A visit to Italy....

Wow!  Another busy month here and it has just flown by. I am getting very excited though as it means another month closer to Christmas. When the leaves start changing colour here in the UK I always feel a kind of giddy excitement. I love Autumn and the lead up to Christmas. (but we won't go there just yet)

We were in Italy this month to try and find that last bit of summer and sun before the long winter starts.  We had nice weather. Not too hot and not cold at all.

When we got to Naples we travelled down the beautiful Amalfi Coast.  We also took a boat ride when we reached Amalfi to see the coast from a different angle. Just amazing.

We then travelled to Pompeii to visit the ancient city.

We hiked up to Mount Vesuvius which is still an active volcano. We were able to look right down into the crater. Then it was off to Sorrento for some shopping, pizza and ice cream! 

We also visited Montecassino and the British War memorial, dedicated to the soldiers who died there during the war.

We travelled further up North to Tuscany where we visited Assisi, St Mary of the Angels and Lake Trasimeno

I was really looking forward to visit Rome and so glad we finally made it there.

We ended our stay in Italy by travelling to Florence. I finally got to see the real "David" as sculpted by Michelangelo.

We had a great trip and met some lovely people on our travels.

Now it is planning for the new season and I am smiling from ear to ear with excitement!!

Thank you for stopping by today!

Cindy x 

September - what a month!

This has really been such a busy, full month!  I also had the wonderful surprise of my mum coming to visit!  Can not believe Matt and Mum kept this one a secret!

Mum and I tried to make the most of our short time together and first on our list had to be a crafty affair!

So off to the lovely Jackie Da Silva we went for an afternoon of card making with a stamp from the new Stampin' Up! Catalogue. Jackie runs classes in Card Making and Scrapbooking and you can be sure you will love what you make!

We visited the historic market town of St Albans and then hopped on a boat for a cruise into the Chilterns down the Grand Union Canal.

A trip to London is always on the cards.  Mum and I went strolling along the river path and South Bank admiring the bridges over the River Thames in the City.  Who knew that Waterloo Bridge was re-built mostly by woman during the war years?

 

Portobello Market  was our next stop.  After living in the UK for nearly 10 years this was my first visit, but I would definitely want to go back for a shopping spree soon!

In between all this I had to go for my final step in receiving my British Passport...The Interview.  Good news though I received it two days later!  Super quick! I baked cakes and we  probably drank way too much coffee!

I have been looking forward to the Big Stamp and Scrapbooking Show at Alexandra Palace for months and so lovely that mum got to go with me. 

Very sad that all good things must come to an end, but what a great end to mum's visit.

Love you Moekie!

Thank you for dropping by today.

Cindy x

Summer and Bank Holiday Crafting...

Hello!  We had some more lovely summer weather. I am glad to say that these hot days fell on the weekend. This meant Matt and I could dust off the BBQ and enjoy some late night star gazing sitting outside in the garden.

Unfortunately our Bank holiday plans did not quite work out due to Matt's work commitments, but it ended up as quite a nice weekend of crafting for me! It kicked off with a day spent with the Benfleet Scrappers where we were treated with two classes.  A beautiful Canvas LO designed by Jackie Da Silva who runs Benfleet Scrappers.

We then made this lovely Mini Book with Emma 

I have never been very keen on Mini Books, but the bug definitely bit me. I love miniature elements, book rings and tiny pearls etc.  It all works so wonderfully together in a mini book that I am not quite sure why I have never fallen for the charm of the Mini before...?

I then spent the afternoon on Bank Holiday Monday making cards with my leftover paper scraps from both classes. 

I got this stitched "hello" idea from the gorgeous Amy Tan.  Mine does not look as good though, but I will be practising! ;)  I also love these tiny words stamps by Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday. They work for everything from Project life to cards!

Louie had an operation, but he is recovering well.  He is back to running around causing havoc where ever he goes... Love him to bits! :)

Thanks for stopping by today!

Cindy x