Monday 30 March 2015

Day 3 in Switzerland

Sunday was a lazy day.   The weather was wet and windy.
We had a leisurely breakfast and then took the dog for a walk before heading into town for a little shopping trip.
In Switzerland most shops are closed on Sundays! 
But we found a few that were open and manged to spend some money.
After shopping we went to the store to plan my workshops for my return visit in June. 
This took us several hours hours before we then we returned home for dinner
and some internet research on products we want to use next time.

Sunday 29 March 2015

Vivid Dream

Have you ever woken up from a dream that was so vivid you could remember every detail?  It used to happen to me a lot but hardly for the last few years until last night, well 3 o'clock this morning.

It was so vivid it woke me up and then I didn't want to go back to sleep in case I went into the same dream so I started reading to distract my mind.

The dream started with me visiting a salon that my friend had recommended for leg waxing.  The owner of the salon greeted me on my arrival, he was a very flamboyant character with a heavy accent.
I was taken to a treatment room where he popped in to chat to me every now and then but I was in there for a long time waiting for my treatment when Antonio Banderas came in and sat down and started chatting to me.  
This went on for a while, after Antonio left I eventually had a half leg wax.
As I walked out of the room the doorman/bouncer said to me that is 675 - what pounds? I replied.  I was told £20.  OK give me £20 and we'll call it quits and then he walked off towards the pub over the road.  I ran after him and explained that I would rather pay the girl on reception so there would be no confusion.  He shrugged and walked away.  
I walked back to the receptionist and took out my money, as I lay it on the counter it felt and looked strange.  I picked it up as she tried to grab it away from me, it was Russian money.  I thought someone must have given it to me in my change somewhere by mistake so I pulled out another note from my purse, it turned out they were all Russian.  So I started to panic, I pulled out my driving licence photo card and that too was in Russian - someone had stolen my identity and it must have been the people in the salon - it was at this point I woke up suddenly.

Now, some time ago a friend did recommend a salon to me which I recently visited, plus I saw Antonio Banderas on a chat show last week - but as for the rest of it I have no idea where that came from.  Maybe I've been watching too many crime dramas!

Saturday 28 March 2015

Day 2 in Switzerland

I forgot to take my phone today so not even any phone pictures, I will try to do better tomorrow.

The day and all the workshops ran smoothly today, no incidents or accidents.
Lots of lovely ladies with varying degrees of English, they have been helping me improve my German and teaching me odd words as well as giving me chocolate and alcohol!
It's a lot of fun teaching to people when English is not their first language and sometimes they don't know any English at all.  It really makes you think about the way you describe things.  
Luckily a lot of what I do is visual so words aren't always necessary.  But I do find that I try and describe things in as many ways as possible in the hope that they will understand one of them, there is usually a word that is common in both languages.
I taught lots of different techniques today including 4 ways with gold leaf, chalk pencils, masterboard plus more.

I have a day off tomorrow and the weather will dictate what we do, but all the shops are closed on Sundays so no shopping, maybe a museum, some sightseeing or possibly a horse ride.
I shall just have to wait and see what the morning brings.

Day 1 in Switzerland

I really should have brought my camera but some things just aren't easy to capture in a photo.
We drove through several villages on the way from the airport and yesterday on the way to the store, there are some amazing ultra modern buildings and homes and then the very traditional wooden ones that you imagine there will be - Swiss Chalet style.
After the aiport we stopped for dinner in a traditional Swiss Chalet style restaurant.  Even the radio station was playing tradional accordion type music.  The food was amazing but enormous.  Marcels Cordon Bleu was the size of the large dinner plate (vegetables were separate).

I taught classes yesterday and they were all going really well until just after 8pm, I was trying to use a pen with liquid pearl type contents when it exploded in my hand.
I can only imagine what I looked like.  The contents of the pen were black, so the pink top I was wearing is now splattered in black as was my face, hands and arms.  I even found some in my hair.
I think the ladies did very well not to fall off their chairs laughing, which is what I would have done had some not gone in my eye.  I managed to wash it out of my eye and off my skin but unfortunately not my shirt, I think that is ruined - oh well I will just have to go shopping for a new one!
At the end of the evening when I was saying goodbye to the ladies I did notice that most of them had at least one black beauty spot that they didn't have earlier in the day!

Fingers crossed for no exploding pens today

Tuesday 24 March 2015

Opening Hours this week

Wednesday 25th 9am-3pm
Thursday 26th 10am-4pm
Friday 27th 10am-2pm
Saturday 28th - CLOSED

Saturday 21 March 2015

Distress Stains

If you visited Stamperama earlier this month you might have seen Lesley
creating this card using Distress Stains and Distress inkpads.

Friday 20 March 2015

Online Store

Have you visited our Ebay store recently - here
I am constantly adding unmounted stamps,
wood mounted stamps, Stampington Magazines
and accessories.

We do combine postage, you can add items to your basket
and then request a total so we can then adjust the postage charge.

Thursday 19 March 2015

Umbrella of Tulips

Lesley has been playing with some of the recent arrivals from Printworks Collection,
cling mounted rubber stamps.
Tulips are my favourite flower, no idea why, I just love them!

Tuesday 17 March 2015

Opening Hours w/c 16th March

Tuesday 9am-3pm
Wednesday 9am-3pm
Thursday 9am-3pm
Friday 10am-3pm
Saturday 10am-4pm
Sunday 11am-4pm

This weekend is one of our Cardmaking Weekends which is why we are open all weekend.

We are expecting deliveries this week of Ranger/Tim Holtz inkpads, Archival inkpads, 
Stampington Magazines plus new Printworks stamps.

Wednesday 11 March 2015

Demos at Harrogate


Emma and I will be leaving here on Thursday morning to drive up to Harrogate
and set up for GNPE on Friday & Saturday.
I am hoping the journey will be better than normal as it won't be Friday afternoon traffic, we will see!

Tuesday 10 March 2015

Opening Hours w/c 10th March

Tuesday 10th March 9am-3pm
Wednesday 11th March 9am-3pm
Thursday 12th March 10am-2pm
Friday 13th March 10am-2pm
Saturday 14th March 10am-4pm - Crop Day

I will be at GNPE in Harrogate on Friday & Saturday (set up Thursday)
So it will be Vicky and Baby Melody in the shop on Thursday & Friday.

Thursday 5 March 2015

20% off Everything in our Ebay Store

Follow this link to receive 20% off everything in our Ebay store when you order is over £20.  Ends 8th March.

Remember, we do combine postage so please request a total 
and we will adjust to the correct amount.

Tuesday 3 March 2015

Project Club March

 With flash (above) and without flash (below)
 Gold embossing powder (above)
Chablis - cream embossing powder (below)
 A variation on the theme.

Project Club & Opening Hours

This week is our Project Club
Tuesday 12.30
Wednesday 1pm
Wednesday 7pm
(I will post up photo later today, hopefully)

If you would like to join a Project Club Class (£6) then please call to book on 01234 855833.
Beginners and all stamping abilities are welcome.

Opening Hours
Tuesday 9-3
Wednesday 9-3
Thursday 9-3
Friday 12-3
Saturday - Closed