A Taste of Italy

Hi folks, it's unusual that I manage a midweek post these days, I know, as life always seems so busy. I've been away so many weekends lately, that I've almost forgotten what home looks like! I met up with two of my lovely Craft Stamping Quartet buddies Lesley and Jo at the Stamp Magic Show at Doncaster. We don't get to see each other very often, so it was great to see them even just for a little while. I was spending the weekend with my parents, so I took my Mum to the Show too, which was nice for her, as she is an avid crafter too. She has only recently got a Big Shot, and it has opened up a whole new world for her. She has had a new lease of life from a crafting point of view, and it is lovely to see.

I made a few modest purchases, as I have been to several shows recently, so not too much to report. I am looking forward to trying out my Vintaj blanks now in my Big Kick, as I have all of the necessary bits and pieces that I need to get on with that now. I found the Vintaj blog yesterday, that is certainly one beautiful blog to look at if you like anything Vintaj related.

This week, my followers reached the one hundred mark, I have had several new followers recently, and I feel very honoured that you have chosen to follow me. I appreciate all of of my followers taking the time to stop by to look at what I am doing, and I know that not everyone chooses to leave comments, but I'd like to say thank you anyway.

Glenda over at Chocolate Baroque has some new stamps that she has released this week. There is free p & p until tomorrow. There are two sets 'Woodland Dreams' a lovely tree based set, and 'Echoes of Italy', an Italian based set. This set is very close to my heart, as I love Italy, and frequently go there on holiday. I have made several samples with this set, some of which you will be able to see over on the Design Team blog this week, and a couple that I will post on here.

My first sample that I have chosen to show you here is very photograph heavy, but please bear with me, as I really enjoyed making this one! Some of you will have seen the start of my Paris journal a couple of weeks ago in my Forgotten Friday post. I had already made this particular little journal as a sample for Glenda, using the fabulous Echoes of Italy stamps, among others in the Chocolate Baroque range.

 
I chose to use the fabulous Echoes of Italy papers as a background for my pages, and they just went perfectly with these stamps. I used chipboard covers, and Kraft card for my pages. I have used the stamps mostly as background accents throughout the book, as you will see, but added them to tags as well, which I will use for journalling later.

Here, I have used a photograph as a pocket, to place tickets and memorabilia behind. There are some useful little scroll stamps, great for adding to the tags, as little edge stamps.

This double page reflects a trip to Venice, and uses the 'Weekend in Venice' stamp plate too, also some of the 'Harlequin Mask' stamps. The crackle stamp on the 'Echoes of Italy stamp plate is a stamp that I am going to use over and over. It is a fabulous stamp, and a great size too. I added a train ticket to Venice, some Euros, as everything is so expensive there, and a little leather tag, as we go to the markets to buy leather goods in Venice.

There is a much softer feel to these pages, as this was our visit to 'Casa Juilietta', or Juliet's house. There is a photograph of the balcony, and a statue of Juliet herself.  I love Verona, it's a beautiful city. I have used a piece of lace for a pocket, to add to the feminine feel.

Gardone is a town on Lake Garda itself. Everywhere is very bright and colourful, the buildings are painted in strong yellows, terracottas, etc. There are bright flowers everywhere, and the colours are an explosion on the eyes. We visited Il Vittoriale, a house and gardens that reminds me very much of Portmerion for its quirkiness. There is even half of a ship in the garden! The lake views are stunning, and there are lots of statues, arches and columns everywhere. The stamps were just perfect to add to the atmosphere of my pages.

For my last two sections, I have two very different pocket options. On the left, for the visit to Malcesine, on a cable car visit, I have used a conventional little diagonal pocket, matching the paper to the background. On the right hand side, for our trip to Milan, I have used a beer mat for the pocket, tucking photographs, receipts, and other memorabilia behind.


My little book only measures 6" x 6", it is a great size to hold in your hand, and look through. It has fold out flaps, and with its pull out tags, is very interactive. I hope you have enjoyed looking at my project, and I'll be back soon with another one. Thanks for stopping by, xx