4th August 2017 Mailer

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Its *Always* Time for Sea Glass...

by Clare Walker

OK, so the summer sun seems to have gone on its holidays. But theres one way to enjoy the beach, whatever the weather: looking for sea glass. In case this is new to you, sea glass, is the name given to pieces of glass that have been so naturally tumbled by the action of the waves that they have become an entirely different and beautiful thing, all of their own. Instead of being sharp and transparent, sea glass pieces are rounded, frosted and opaque, and end up looking a bit like boiled sweets (as in the pieces in the picture, which we found in just one visit to a beach on the Thames Estuary). Clear glass turns into white or aqua sea glass, dark green into a pale jade, and brown into amber.Whilst I would *never*, ever, want anyone to throw glass into the sea these days, it is nice to think that Nature is so magnificent that it can even produce beautiful items (great for crafting and jewellery making) from human mistakes of the past. And, you dont necessarily have to go a long way to find it. Any beach or shore near to a place where people have lived for a couple of hundred years or more might wash up sea glass, whatever the weather. Happy searching!

And if you like beachy items, you might also like the decoupage layers in this mermaid kit. Or maybe you could use this jolly octopus and fish background in your next project...

cup786053_79993 by Clare Walker

cup792133_79993 by Clare Walker

Reminiscing by Vicki Avcin

Gee time flies. 5 years ago I was in Brisbane visiting the kids and we all went to Cirque du Soleilfor their OVO show. But from memory there was a challenge on at CUP for everyone to take a photo where theyd taken their (new at the time) purple Crafty Bob bags. It was surprising where Crafty Bob turned up and here I was all dressed up with Crafty Bob safely tucked away waiting for the big reveal outside the front of the huge tent down at Hamilton in Brisbane. OVO was a marvellous performance and I really would love to see more of their shows but they only come to Australia every few years. I think there has been one show in Sydney since OVO but I do keep an eye on where they go. Hopefully theyll come back to Brisbane again and I will get to go to another show. So there we all were, my son, my daughter, me and...... Crafty Bob!

My promo items this week are 2 Christmas Mini Kits. Variety of Greetings are given in each kit.

cup374667_543 by Vicki Avcin

cup374877_543 by Vicki Avcin

Dunwich Beach by Gillian Hutchinson

Were very lucky to have such lovely dog friendly beachs very close to us which we visit most mornings. Our favorite just now is Dunwich as we can park and walk for a couple of miles while the dogs have their swim then we can walk back through the heath which is such a maze of paths and stunning views. Dunwich was once a busy shipping centre, one of the busiest ports in the east of England. A lot of the town has disappeared due to coastal erosion, most of the buildings that were present in the 13th century have disappeared, including all eight churches. A large storm in 1347 swept some 400 houses into the sea. Another storm on the 16 of January 1362 finally destroyed much of the remainder of the town. A popular local legend says that, at certain tides, church bells can still be heard from beneath the waves.

cup804239_1443 by Gillian Hutchinson

cup804659_1443 by Gillian Hutchinson

Back to School by Diane Hannah

Where did the summer go?? It passes so quickly. Now Its time to go back to school. Its still hot, but summer fun is winding down. Liv is back in school now, so its time for a different routine. Going to after school care, doing homework, and going to bed early again (she totally does not like that part). Her mom takes the same picture on the first and last day of school each year to chronicle all of my granddaughters school year. Im hoping this year goes as well as the rest. Happy first day of school!

Thank you for looking. Hugs xxx

cup803960_874 by Diane Hannah

cup801381_874 by Diane Hannah

SCOUTS GALORE by Wanda Lipski

We had a group of 4 last year, this year they sent us 5 ! They were a great bunch and after dinner in the evening regaled us with music .... I even restrung one of my sons guitars for them, something I havent done for more than 40 years ! They had the luxury of beds, an evening meal and a great breakfast, and a HOT shower !!! We were such a success that the Scout powers that be tried to give us 8 more, but that was the night before we were celebrating our 5th anniversary in the house, with a drinks party for 80 ! While my husband was busy saying yes on the phone, I was making frantic NO gestures, until he finally got the message. Thank heavens, because that same day, he had also invited 6 people to lunch. Oh husbands, dont we just love them!!! The garden party became an inside party as the heavens poured down on us, but at least the scouts had had a dry evening, leaving us with fabulous souvenirs and this great photo of us all in front of the house. ENJOY !

cup803667_2237 by Wanda Lipski

cup804320_2237 by Wanda Lipski

Bee Watching! by Carol Clarke

5 year old Olivia and her younger brother 2 year old Austin are both fascinated by wild life. They will often stop when we are out to examine the slugs, snails, worms and insects we come across while out and about on our Cuddle and Giggle Day outings. But this week they spent ages sitting and watching a Bee on the sunflowers in their garden! Below are 2 of my NEWEST designs. Watch out for more Coming soon!!

cup802390_359 by Carol Clarke

cup802391_359 by Carol Clarke

Papamoa Polar plunge by Joan King

Every year at this time (mid winter) where we live has a polar plunge for Charity. The morning of the plunge was minus 3 degrees but the sun came out and I believe at the hottest time of the day it got up to 12 degrees!!! As to the water temperature it would have been incredibly cold but around 500 souls decided to take the plunge for the charity. They had a couple of spot prizes with money as incentives. I stood very bravely on the side lines taking photos but then suddenly the sea came in at a rather large surge and many of us suddenly had our feet and shoes under cold water. Still the 500 had worse to come. I took some photos of them waiting for the countdown and then into the water. They all had to go under water completely which they all duly did and surprisingly enough many stayed in for quite a while. They said it felt warmer in than out once they got used to it. Rather them than me.

cup804066_1716 by Joan King

cup804065_1716 by Joan King

Amber has her wings! by Tina Fitch

Emotional week for me! knowing now how much hard work goes into becoming Air Crew! All the knowledge you have to have to make sure everyone is safe and looked after. I dont think anyone realises how much work goes into training and I think you would all be very surprised indeed, But I can now say my Girl is QUALIFIED to the highest level.Since she was a small child Amber had always said this is her dream job, Yes she dreamed and dreamed till it became a reality on 1st August 2017... Well done Amber!As you can see by the photo Amber is over the moon and I am proud to say thats my girl! If you want it that bad you need to work for it! Go get your dreams people..Files in all formats for all machine users https://www.craftsuprint.com/tina-fitch/

cup795971_596 by Tina Fitch

cup711013_596 by Tina Fitch

Portugal Behind the Scenes.

by Valerie Dawes

I recently went to stay with a cousin who lives way out in the campo of Portugal, where I certainly got to experience a side of life that you wouldnt see if you stayed with the usual tourist destinations. Although I did get to have some lovely beach-days too, I was amazed to see how in the little country towns, the houses are built of local clay and mud and when one is no longer needed, it is just left to decay and crumble back into the ground.It doesnt seem to affect the neighbours however as you can see here, where a smartly kept row of little homes ends in an abandoned property which no-one seems to care for anymore. Fascinating!

cup804833_203 by Valerie Dawes

cup804831_203 by Valerie Dawes

Baxter & his stick! by Sue Way

Its been so windy here the last few days, but when Kelly brought the girls over today, we knew we had to get out for some fresh air & burn off some energy. So I piled Kelly, the girls & both our Goldens into the car & off we went to the park. The girls ran straight over to the play area, so Kelly & I strolled over with the dogs, playing frisbee & rolling all the way .... the dogs not us lol, The dogs had lots of fuss made of them by the other children & their mums, then Baxter made us all laugh as he claimed a big stick & tried to carry it! Goldens are such clowns. Here are my latest designs. http://www.craftsuprint.com/sue-way/?r=968387

cup804603_38 by Sue Way

cup803231_38 by Sue Way